Best advice...watch for stopped EcoTour vans. They are doing wildlife safaris and are in constant radio contact with each other. A stopped van means either there is Moose/Bison/Bear/Wolf to see...or perhaps somebody wanted a snack.

Moose (“Water Donkey”)

They are often found near water, hence their nickname. Favorite foods are aquatic plants. Morning hours are best time to see them, roughly 7-10am Dusk is a distant 2nd place in terms of probability of success. .

Best places to look:

  • The Aspens neighborhood - seriously, look on the back porch for Moose in the morning. Scan the area around the parking lot when you walk out the front door. If there is a Moose between you and the car, go make more coffee and relax. Moose expect to have the right of way anywhere they wish to go.

  • Rendezvous park used to be a pretty good Moose spotting place, though road construction has driven them away during work hours. The park is at the corner of Hwy 22 and Moose-Wilson road near the Snake. We haven’t had much luck here recently. I give it 1 star in the first map.

  • The BEST place is near highway 191, just south of the little stream. Stop just before the bridge and look on the north side of the road. The area is close to the airport. If you see cars pulled off the road here, there is almost certainly a Moose in the area.

  • The next best place is in the Gros Ventre area. Essentially you are following the river to the east at the roundabout. Moose will be on the right, closer to the water. Following this road further towards the grand metropolis of Kelly, and further is also a good place for Moose and Bison. (see second map)

  • The last map shows an overlook to the marshy areas of the Rockefeller preserve. Bear and Moose can been seen here — though often they are a bit far away. Though this is Moose-Wilson road and just a few miles from the condo, you have to go the long way via 191 to Moose and circle back because the road on closes just past JHMR during winter.

    Elk

  • Should be plentiful in the refuge in mid-January. BTW, the refuge sleigh is a pretty darn cool ride. However cold you think it could possibly be, it will be much colder – wind sweeps through the bottom of the valley. Sleigh will get you within a dozen feet of them.

  • Also check the golf course just outside the Aspens. It will be on your right as you drive from the condo to Jackson.

    Wolves

  • Tough to spot, mostly because they are so much smaller than everything else

  • Gros Ventre is a decent place to find them....often they will be ambitiously harassing a Moose.

  • We last saw a pack near Moran (GTNP) at dusk.

Big Horn sheep

  • Follow main street from the town square towards the hospital. The road essentially dead ends at the back of the Elk Refuge. Drive into the refuge about a mile in, mountains (hills maybe?) rise on both sides of the road. The sheep are very well camouflaged but will likely be on your left in the rocks.

  • They may approach the car to lick salt from the sides...don’t let them as it is a health hazard — for both the sheep and the car if they get frustrated and ram the side of the

    car.