Apparently yesterday was World Bear Day and I missed commemorating the event so today I make up for it.

This is a throwback image to July 2019 and our trip to Alaska and one I haven’t previously shared. Taken in Katmai National Park & Preserve, we had the privilege of observing these incredible predators as they charged through the river, grabbing huge salmon with incredible skill.

Oftentimes when they chased the fish they would be running toward us, giving me some pretty darned cool captures like this one. Check out those claws! Wow!

As always, I have to state that we were well-prepared for this trip, took appropriate precautions and were with a professional guide. Additionally, this was of course taken with a large zoom lens and we were not as near as it would appear.

Black bear cubs are quite small and I am sure everything else in their world seems so big to them. Mama had her little one safely tucked in a tree but when she moved off to graze, the cub did not care for the distance between them – especially when a monstrous bison bull began to approach.

The cub worked its way through grass taller than itself, intermittently standing up to check the location of the approaching bison. It made for a cute pic with the little cub standing up among the lush, early summer grasses, trying to spot mom.

While mom wasn’t initially too concerned about the bull, she eventually decided it was best to move on and she and the cub headed off, giving the big boy plenty of room.

Like a hunting dog will stop and point toward game, this handsome beast was doing much the same, keeping very still while watching a batch of salmon swim up the river.

We made dinner for my mom last weekend and while we were chatting, she was remarking how she still is amazed at my bear pics from our trip to Alaska a couple of years ago. I told her that I had hundreds that I took that day that no one has even seen yet. Well, here is one.

This bear was pretty much average sized of the dozens we saw that day, and a pretty decent fisherman. Not long after this image was taken, it chased across the river, nabbing itself a nice meal.

I do love how you get a nice look at its claws in this image. Yeah, those could do some damage. 😉

Last month I shared a pic of this pretty lady’s cute cub. Now, here is a look at mama herself.

Taken in Yellowstone National Park, the bears were on one side of the road. On the other, a massive bison bull was working its way down the hill. Mama bear wasn’t concerned one bit with the humans in the car but that bison, well, she was quite intent on keeping an eye on him.

It was an interesting bit of interaction between the two species. The bison drew closer, I think only because he happened to want to go that way. As he did, the sow kept her cub close and she eventually stood up, something bears do when they want to get a better look at something.

Unlike what you see in the movies, bears usually stand up only for that reason, not as a sign of aggressiveness. Having evaluated the path of the oncoming bison and its proximity, mama bear decided it was time to leave right after this image was taken. Truly a fun encounter and something few have probably ever witnessed.

Photographer’s note: While we were somewhat close to this bear, it should be noted that the encounter started a good ways from the bear. The bear then closed the distance to us in a seemingly purposeful attempt to use our vehicle as a shield against the bison. Further, this was taken with a 500mm lens and the image cropped making it seem like we were closer than we really were. We were never dangerously close nor was the bear alarmed by our presence – unlike how it reacted to the bison.  😉

Out for a morning stroll in Yellowstone National Park, this handsome boar was somewhat of a picky eater. Not just any grass or flower would do. Nope, he had to have the flower buds that had not yet opened.

We watched him meander through a little valley opting only for this one type of flower. Here, you see him just before he chomps on one of the tasty morsels. Taken one month ago today, this was the second of three adult black bears we saw that morning.

Decades ago, it was common for people to feed the bears and indeed, the National Park Service encouraged it. Trash dumps were a popular viewing area and the rangers even put on lectures at them while the bears sorted through the refuse.

I still remember as a kid visiting the park and a bear standing on its hind legs, looking into our old Pontiac station wagon for a handout. Thankfully, officials realized that type of interaction was bad for the bears and dangerous for the humans and put an end to those shenanigans.

Today, the bears have returned to their natural instincts and diet and while it may not be so easy to find them now, it makes the encounters far more special I think.

Quite the looker! This pretty lady bear took a break from grazing and babysitting her two cubs to give me a nice, head on look. As you can see, she is one big bear.

I don’t know that you can truly appreciate the size of a grizzly or brown bear until you see one in person. Naturalist George Ord gave the grizzly its classification, ursus arctos horribilis, due to its intimidating character.

Lewis and Clark studied and wrote extensively about grizzlies including relaying one story in their journals of an encounter during which Lewis was actually chased by one. Not an enviable position to be in for sure!

Mama grizzly wasn’t too interested in letting one of her two little ones go for a ride. 😉 

Mother Nature saved the best for last on my excursion to Yellowstone and the Tetons. We were on our way home when we spotted three distinct figures off in the willows and clovers. Instantly we knew what it was – and who it was.

Say hello to the infamous Felicia and one of her little ones (the second was just out of frame to the right).

Female grizzly bears can push 400 pounds and this big, pretty lady is probably somewhere near that. She was absolutely impressive and her cubs adorable.

Felicia, officially known as Grizzly 863, is estimated to be eight years old and has become a fixture in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Her propensity to hang out in well-trafficked areas has caused consternation among wildlife officials and they recently tried to haze her to get her to move to more private environs. That clearly did not work for long.

There has been a lot of debate over how to handle her as she has never been a truly problem bear – she hasn’t threatened humans or shown any desire to intrude on human settlements. Felicia simply seems to like the area due to its abundant food supply and the fact that being in the proximity of humans helps to dissuade male bears (boars) who might threaten her cubs.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has said that more extreme measures including possible euthanasia may be taken, something I find personally abhorrent given that Felicia has thus far not presented any threat – and if she did, it would likely be the fault of stupid human behavior, not her.

Going back to July 2019 for this series of images and our trip to Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The fishing was great – for the bears. 😉

The bears were very active, working hard to fatten up for the coming winter. We would stage ourselves with a school of salmon between us and the bears and more often than not, the bears would charge at the fish, coming right toward us.

It was absolutely thrilling to watch (and perhaps a bit unsettling too – haha). When one would catch a fish, any other bears nearby would take notice. In the last couple of frames, you can see a second bear behind the one that caught the fish. It soon chased the first bear, hoping to steal its catch. They ran by and disappeared in the brush so I don’t know if it was successful.

This is a series of 38 images shown in about 7 seconds, slower than what it happened in real time. In reality the whole sequence happened in about 4 seconds so that gives you a sense of how fast these massive creatures can move.

Going back to July of 2019 for this image and our trip to this most amazing place and these incredible creatures.

This bear was quite the accomplished fisherman, handily pulling fish after fish out of the river. Here, it looks for another one while still having the remnants of the previous catch on its snout.

It does indeed appear the bear is making eye contact with me / you, however it was quite focused on the school of salmon that lie between it and I (thankfully – haha).

Oh how I yearn for the day when I can return to Alaska and experience the sights, sounds and wildlife of our 49th state again.