Black Bear

Timppa · Mar 10, 2017

Little story!
While doing a road trip in USA and Canada, we were hoping to see a bear, any kind of a bear!
In the whole USA we didn't see anything, even in Yellowstone we saw a red fox, while people told us there is less chance to see that one then a bear...
After more then 3 months on the road we arrived in Banff and Jasper National Park. And bamn! a black bear! The extra funny thing about this story is that, the next day, less then 24 hours later, a big Grizzly bear was crossing the road ! So wow, Thank you Canada for your bears !

The photo I post now is the black bear, I didn't get so good shots of the Grizzly, But I might upload a picture of it in the future.

Black Bear by Timothy D'hondt

smoke665 · Mar 10, 2017

We spend a lot of time in the Smoky Mtns, of Tennessee never fail to encounter black bears. Can be unnerving if you're hiking. The population has grown and migrated to the point that over the last few years we now see them around our home in North Alabama.

Timppa · Mar 10, 2017

smoke665 said:
We spend a lot of time in the Smoky Mtns, of Tennessee never fail to encounter black bears. Can be unnerving if you're hiking. The population has grown and migrated to the point that over the last few years we now see them around our home in North Alabama.

Bears in Alabama? I didn't know they go that far. Well I'm not from the USA. But I'll keep it in mind for next time! That will be for our next road trip then.

smoke665 · Mar 10, 2017

If you want to see Black Bears, go to Cades Cove Cades Cove - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Nice drive around the cove, and usually see a lot wildlife. This was taken back a few years ago. There were a lot of cubs out this time. The park rangers were making everyone give Mama a wide berth, but the cubs were really putting on a show.

DSC_0212.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

ZombiesniperJr · Mar 10, 2017

Nice set

smoke665 · Mar 10, 2017

Sad followup on the picture. We also encountered some single babies all alone. This was a year when the drought severely limited the food supply for them. When the food gets tight the Mama will abandon the little males leaving them to fend for themselves. The park rangers let mother nature take it's course, they either survive on their own, or they don't. Sadly some didn't

Timppa · Mar 10, 2017

Thanks for the input, I will make sure to go to the Smokey Mountains one day !

@smoke665 : Nature can be cruel, But it is indeed the best thing to let nature go its course.

WesternGuy · Mar 10, 2017

If you go to Lake Clark National Park in Alaska, you can get up close and personal with Grizzlies. They are wild, but they tend to ignore people and will often come within 5 to 10 metres of you (15 to 30 feet).

WesternGuy

zombiesniper · Mar 10, 2017

Very nice.
As for 30 feet from a Grizzly :aiwebs_016:

they must be nicer in Alaska. If the ones on the BC coast get that close, just use the gun on yourself.

smoke665 · Mar 10, 2017

WesternGuy said:
within 5 to 10 metres

Considering they can supposedly cover 50 yds in 3 seconds, I think I'd back off a mile or so

EricD · Mar 10, 2017

nice photos!

WesternGuy · Mar 11, 2017

smoke665 said:
WesternGuy said:

within 5 to 10 metres

Click to expand...

Considering they can supposedly cover 50 yds in 3 seconds, I think I'd back off a mile or so

I was there for 4 days; we had a guide every day and never had any problems. We watched two males, a female with two cubs and a lone female at various times. Two rules: - don't look them straight in the eye and don't make any sudden moves. Oh yah - and don't bother the cubs, although we got to within 5 metres of the cubs one day when they were playing and everything was okay. They do not see "us" (people) as a threat and they haven't learned that we would make a nice meal. The lodge was very good about keeping them away from the buildings.

WesternGuy

WesternGuy · Mar 11, 2017

zombiesniper said:
Very nice.
As for 30 feet from a Grizzly they must be nicer in Alaska. If the ones on the BC coast get that close, just use the gun on yourself.

Yes, a little more tolerant of people. I do know what you mean though. Being from Alberta and having tramped all over the Rockies and the Yukon in my misspent youth, I have had a few close encounters of the Grizzly kind. Scary to say the least, but the one really close encounter I did have, we made a lot of noise and they ran from us. Still means that I have a lot of respect for bears, black, brown or white and recognize the danger they can present if not treated as the potentially dangerous animals that they are.

Timppa, you are welcome for the bears - glad you got to see them. If you ever get to the northern, coastal areas of BC, they have white black bears there. They are referred to as "Spirit Bears" or Kermode bears - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear

WesternGuy

Timppa · Mar 11, 2017

I'm saving this thread for future references

Good traveltips!

Timppa · Mar 11, 2017

WesternGuy said:
Timppa, you are welcome for the bears - glad you got to see them. If you ever get to the northern, coastal areas of BC, they have white black bears there. They are referred to as "Spirit Bears" or Kermode bears - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear
WesternGuy

I have absolutely never heard about this before. I put it on my photography bucket list