Rumors of Pups: A Yellowstone Week

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Thunder is rumbling as cold rain pours down.  This morning our trail cam captured a cow moose and her calf crossing right in front of our cabin at 6:36 a.m.  They were on their way to the nearby pond, continuing through the meadows into the forest.  Their fur is damp and mottled by the rain; the calf follows hesitantly; small, yet healthy looking.

On Saturday we drove into the Park to check on the Wapiti Pack at their den site, hoping to see puppies.  There were no wolves in sight at 7:15 a.m., but across the road a grizzly foraged along the banks of the Yellowstone, then crossed the river delighting lots of visitors.  Last week we spotted four Wapiti wolves lying in large snow patches near the den; when they are bedded down on the grassy slopes, they can be difficult to see.  For all we know the wolves were just on the other side of the ridge.

It was a quiet but beautiful clear morning with bison scattered throughout the valley. Near Lake Butte Overlook, a crowd of people gathered along the road, spotting scopes pointed up the slope.  Nestled in between two trees was a golden spot, a grizzly bear.  She lay there, lifting her head every now and then, sometimes sitting up.  I asked a ranger who it was and he said he couldn’t be sure, but if he had to guess, it would be Storm.  Storm is one of Snow’s two cubs born in 2023 and, like her mother, is a warm honey color.  As she grubbed and ambled around, the tan hide of a carcass became visible, maybe a deer or a calf.

We watched the bear until she lay down again, sprawling over the carcass and settling into a nap.  It’s was warming up so we headed back to Hayden Valley, stopping at LeHardy Rapids where a flock of Harlequin ducks huddled together on rocks as the river rushed by.  One drake took off, his wings beating furiously as he sped up the river then surfed the breaking waves downstream.  Both males and females are stunning: the males with deep blue, white crescents and rich chestnut-red markings, the females a subdued brown with distinct white patches on the face.  Harlequin ducks breed from late April through late May and LeHardy Rapids is one of the best places where you can watch them.

In Hayden Valley we searched for the Wapitis again.  Another visitor had been watching since 7:30 a.m. without any luck, but he heard the Wapitis have three pups, though no one has confirmed that.  Still, it’s good news.  We don’t get many reports about the Wapitis, maybe because no one sees them or there just aren’t any wolf watchers in Hayden Valley.  We moved down the road to try a different angle and after a lot of scoping Tim spotted a gray wolf meandering on the slopes below the den site.  A bison grazed nearby but didn’t seem bothered by the wolf at all.  The wolf disappeared briefly behind a berm, before trotting up the slope toward the den and into the trees.

Sunday, we drove through the valley toward Henry’s Lake.  How beautiful it all is, surrounded by the Henry’s Lake Mountains and Gallatin Range. We parked and hiked a dirt road through Beaver Creek Campsites.  It felt so wild in the canyon next to the creek, a path deep between the mountains.  A bald eagle perched high in a tall pine overlooking the creek, hunting; a few mountain goats could be spotted bedded in the rocky cliffs on the other side of the creek.  Shaded by tall pines it became eerily dark when the sun hid behind the clouds.

Yesterday we took Daisy up Lionhead Road.  The road climbs up and up until it reaches meadows with spectacular views of Hegben Lake in the distance and the surrounding area.  Wildflowers are sprouting everywhere: larkspur, arrowleaf balsamroot, sticky geranium, creeping barberry, wild strawberry, many flower stickseed, marsh marigold, prairie smoke, silky lupine, and heartleaf arnica.

The cold rain suddenly turns to sleet and hail.  The temperature dives to 45 as thunder continues to crash.  Daisy searches for safety in the closet.  Tim brings her bed up and she settles into her little cubby hole.

– Christine Baleshta