“Grizzly” Bears
March 16th, 2007 by Stacy Jon Peterson
Nothing gets your blood pumping quite as much as photographing a “Grizzly” Bear in the wild. Generally the coastal bears in Alaska are called “Brown Bears” while the interior ones are “Grizzlys.” The obvious caveats about your personal safety and the safety of the bears notwithstanding (don’t feed them, keep a SAFE distance, and have protection), shots of bears in their natural habitat can be very rewarding.
SAFETY IN BEAR COUNTRY
There’s no sense in me going into excrutiating detail on bear safety. Check out a few excellent, reputable websites. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s Essentials for Traveling in Bear Country is a good place to start. I feel compelled to focus on a couple topics, however.
BELLS?
I find it interesting that many visitors believe wearing large Christmas bells on their packs will prevent them from surprising a bear. The evidence for whether or not bells make a difference is disputable.
At least one study by USGS researcher Tom Smith suggests that certain bears pay no attention to ringing bells. But snap a twig and suddenly you’ve got alert bears on your hands. Tom recommends talking loudly and clapping your hands (simulating snapping twigs) as you travel through bear country.
Regardless, bells or other devices are absolutely no substitute for common sense and bear awareness in bear country. I wouldn’t recommend the actions of the visitors at Denali National Park, shown at right…
GUNS?
A lethal weapon has been the protective choice of many outdoorsmen since the beginning of time, but in this day and age I hope you consider other alternatives before you make the decision. A gun may help — or may not – depending on your degree of calmness, luck, aim and the “stopping power” of your weapon).
And then you’re left with a dead bear at best (figuratively speaking), or a wounded one at worst (seriously). Probably not the ideal outcome.
The benefit of having anything with “stopping power” (gun, spray, etc.) is that it may give you the nerve to calmly face down a bear if you have to (as opposed to freaking out — not a good idea — if you’re caught empty-handed), but the statistics still don’t stack up in favor of you nor the bears when potentially lethal weapons are involved.
BEAR SPRAY!
Suffice it to say that I’m a firm believer in avoiding conflict if at all possible, but I carry bear spray on my hip (not in my backpack — gee, wait there, Mr. Bear, while I dig around in my pack for a second…) at all times when photographing out of doors for those occasions when, for reasons that forgo explanation, I encounter a large mammal intent on harm.
“Bear spray” sounds trite, but this stuff ain’t your grandmother’s pepper spray. Approved bear sprays can pack a serious wallop on any animal that has mucus membranes. Get it on you and you won’t be dead, although you’ll likely wish you were. It makes “mace” seem like cinnamon breath freshener.
It is vital that travelers know how to properly use bear spray. Tom Smith has also discovered that bear spray residue is actually a strong attractant for bears. It’s not bear repellent. You don’t spray it on your tent or camping gear to keep bears away during the night. You’ll likely find bears rolling in the stuff like your kitty at catnip by morning.
Bear spray is designed to be sprayed straight into the face of a menacing mammal at fairly close range as a last resort to (hopefully) thwart a direct attack. The bear is probably close enough to be sprayed effectively about the time you soil your shorts… Do your mamma a favor – don’t forget to wear clean shorts, and make every attempt to avoid getting into that situation in the first place.
Tom’s Q&A from the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage should be required reading for anyone interested in learning more about bear attacks and pepper spray. He and fellow bear researcher Steve Herrera have made incredible gains in our understanding of bear behavior over the years.
Then there’s the oft-told joke:
How do you tell black bear poop from grizzly bear poop?
Black bear poop has grasses and berries in it, and has an “earthy” aroma.
Grizzly bear poop contains bells and gun barrels, and smells like pepper spray.
All that said, where can one find bears to photograph in Alaska? Denali National Parkis a common place, but that’s a ways up there… The McNeil River and Brooks Falls are very common places for professional photographers, but are expensive and time consuming. Closer to Anchorage? Just get lucky!
During the summer salmon runs, bears can be found at many streams with some regularity. Watch the newspaper. In 2006, at least three brown bears and a black bear were seen regularly at Bird Creek along Turnagain Arm between Anchorage and Girdwood, much to the chagrin of fisherman (photo above).
Bears also inhabited upper Campbell Creek on the outskirts of Anchorage in fairly large numbers that summer, according to the papers, making it outright dangerous to hike or fish there. They’re around, but I wouldn’t count on getting pictures each time out.
A few miles to the north, the Eagle River Nature Center (at the very end of Eagle River Road in the town of, uh, Eagle River) has bears that frequent the salmon stream (yep — Eagle River) on the property. In fact, they close many of the river-side trails each year because of the concentration of bears gorging on salmon. Not that this helps photographers in any way — but it does illustrate that if you should happen to be hiking in that area, you should at the very least keep your eyes open.
Legal disclaimer– I suppose it is important to say that I absolve myself of all responsibility for your actions — you’re on your own in bear country, despite what you may read here. Educate yourself as completely as possible and act with the utmost responsibility for your safety and the safety of others. Then, hopefully, all will go well.