Big bear country

[BrownBear]

...that young 400 lb bear was at the lodge only because the adult 8&9 foot bears drove him off the rivers. The same bears we fish around every day.

Good account and good observations. Those youngsters (sub-adults in bio speak) are the real trouble makers around here. They don't know the rules among bears, so they get pushed out of the best bear country into "people" country. And since they're hungry and people don't beat them up like all the other bears, they learn bad habits real fast. Sad to say, people that don't know bears are more than willing to add to their list of bad habits. When the visitors leave each fall (tourists or "tourons" in local speak), we're always left with a bunch of bad mannered young bears entering hyperphasia (bio-speak for a fall feeding binge just before den-up), and lots fewer people on the rivers to catch fish for them. Too often they go looking for people and easy meals, i.e., coming to houses and lodges to tear things up in search of food.

And even a little bear, 4'-5' nose to tail, is taller than a man when it stands up on a couple of feet of hind legs. Idaho Ron's pic makes that point nicely. Take a 10'-11' bear nose to tail and put 4' or so of leg under them when they stand up, and even a 6' man is puny. If you're doing the math, that puts their nose 14'-15' in the air. I've seen bark ripped off cottonwoods with the highest claw marks 17'-18' off the ground. Not hard to accept when a 13'-15'-high nose reaches up with 4' forelegs.

Still makes you pucker to see claw marks 12' over your head, and rethink the world next time you hang meat bags 20' up in a tree.

 

[longcruise]

I shot a 4 yr old Brown Bear off my boss in 2003

Hah, you passed up a perfect opportunity to negotiate a raise. :rotf:

I thin our AK members have made it pretty clear that the danger with these bears is not about their size, but rather their attitude. I've no experience with griz or browns, but grew up with regular interactions with black bears. We had a large state park nearby where several tourists were killed by black bears. They were not very large bears. One was probably around 150 pounds. But, even a 150 pound bear is strong enough and fast enough to easily kill any human. Luckily, the black bears generally don't tend to have the disposition to do so!

 

[ryanhogg]

This thread makes me wanna live out west so badly

 

[longcruise]

This thread makes me wanna live out west so badly

Heck, put it on your "bucket list"; be eaten by a bear. Guess it would have to be the last thing on the list. :shocked2: :haha:

 

[bilder]

I have not been charged, but I have been robbed by brown bears.

Had one tear my gear to bits a few years back. No amount of shouting, throwing rocks at him or any other means could distract that bruin from his task of ripping my coolers to shreds looking for an easy meal. Sad part was the coolers were empty. I had all my food strung up a tree, he just recognized the coolers as things food came from and decided mine were no different.

Most of the bear problems I have had come from blackies.

 

[longcruise]

Most of the bear problems I have had come from blackies

I think that the black bears smoother disposition lends it to being fed by well meaning humans. Both the tourist deats I described above were the work of picnic area bears that were "tame" and being fed by tourists.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Hah, you passed up a perfect opportunity to negotiate a raise. :rotf:

Now that is funny :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Zip]

Hey, those pics are amazing. I have never seen them so I'm really glad you posted. And, not to state the obvious Ron, but the reason you "felt small beside them" is because you are, brother. That middle grizz's forearms look simply massive. What a beast! :shocked2:

 

[BrownBear]

I have not been charged, but I have been robbed by brown bears.

Had one tear my gear to bits a few years back. No amount of shouting, throwing rocks at him or any other means could distract that bruin from his task of ripping my coolers to shreds looking for an easy meal. Sad part was the coolers were empty. I had all my food strung up a tree, he just recognized the coolers as things food came from and decided mine were no different.

Most of the bear problems I have had come from blackies.

That's a lot more typical brown bear experience, isn't it? They've been killed breaking into houses in towns, and are a pretty common sight wandering down city streets in search of the next dumpster, garbage can, dog dish, smoke house, fish rack, bird feeder, candy wrapper or doggy poop pile. Almost always in fall when they're in hyperphasia.


You know I'm sure, but other folks who haven't seen it wouldn't believe the extremes people have to use to keep brownies from breaking into cabins, even though they have taken every scrap of food out of them for winter. Some of them look like hilltop outposts in Vietnam or Afghanistan with all their "protections" in place.