An enormous grizzly bear has been captured on camera prowling through the snow near a tourist hotspot in Montana - marking the year's first sighting as the predators emerge from hibernation.
The eerie footage, recorded on Thursday evening near the town of West Yellowstone, shows the apex predator plodding through a snowstorm, moving slowly as it approaches the camera set up on the ground.
The National Park Service confirmed on Wednesday that fresh grizzly tracks had been found in the park's northern section - officially marking the start of the 2025 grizzly-watching season.
Professional wildlife photographer Trent Sizemore, who placed the trail cam, shared the clip on Facebook, where it quickly went viral, sparking hundreds of comments.
'Looks like he wintered well!' one user wrote.
'Yay! Let the games begin. May he find some yummy food and start the season off in style. He looks not too thin!' another added.
Sizemore, who has been tracking the same bear for years, believes it is a massive male grizzly that has consistently been among the first to wake from hibernation in the region.
'I believe it's the same big male I've gotten for three years in a row now. A friend that has cameras up in the same area says he's been coming for five years,' he told Cowboy State Daily.
An enormous grizzly bear has been captured on camera prowling through the snow near a major tourist hotspot in Montana - marking the first sighting of the year as the massive predators emerge from hibernation
The eerie footage, recorded Thursday evening near West Yellowstone, shows the apex predator plodding through a snowstorm, moving slowly as it approaches the camera set up on the ground
Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho - typically begin emerging in early-to-mid March, with large males waking up first.
Females with cubs are the last to leave their dens, sometimes waiting until May.
Sizemore said this particular bear is right on schedule, despite many commenters who said they thought March was early for the bears to emerge from hibernation.
But Sizemore claimed that there are signs of other grizzlies in other Yellowstone locations.
'This bear usually comes out around this week, or one is seen in Lamar or Hayden Valley area too. Tracks were seen last week in Lamar Valley, Black Sand Basin, and Island Park,' he told the outlet.
After months in hibernation, the top priority for waking bears is finding food.
Sizemore said he suspects this grizzly is on the hunt.
'In the past, I believe a house in the area was feeding corn to deer, which attracts the bear I don't know if that's still the case, but there's a lot of deer, moose, and fox on the camera this week,' he said.
Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem-spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho-typically begin emerging in early-to-mid March, with large males waking up first
In October, Grizzly 399, the beloved 28-year-old bear who lived near the famed Yellowstone National Park and attracted huge crowds of tourists and photographers to the region, was killed by a driver.
The driver who ultimately struck and killed the mama bear was cleared of all wrong-doing, despite heartbroken fans calling for authorities to hold them accountable.
'It truly was an accident,' Lt. John Stetzenback of the Lincoln County Sheriff's office told Cowboy State Daily at the time.
The mama bear was struck and killed by a Subaru in the Snake River Canyon in western Wyoming while with her youngest cub - prompting the investigation.
As grizzly season kicks off, many are wondering whether Spirit - the last cub of Wyoming’s legendary Grizzly 399 - will make an appearance.
Last August, wildlife officials in Montana euthanized a black bear they believe attacked and injured a three-year-old girl in a tent.
The young girl was later taken to a hospital in Billings.
She had been in a tent at Perry's RV campground just north of Yellowstone National Park. It is unclear if there were any adults with her at the time.
Last year, Grizzly 399, the beloved 28-year-old bear who lived near the famed Yellowstone National Park and attracted huge crowds of tourists and photographers to the region was killed by a driver
The mama bear was with her youngest cub - who survived - at the time of the accident, but the one-year-old grizzly has not been located since her mother's death. As grizzly season kicks off, many are wondering whether the cub will make an appearance
While the girl was lucky enough to survive the encounter, not everyone lives to tell the tale after a grizzly attack.
In 2023, a woman was found dead on a hiking trail in Montana after coming into contact with a grizzly bear near Yellowstone National Park.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement how the unnamed woman was found dead near West Yellowstone, a Montana town nestled in the Custer Gallatin National Forest, just west of the famous national park.
They said the woman was found 'following an apparent bear encounter' based on what investigators determined were grizzly bear tracks at the scene.
