Page 19 - Breath of the Bear

PRIME TIME YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone National Park has something to listening to the rhythmic munching when wolves photos and story by Deby Dixon
offer all of its millions of visitors 365 days a year begin to howl in all directions. I long to capture this
but for those of us who are hardcore in rain, snow moment in my memory forever, so I sit back and become accustomed to the noise from humans
and strong winds at temperatures ranging from drink in the twinkling of the stars, the crunching of gathering to see him and he stays longer, looking
-40 to +40, Blacktail Lakes is the place to be from bones and flesh and the song of the wild, knowing up to check on us frequently. I can see the bear’s
mid-March until mid-April, where we hope to see that this is an experience that few humans ever eyes moving from human to human. Finally
our first grizzly. Blacktail Lakes are a death trap enjoy. As darkness begins to give way to the an obnoxious crowd arrives in a large vehicle,
for bison that fall through the ice. They look like morning light, 769 moves away from the carcass slamming doors with excited people scrambling
shallow swampy ponds, yet are fairly deep and for his morning stretching and yoga routine. He is and running to see the bear, and it is too much.
teeming with fish. The sides are undercut in many too fat to chase away wolf 1273, a male founding This morning, 769 fools us and instead of going
areas where the bison fall in, so they are unable member of the Rescue Creek pack, when he north onto the flanks of Mt. Everts, he heads west
to heave themselves to safety. After struggling moves in for a few bites before the arrival of too and crosses the road to the south. He did not
for 8 or more hours, the large ungulate simply many humans. A car stops in the road above the return that evening but was back the following
slips below the surface, taking its last breath in a carcass and 1273 looks at it and moves away, going day to finish his feast, which lasted 14 days. When
gruesome death. to stand right next to the grizzly before heading 769 left, a grey male yearling from the Rescue
east and returning to his pack. Creek wolf pack came in to eat for a long time,
In November, a mature bison fell into the pond making this year’s bison carcass in the lake a
after the bears had gone to bed. Try as they might, The light comes on slowly and 769 returns to total hit for wildlife enthusiasts, photographers
wolves and coyotes could not feed without risking the carcass for a few more bites. It seems he has and film makers.
death or injury from falling into the freezing water.
So the bison remained in the freezer, awaiting
the arrival of Grizzly Bear 769 in the spring. In
mid-March, winter showed no signs of letting up
and Blacktail Lakes were still frozen solid. We
saw tracks at the spot where the bison drowned
and predators scratched the ice, but the freezer
remained locked.
Finally on April 8, nearly a month later than
in previous years, bear tracks led to the carcass
and we knew that our grizzly with the red tags
was inspecting the lakes for his first meal. The
next morning, 769 was at the carcass, butt in air
and scratching at the ice to make a hole to reach
in and grab slimy bison meat. He was quite the
massive sight with drooping belly, round rear end
and goofy facial expressions punctuated by the
collar antenna that stood between his ears. This
bear did not look like he had missed a single meal.
We were lucky he returned, as last fall several
grizzly bears roamed the streets at night looking
for food in the small town of Gardiner, Montana.
Bear 769 found the grease traps at restaurants
and the dining quite profitable in town. Some of
the restaurants took months to clean up their
food garbage, and residents eventually secured
their bear attractants. Bear 769, who formerly only
wore red ear tags, earned himself a collar for his
escapades but luckily has so far escaped the
death penalty. Local advocacy groups and bear
managers are working towards keeping him safe
this coming fall.
Once the word was leaked that a bear had
finally arrived at Blacktail Lakes, local visitors
begin arriving, followed by the hardcore parkies
from greater distances. People were excited and
the area near the carcass 200 feet from the pullout
became filled with loud voices and slamming car
doors. The bear watched the crowd closely to SEE MORE
make certain everyone was behaving themselves,
but could only grab a few bites before retreating
away from the road and crowds.

For 10 days, 769 had been at the carcass every
day except one. It took him awhile to completely
extract the bison from the lake, so very few other
predators came in to eat. But on this dark morning,
I can hear 769 crunching bone and breaking ice.
A black wolf is a short distance away, waiting its
turn to eat. At the back of the lakes, the sandhill
cranes are calling. I sit quietly in the dark, window
down with a very cold breeze wafting over me,
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