I have never had a one-on-one conversation with a Griz. But have had several conversations with Black Bears. Bears are like lots of other animals such as crows, ravens and Magpies, coyotes, wolves, deer, geese, etc., etc. They readily distinguish individual humans, and become much more relaxed around you once they get to know you. The fact that the Tlingit talk to Griz should surprise nobody who has worked with animals or spent lots of time living in the backcountry. Tone of voice and pitch are critical.
This approach to gently respecting 'others' territory' and maintaining 'own territory' could/should work on other salmon rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean but I would strongly urge folks to avoid close contact in high elevation areas, in particular the Rocky mountains. Bringing an untrained dog into the high country of the Rockies is just asking for problems.
Set aside half an hour. I wouldn't want to rely on my "understanding" of bears (see also the guy a few years ago who got et) but this is still pretty cool. Bears are neat.
Set aside half an hour. I wouldn't want to rely on my "understanding" of bears (see also the guy a few years ago who got et) but this is still pretty cool. Bears are neat.
Which is good, but at the same time, have you ever been talking in a crowd when all of a sudden everyone stops at the same time and you're there shouting? That sort of happened here. Everyone was watching bears, then they left and she was the only one there when the bear bluffed. I haven't seen any footage from 10 seconds before, but I kind of think she got thrown under the bus.
She was behind the little retaining wall which means nothing except she wasn't really intending to get close to the bear, she was just out of her car and didn't back away quickly.
If the sow and the 3 cubs slowly ambled towards her, she had plenty of time to beat a retreat. "Caught in the headlights" strikes me as a lame excuse. Rules seem rather clear. That she provoked a bluff charge is unacceptable.
Must admit I am surprised at how seriously this is taken. Jail - 4 days, probation, a big fine, a one-year park ban, ..... wow.
Which is good, but at the same time, have you ever been talking in a crowd when all of a sudden everyone stops at the same time and you're there shouting? That sort of happened here. Everyone was watching bears, then they left and she was the only one there when the bear bluffed. I haven't seen any footage from 10 seconds before, but I kind of think she got thrown under the bus.
She was behind the little retaining wall which means nothing except she wasn't really intending to get close to the bear, she was just out of her car and didn't back away quickly.
She got punked. The bear set the whole thing up and laughed his ass off for the rest of the day.
Don't try to make friends with a bear.
"Yah go fork yourself, Karen!"
Which is good, but at the same time, have you ever been talking in a crowd when all of a sudden everyone stops at the same time and you're there shouting? That sort of happened here. Everyone was watching bears, then they left and she was the only one there when the bear bluffed. I haven't seen any footage from 10 seconds before, but I kind of think she got thrown under the bus.
She was behind the little retaining wall which means nothing except she wasn't really intending to get close to the bear, she was just out of her car and didn't back away quickly.
To be clear, even before San Diego though I hadn't seen a bear or bears shit in the woods, I had seen bear shit in the woods and being a reasonably competent logician was able to make that inference. But as you said there's nothing like actual observation.
As a scientist, I'm happy to draw conclusions from carefully researched indirect data, although there is nothing like actual observation. Worked for a guy who's Samoyed liked to roll in bear shit in blueberry season.
To be clear, even before San Diego though I hadn't seen a bear or bears shit in the woods, I had seen bear shit in the woods and being a reasonably competent logician was able to make that inference. But as you said there's nothing like actual observation.
Yes, this post eventually gets to the Bear! subject.
My wife and I took my 94-year old father on a road trip recently. It went through Lytton which had been 90% burned. We also hiked the bar on the Fraser River where Cayoosh Creek flows in just below the town of Lillooet. Very pictureseque.
Note that this is 7th time since inception that Lytton has burned. Overall including this year, Lytton has "burned to the ground" three times in its history.
The bar below Lillooet was once truck accessible but that access has now been blocked — a good thing IMO. So we had to walk down this trail to get to the bar where the blue, mostly clear Cayoosh flows into the glacial muddy Fraser. Man, the bear scat piles were HUGE! No human body parts, just 8 to 15 cm high piles of partially digested dark fruit. (Blackberries? Plums?)
They were so big, I was thinkin' Griz. Griz scat normally has 'bells' in it. Or it could be a very large Black Bear.
Now some of you are asking: "Are you experienced?" Yes. Have probably poked my nose into 100s if not 1000s of bear scat. Sorry to disappoint but have not kept count or a detailed log.
Here is my concern: Gorging on fruit has to be really hard on the digestive tracts of these poor bears. Must burn like crazy! Perhaps we should all petition for policy that seeks to provide diet supplements and other forms of relief for these poor suffering bears?
Way back in the previous millennium I was visiting the San Diego Zoo standing near the back of a crowd in front of the bear enclosure when when one of them decided to take a rather large dump right in the middle of his cage. I said to no one in particular "Huh, I always thought they did that in the woods." The whole crowd turned around to stare at me with pained expressions. It made my day. From then on I generally will use the expression "Does a bear shit in the zoo?". I've seen several bears in the woods, but I've never seen one defecate there. I do appreciate the video evidence, but the other is personal experience so I'll probably continue to use it.
As a scientist, I'm happy to draw conclusions from carefully researched indirect data, although there is nothing like actual observation. Worked for a guy who's Samoyed liked to roll in bear shit in blueberry season.
Travelling any highway in the interior of British Columbia is a good way to see bears. Hot and very unoriginal tip: Get up early in the morning and start driving. Note that most North Americans are now genetically programmed to sleep in late unless getting up for a pay cheque.
The bear watching walkway in Hyder Alaska is a great way to see black and browns feeding on chum salmon. Driving the Cassiar-Stewart highway (37) in NW BC at certain times of the year is a good way to see Griz and Moose. The Moose demand respect and constant vigilance.
The north end of Chilko Lake and the upper portion of the Chilko River is another great place to see Griz. Driveable.
In the upper Babine River (driveable), you can watch bears hunting salmon.
Some eco-outfitters offer bear watching trips on the mid-coast of British Columbia which might be fun for folks who have spent little time in the wilds and lack both knowledge and experience with brears.
There are more than few opportunities to watch Browns feeding on salmon in Alaska.
By desocialize, you mean park authorities took active measures to prevent people from getting close to the bears and feeding them?
It was more than just the tourists. The park itself had an open trash dump that bears were free to scavenge. None of the trash cans in the campgrounds were bear-proofed. We could count on the 10:00am bear and the 4:30 pm bear coming through our campground to see what was there for the taking. You couldn't drive for thirty minutes without encountering a small traffic jam where bears had set up a road block to trade food for pictures. Sometime in the late 60s or early 70s they closed the dump, bear-proofed all the trash cans and tried to crack down on tourists feeding them. They no longer see us as a food source and you rarely see them if your not back country hiking.
I think I've mentioned before in this thread that I'm old enough to have been in Yellowstone before they desocialized the bears. I'm so glad they changed the old ways, but I'm even more glad I got there before they did. The tunnel tree and firefall in Yosemite fall into the same category.
By desocialize, you mean park authorities took active measures to prevent people from getting close to the bears and feeding them?
Drove through the Canadian Rockies the other day on the Transcanada highway. I remember when there used to be game on or near the highway. Several millions upon millions of dollars later in fencing and elaborate, ornate highway bridges for animals, there are no more animals on the highway. Excellent. That means fewer dead animals and fewer dead humans too.
For folks who want to see wild bears without trekking into the backcountry, there are more than a few places in both Canada and the USA.
