The size of the salmon in Alaska were pretty impressive. They of course paled in comparison to their predator, the coastal brown bear.

We watched bears with varying levels of skill at catching the fish with some being very efficient, others still needing some work with their technique. This bear was among the better at catching its prey and, if you look in the background, that didn’t go unnoticed by a neighboring bear.

Just after this image was taken, the bear in the back came running after the lead bear, hoping to steal its meal. Both took off running through the brush and out of sight unfortunately but we could hear the sounds of a dispute over rights to the fish. Would have loved to have gotten pics of them settling their disagreement!

What happens when a 1,000 pound brown bear belly flops into a school of salmon? Sometimes it will come up with one in its jaws but almost every time it sends some of the fish flying through the air.

Brown bears use a number of different techniques to catch their meals. If they are someplace like the infamous Brooks Falls, they can simply stand or sit and wait for the fish to jump out of the water as they swim upstream. In flatter terrain like this river, the bears have to take a much more active approach and each has varying levels of success.

While we saw some bears do little more than lunge with their head into the water to grab a fish, this particular bear took the “all in” approach. It would run and do a total belly flop into the water. It of course makes a tremendous splash and all you see is water and fish flying.

The action was pretty fun to see – even if you didn’t actually see the bear.

During our visit to Katmai National Park & Preserve this past summer, the action was fast and furious oftentimes. There were times, however, when things settled down and we and the brown bears took it easy.

Such was the case with this good looking one. It had caught a few fish and, with its stomach full, pulled up a spot in the river and relaxed. It was well aware of us but unthreatened and seemed to be as fascinated with watching us just as we were with watching it.

The bear was gorgeous but I was keenly aware of what an impressive animal it was. It was probably pushing close to 800lbs so its sheer size was an attention-getter and those claws, well, they served as a reminder of the deadly potential of these creatures.

These triplets were following along with their mom while she was fishing Moraine Creek in National Park Service Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

The sow would go into the river to catch her meals and the three would dutifully stay ashore and wait for her to return. Normally they were wise and stayed hidden in the grass but a few times we got a good look at them.

They were so darned cute but I never could get all three to look at me at once and they always seemed to be on the wrong side of the light. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun to be able to see cubs of the year.

One of my favorite captures from our trip to Alaska this past summer and the one that graces the cover of my Wildlife 2020 calendar. This beautiful bear was very proficient at fishing the river and catching salmon.

During the height of the salmon run when fish are plentiful, an adult brown bear can eat as many as 30 a day! Of course the goal of all that eating is to fatten up to sustain themselves through a long winter’s nap.

Thankfully they stayed focused on the fish and didn’t pay any attention to the pesky photographer. 😉

Well, it doesn’t get much better than this!

When this female popped her head up from the fireweed, our guide exclaimed, “That’s the money shot!” I can’t disagree.

The bear was just beautiful while situated among the flowers of the tundra. What you don’t see are the tree little cubs that were actually nursing right at that moment, tucked down in the flowers.

I’ve previously shared pics of them in the same spot. You can see those captures here.

Seeing a bear with her cubs is special but coming across a blonde colored mom with similarly light-colored cubs was even better. Their coloring is not common in brown bears and they definitely stand out from the more typical dark brown coats you see.

This pretty lady and her yearling cubs were working their way down the river when they came across a very large boar fishing in the middle of the river. Male brown bears will kill cubs in order to get a female to mate and the family was aware of the danger at this moment.

When their mom crossed the river close in front of the boar, the two cubs refused to follow, calling to her to come back. She eventually did and they went around behind the big boy, wisely giving him a wide berth.

Taken in Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska.

Sensing danger, the salmon take off as fast as they can – with a 750 pound brown bear in pursuit.

A fun capture that shows the action you see when photographing these massive creatures as they work to fatten themselves up for the winter. This particular bear had three cubs-of-the-year and would stash them in the brush while she came out to fish.

Let me tell you, she was an absolute fishing machine. A half dozen times she fished, each time she was successful on the first attempt. Truly impressive and by far the most efficient of all the bears we saw in Katmai National Park & Preserve.

Her cubs were too young to eat the fish themselves but she of course needed the nourishment to keep herself healthy and making milk for the little ones.

Big bears need big fish to fill them up and this guy managed a nice catch. Certainly the size of that salmon is notable but even more so, check out the claws on the bear! Goodness.

Those would do some serious damage in very short order.  Brown bear claws can be between 3 to 4 inches long, most likely longer than your longest finger.

At this time of year, the bears have a singular focus on food and a large, adult male brown bear may catch and eat up to 30 salmon a day. When the fish are plentiful, the bears will oftentimes only eat the skin, brain, and eggs of the fish as they are the fattiest and have the most calories.