Took my son camping once up to Fort Mountain, and as soon as we pulled into our spot and opened the doors we heard someone yelling GET IN YOUR TRUCK as loud as he could, we did, then about 10 ft away, right where our tent would be, a HUGE bear comes up over the hill and runs right by us. A group of rangers came by on golf carts and 4 wheelers chasing it out. We were like wtf!!!! After we calmed down and got out, we spotted a couple bambis curled up as tight as they could against a giant tree. We told the rangers and they said the bear was chasing after them after he got the mama, and they ran into the campground. That turned out to be a great camping trip too.
When we rode to Alaska a few years ago we stayed in a place in Haines raight above the river which was full of salmon and bears were there all the time. Just upstream was a weir with a passage for the fish to be counted. The bears would use the weir to catch fish. So the first day we're there we ride up the road, which is narrow as well. At the weir area there are no parking signs as the bears cross there regularly. As we're heading back down there's a sow with cubs. My buddy is on his tenere and cars stop blocking his path forward right where the bears cross, the road is also covered with bits of salmon in that area. So it's a slight downhill and he has to stop as a cub goes running, he can't go forward as there's a car in the way. He can't back uphill as he's on a loaded tenere. So with the cub on his right bawling he has to sit there as the sow crosses the road about 15 feet in front of him. Needless to say he was more than a bit nervous. Here's a couple photos from that day, the sow heading and me and with one of the cubs later in the day and another bear crossing the road that I photographed. I wish we had grizzlies.
Those are great pictures! Was the sow collared? How'd you like that job? They're amazing animals for sure. You picked a great time to see them when the salmon feast is going on. I've heard you can practially walk up and touch them and they don't care, as long as they're preoccupied with food that's tastier and easier to eat than you are.
If you do the Blue Ridge Parkway, The second day there the rain was worse, but we still got out to Wayah road and then took 28 up to Cherokee and then over the Smokey Mountains. On the Tenessee side we took Little River Road through the national park and this is where things got interesting. I was leading, with Kevin usually about 100 yards behind, travelling at a brisk pace but not too fast. At one pont I look behind and he is no longer there. I turn around and find him at the side of the road with two cars around him. He had followed me around a corner and a bear had run out into the road, he had tried to avoid it but the bear moved with him. He hit it square on and went down. The bear, kevin, and the bike bounced down the road and at some point the bear puked on the bike and limped off into the woods. Kevin is a little shaken up, and has a couple of scrapes and bruises, but he thinks the bear broke his fall. The bike, however, is a mess. The forks are bent, there are some scrapes, and its covered in bear puke (it had apparently been eating berries). From this thread, a while back. https://www.tiger1050.com/index.php/topic,11048.msg117969.html#msg117969
The sow was collared, as was another boar. Sow had two cubs, the photo shot down the grassy trail was along the river, I was constantly moving backwards to keep enough space for escape. My buddies thought I was too close. But they're not photographers. My plan was to go swimming if she charged me, but she just ignored me the whole time.
You know they can run, right? Like really, really fast..... Was at Jenny lake (wy) with a troop of boy scouts. There was this bull moose next to the trail. I had the scouts climb up a big rock out cropping to watch the spectacle as other people insisted on walking up to this huge beast to take pictures. Sure enough, he got pissed and the chase was on. The ranger was really pissed, he chased the nincompoops back to the boat while the scouts got to continue the hike.
I'm pretty sure an adult grizzly can run like 35 mph. If that's not terrifying enough, they reach that speed in like three steps...
Yep. We have grizzlies and polar bears from time to time up here in Prudhoe. As long as people understand that when an apex predator is in the area you are now a food item and act accordingly everything is OK. I know that if there is a bear around I do not stay to take pictures.