What kind of Wildlife can you expect to see?

One of the most common questions I get regarding wildlife is what we can expect to see. Well, after years of guiding I have been able to compile some real statistics of what we see on wildlife based tours. If your tour is not wildlife centric then your chances of seeing these animals is greatly reduced.

The overall statistic is year round. The notes detail special times of year that your chances of a sighting increases dramatically, or the range of times the animals are seen due to hibernation and other effects.

Species Stats Notes
Elk 99%  
Big Horn Sheep 55% 75% Late Feb - May
30% Aug- Mid Nov.
Mule Deer 65% 85% or more Mid Sept - March
Coyote 40% 60% Dec - May
Moose 75%* *Only during June - Sept.
Black Bear 3% See less than 5 bears a year
Yellow-bellied Marmot 85% April - Sept.
American Pika 85% May - Sept.
Beaver 95% Only Evenings April - October
Chipmunk 95% April - October
Pine Squirrel 80% Generally only found while hiking
Abert's Squirrel 10% 65% when we really look for them
Badger 5% April - Sept.
Mountain Lion <.01% Never seen one in the wild
Golden Eagle 2% Winter increases to 3%
Bald Eagle 1% Winter increases to 3%

There is a large variety of other small mammals not mentioned here like Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels, Mountain Cottontails, Wyoming Ground Squirrels, and various great birds that we see on a regular basis. We see them nearly every single day they are active.

*Currently Rocky Mountain National Park does not have Wolves or Grizzly Bears, though in the past we used to. Wolves may one day return to Rocky.

There are a number of species that do occur in Rocky Mountain National Park that we rarely see. Generally we only see these species a few times a year because they are nocturnal or avoid human activity. They include Pine Martins, Bobcats, Red Foxes, Pocket Gophers, various Bats, Snowshoe Hares, Raccoons, Great Horned Owls, and Long Tailed Weasels. If your on a tour where your lucky enough to see one of these animals then you have had a truly unique experience very few guests get to see.