More than a few years ago I spent a couple of weeks in GTNP (Grand Tetons) with some friends that live there. All told I've been to GTNP 4 times YSNP twice. Like all trips back then (2009 - 2017-ish) it was a photography trip. I used to do one or two of those a year. They number their bears in the park. More specifically they put a numbered collar on them. 399 is pretty well known. I haven't heard if she has been spotted this year. She had 3 cubs with her last year. There's a network of people that text the other members of their "cult" when a bear, moose, wolf, etc is spotted. The various cults hate each other lol so they don't share info. We got word that 399 was down by the willows. When we pulled up the line of cars pulled off to the side of the road to see the bear was at least 2 miles long. Tourists and tour guides figured out that they needed to keep an eye on the people with the big lenses. I was told that the line of cars continued either direction where the road tee'd (left goes to YSNP).
Sure enough, she, 399, was there. There were two rangers trying to keep 100's of people away from her and her cubs. When the bear started moving toward the willows we moved back per the rangers direction. Something happened to distract the ranger and he went north (willows are west and a little south of where we were). People started yelling and pointing toward the willows. A dad and his two small kids, small enough that he was holding their hands, disappeared into the willows. The rangers ran to where he went in and within a few minutes they came back out with him and his kids in tow. Mind you, a female Grizzly bear and her cubs had just entered a dense willow thicket not even 10 yards from where the father and his kids went in. One of my friends knew the ranger and asked him what the touron (that's what they call tourists up there) was doing. He wanted to get close to the bear so his kids could see it.
I overheard one of the "cult members" say that she felt a strong bond with 399 and would love to give her a hug. My buddy said, if she tries to bond with 399 she'll find out what it's like to be bear sh*t.
He's a transplant from New York and a bit blunt. He would later get into a loud altercation with her that day when we were at a location where a Great Gray Owl was posing. The rangers broke it up. She was mad at him because she blocked the road, both directions, so she could photograph a bird without getting out of her car and he eased up behind her, sat down on his horn, apparently scaring the "stuff" out of her and the bird.
Here's a few shots from that day. I haven't been back since... BTW, if you have a 600mm f4 lens this is a very safe shot but I still stayed close to my pickup, just in case.
One of the cubs
This was just outside GTNP near the campground at Gros Ventre. I didn't try to pet the cute little tatonka.
Great Gray Owl with a tasty Vole. I had watched this owl fly back and forth for about 20m. It went to the same two trees. The bajillion other photographers were at the tree where the owl was when it dove on the Vole. I had moved back to where I knew the owl would return. I wanted it to fly toward me (kind of). The Vole was a bonus.
There's tons more but I'm straying off topic. I'll stop with Jackson Lake.
