We were out of our room by dawn in order to get to Hayden Valley for one more opportunity for animal spotting. It was another chilly morning with the popular location (1.5 miles north of Trout Creek) already full of spotting scopes and binoculars when we arrived. Only a few minutes passed before someone spotted a wolf coming out of the tree line in the distance. Over a mile away, we strained our eyes through our binoculars and cameras trying to catch a glimpse of the wolf (click the picture to enlarge and look for the small dark spot on right half staring at the bison on the left half...just trust us, it's a wolf).
Typically one or two of the individuals with scopes at this location are volunteers who track the pack, documenting when they are spotted, how many were out, and if they are known to have made a kill. They were friendly and willing to share information as well as occasional peeks through the scope. It was amazing how powerful their scopes were, getting close enough to see the wolves wagging their tails, digging, and just having fun playing amongst themselves. We would definitely consider renting or buying a scope for future trips and would recommend the same to others who are interested in observing animals in the valley.
There was growing excitement when several other members of this pack also came out from the shadows. At one point, there were six adults (or juveniles) pacing, playing, and laying near the tree line. Unfortunately for us, we never saw the pups, though we heard they had been seen for a short period of time. Reaching the limit of our camera and lens zoom capabilities, we were able to catch a few of the larger wolves (above and to the left of the buffalo below). After playing for nearly an hour the wolves disappeared back into the trees.
