Spring comes earlier along the Colorado Front Range than in the Grand Teton Valley! Around here, the snow is gone and the brown winter grass is filling in with green grass. Some of the trees already have small leaves. Wow! I walked around in a short sleeve shirt in the afternoon today!…enough of that! Osprey, Bald Eagles, Pelicans, Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, and a variety of waterfowl have returned to the region. I created a new Featured Subject on my new site that shows a lot of current birds, all taken over the Saturday and Sunday of the Easter Weekend. Click the links to see all of the photos!
Continue reading "Birds of Easter Weekend" December 2022 Daily Journal For GTNP & JH
Welcome to December 2022!
Sorry, I can’t be there to add new photos to this page, but hopefully I can still help! Check out these December photos from previous years!
Moose are usually visible in the sage flats north of Kelly. The rut is long over, but the big bulls still spar. At least for the first 10 days or so, be aware that the elk hunt is still ongoing inside GTNP. The bulls will start losing their antlers around the middle of the month but it is possible to find a couple with antlers into January.
Bison often go back and forth from the sage flats to the Gros Ventre River bottom. As the winter season kicks in, the herds will move onto the northern end of the National Elk Refuge.
Trumpeter Swans can often be seen on Flat Creek along the Highway. Also watch for smaller waterfowl like Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, and Barrow’s Golden Eyes.
Elk may be spotted at times, but will be quite spooky. Many will be on the National Elk Refuge as the month progresses. Elk Refuge sleigh rides begin around the middle of the month and should be in full swing as Christmas approaches.
Great Horned Owls are usually easier to spot during the winter months. They are seen most often in the river bottoms. Great Gray Owls are often still in the valley, but are typically difficult to find.
Small critters like this Ermine are elusive, but can be a worthy subject.
Bighorns move to Miller Butte this time of the year, and if you are lucky, you might find a few bashing heads as part of the rut.
Foxes can be more visible in December, and with their winter coat, look great.
Mountain Goats were historically good in December, but it appears they have either left the Snake River Canyon or have been mostly culled by the Game and Fish. Still, a few seem to have made it.
Watch for any kind of movement! Sometimes you just get LUCKY to be in the right place at the right time.
This photo was taken on December 29, 2020. I believe a few of the Grizzlies are still out.
Winter Landscapes can be a challenge, especially knowing it can be bitter cold at first light.
River Otters can be seen along the Flat Creek if you hit it just right.
Antelope Flats Road will still be open for vehicle travel until at least the day after the elk hunt closing date.
Coyotes stand out against the snow. Many will be spooky, but occasionally you might find one that will pose for you.
The Jackson Town Square is always a festive place during the Holiday season. The lights are on now.
If you are up to the challenge, night shots can be rewarding. Since the days are very short, you can get night shots and be back home at a reasonable hour.
To get “the shots”, you simply “have to be out”, be ready and sometimes be very lucky!
Mule Deer often work their way towards Kelly in December. Some will lose their antlers early in the month.
Thanks to Paul Gore!
Friend and photographer, Paul Gore, sent a check to help keep Best of the Tetons online at least until the end of December. This site has a wealth of information for anyone interested in the Tetons! After moving to Colorado, I started a new site and have been actively populating it with new photos and content, some of which overlaps with content I might have posted here (Moose, Elk, Bighorns, Deer, fall Foliage, Waterfowl, etc). In short, I am dedicating the bulk of my time on that site at the expense of this site.
Click the thumbnail above to go to the new Home Page! Be sure to click the Subscribe Today button on the home page!
Check out some of the posts from the new site:
- Fall on the Million Dollar Highway
- Fall in the Rockies
- Carousel of Happiness
- November Journal at MikeJacksonPhotography.com
- October Journal at MikeJacksonPhotography.com
Hope to see you at my new site!
December 2022 Daily Journal For GTNP & JH
Welcome to December 2022!
Sorry, I can’t be there to add new photos to this page, but hopefully I can still help! Check out these December photos from previous years!
Moose are usually visible in the sage flats north of Kelly. The rut is long over, but the big bulls still spar. At least for the first 10 days or so, be aware that the elk hunt is still ongoing inside GTNP. The bulls will start losing their antlers around the middle of the month but it is possible to find a couple with antlers into January.
Bison often go back and forth from the sage flats to the Gros Ventre River bottom. As the winter season kicks in, the herds will move onto the northern end of the National Elk Refuge.
Trumpeter Swans can often be seen on Flat Creek along the Highway. Also watch for smaller waterfowl like Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, and Barrow’s Golden Eyes.
Elk may be spotted at times, but will be quite spooky. Many will be on the National Elk Refuge as the month progresses. Elk Refuge sleigh rides begin around the middle of the month and should be in full swing as Christmas approaches.
Great Horned Owls are usually easier to spot during the winter months. They are seen most often in the river bottoms. Great Gray Owls are often still in the valley, but are typically difficult to find.
Small critters like this Ermine are elusive, but can be a worthy subject.
Bighorns move to Miller Butte this time of the year, and if you are lucky, you might find a few bashing heads as part of the rut.
Foxes can be more visible in December, and with their winter coat, look great.
Mountain Goats were historically good in December, but it appears they have either left the Snake River Canyon or have been mostly culled by the Game and Fish. Still, a few seem to have made it.
Watch for any kind of movement! Sometimes you just get LUCKY to be in the right place at the right time.
This photo was taken on December 29, 2020. I believe a few of the Grizzlies are still out.
Winter Landscapes can be a challenge, especially knowing it can be bitter cold at first light.
River Otters can be seen along the Flat Creek if you hit it just right.
Antelope Flats Road will still be open for vehicle travel until at least the day after the elk hunt closing date.
Coyotes stand out against the snow. Many will be spooky, but occasionally you might find one that will pose for you.
The Jackson Town Square is always a festive place during the Holiday season. The lights are on now.
If you are up to the challenge, night shots can be rewarding. Since the days are very short, you can get night shots and be back home at a reasonable hour.
To get “the shots”, you simply “have to be out”, be ready and sometimes be very lucky!
Mule Deer often work their way towards Kelly in December. Some will lose their antlers early in the month.
Thanks to Paul Gore!
Friend and photographer, Paul Gore, sent a check to help keep Best of the Tetons online at least until the end of December. This site has a wealth of information for anyone interested in the Tetons! After moving to Colorado, I started a new site and have been actively populating it with new photos and content, some of which overlaps with content I might have posted here (Moose, Elk, Bighorns, Deer, fall Foliage, Waterfowl, etc). In short, I am dedicating the bulk of my time on that site at the expense of this site.
Click the thumbnail above to go to the new Home Page! Be sure to click the Subscribe Today button on the home page!
Check out some of the posts from the new site:
- Fall on the Million Dollar Highway
- Fall in the Rockies
- Carousel of Happiness
- November Journal at MikeJacksonPhotography.com
- October Journal at MikeJacksonPhotography.com
Hope to see you at my new site!
November 2022 Daily Journal For GTNP & JH
Welcome to November 2022!
New Featured Subject on MikeJacksonPhotography.com: Fall on the Million Dollar Highway
Check out this new page on my new site! This page has a LOT MORE photos than I posted in the recent page. Be sure to click the Subscribe Today button on the home page!
November 29, 2022
GTNP Reports and Comments
- While Loveland, CO has had only a couple of light snow storms so far this year, JH and GTNP has had a LOT of snow already. Both are line for more storms.
- The Elk Reduction Program (Elk Hunt) in GTNP is still underway. Use caution as Moose and Elk are often in the same areas where hunters are trying to bag a cow elk.
- There are numerous Moose out on the sage flats now. Numerous Elk have made it to the National Elk Refuge. Bison have been seen along the Gros Ventre Road.
- Greg and Sandy Balvin recently posted a video on Facebook showing a bull Moose that “could be” Shoshone. The bull’s paddles look a lot like Shoshone’s paddles. If it is indeed him, his brow tines are less pronounced this year.
- I received a few reports that a good sized herd (maybe 40) Bighorn Sheep have moved onto Miller Butte on the National Elk Refuge. No head butting yet, but that should begin soon.
- Expect Antelope Flats Road to be open until the end of the Elk Hunt sometime around December 7-10 (?) at which time the Park Service quits plowing the road and barricades it at each end.
- This usually a good time to see Trumpeter Swans along Flat Creek.
As most people already know, last June Darla and I pulled up stakes in Jackson Hole and moved to Loveland, CO. I still get a few reports from friends in Jackson Hole, so I can give at least SOME information that might be valuable you are visiting the area.
Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park Notes
- The region received a fair amount of snow during the last week of October, but most of it has melted.
- GTNP has been trapping grizzlies. They are asking people to stay away from the trapping areas.
- On November 1st, the Teton Park Road closed for the season. AKA Inner Park Loop Road.
- The southern portion of the Moose-Wilson Road has been closed for quite a while and will be under construction for several years.
- The Elk Reduction Program (elk hunt) in GTNP begins on November 7th. For your safety, wear orange if roaming around in the hunt areas.
- Antelope Flats Road always remains open until after the last day of the Elk Reduction Program in early December.
- Moose should be moving out of the river bottoms and onto the sage flats, if not already.
- I saw a video of what appeared to be the Moose I always called Shoshone (My favorite bull Moose).We were hoping he was still alive, but we found out the video clip was taken a couple of years ago.
- A couple of Bighorn ewes are reported on the National Elk Refuge. Watch for them in larger numbers after the next big storm. The rut usually is underway by late November.
- Reports suggest 399 went south and is waiting for gunshots. 610 is being elusive, crossing once in a while, but not giving a show. Blondie’s sub-adult has been seen in her traditional zones. Felicia still had two cubs on Togwotee Pass.
- Generally, November is a great month to photograph wildlife, especially Moose and Bighorns. Trumpeter Swans move back to the valley and can often be seen along Flat Creek.
New Gates Installed in GTNP (arghhhhhhh!)
In keeping with the apparent new policy of closing an area instead of controlling it, the Park Service has erected a lot of NEW GATES inside the park.
- Elk Ranch Road
- Wolf Ranch Road
- Cattleman’s Bridge Road
- Pilgrim Creek Road
- The Dump Road
Of course, the following side roads already have gates:
- RKO Road
- Bar-B-C Road (already closed for the season)
- Teton Park Road (closed November 1st)
- Schwabacher Landing (I am not sure if it is still open as of today)
- Moose-Wilson Road
- Two Ocean Lake Road
Thanks to Paul Gore!
Friend and photographer, Paul Gore, sent a check to help keep Best of the Tetons online at least until the end of December. This site has a wealth of information for anyone interested in the Tetons! After moving to Colorado, I started a new site and have been actively populating it with new photos and content, some of which overlaps with content I might have posted here (Moose, Elk, Bighorns, Deer, fall Foliage, Waterfowl, etc). In short, I am dedicating the bulk of my time on that site at the expense of this site.
Click the thumbnail above to go to the new Home Page!
I would encourage all of my Best of the Tetons readers to visit the link above or the October Journal link below. The October Journal is LOADED with photos!
October Journal at MikeJacksonPhotography.com
If you like Best of the Tetons, I am sure you will enjoy Mike Jackson Photography! Click the Subscribe Now button on the home page to get notifications of new pages and posts.
Oh yes, I have a lot of new Featured Subjects queued up at Mike Jackson Photography and should start posting them very soon:
- Fall in the Rockies (Wyoming Idaho, Utah, Colorado)
- Fall on the Million Dollar Highway (Ouray to Silverton, CO)
- Carousel at Nederland (CO)
I will be posting a new November Journal on that site, too!