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My coolest experience in Yellowstone happened in May of 2011.
I was driving past the meadow where the Ranger museum is near Norris Campground and I saw a few cars parked and some people staring into the meadow. Glancing over as I drove, I noticed a few bison with newborn calves. I stopped and asked a guy "Are you guys looking at the new bison calves?" He responded "No, we're watching the wolves."
I pulled in quickly and pulled out my rented 500mm f4.5, an older lens I'd been forced to rent from Bozeman Camera because I'd managed to break the mount on my 500mm f4 the day before I flew out to the park.
There were three wolves coming in from the woods, and they crossed the river and began harassing the bison cows, trying to get to their newborn calves. And I do mean newborn---the mommas still had the placenta hanging out of them.
This went on for about a half an hour, until the whole herd, newborns and all, ran down the road and off of it into a section of the geyser basin where hiking was prohibited and we all lost sight of them.






















So, what's your story?

Hey! I was one of those guys! I remember meeting you there for first time.

...The good old days....

F55 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:27 pm

Hey! I was one of those guys! I remember meeting you there for first time.

...The good old days....

I can't believe it's been seven years already.

Come on guys, someone else had to have SOMETHING memorable happen to them...

The once in lifetime experience for us was October 2016, we were staying in Gardiner, got up early to beat the road works as we were heading to Fishing Bridge. As we were coming down the hill approaching the meadows before Canyon, the sky was struggling to get light. Suddenly a large herd of Elk ran across the road in front of us, they were very spooked and we knew something was a foot. We were crawling along anyway due snow and ice but we slowed down and tried to scan both sides of the road. The Elk were milling around in the left hand side of the road looking very edgy. As we drove further down the road we could just make out some shapes in the far tree line to the left. Pulled over and spend the next few hours watching the most amazing scene. There were 3 Grizzlies and a number of wolves on a kill, the photos don't do it justice as they are heavily cropped but they still bring that moment back to us. We and one other had it too ourselves for quite a longtime then the road workers from Canyon joined on their way to work. It turned out to be the Wapiti Pack the first time we had seen them. Great morning this was one time I wished that I had a better lens and was a better photographer. I did nearly slice my finger off though, caught it in the car door and didn't realise I had injured myself because if was so cold.
Pam

That's awesome man!

Wow! Dubh. that's a fantastic experience.

My coolest Yellowstone experience happened in May 2011. I was watching a grizzly sow (Blaze) and her cub-of-the-year (Hobo) from a pullout just south of LeHardy Rapids. The bears walked across the snow down to the Yellowstone River and the sow entered the river and started to swim across. The cub stood on the shore and watched as the sow swam further and further away. When she was about halfway across she turned around and swam back to the shore where the cub jumped in the water and then climbed on her back and she ferried it across the river.

There were only about 10 or 12 of us who watched this incredible wild moment. I wish I had better photos, but I don't, so these photos posted to my old flickr account will have to do...


River Crossing Part 1 by PrairieDee, on Flickr


River Crossing Part 2 by PrairieDee, on Flickr


River Crossing Part 2 - Zoomed by PrairieDee, on Flickr

-Dawn

Dawn, I was there in May of 2011 and got Blaze and Hobo across from the Lake stables, but I missed the crossing, for which I still kick myself...

Fantastic animal images. Nothing I've gotten in Yellowstone comes close. But I do rather well at astrophotography and May 2017 I hit the jackpot in Yellowstone. On May 22 when I was camping at Mammoth Hot Springs I went up to a pullout near the Upper Terraces and captured the Aurora Borealis over the springs. The yellow glow is steam highlighted by the ambient lights below. I've tried to get the Aurora from the upper terraces but the lights from the commercial district nearby the hot springs really louse up the photos. At this pullout the trees block most of the light .

A few nights later when I was camping at Canyon Village the Aurora was again visible. I spent quite a while photographing STEVE.



When that faded I captured the Aurora over the Yellowstone River.


Gear for astrophotography: Canon 5D M III, Samyang F1.4 24mm, Rokinon f 2.4 14mm, Induro Tripod.