Description

Two day winter wildlife watching tours, no photography instruction, on the Northern Range of Yellowstone.

Weekend or weekday tours, email [email protected] to make sure dates are available.

Winter is a magical time in Yellowstone, when the world has turned white and the darker animals are easier to find but not so easy to photograph.

 

HOW WE WILL SPEND THE DAY

We will begin the day before sunrise, heading out to Lamar Valley to look for wolves.  As the day continues, we will also look for weasels, badgers, foxes, coyotes, frosty bison, golden eagles on the hunt, big horn sheep, pine martens, moose and otters.  A day in the field will last about 10 hours, ending at approximately 4 p.m..  You will be encouraged, on one day tours, to bring a lunch that can be eaten on the go, and snow shoes, if you have them.  Short hikes are possible – it is always good to get out and stretch your legs and see what is beyond the road.

During the course of the day, we will attempt to see animals closeup, or at a distance through binoculars era scope.  We will follow the rules set in place by the park service and discuss the ethics of wildlife viewing and photography so that we do our best not to disturb the animals, or get in the way of other visitors.

On the first day of the tour, we will meet one hour before sunrise and go directly to the Lamar Valley area, for either sunrise or early morning wildlife viewing.  The day will end at around 4 p.m.  The second day of the tour will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end after sunset.

CLOTHING

You will be responsible for wearing warm and comfortable clothing.  Be prepared for the temperatures to range 40 degrees during the course of a day.  It may snow, rain or shine.  It may be frosty and bitterly cold, or too warm for your jacket.  I suggest a down winter jacket with fleece layers, a warm hat, gloves that will allow you to handle binoculars, scope or camera (heavy and light gloves are preferred), a face mask, sunglasses, sun screen, snow pants, good comfortable and warm boots (I use Baffin and winter Muck Luks, warm socks (I always carry an extra pair in case they get wet) and hand and toe warmers.  I recommend water proof boots so that we can cross creeks for better photo ops.

FOOD

Food is scarce to non-existent in the park so bring what you need for the day.  I will have a cooler to store your food in.  This may change as of winter 2021/2022, if I am able to get a food handling permit.  Stay tuned.

EQUIPMENT

If you have binoculars or a scope, please do bring them along.  If you plan to take photos, here are some ideas on what you might want to bring.    You will want to have 1 or 2 camera DSLR camera bodies, with a long lens, preferable 400mm or more and a landscape lens, ie 17-35 mm.  If possible, a mid-range lens, Canon 100-400mm or Nikon 70-200, would be great.  Most of my lenses are 2.8 or 4.0, for better images in low light.  Teleconverters if you have them.  I recommend having your lenses and teleconverters  micro-adjust for perfect focus on all of your camera bodies.  Also, make sure your sensors are clean but, I don’t recommend you doing this yourself.  Bozeman Camera, in Bozeman, MT, does a great job with both of these tasks and does rent tripods and lenses for your convenience.  http://bozemancamera.com  406-586-8300 – tell them Deby sent you.  If you are a Nikon user, I have some telephoto lenses that can be rented.  Don’t forget a tripod!

NO GUARANTEES

Unfortunately, we can not guarantee that you will see and/or get to photograph in particular animals.  Nature is nature and somedays are filled with great sightings while others can be slow and we have to work real hard.

REFUND POLICY

Full amount is due at the time of registering and can not be refunded, so be sure and do all of your research before booking your tour.  We recommend that you purchase trip insurance, in case the unexpected happens.

ROADS

Roads on the Northern Range are well-maintained in the winter and normally do not pose a problem unless we get a new storm during the night with high winds.

ACCOMODATIONS

You will be responsible for transportation to Gardiner, MT, where your workshop will begin, and for your accommodations.  I can make recommendations for motels and food, or you can check the “Gardiner” tab.  Feel free to inquire about the availability of my vacation rental, Yellowstone’s Wolf Den.  yellowstoneswolfden.com

OTHER INFORMATION

I have been located in Gardiner, Montana, and touring the park for photography, videography and wildlife watching on a near daily basis for the past ten winters, so please do not hesitate to ask questions.  There is one grocery store in town, only a few restaurants open and not all motels are open, during the winter.  Your entertainment at night will be limited to a couple of local bars, dining out, or getting warm in your room.  Gardiner is a small town so you can walk almost everywhere but make sure you give the local deer and elk the right-of-way.

More information on Yellowstone in the Winter:

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/visiting-yellowstone-in-winter.htm

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/seasonalhighlights.htm

https://www.visitgardinermt.com

https://www.visitgardinermt.com/item/4-winter-skiing-and-snowshoeing

https://www.visitgardinermt.com/plan-your-trip/tourism-directory