Elk and Bear
There were 10 of us from the Boy Scout Troop
(7 Scouts, 3 Adults) doing a 10-mile hike in the Old
Faithful area. We started at Old Faithful, went
north along the boardwalks by the geysers, and then
up to Mystic Falls. We had already visited Mystic Falls
and were on our way back along the Daisy Cut-off Bike Trail.
At one point, we spotted an elk about 20 feet off
to the side of the trail. The elk was facing away
from us. We started to take pictures.
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Elk on side of path.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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Elk on side of path.
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Credit: Reid Neinast
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Elk on side of path.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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Guy Ingram went a little ahead of us. After he had
taken a few pictures, we tried to get the elk's attention
so that it would look at us. We whistled a fair bit,
but the elk did not turn its head.
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Elk on alert.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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All of the sudden, the elk turned towards us and
made a mad dash right in front of Guy. It must
have passed within 10 feet of him, and even leapt
as it went by him.
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Time to flee.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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It's panic time.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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In a moment we found out why the elk had fled. A grizzly
bear charged out of the woods going after it. One of
us yelled "Bear!", but at first Guy thought we were
joking.
The elk quickly outpaced the bear. While the elk crossed
the Firehole River, the bear noticed us and stopped on the
trail about 30 feet away.
We stayed together, kept facing the bear, and slowly
backed down the trail. There were 10 of us, and as
long as one of us did not break free
(separate from the herd ),
we were probably much more than the bear would consider
going after.
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The reason for panic.
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Credit: Reid Neinast
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Since the grizzly was coming down the trail at
us, we decided the better part of valor was
to get off the trail.
We backed off, to our right, until we were probably
about 30 feet from the trail.
Meanwhile, it then started sniffing around where the
elk had gone. It was clear that it didn't really
know what to do next: go after the elk some more,
or go after us?
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Getting off the trail.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Where'd the elk go? I can smell it.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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It was here somewhere.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Check it out further.
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Credit: Guy Ingram
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Still checking out where the elk went.
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Credit: Reid Neinast
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Maybe those people know where it went.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Close up (full resolution) of previous shot.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Sniffing the Air.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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The bear stood up in order to sniff the air
to try to figure out just what was around.
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Close up (full resolution) of previous shot.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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At this point the bear started ambling back
down the trail at us. The bear passed by us
on the trail right-to-left, then turned around and
passed by us again left-to-right,
all the while keeping an eye on us.
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Hmmm, people? . . . Yummmm.
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Credit: Reid Neinast
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Ehhh. Maybe not. Galumph on by.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Oh, let's check out the people again.
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Credit: Reid Neinast
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They're still there.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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At this point, the bear headed over to the Firehole
River where the elk had crossed, trying to pick up
where it had gone.
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Checking out elk scent.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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More investigatin'.
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Credit: Braden Powell
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Eventually, the grizzly headed back into the woods where
it had come from.
We turned around and took a detour to a different path
on the other side of the river to return to Old Faithful.
Along that path we came across some bicyclists who we
had seen earlier (and who must have gone right past
the bear at some point). We warned them of the bear,
and they turned around, too.
On our return trip down the other path, we came across
a ranger and told our story; she asked us to file
a report back at the Visitor's Center once we got there.
When we did so, one of the other rangers told us
that they had had other reports of the bear. It seemed
to be a 3-year old who was still finding his place
in the world. They also mentioned that this particular
bear had killed a baby elk a few days ago.