Wild Grizzlies~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

Fishing during the salmon run,

in the Knight Inlet,

British Columbia, Canada.

This set of four cubs was unusual. The smaller cubs will have a harder time in winter.

The bears congregate to gorge on salmon and pack on fat for the winter.

Fights break out over territory in the river,

but none we saw were serious.

The bears are extremely adept at swimming,

and seemed to enjoy taking rests in the cool water.

Even the cubs love to fish and eat!

This mama griz and cub we encountered on the trail in Glacier National Park. An inland bear and cub, not stuffed on salmon, is a far more threatening sight, and you can see mama go on high alert!

She soon relaxed, and even nursed in our presence, after she saw we kept our distance. (You can see these photos by clicking on the following links).

Cheers to you from the precious and endangered grizzlies of North America~

For more of my photos of coastal and inland grizzlies see:

Grizzly Daze~

The Grizzlies Are Sleeping~

Note: I am going through photo archives and sharing select photos you may not have seen.

236 thoughts on “Wild Grizzlies~”

      1. I remember seeing a Cinnamon bear by the Nicola River up country, I was so thrilled, I jumped out of our car to make my way toward it when my partner said, “whoa” (this bear was large!) so I jumped back in to watch it from a place of safety. I have yet to see a grizzly…

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  10. Wonderful images and pictures. I’ve been to Glacier National Park and hiked on trails there. But, didn’t encounter grizzlies while on hike and thankful for that. Loved the park and nature there.

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    1. Thank you Eliza. I am babysitting my twin grandsons who are just turning two, so I am keeping kinda busy!! This is the longest I have holed up in forever….Stay safe and well my friend დ

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  24. Great photos, and I’m sure a great experience, particularly the mother and cub. I accidentally came face to face with a black bear this summer, but have never seen a Grizzly in the wild.

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  30. These are incredible photos, Cindy. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to go through past photos and experience great moments again. So pleased that you shared your photos of my part of the world. Hugs and love!

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  31. Well, that’s something. I read “Night of the Grizzlies” while camping in Glacier NP back in the 70’s. That’s been my go-to terror ever since, being eaten alive by a bear.

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    1. My husband and I both read that book while in Glacier! Unbelievable to read about that trash dump the park took tourists too, but the stats were also in the book which showed what an anomalous time period that was. Still in another trip in Yellowstone, a person was killed, hiking alone on a trail we had just hiked.

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    1. The river bears in BC were shot from a wooden safe viewing platform like a bird hide above the river. The inland bears in Montana were shot at 1200mm zoom from a safe distance. Maintaining distance and following all bear country rules is critical for the bears safety and yours whenever you are in bear country. Don’t poop your pants. It would make you to interesting to the bears!! 😉 😉

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        1. Perceptive of you to notice Sheree. That is the only bear that looked at me with raw aggression in his eyes. I definitely noticed and felt it too. I would imagine grizzlies have differing personalities, like people. დ

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  37. You had me on my toes while reading this post. I have a lot of respect for bears, and grizzlies in particular. We have brown bears and wolves in the forests around where I live. Two women were actually chased by a brown bear two weeks ago, this happened close to my father’s cabin.

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    1. Yes. Grizzlies need to be big time respected. I have seen people and their dog charged by a mother with a cub. We warned them about her ahead on the trail but they ignored us. We watched the whole thing unfold in what seem like slow motion when actually she was in a full bore charge. It was a warning charge and the people turned around and left. We continued to watch her from a safe distance. We hiked in Yellowstone and encountered a large grizzly too close on the trail. A few days later someone hiking alone was killed on that same trail. We always maintain safe distance, carry air horns (they work well) and spray, maintain safe distance, securely wrap food, never hike alone and make noise all the time we hike. Even so, you have to remain constantly alert and aware. დ

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    1. For the bears in the river, you view them from a wooden viewing platform above the river that you are escorted to by a guide. Numbers are very limited to avoid disturbing the bears. You must fly in by float plane or boat and stay in a cabin. You get to the platform by small motor boat and hike with the guide to it. There are bears everywhere around you as you hike. You are instructed not to stop on the raised walkway to the platform. That bear glaring at me I captured on the walkway. Inland bear rules are strict and need to be followed. 100 yards is the recommended distance to maintain between you and an inland bear. We saw a couple and their dog get charged because they ignored this rule despite our warning them about the bear and cub ahead on the trail. The inland bear photos were shot at 1200mm zoom დ

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  41. Stunning! How I would love to see a grizzly in the wild, albeit from a distance. What an incredible day it must have been shooting these majestic animals. Wishing you well, Cindy, especially in this even more difficult September. Take care.

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    1. We were on a safe wooden bear viewing platform in the river and these are well fed coastal grizzlies, but you still have to be careful and never hike alone. In Montana, it is different. In all situations one has to follow all the rules, carry air horns and spray, never hike alone and maintain safe distance at all times. We saw a bear charge a couple and their dog. Grizzlies tend to not appreciate dogs. We warned them about the bear but they ignored us and got too close. We watched the charge. The cub hid behind a boulder while mama charged. It seemed like slow motion but she was moving very fast. Thankfully it was a warning and the people rapidly left. We stayed where we were a safe distance away unharassed. დ

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    1. Awwww…..thank you. Seeing this mother and cub in all their glory in their spectacular home was a thrill of a lifetime. Watching her nurse and discipline her cub was incredible. She was such a loving mama. დ

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    1. I shot the bears in the inlet from a safe viewing platform. Getting to the platform was a tad dicey at there were so many bears everywhere, but we were in a group and followed all the rules for bear country. In Montana it is a different story. Inland bears encountered on trails with a cub can be very dangerous. Again we follow all the rules, maintain distance, carry bear spray and air horns, and never hike alone. We did see a grizzly charge a couple and their dog who approached the bear too closely despite our warning. It is very dangerous and foolhardy for both the bear and the people to not follow safe bear viewing directions. დ

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  51. Wow! I am so impressed by these magnificent photos of the grizzly bears. They look so frighteningly close. I hope that you were shooting them with your zoom lens. We have grizzly bears in our mountains nearby. When hiking we always carry bells to alert them of our presence. Have a great Sunday, Cindy!

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  52. Wow Grizzlies look so different from Black bears (I follow Torfino photography who regularly takes shots of Black Bears). I felt quite scared looking at the grizzlies. They are sooo big!

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  55. What impressive creatures! Thank you, Cindy, for bringing them up close for us. Just look at those claws — no wonder toy bear manufacturers don’t add something that scary to the paws of the critters they make for sale!

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  70. I’ve never seen photos of grizzlies that close-up before! They are very powerful creatures. The first one actually looks quite winsome, but I’m sure it’s a case of you leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone.

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    1. I always maintain safe viewing distance around grizzlies. I use telephoto lenses. The bears in the inlet were photographed from a wooden platform above the bears that is similar to a bird hide. We were quite safe above but close to the bears. დ

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    1. Yes, exactly. Nancy Milford wrote a book, “Savage Beauty,” about Edna St. Vincent Millay, the poet. The title comes up for me constantly. It is what nature is, and it is ethereal დ

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      1. I did not read this book but it seems to me I feel what it that book about. Let me read it to find if I have right feeling. Wild is all the time beautiful. As you can see the same animals in Zoo look absolutely different. Freedom is the main source of Beauty!

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  83. What great pictures! I love the first one–can a grizzlie be cute? ‘Cause this one with his grizzlie fur sticking out as if he’d just pulled off a ski cap is sure cute. I hope those 4 cubs and their poor, frazzled mom survive the winter!

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  85. They are beautiful animals but I wouldn’t want to cross paths with them. We did have a 400lb male black bear wander through our back garden this week. It caused quite the stir as we’re technically a city and have a reasonable dense population. It was a beauty!

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  92. Wonderful photos, Cindy. Bears are such fascinating animals. A couple of years ago while staying in the Smokies, we watched a momma bear discipline her young’ns and also watched her looking up and watch us watching her. My granddaughters will never forget it.

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