Lions and Tigers and Bison Oh My!

Unfortunately we didn't see any bears. We did see a lot of mule deer and bison. One of the main roads that you use to access the norther part of Yellowstone was shut down for construction, and that northern part near Montana is where you are more likely to see bears.

Here's a bison right along the road. This is the stretch of road that is right next to Yellowstone Lake. I damn near hit one of these coming back from fishing the night I fished the Yellowstone River. It was on the same stretch of road this pic was taken on, and might even be this bison as we took the pic the day before. I had fished until dark, and was coming back doing about 45. He was walking down the road in the same direction I was driving, about three feet into the lane. I had to swerve like hell to avoid him. If I had been looking out at the lake or down at the radio I would have plowed into him. It was all I could do not to go back and shoot that damn thing.

This is a small herd that was along the road. There's stretch of road that follows the Yellowstone River after you go past the lake, and you pass through a wide open grassy valley called Hayden Valley. This is along that road a mile or two before the Hayden valley section.

The closest we came to bear was this sign at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.