Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!
Here's the highlights of what we saw:
* 2 wolf packs (saw 27 of the 28 member of the Junction Butte pack and 2 of the 14-15 member Rescue Creek pack)
* 4 coyotes
* 1 fox
* 1 grouse
* 2 golden eagles
* 11 bald eagles
* 5-10 magpies
* 5 trumpeter swans
* 4 beaver
* 15-20 big horned sheep
* 2 moose
* 10s of mule deer
* 100s of white tail deer
* 1000s of elk
* 1000s of bison
Andrea was our guide on a one-day private tour of Yellowstone National Park. We went the day before Thanksgiving with full awareness that most of the park would be closed for the winter. No matter, we wanted to see the wildlife. And we saw wildlife!!!
Andrea is incredibly knowledgeable and an excellent communicator, which made the tour all the more enjoyable! He has a degree in Wildlife Biology from argueably the best place to study it, the University of Montana. He conveyed the stories about the history of the park and the wildlife in a way anyone can understand and his passion is contagious!
Andrea is also incredibly good at spotting wildlife! I have no idea how he was able to see wolves at such distances that they looked like dots with the naked eye. But when he set up the scope, there they were! I also really appreciate how much Andrea, the other guides (even from other companies), and the wolf researchers worked together to communicate animal sightings with one another (and also communicated when there were stranded tourist so the rangers could come dig them out).
ADA Accessibility:
My mom went on the tour and she uses a wheelchair. The snow and ice was a bit tricky at times but Andrea helped us navigate the terrain. In the car, when we stopped along the drive, Andrea made sure my mom had excellent views!
Vehicle:
I am really glad Andrea took us around in a large SUV. I felt safer in the SUV given the snowy and icy weather conditions. Also, the SUV had windows that passengers could roll down in the back seat too. It sure beats being on a bus or van where you can't roll down the windows.
Logistics:
Andrea picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel in Bozeman. He provided snacks, lunches, and beverages that we consumed between wolf sightings. He also brought a scope to share viewings and binoculars for us to use.
Pro-tips:
- I used a 100-400mm lens and took handheld photos. I had a tripod with me but didn't end up using it. A longer lens may have been nice for the wolves (which were correctly) at a far distant, but the range was just right for everything else.
- If you have a scope, might as well bring it! If you have a camera/ phone attachment for your scope, all the more better.
- If you go in winter, bundle up with waterproof shoes with good traction, gloves, and head/neck cold weather gear.
I highly recommend going on tour with Andrea. We will book with him again the next time we come out.