Momma Black Bear, Tiny Cub Caught Crawling Out Of Their Yellowstone Den

The emergence of bears from winter hibernation usually follows a predictable pattern — big, lone males come out first, sometimes as early as February, and mother bears with new cubs emerge last, usually in May. 

True to that pattern, the first verified sighting of a bear this year was a huge male grizzly, caught on trail cam video near West Yellowstone, Montana, late in the day March 13. 

But a momma black bear somewhat bucked the trend. She was caught by a wildlife photographer venturing out of her den in Yellowstone National Park with at least one, and possibly two tiny cubs in cold, clear weather Monday. 

Bruce Lundgren of Casper was lucky enough to be among the people watching from a respectful distance, and got several photos of the bears though a telephoto lens. 

It was about 34 degrees, and the mother bear was “like a sloth” when she first crawled out, he told Cowboy State Daily. 

She also had a serious case of bed-head going on all over.

Spring Wildlife Quest

Lundgren describes himself as a serious hobbyist when it comes to photographing wildlife. He looks forward to exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks each spring as animals become more active. 

Mother’s Day weekend is his usual target date, but after visiting their daughter in Bozeman, Montana, he and his wife decided to take an early drive along Yellowstone’s north loop highway. 

Not much was happening. Although the year’s first “red dog” (newborn bison calf)was spotted March 29, there were no more new calves out and about, he said. 

Just “a lot of fat-looking momma bison” looking nearly ready to give birth, Lundgren said. 

They hoped to do some grizzly watching in the Blacktail Pond area where bison sometimes drown, and bears show up to feast on fresh carcasses. 

But any carcasses that had been there were already gobbled up and the grizzlies had moved on, Lundgren said.

So he decided to go look for a black bear den rumored to be somewhere west of the Tower-Roosevelt junction.

Sure enough, there were about dozen or so onlookers gathered on a turnoff along the road, many of them with cameras set up. 

Lundgren knew that he’d found what he’d been looking for.

Brief Appearance

The National Park Service was aware of the bear den and had set up a sign, reminding visitors to stay back, Lundgren said. 

The den was a long way across a ravine from the turnout. It was in an unusual place, in a relatively open spot “with just a couple of fallen trees” covering the entrance, he said.

It became a waiting game, but patience finally paid off. 

The mother bear crawled out slowly, welcoming the sun.

“All of the sudden, the mamma bear slowly emerged from the den and laid down in the sun for a little while,” Lundgren said. 

“She crossed her front paws, laid her head down on them and we thought she went back to sleep,” he said.  

“Until junior came out, and then she was alert,” diligently watching over her offspring, he added. 

The bear show was amazing, but brief, Lundgren said.  

“Somebody’s car horn went off, and the mother shoed the cubs back into the den,” he said.

Healthy-Looking Bears

Regardless of whether the bears decided to reemerge and venture farther from the den, or go back to sleep until the weather warms up again, Lundgren said they looked healthy.

“I’ve never seen a black bear look so large before,” he said of the mother.

He feels fortunate to have been treated to the sight of the bears waking up, and having the opportunity to snap a few photos. 

“Half of wildlife photography is knowing what you’re doing, and the other half is being damn lucky,” Lundgren said. 

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.