Yellowstone Insight

10/11/2026

October 6, 2026
On tour with Yellowstone Insight.

Thankful to have open spaces and protected public lands where creatures like the Great Gray Owl can live. On this day we were privileged to spend some mid-day time watching this owl hunt, fly, perch, preen and sleep. My guest traveled all the way from the United Kingdom. This was not only his first trip to Yellowstone National Park but also, his first Great Gray Owl!

What a special day it was…. We knew there was greatness ahead as I woke with a great deal of optimism and my guest’s Merlin bird app told him in the early morning darkness that this specific owl was his “Bird of the Day”! We were truly destined for great heights on this second day of a private Wildlife Photography Tour.

For more information about the types of private, year-round, educational tours we can offer you, please see our website:
www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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10/06/2026

October 5, 2026

Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are working quite hard to get as much calories and fat as they can before hibernation.

Days are getting shorter and night time temperatures are dropping into the low 20’s. The Autumn transitions are noticeable and this Yellowstone Insight Naturalist Guide is loving it!

Be bear aware if you are out & about in black and grizzly bear country! Bears tend to have their heads down with a focused mantra on repeat in their heads - “food, food, food”…

This is the time of year when bear attacks increase, but a large percent of the encounters occur due to the human not letting their presence be known. Make noise, hike in groups of 3 people and don’t be an idiot. I believe that’s a pretty easy set of three rules to follow, don’t you?

Thank you for following along with our private tour updates. Check our archived Stories below our bio to see what you’ve missed! To learn more about the types of tours we offer, please see our website - www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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10/05/2026

October 4, 2026
Yellowstone’s Northern Range is a complex and wild location. This morning we watched a large pack of wolves walk slowly past (& around) a massive male bison.

It was powerful to see the two sentient creatures pass each other with much respect and ease. The two have very likely had similar encounters over the years and through various seasons.

I can envision them passing in the midst of a winter snow storm as the bison was hunkered under the protection of an old Doulas Fir tree. His thick, dark-colored hide and massively-furry head covered in a blanket of fresh snow, happily insulated in white. The wolves walk by as the icy-cold wind whips by their faces, each walking single file through a few feet of new snow. Every footprint by the lead wolf creates a new divot for the following wolves to follow.

The lead black wolf exchanges a sideward glance towards the long-lived bull bison. The bison returns the look, a little side-eye look showing the whites of his eyes. Not in defiance, more as a symbol of mutual recognition. The bison blinks and the lead wolf continues westward down valley with the wind in her face.

If you’ve read this far, I know you can see it too!

For more information about our private tours, please check the link in our bio! www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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10/03/2026

October 2, 2026 - It’s the mating season for the North American Pronghorn (aka, Speed Goat). This afternoon in the heart of Lamar Valley on Yellowstone’s Northern Range we enjoyed a fast sequence of events with 4 of them as they cut through the thick sagebrush.

Watch until the end (less than 1 minute)!

For more information about our private tours, check the link to our website in our instagram bio! www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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09/09/2026

The Season…

Who’s ready for cooler Montana & Wyoming weather? Ready to wake up to the sound of elk bugles out your bedroom window? What about the pockets of Autumn color that are about to start illuminating the landscape?

This September’s schedule is already filled for Yellowstone Insight, but we are taking bookings now for Sept/Oct 2027. If you want to book a special, customized, private tour with us, send an email soon as dates are already filling up!

As I type this post there is a young 6x6 bull elk rounding up females and calves into a tight bunch and bugling right outside the window here in Gardiner, Montana.

Book a tour with us and make sure to grab your lodging in Gardiner or Mammoth Hot Springs to hear that bugle outside your bedroom window!

To learn more about the variety of tours we can offer you, please check our website at www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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08/31/2026

This morning on a private Wildlife Watching Tour, we came across a group of bison busy manipulating the erosion control barriers on a construction site.

The all organic material is meant to stop erosion near the roadsides but also to keep materials from washing out into the adjacent landscape from the roads during and after construction. It should ideally breakdown naturally over time, but as we see here, there is a slight concern that animals can get caught up in it.

I was a little worried this young male bison was going to get himself into some real trouble, but thankfully, he was able to free himself.

Thank you for watching and please check out our Stories, as we post an update after every tour! We offer year-round private tours inside Yellowstone National Park. Please like & follow for more!

www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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07/24/2026

If you are interested in how the owner of a small business in the tourism industry managed to find purposeful career choices though life that lead to success, check out this podcast episode!

Thank you Monica for asking me to be your guest.

Podcast Episode · Path Found · July 23 · 36m

07/07/2026

July 6, 2026 - Yellowstone National Park

A young, what I assume to be a male grizzly bear smelled this enticing bison carcass from a distance and maneuvered around not only the people and road, but a cold mountain river, cobblestone embankment and possibly another larger nearby grizzly bear just to finally find its prize.

Enjoy this short 1 minute and 30 second video of a moment in time captured on today’s Wildlife Tour with Yellowstone Insight.

“The nose always knows!”

For more information about our private, year-round, educational tours, check out website: www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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06/28/2026

May 2026 - Reflecting Back.

Enjoy this visual recap of some of the tour highlights we captured throughout the month of May. Each season has its unique moments. Some elements of Nature are predictable due to the ecological pulse of Spring in the Northern Rockies. Other parts of the wildness are unpredictable, so let a knowledgeable, local Naturalist Guide be your direct connection to Yellowstone.

With over 25 years of experience working inside Yellowstone National Park, we tailor our customized, private guiding experiences specifically to you. Let us play a part of your life journey by sharing this very special place with you.

Book one day or multiple days with us in 2027! For more information, visit our website at www.YellowstoneInsight.com
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06/14/2026

June in Montana.

Traversing the base of 340 Million-year-old limestone cliffs, I took sparse game trails used by cougars and mule deer. Chipmunks chastised me by calling out my presence to all that cared to listen.

Following a big black bear’s trail through rain soaked vegetation down a deep drainage, I discovered it had recently munched on a yearling elk.

I properly disposed of a rogue mylar balloon that was caught in a branch way out in the middle of ‘nowhere’…

Overall, the off-trail 5-mile walkabout, gaining over 1,500’ in elevation was time well spent in Montana during the month of June.
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