Yellowstone is more than just a collection of geothermal features, it is America's premier wildlife habitat. Step away from the developed areas and you step into a different time and place, a place where the animals reign.
Bison are so plentiful in the park that after a while you are tempted to say, "just another bison".
There were plenty of elk, too, but only a few males presented themselves for a close up. I would have liked some shots of the cows and calves but they didn't cooperate.
For years I have wanted to get a shot of pronghorn but they have always stayed out of reach from my lens.
The mature males were still elusive, here one was hiding behind some sage with only the back of his head and horns peeking out.
This black bear mom and cub was also hiding behind the vegetation. I would have liked to have seen a grizzly (from a distance) but none appeared.
We did spot a wolf, though, trotting through a herd of bison. It was quite a ways from the road, almost out of range for my lens. It appears to have a radio collar.
We had hoped to see moose but were out of luck. We didn't see sheep, either though if we had hiked up Mt. Wasburn we might have. I'm not complaining, there is an amazing variety of wildlife in Yellowstone and I am pleased with what we did see. I guess we'll just need to return.
