Winter 2020 Trip Report (Jan 11-24)

Share your latest adventure in Yellowstone.

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Max
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Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:27 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Day 6 (Jan 17)

Post by Max »

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January 17, 2020
This report is going to be short… but sweet.

Today was my last free day before packing up to go fetch tour clients. I intended to spend only a half day in the park, and that’s all I got. But that’s okay. I didn’t have many major goals, except maybe to check the ermine spot a bit earlier in the morning. I never quite got there…

It was mild this morning, a steady 23-25 most of the first half of the day. The northeast was clear and dry. I was driving slowly through Round Prairie, on the lookout as usual, when chatter came across the radio.

”Did you hear about Tower?”

Read more in the Day 6 Trip Report.

Max



RikWriter
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:36 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-6 (Jan 11-17)

Post by RikWriter »

Wow, what an incredible experience. That's just awesome!



lah
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:47 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-6 (Jan 11-17)

Post by lah »

That's fantastic that you got to see so many of them, including the white alpha. Still really miss her mom and dad!
I got some close pictures of her when she was with 755 but haven't seen her up close with the blacks and the big pack, so I'm a bit jealous.
Wishing you added success on the trip!



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Max
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Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:27 pm

Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 7-9 (Jan 18-20)

Post by Max »

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January 18, 2020

There’s nothing much to report from Saturday, since it was my client pick-up day, but I did stop at Tower to watch the Wapiti Pack for a few minutes. Even from a distance, the sight of so many wolves hanging out together like that remains special.

I made it up to Bozeman, collected my group, and we drove south to West Yellowstone, where we’d start my tour with three days of exploration in the park interior...

Read more in the latest trip report.

Max



Dorothy
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Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:45 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-9 (Jan 11-20)

Post by Dorothy »

Great report and wonderful photos (loved the landscape ones, but I would join you on the needing more that landscapes after awhile!). That coyote pouncing is really cool. Good luck finding that bobcat! (We'll be in there in a few days and hope to see it, too, although our limited time makes it seem unlikely). AND loved the photo of the Wapitis. Wow! Do hope they hang around a few more days, too -- I would love to see something like that.

Just again, thanks so much for posting these reports and photos. Coming home from work and settling down to read your report and see all those great photos always makes the day better. Best of luck with your tour!



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Max
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Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:27 pm

Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 10-11 (Jan 21-22)

Post by Max »

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January 21, 2020
Don’t you love it when things don’t go according to plan? For all the right reasons, that is.

I was rather pleased when my clients voted to skip Old Faithful and the thermals on our final day in the interior in favor of wildlife searches in Hayden Valley again. Unfortunately, we never made it to the east side of the park.

We started with our usual bobcat exploration, and once again, there was no sign of a cat. A pair of coyotes patrolled below the road, their presence (or mine, more likely) presumably contributing to the cat’s absence.

We cruised through the most cat-friendly stretch of road, stopping occasionally to check tracks. Nothing doing. It was time to turn around and make another pass, as we had done the previous mornings.

Or was it?

This is where we made the biggest decision of the trip...

Read about some EPIC wildlife encounters from these last two days in the blog.

Max



RikWriter
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:36 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-11 (Jan 11-22)

Post by RikWriter »

Oh man, that's incredible Max!



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Max
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:27 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-11 (Jan 11-22)

Post by Max »

Thanks Rick. It’s definitely been my best winter trip ever, and I’m pretty sure we’re having my best winter tour ever (still one day to go to ruin it all, though! ;)).

Max



lah
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:47 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-11 (Jan 11-22)

Post by lah »

Such an amazing wolf-in-the-wild portrait! (And you tell me nothing ever happens along the Madison.)
Hoping you have more happy trails.



lah
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:47 pm

Re: Winter 2020 Trip Report, Days 0-11 (Jan 11-22)

Post by lah »

Such an amazing wolf-in-the-wild portrait! (And you tell me nothing ever happens along the Madison.)
Hoping you have more happy trails.



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