Where to See Big Game of the West: 2 Parks Ranked by Real Odds

Q: Where is the best place to see Big Game of the West?

Yellowstone National Park. In Yellowstone National Park, United States, the chance of seeing all 4 (bison, elk, pronghorn and mule deer) on the same day is about 20%, the highest of the 2 parks where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 80%. Next come Grand Teton National Park (about 10% a day). It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Q: Which of Big Game of the West is hardest to see?

Mule deer. In Yellowstone National Park, the best park for Big Game of the West, about about 50% of wildlife watchers report the mule deer on a given day, against about 90% for the bison. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

Q: How do you complete Big Game of the West on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen. Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts Big Game of the West three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

The checklist: 4 animals

Bison bison

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

LC

Cervus canadensis

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

LC

Antilocapra americana

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

LC

Odocoileus hemionus

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Where to go

Chance of seeing in

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

~70%

Jan

~70%

Feb

~90%

Mar

~80%

Apr

~70%

May

~80%

Jun

~80%

Jul

~80%

Aug

~80%

Sep

~90%

Oct

~80%

Nov

~80%

Dec

Time of day

Where they are recorded most Parks with some of them Cities with some of them

Parks

#	Park	Country	Animals	All 4 in 3 days
1	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 4	~80%
	American Bison			>90%
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Pronghorn			>90%
	Mule Deer			~90%
2	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 4	~80%
	American Bison			~90%
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Pronghorn			~90%
	Mule Deer			>90%
3	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 4	Missing: Pronghorn
	American Bison			>90%
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Mule Deer			~70%
4	Grand Canyon National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4	Missing: Pronghorn
	American Bison			~60%
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Mule Deer			>90%
5	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4	Missing: Elk
	American Bison			>90%
	Pronghorn			>90%
	Mule Deer			>90%
6	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4	Missing: Bison
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Pronghorn			~20%
	Mule Deer			>90%
7	Zion National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4	Missing: Bison
	Elk (wapiti)			~20%
	Pronghorn			~20%
	Mule Deer			>90%
8	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			~80%
	Mule Deer			>90%
9	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Mule Deer			~90%
10	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Mule Deer			~80%
11	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
	Mule Deer			~80%
12	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			~30%
	Mule Deer			~90%
13	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			~30%
	Mule Deer			~90%
14	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk
	Pronghorn			~70%
	Mule Deer			~70%
15	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			~50%
	Mule Deer			~70%
16	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 4	Missing: Pronghorn, Mule deer
	American Bison			~60%
	Elk (wapiti)			~30%
17	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk
	Pronghorn			~40%
	Mule Deer			~50%
18	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn
	Elk (wapiti)			~20%
	Mule Deer			~50%
19	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 4	Missing: Elk, Pronghorn, Mule deer
	American Bison			>90%
20	Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			>90%
21	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Pronghorn, Mule deer
	Elk (wapiti)			>90%
22	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			>90%
23	Guadalupe Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~90%
24	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~50%
25	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~30%

Cities

#	City	Country	Animals	All 4 in 3 days
1	Sacramento	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~80%
2	Salt Lake City	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~80%
3	Portland	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~60%
4	Calgary	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~60%
5	Vancouver	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~50%
6	San Francisco	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~50%
7	Seattle	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~40%
8	Denver	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~40%
9	Los Angeles	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~30%
10	Edmonton	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 4	Missing: Bison, Elk, Pronghorn
	Mule Deer			~20%

Zoos & centres

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Bear Country USA	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 4 in captivity
2	Bearizona	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 4 in captivity
3	Zoo Idaho	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 4 in captivity
4	Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
5	British Columbia Wildlife Park	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 4 in captivity
6	Dakota Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
7	Ecological Center of Sonora	🇲🇽 Mexico	3 of 4 in captivity
8	Forestry Farm Park and Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 4 in captivity
9	Northwest Trek Wildlife Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
10	Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
11	Royev Ruchey Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	3 of 4 in captivity
12	Wildlife Safari	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
13	Yellowstone Bear World	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 4 in captivity
14	Yukon Wildlife Preserve	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 4 in captivity
15	Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón	🇲🇽 Mexico	3 of 4 in captivity
16	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4 in captivity
17	Pairi Daiza	🇧🇪 Belgium	2 of 4 in captivity
18	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	2 of 4 in captivity
19	Tierpark Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	2 of 4 in captivity
20	North Carolina Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4 in captivity

Show all 20 Show fewer

Before you go

Where is the best place to see Big Game of the West?

Yellowstone National Park

In Yellowstone National Park, United States, the chance of seeing all 4 (bison, elk, pronghorn and mule deer) on the same day is about 20%, the highest of the 2 parks where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 80%. Next come Grand Teton National Park (about 10% a day). It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Which of Big Game of the West is hardest to see?

Mule deer

In Yellowstone National Park, the best park for Big Game of the West, about about 50% of wildlife watchers report the mule deer on a given day, against about 90% for the bison. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

How do you complete Big Game of the West on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen

Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts Big Game of the West three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

← All challenges

Big Game of the West

The checklist: 4 animals

American Bison

Elk (wapiti)

Pronghorn

Mule Deer

Where to go

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

Month by month at Grand Teton National Park

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

Month by month at Yellowstone National Park

Time of day

Parks

Cities

Zoos & centres

Before you go

Where is the best place to see Big Game of the West?

Which of Big Game of the West is hardest to see?

How do you complete Big Game of the West on Wallace's Line?