Yellowstone and Getting the Shot!

​Yellowstone can be a crazy place to be in.  People say “go in early June, it’s not as crowded then.”  And, this is what I’ve done for many years, normally end of May and first week of June.  This year, in early June, the week after Memorial Day weekend, the park is packed, swarming with people and screaming kids.  I remind myself that everyone is there to have fun in some way but it can try my patience a bit at times. 

Yellowstone is famous for its surprise wildlife encounters, sometimes I don’t get the pic or a very good one anyway or the one I want.  One day, heading back to my base for lunch, I rounded a corner and was face-to-face with a very large bison traveling directly toward me.  At first I did not notice the calf at her right side as I slammed on the brakes but then I saw the baby, probably no more than an hour or so old, traveling along with its muzzle and body glued to mom’s side.  OMG cute, maybe one of the cutest things I’ve seen here.  I could imagine mom saying, “Just stay near Joey and we’ll be at the next pasture soon.” I can’t imagine the havoc she caused behind me with the intense traffic, rounded curves, and drop off heights as she calmy and quietly plodded along with the baby trotting as fast as it could to keep up.  An incredible site and I could not get a photo!

Then about five miles further on I swing around yet another curve and there is a group of four female elk tending to a very recently born calf to nudge him along down the hillside.  Again, we all throw on our brakes and come to a stop, this time I can pick up the camera and aim, holding the camera with one hand, toward the little group as they rallied around the calf, eventually nudging the calf away from the road and down the slope.​

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And yet on another day, just as I entered the park from the Gardiner side, almost right in front of me, is a baby pronghorn and mom.  The baby, most likely about three weeks old, is running around the cars, it's first sight of such large beasts, and doesn't want to follow mom, who is heading back to the herd.  I'm amazed I am the only photographer on the scene and there is only about 10 cars, everyone patiently waiting for the little guy to move away from the road and watching the drama unfold.  Finally she convinces the little one to follow her down the slope and out into the flatland. Crazy times in Yellowstone!

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