Jam's New Boyfriend
Quill and Jam Were Like a Teenagers in Love
Jam is a playful, entertaining five-and-a-half year old Yellowstone grizzly bear. She rolls in the snow, plays on the hillsides, and looks like a teddy bear with the personality of the sweet, stuffed bear you had as a child. Yet powerful and dark in color, she is not only cuddly, but she is a grizzly, strong and fierce. And at five-and-a-half years old, she has a boyfriend.
The daughter of Rasberry and the granddaughter of Blaze, Jam is the sister of Snow. Snow and Jam are sometimes seen in the same area of Yellowstone National Park. This summer, Quill, bear #288, has taken a liking to Jam, and Jam seems to be happy about the situation.
I go to Yellowstone each year, the week before Memorial Day weekend. I go with one primary purpose. To photograph grizzly bears. They are bold, powerful, and terrifying in their presence, and what we know they are capable of. They are soft with fierce intimidation.
I had the chance to photograph Jam in her playfulness. She was being stalked by Quill, and she seemed to like it. Also on the hillside was Snow with her two-year-olds, Rain and Storm. At one point, Quill took an interest in Snow, but it was fleeting as Snow moved away and Quill turned his interests back to Jam.
Quill would follow Jam like a teenager interested in his first girlfriend. As rain fell, Quill nuzzled Jam, and Jam looked sweet in her response. Thus began the mating ritual which can last for several days, even weeks. During this time, the bears are inseparable as Quill courts Jam in an intense time of seduction.
I had the opportunity to observe two days of this ritual. Jam was always working her way along the hillside as Quill followed. Periodically, he would nuzzle Jam which led to playful bites and wrestling games. Quill would wrap his arms around Jam, pulling her in, and she would smile as it happened.
Then she would break away, freeing herself from her boyfriend’s intentions. At one point, a few feet from Quill, Jam picked up a stick and returned to her playful ways. The stick was her youthful toy lifted in her mouth like a baton ready to be twirled.
While she did, Quill noticed Snow feeding on the hillside with her two cubs. As Snow, Rain, and Storm fed, Quill moved down the hill toward them. Snow, the good and protective mother she is, did what many female grizzly bears do. She moved toward the road and the throng of photographers where the male grizzlies avoided going.
Standing in the right spot, my camera was up, and I captured the family of three walking toward us as Quill watched from the background. It was a beautiful moment as Snow moved to protect her children. Once she knew Quill was not following, she changed directions, moving parallel to the road where the sweet taste of mountain grass once again attracted her family.
That’s when Quill turned his attention back to his baton twirling girlfriend. As he approached Jam, she dropped her stick and moved up the hill away from where Snow and her babies fed.
When Quill reached her, her nuzzling mood returned. Their heads came together as Jam pressed her romantic intentions into the shoulder of her boyfriend. Then Quill’s snout pushed into Jams, and the interaction began.
Playfully nipping at each other, their teeth and dominant fangs could be seen. Quill moved up on Jam wrapping his arms around her. Their bites were gentle, their eyes warm, and the tussling began.
Then Jam rolled onto her back and Quill’s mouth went to his girlfriend, his monster claws reaching for her face as if in a movie scripted kiss. It was enough to draw Jam in. She loved the playfulness, the sensuality of the moment tumbling onto her back submissive to her boyfriend.
I photographed such interactions several times over the two-day period. Grizzlies typically reach sexual maturity at five to eight years old, Jam being five-and-a-half. Was this her first encounter with a male grizzly? Was she impregnated, and would this be her first winter to give birth? Would she emerge from hibernation in May 2026 with Cubs of the Year (COYs) in tow?
Whatever was to come, Jam had a new boyfriend who was cute, playful, and attentive. She loved the ritual, curious in her own sensuality, and their interactions, if lucky, will enhance Yellowstone’s grizzly populations.
My only hope is that I am there to photograph her emergence from the den, her stumbling and curious COYs in tow.
