A red fox in Grand Teton National Park. This particular animal has a melanistic color pattern. Red foxes, including those in the Jackson area, can be the standard red color, completely black, and anything in between. This one displays a partial melanism, meaning its not completely red and not completely dark, or melanistic. Photo by Ryan Sheets.
As winter settles over Grand Teton National Park, the season brings both exciting opportunities for outdoor recreation and significant challenges for the park’s wildlife. Please be mindful that animals need to conserve energy during these harsh months. Respect winter closures and voluntarily avoid areas designated as bighorn sheep winter zones. Your awareness and efforts to give animals appropriate space (at least 100 yards of distance from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife) helps them to survive this demanding time of year.
Bighorn Sheep: The rutting season is underway. After gaining weight on summer forage, bighorn sheep now rely on those fat reserves to make it through winter. The park bighorn population endures severe winter conditions staying at high elevations year-round.
Mountain Whitefish: Fall-spawning whitefish move into deeper water as their eggs incubate over the next several months. With colder temperatures, their activity slows and energy needs drop, allowing them to survive on limited resources.
Bald Eagles: Adult bald eagles with nesting territories in and around the park remain year-round. As ice limits access to fish, they shift more heavily to hunting waterfowl throughout the winter.
Black and Grizzly Bears: Most black bears have entered their dens by late October, while grizzly bears typically den in November. A few grizzlies may remain active into December as they continue to build fat reserves.
Mule Deer: Mule deer that summer in the park use a mix of migration strategies to survive the winter. Many long-distance migrants have already left the park for their winter ranges. However, due to this fall’s mild weather and limited snowpack, mule deer that migrate shorter distances have not yet begun their seasonal movements. A park biologist witnessed a mule deer buck rutting with five does last week on the Kelly Parcel underscoring the importance of that section of land for wildlife. The buck was exhibiting the flehmen response behavior curling his upper lip and throwing his head back to draw in more scent pheromones from the females.
Chipmunks: Chipmunks active through October are now resting in their burrows. Least chipmunks do not hibernate or accumulate excess fat; instead, they survive winter by entering torpor, lowering their metabolic rate and waking periodically to eat food cached in their burrow.
Rough-Legged Hawks: These Arctic nesters have returned to winter in the valley and can often be spotted perched on power poles and fence posts.
Trumpeter Swans: The heaviest flying bird in North America, often weighing over 20 pounds, arrives in greater numbers during winter. Trumpeters migrate from around the region and habitats further north to gather on the valley’s remaining open waters.
Elk: Elk have begun descending from the high country. As snowfall increases, they will continue south to the National Elk Refuge, where most will spend the winter.
Long-Tailed Weasels & Snowshoe Hares: Both species have traded their brown summer coats for white winter camouflage. Long-tailed weasels retain their signature black tail tip, which helps distract would-be predators. Their seasonal color change is triggered by hormones responding to the shift in day length. In years when snow arrives late, their white coats become a liability, leaving them more visible to predators against the bare ground.
Beavers: Beaver activity is closely tied to ice conditions. They continue storing willow and other cuttings beneath the ice to ensure a reliable winter food supply. Along Taggart Creek, beavers expanded their dams causing some minor flooding of the park pathway. To avoid damage to the pathway and nearby bridge, park staff installed a beaver deceiver—a system of long pipes that allows water to flow through the dam without prompting the beavers to rebuild.
Wolves: Wolf pups, previously confined to dens and rendezvous sites, are now traveling with the rest of the pack and learning the essential skills needed to hunt and survive in the wild.