You might be tempted to think that predawn in a tranquil time. A time of peace and quiet in nature but in Yellowstone National Park nothing could be further from the truth. Joined by a good friend and fellow photographer we wake at 4 AM and packed up our camera gear into the truck and headed out. We were in search of spring time wolves and bears. We drove through the darkness with a fresh blanket of 2 to 4 inches of snow on the ground. Yes, I know what you are thinking right now. Isn’t this spring time? It’s the last week of May and much of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem is still blanketed by up to 4 feet of snow. Thankfully in the valley were we are heading it was just a couple inches.

We drove for nearly an hour before reaching our destination. In the pre-dawn light we could see a tree filled with about 25 ravens. If you know how to read the land, birds and animals, and we do, it’s easy to know that this indicates a wolf kill. Just below the tree in an open area we could see a Mule Deer lying in the snow. Looking to our right we can see a wolf trotting towards the bank of a river which separates us from the deer. Even though there is snow on the ground and the air temperature is in the teens the wolf slips into the icy cold river and swims across as if it was a warm spring day. By now we have our cameras out and we capture some great images of the wolf swimming the river.

As the wolf shakes off on the opposite side of the river we immediately recognize her as the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack. As she trots up to the deer we see the reason the deer is there at all. The alpha male, her mate, emerges from the willows and joins her at the deer. He had killed the deer and was waiting for her to join him. Together they tug and tear at the deer, feeding on the best parts first, the large organs within and the fetus the deer was carrying. Soon the male trots back into the willows leaving the female by herself.

We are capturing some amazing images of the life and death struggle that occurs on a daily basis in this wild park. For the next fifteen minutes the female consumes as much as her stomach can hold. She has a litter of pups back at the den that need to be fed.

Far off to our left we can see a large grizzly bear making its way through the willows occasionally swimming the small brads of the river where the willows grow. The bear holds it head high and we can see it taking in deep whiffs of air. The bear is literally following its nose to the freshly killed deer. When the bear gets close enough to see the carcass the bear starts to run through the snow directly at the wolf. The female wolf has too much to loose to tangle with this bear, which is more than three times her size. As she leaves the male wolf walks out of the willows and approaches the bear.

By now the bear is tearing into the flesh of the deer swallowing large chunks of meat and has its back turned to the approaching male wolf. The wolf makes a move to nip the bear in the hind quarters and the bear quickly turns and charges after the wolf swatting with its massive paws. Just as quick as the bear turned to attack the wolf it turns around and heads right back to the deer. Taking advantage of the opportunity the wolf nips again at the hind quarters of the bear. Again the bear turns very angrily and goes after the wolf. The male wolf is too fast and retreats a safe distance before trying this two more times each with the same results.

By now my camera is about to ignite into a ball of flames from how fast I am shooting. Since my camera takes 10 pictures per second I am capturing some amazing moments that even my own eye isn’t fast enough to see. The male wolf stands back about 20 feet and gives a soft howl directly at the grizz before trotting off into the willows. I suppose the wolf was tell off the bear before leaving.

For the next hour or more the grizzly feeds on the deer. Curiously a bison approaches the bear. The bear sees the bison and becomes instantly defensive and grabs the deer as if it was a rag doll and runs a short distance. The bison stops in its tracks and watches. The bear goes back to feeding. A second time the bison approaches and again the bear grabs its breakfast and runs another 10 feet. Eventually the bison leaves.

By now there are up to 30 ravens in the tree waiting for their chance to grab a morsel. A Golden Eagle breaks the ridge line behind us and flies into the scene. All the ravens scatter and the eagle lands in a tree to assess the situation. He wants in on this action. Within minutes all the ravens are back waiting for their turn.

Eventually the bear has its fill and wonders off, swimming across the river to our side of the river and climbs up a steep bank and disappears into the woods. From start to finish the entire event took about 2 hours. I am so elated at the opportunity to see and photograph such an event that I find myself exhausted. It will take several more hours before I have a chance to process all that had unfolded this very cold, snowy spring morning in Yellowstone. Until next time

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Facebook, Twitter and www.naturesmart.com