Grizzly Watching

Grizzly Bears are magnificent and the biggest reason visitors choose our lodge!

Grizzly bears thrive here and the viewing opportunities are spectacular. We have operated our Grizzly Bear Lodge for decades and know the prime spots for bear watching. The ultimate grizzly bear photo opportunities.

Anette and family visit 6 of 7

grizzly bears fishinggrizzly bears fishing

The first photo show two grizzlies approaching the stand from down river while the second has them looking for salmon from the river bank opposite or viewing site. Excellent pictures of grizzly bears that have learned to ignore us and get on with fattening for winter hibernation.

Anette and family visit 5 of 7

grizzly bear cub knight inletgrizzly watching guest

Anette’s comments continue: “The next day we went bear watching with Glenn and we saw about 15 grizzlies amongst those a cub that had got away from it’s mother (standing on its hind legs scouting). We’re sure it was reunited with the mother just 2 minutes after we lost sight….” September grizzly bear watching is on one of two platforms we use on Knight Inlets Glendale River. Our preferred stand has the natural river on one side where the cub is standing and the entrance to the spawning channel n the other. The second photo is of a grizzly that is directly below the platform maybe five meters away.

Grizzly Bears Searching for Early Salmon

These two Grizzlies are investigating the shallow waters of the lower river, near the estuary.  Grizzly Bears have an exceptional sense of smell and when the first salmon begin to arrive they take notice.  The exact timing of the arrival of the Pink Salmon varies a bit year to year, but by August there are generally some fish heading up the river to spawn.

Mother Grizzly With Four Cubs

Grizzly bears are slow reproducers and litters of one to three cubs are the norm.  In the last several years, however we have been lucky to witness three separate mothers with four cubs.  It is a true testament to the availability of food in the area.

Black Bear Mother and Cub Feeding

In the Knight Inlet area it is rare to see Black Bears feeding on salmon in the river.  The reason for this is that the Grizzly Bears are the dominant bears and push the black bears out of these prime areas.  The Black Bears tend to be more spread out and when the tide is low we often spot them rolling rocks on the beach looking for shore crab.

I hear you

Grizzly bears fighting

It is not difficult to tell which grizzly bear is dominant in this situation. Alone and vulnerable, siblings will often stay together for some time after their mother abandons them, eating and sleeping side-by-side, and even denning together. The average breeding age for female grizzlies is 4.5 years. Males reach sexual maturity at roughly the same age as their female counterparts. So if they stay with their mother for two years this means they may spent two or three years together until a female becomes pregnant or if two males longer.

 

 

Knight Inlet Grizzly Bears

Your grizzly bear tour provides for many opportunities for great photos. In the fall the salmon are in BC’s coastal rivers and this is a smorgasbord for the bears. Some grizzly bears spend time looking for fish to eat while others just eat. Some ot these brown bears fish the deep water to pick up dead fish while others prefer fish live. Both of these are deep water bears. After a day viewing bears return to the lodge and maybe a “hot tub”. Photos byBruce & Carole Cripps 4-11

completed.

Meals 3 of 3

Grizzly Bear Lodge DinnerGrizzly bear lodge is noted for it’s good food (check out TripAdvisor). Meals are eaten with the guides and the rule is “What happens in the boat stays in the boat unless it is mentioned by the guests then all is fair.”. Dinner can last for hours as the table becomes a discussion of the days activities as well as a means to solving all the world problems.

Grizzly Bear in the River

Grizzly Bears are very comfortable in the water.  When the salmon are running they spend a great deal of time in the river often swimming across it multiple times.  They are also excellent long distance swimmers easily swimming across Knight Inlet, which is approximately 1 mile wide.  Thanks to Britt for the picture

Grizzly Bear in the Estuary

This young Grizzly Bear is standing in the river estuary likely looking for salmon.  Tides play a huge roll in these shallow river estuaries.  At high tide the water will be right up to the sedge grass in the background covering the area where the bear is standing.  At this time the water is deeper and the salmon are able to pass through the lower river easily.  When the tide is low the fish are much more exposed and bears will take advantage of this as they struggle up the shallow riffles.