Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures and Wildlife Film Festival Partner Up

Every two years, the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and conservationists alike arrive in Grand Teton National Park for the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.  Delegates are surrounded by one of the last relatively intact temperate ecosystems left on earth, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Jackson Hole Ecotour Adventures has been a proud partner of the festival for the past two seasons and was delighted to share Grand Teton National Park with delegates during the festival.

At dawn, delegates departed the Jackson Lake Lodge on a morning safari in four Ecotour Adventures Safari Vehicles.  We were treated to a beautiful sunrise bathing the Tetons in pink morning light, listening to the calls of bugling elk in the distance.  September and October are the rutting season for elk and other hooved mammals, providing opportunities to observe fascinating mating behavior.  

Bear activity also peaks in the fall and we observed both black and grizzly bears on the tours.  In fall, both species enter a state known as ‘hyperphagia’ meaning over eating.  Seeking to consume upwards of 20,000 calories a day, bears are constantly on the move looking for food sources.

Like elk, moose are mating throughout the fall and we found a large bull pursuing a cow early in the morning.  Weighing upwards of 1000 pounds, the shiras subspecies of moose is actually the smallest of the three North American moose species, but they still cut an impressive figure.  

The groups also observed bison and pronghorn antelope with a classic Teton backdrop. Nearly exterminated by the late 1800’s bison have made a recovery in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  Today they contain some of the largest remaining herds of wild bison in the world.  Pronghorn often share habitat with bison and make up for their much smaller size by being the fastest land animal in the Americas.  Prior to their extinction during the Pleistocene ice age, the North American cheetah pursued pronghorn, who have retained the sharp eyesight and speed required to evade such a predator. 
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In the afternoon a second group of delegates joined the Ecotour Adventures Guides on a sunset tour, observing many of the same species, grizzly bears and finished up the trip by watching the sunset of the Tetons while observing a herd of cow elk with a single large bull.  It’s no secret that Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are popular filming destinations thanks to their diverse and plentiful wildlife.  We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share the best Grand Teton has to offer with the JHWFF Delegates.  

Jackson Hole Ecotour Adventures would like to extend a big thank you to delegates who were able to join us on safari.  We’d love to see you again and are offering 10% off future trips to all Delegates.  Email us at info@jhecotouradventures.com for more information.  

This winter, Ecotour Adventures is thrilled to announce a ski and snowshoe addition to our tour offers, which include winter wildlife safaris in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  With stunning landscapes and concentrated wildlife populations, winter is one of our favorite times to explore the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Winter wildlife viewing opportunities include dense concentrations of elk, deer, bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and moose, increased wolf activity, diverse waterfowl, bald and golden eagles, and more. Maximize your winter trip to Jackson Hole with a combination wildlife tour and ski or snowshoe trip into the Tetons.  JHWFF Delegates get 10% off, contact us info@jhecotouradventures.com to book.