I could tell you ten different stories of awesome storms to wildlife events that have happened on the slopes of Sheep Mountain in Gardiner Montana – just outside of Yellowstone National Park.
On winter wildlife tours I’ve seen over 2,000 elk roam across those open slopes, and with one sweep of binoculars from horizon to horizon a person can see bighorn sheep, bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes and sometimes wolves. Pretty amazing for one sweep of the binoculars!
Nowhere else in North America can you see as many different species in one stroke. On those open slopes I once witnessed 2 coyotes chase an old wolf away from their den. They alarm barked several times and I thought they were barking at me until I glassed up the wolf with one harassing coyote within 10 yards of him. He wanted nothing to do with them, but the coyotes were relentless in biting at him and using teamwork for the safety of their newly whelped pups.
Those open slopes make me think of all the events that have happened here that were left unrecorded, not remembered, and passed like the hands on a clock with no record. Native Americans once passed on these open slopes, how many generations perhaps we will never know. For me, those open slopes have many more stories to tell and its a nice thought in the back of my head that those open slopes will be here for many more generations after I pass. – Adam Lackner, BrushBuck Wildlife Tours