Posts in Category: wolf

Yellowstone! Wolf at the carcass

Wolf: Blacktail Plateau, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Sorry for the “nature raw” shots if they bother you, but this is real. My wolf encounter was because wolves were coming to a carcass that was right by the road on Blacktail Plateau. Others who were there that day saw this mother with 2 pups about 200 yards down the draw from the carcass, and she was obviously carrying food back to them. While we were there, the park rangers came with a truck with a winch and hoist and removed the carcass to take it somewhere where the wolves could feed without being in such close proximity to fool hearty tourists and photographers. 🙂 Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Walking Wolf

Wolf: Blacktail Plateau, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — I already talked about this unintentional close encounter with the big female wolf in Yellowstone. These are shots as she passed by me. Full frame, uncropped at 361mm equivalent. That close. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at, as I say, 361mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Big Grey Wolf

Wolf: Blacktail Plateau, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — I always feel the need to apologize for these photos. Even though it was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a wolf, I know I was in the wrong place at the right time. No one with any sense allows a wolf to come this close…about 3 yards…but she snuck up on me, coming up the back side of the ridge while I was sitting just down from the brow. By the time others alerted me to her presence and I stood up, she was right there, cresting the ridge. Too late to run (and that would have been the worst of ideas anyway) I simply tried to keep the camera steady and thought “I’m not in your way, just go around me”. I did not feel threatened in any way…and I would like to think she didn’t either, and she did turn and walk around me, keeping that 3 yard distance. Lots of head-shots…only cropped for composition, so full frame really with the Sony a6700 and the Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. (And glad for them because I certainly could not have thought about what I was doing at that moment any more than to point and shoot.) Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Blackie

Wolf: Blacktail Plateau Drive, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Our first encounter with the two wolves on the carcass next to the road on Blacktail Plateau. His grey mate had already fed and headed down the draw next to us where we were on the road, and he soon followed, passing within 50 yards of us, and eventually catching up with his mate. Both of them then came right out into the road and ambled down past the parked cars. Amazing. Beautiful creatures. And apparently totally unconcerned about us humans watching. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Another day on the carcass

Grizzly Bear and Wolves: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Because we were on our way to the Tetons, we arrived at the Bear Jam in the Hayden Valley early, with the fresh sun on the ridge where the carcass was and the wind not risen yet. Better conditions by far than our first stop there, but still, the Bears and Wolves were too far away of great photography. This is from the ridge above and on the other side of the road. A ranger was set up there with a scope, showing visitors what all the lenses were pointed at. There were two bears, though one stayed pretty much hidden behind the other and half a dozen wolves. Again this is a 2mp crop from the 26mp sensor, so there are not many pixels under the bear and wolves. 🙂 Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Never cry wolf 2

Wolf: Yellowstone National Park — The other wolf…not as close as yesterday’s but still satisfyingly close…across the road and up the hill. Black wolf. Note the contrast with the eyes 🙂 Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone! Never Cry Wolf

Wolf: Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — This is an accidental close encounter with a wolf. I was sitting on a hillside overlooking a fresh carcass where we had been watching 2 wolves come and go…always up and down the draw across the road. There had been a whole group of people there when I arrived, but they all left and I was alone. Suddenly I heard the folks up the hill from me yelling “behind you” and by the time I got to my feet this wolf crested the ridge no more than 15 feet from me. We looked at each other, and since it was too late to do anything else, I took photos. Eventually she (I think) decided to go around me, again at a distance of about 20 feet to cross the road and get to the carcass. She picked up a good sized section of intestines and departed down the same draw as the other wolves had used. That is as close to a wolf as I want to get, and closer than I would ever have chosen to be…but I got some great shots. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellowstone

We did not have any close views of wolves in Yellowstone. They were always well away, often across the river. This is a classic Yellowstone shot. American Bison holding down the top right, two Pronghorns crossing left, and a wolf in the foreground crossing right. They are all aware of each other, but not concerned, at least at the moment. Sony RX10iv at at least 600mm optical, and probably some Clear Image Zoom above that. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.