During the summer of 2004, 399 emerged from her den with a single cub, but the cub disappeared. It is assumed it had a deadly encounter with an adult male grizzly which are known to kill cubs. Male grizzlies are the greatest treat to cubs, as female grizzlies will not come into heat as long as they are nursing cubs.

In late November of 2005 she denned up in the Teton Wilderness north of Grand Teton National park for hibernation. The following spring, she emerged with three new cubs in tow. Almost immediately, the sow and cubs drew large crowds. They became a sensation unlike any Grand Teton Park grizzly in modern memory.

399 once again is delighting tourists and photographers in the meadows along the road as she is often spotted digging for Uinta ground squirrels, wild onion, yampa root, and Indian potato. She and her cubs also graze on plants like dandelion and clover often with the intensity of other grazing animals. It’s nature’s salad bar that precedes the arrival of early summer’s main course, newly born elk calves. Once the feast of elk veal decreases from the elk calving grounds surviving elk calves become harder to catch, the grizzly family returns to the salad bar of the meadows. In late summer, their diet turns to whitebark pine cones and berries. Grizzly 399 knows how to naturally forage, and has taught those skills to her offspring.

Grizzly bears were listed in 1975 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. That designation was removed in 2007 but was restored by court order in 2009. In 1970, Yellowstone National Park initiated an intensive bear management plan with the objectives of restoring the grizzly bear populations to subsistence on natural forage and reducing bear-caused injuries to humans. As part of the new bear management program regulations prohibiting the feeding of bears were strictly enforced, as were regulations requiring that human food is kept secured from bears. In addition, garbage cans were bear-proofed and garbage dumps within the park were closed.

The results were disastrous for the existing grizzlies in Yellowstone as most died of starvation because they didn’t know how to find natural food; however, the 150+ surviving bears figured it out and survived. These survivors taught their cubs too live off natural food, and now we have a thriving population of grizzlies in Yellowstone that avoid humans instead of seeking them out. Park biologists want to ensure that the Grizzlies remain wild and reliant upon natural food sources only. To keep all grizzly bears wild and free, people must practice good “bear aware” etiquette and be responsible while recreating in Grand Teton National Park. Grizzly sows hold premium “value” in a bear population. 399 has delivered two sets of triplets and is a key player in the exponential expansion of the Yellowstone Grizzly population.

We photographers and wildlife watchers of Jackson Hole and Yellowstone who have assumed the role of amateur cognitive ethologists have concluded that 399′s predilection for frequenting areas rife with humans may be purposeful. Our ethological-projection is merely guesswork by armatures, but we surmise that 399 have determined that as annoying as we humans are, we are not dangerous. Male grizzlies steer clear of human congestion, therefore congested national park habitat may be safer than truly wild grizzly habitat. Biologists say 399′s strategy of remaining close to the road may have kept her cubs safe by deterring large male grizzlies and predators. Nonetheless, she and her cubs remain wild, naturally foraging bears that are potentially dangerous. 399 is remarkably attentive, passing on the instincts of survival and necessary to survive in a crowded human world.

The cubs are cute no question about that, but a female grizzly with cubs happens to be one of the most dangerous animals in North America. In 2007 this normally ambivalent sow bit a man who came across the four bears feeding on a just-killed elk. Dennis Vandenbos tried yelling to frighten the bears away, then lay down on his stomach in a submissive posture. One of the bears then attacked; inflicting lacerations and puncture wounds. A nearby Grand Teton Lodge Co. employee frightened the bear away. It was lucky VanDenbos had the presence of mind to lie down on his stomach when he realized the bear would continue approaching him. The attack likely resulted from a defensive response by a bear, while protecting its food source so no action was taken against 399 because of the attack.

Grizzly cubs are weaned around June of their third spring. Young sows may hang around their mother for another year, sharing her home range, and eventually becoming her replacement in the circle of life, boars; however, strike out to establish their own territory. All the cubs 399 delivered in 2006 reached adulthood, which is a statistical anomaly, which rarely happens in nature. Grizzly sow 399 may know what she is doing.

To the delight of many grizzly 610 one of 399′s cubs from her 2006 crop of cubs, also showed up this spring with two new cubs of her own. Grizzly 610 seems to be emulating her mother she seems to be comfortable near park roads and relaxed with the cubs, She seems comfortable with people and vehicles as is 399. For those who see 610 and her brood the experience will be as special. And those who know her family history will likely be even more appreciative.

Grizzly 399, her daughter, 610 and their broods are certainly going to be a net gain for the economy of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park providing a boon for hoteliers, restaurants, gift shops, service stations and outdoor gear stores because of thousands of people coming to view them this summer. Jackson Hole won’t be the only monetary beneficiary though. I as are many other photographers are upgrading our premium lens arsenals to include 500mm, 600mm, and 800mm lenses that cost thousands of dollars apiece, a windfall for Canon and Nikon that has their executives smiling.

Photographing grizzlies is one of my biggest thrills much to the peril of the rest of my photographic checklist. I often retrospectively kick myself for driving past beautiful sunrises and gorgeous scenery in the hopes of getting to a good bear location where a bear may or may not show up. The anticipation of the thrill of finding then photographing these amazing animals cause me to jettison all photographic pragmatism if the hopes of capturing that perfect grizzly moment.

This new generation of the family excited biologists and frankly, everyone else. This clan is gaining worldwide attention from articles that are being published around the globe. 399 had a galvanizing influence, winning the hearts of all who watched her. “She changed the negative attitude that some people have about grizzlies, Grizzly 610, I am sure, will carry on the tradition. Twenty years ago, seeing a grizzly in Grand Teton was rare. Today it’s common all grizzlies in the woods are “valuable” but not all are equal. Each comes with qualitative distinctions, just as people do. Bears 399 and 610 are not only mascots for their species; they are ambassadors for Grand Teton National Park and all Grizzly Bears everywhere. 399′s progeny are sure to be delighting untold thousands of Grand Teton Park visitors for years to come.

Daryl L. Hunter guides for Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris and he publishes the Greater Yellowstone Resource Guide http://www.greater-yellowstone.com. You can see more of his photography at http://www.daryl-hunter.com

Driving north from the town of Jackson toward Moran junction in winter used to be a sure fire way to see moose. It was not unusual to see dozens of them grazing on the sage flats around the airport and laying around in the Gros Ventre river bottom. Moose were everywhere! That was five years ago.

Today you can take that same drive and not see a single moose. Look a little harder and you might find one or two tucked away in the willows along the Gros Ventre river or in somebody’s yard but they are not nearly as abundant or visible as they used to be. The declining moose population is well documented, easily noticed and has been studied to exhaustion by both government biologists and graduate students. Despite the attention, there have been no clear answers and a lot of debate.

One theory suggests that the moose had overpopulated Jackson Hole and ate themselves out of house and home by reducing their preferred browse in the valley like bitterbrush and willow. The problem with this theory is that there hasn’t been a noticeable reduction in their preferred browse that would cause such a significant decline. Another possible scenario being considered was that a new disease was affecting the population and increasing mortality in the Jackson area. Despite a lot of effort to find the mystery disease, no such pathogen was found and the hunt for the cause continued.

Some suggest that wolves are to blame but they can’t be totally responsible since the moose population had already been dropping precipitously well before the first reintroduced wolf wandered back into the valley in the late 90′s. What could cause the sudden decline of a well established prey species in a county where 97% of the land is protected by the federal government? A better understanding of history and context might shed some light on the subject.

When Lewis and Clark came west in 1804 one of their missions was to document and catalog everything they found along the way. Though there were a couple mentions of the expedition seeing moose along the way, they didn’t see many and those they did see might have actually been mule deer. Though they didn’t come through Jackson Hole, their accounts of pre-settlement flora and fauna in the west help us understand how things have changed since whites began settling the area. One of the biggest changes was a dramatic reduction in predator populations like bears, mountain lions and wolves. Through trapping, hunting and poisoning white settlers successfully removed or reduced predators from the west in an attempt to ‘tame’ the wilderness. Grizzly populations were reduced to near extinction and wolves were completely exterminated from the Greater Yellowstone area.

Without predators, Jackson Hole, once marginal moose habitat, became a place where moose could thrive. Prior to 1912 there were few, if any Moose, in Jackson Hole. By the mid 1960′s there were around 250 moose living year-round in the valley and by 1993 the Jackson moose herd had reached it’s peak of an estimated 3000-4000 animals. This rapid success into a new habitat certainly changed the landscape but I doubt that this alone would lead to a 75% decline in valley moose in under two decades. It is likely that something else changed the game for moose in Jackson Hole.

That something weighs 350-600 lbs, runs up to 40 mph, shares the same habitat as moose and has been moving back into Jackson Hole since the early 1990′s. Grizzly Bears, once relegated to feeding on trash and handouts in Yellowstone, have made an amazing comeback since their near extinction from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. After being protected from hunting in 1975 their population has soared and they have been spreading out in search of new territory and food sources. Though grizzlies will predate moose, especially the calves, the real problem for moose is just their presence. Grizzlies spend a lot of time in river bottoms and meadows in search of food and will graze on many of the same plants that moose rely on. This added stress pushes moose to the margins of their habitat and decreases the time they can spend feeding in a given area. Decreased caloric intake through the summer and fall leads moose into winter in poor shape and decreases their chances of survival and reproduction.

I believe that the moose herd had probably overpopulated the valley around 1992 which, with the help of steadily increased hunting quotas, lead to their population to begin a decline. At the same time, Grizzlies began to move back into the valley and created a new stress that displaced them from some of their prime summer range. Finally, wolves returned to Jackson Hole adding a critical nail to the coffin of moose ever recovering to anywhere near pre-predator numbers.

In the last few years the winter distribution of moose in the valley has changed significantly concurrent with a dramatic increase in wolf activity. According to Teton National Park there are now over 60 wolves in 5 packs whose territory extends into Jackson Hole. As a wildlife photographer and guide I have noticed the change in moose numbers and distribution and the increase in wolf sightings on our safaris. Like the grizzly bear, the wolves aren’t necessarily killing a lot of adult animals. Instead they will opportunistically kill calves and through their presence add another stress that impedes feeding and rest; both critical for moose to survive the harsh Wyoming winters.

There is no doubt that predators are probably the main factor in the decline of the Jackson moose herd. Though depredation is certainly a part of the puzzle, I believe that stress and the interruption of grazing is a larger factor based on my time observing moose, grizzlies and wolves.

One positive change for the moose of Jackson Hole is people and the protection from predators that we provide. If you want to see moose you will find them in the neighborhoods on the west bank of the Snake river, the backyards in Wilson and even laying around in the town of Jackson. Moose have learned that people aren’t a threat and that grizzlies and wolves tend to avoid contact with humans. One study even showed cow moose in Grand Teton National Park moving closer to roads to birth and raise their calves once grizzlies moved into their area. The predator prey relationship is complex, ever changing and certainly includes us. Though we try to act like an observer there is no doubt that we are a participant.

Stay tuned for fresh photography, up to date wildlife observations and short articles about current events in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In fact let’s start right now. According to Teton National Park biologists there are over 65 wolves in 6 packs whose territories extend into Jackson Hole this winter. That is an incredible number of wolves that demonstrates how effective the reintroduction of wolves have been. Despite falling populations inside Yellowstone over the last few years due to disease and inter-pack conflict, the wolf population in Jackson Hole is definitely on the rise. Consequently, wolf sightings are on the rise too!

So far this season we have been seeing wolves on just over half our safaris. If you’re out and about keep your eyes peeled on the north end of the National Elk refuge and north of the Gros Ventre River on antelope flats. We are hearing rumors of a super pack of up to 17 animals with both black and grey colored members but so far we are only seeing 2-4 at a time with two black and two grey. Don’t confuse the dozens of coyotes running around for wolves. They can be tricky to tell apart, especially at a distance.

Happy wildlife viewing! Please feel free to send us your wildlife sightings and questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jason