Tag Archives: Grizzly Bears

Grizzly bear fishing techniques

February 2, 2015 Lodge Guide

 As mentioned in yesterday’s posting prior to August 25th the grizzly bear tours from the lodge are in the Glendale River estuary and the lower tidal area of the river. After an hour and fifteen minute boat ride from the lodge we transfer into a sixteen foot (five and half meter) shallow draft skiff that we use along the shore and into the river. The shallow draft allows us to move up river as the tide rises and obtain excellent views of the grizzlies. In this case it was August after the salmon had arrived and were still in the lower river with the grizzlies trying to catch the freshly arrived salmon. The run and splash technique is not nearly as effective as the stand and wait method but it is much better for pictures.

 

 

Aerial view of a grizzly

February 1, 2015 Lodge Guide

This photographer was either sitting in a tree or on a tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge and sitting in the viewing stands. After August 24th grizzly bear tours from our lodge use viewing platforms located on the Glendale River, which flows into Knight Inlet.  The stands have an excellent location with the natural river on two sides and the entrance to the man-made spawning channel on a third side. The forth side is the entrance to the stand and is land based so we can drive to the stands and you will not get wet. The grizzly bears will pass beneath the stands when moving form the natural river to the entrance of the spawning channel, which is normally full of salmon and the grizzlies preferred fishing spot.

 

 

Waiting Quietly 4 of 6

January 29, 2015 Lodge Guide

The waiting paid off with a bonus – three first year cubs. As in all wildlife viewing patience is necessary.  Wildlife does not have a schedule they may have a routine but the time varies from day to day depending on the height of the tide or other bears in the area. As guest often say this is wildlife viewing not a zoo.

 

 

Waiting Quietly 3 of 6

January 28, 2015 Lodge Guide

Not only do the guides and guests wait quietly for marine mammals to appear sometimes it is the grizzly bears waiting. When grizzly bear viewing on the Glendale River in the spring and summer we use a flat bottom skiff which allows us to move up the shallow river as the tide rises. With the motor off and the guide pulling the skiff we are quiet and on first seeing a bear we stop, move to the riverbank. On this day a grizzly came out onto a log so we sat and wait to see what would happen and tomorrow’s post will show you.

 

 

Large Male Grizzly Bear

January 25, 2015 Lodge Guide

The lodge’s grizzly bear watching area in Knight Inlet contains a few large grizzlies.  Nick-named “boss bears” as they go were and when they want.  Although it is nice to see a larger grizzly it is not always the best thing for long-term viewing.  If a large bear is in the area of the lodge viewing stands it is often the only grizzly bear you may see.  The best is to have them make and appearance then move off to the surrounding forest, which is exactly what this bear is doing. Camera’s placed in the area of the stands have shown that many of the larger males do appear after the days viewing times are over.

 

 

Grizzlies PLAY Fighting

January 24, 2015 Lodge Guide

After August 25 our grizzly bear watching tours take place from the viewing stands.  The stands are located on the Glendale River, which empties into British Columbia’s Knight Inlet. The salmon have arrived and are in the river and there is lots of wildlife beside the bears.  Because of the abundance to salmon for food the grizzly bears often take a “time out” to play. These photos could have the captions: “Leave me alone” and a good right hook “Told you I used to box”.

 

 

Grizzly swim / play time

January 21, 2015 Lodge Guide

Some days the grizzly bear watching in July and early August are quite warm so it is unlikely this was a “bath” rather think back on a hot day that you may have experienced and add a heavy fur coat. They are in the Glendale River estuary, which is a mixture of fresh and salt water so their coat will not contain much salt when dry.  The sedge grass along the shore is the main reason for the grizzly bears to be in the area as the salmon to not appear until late August.

 

 

Grizzly Bears Snorkeling

January 20, 2015 Lodge Guide

Grizzly bears are great swimmers and are commonly seen in the water in the river estuaries of BC’s Knight Inlet.  They swim so well that they have now migrated across Johnstone Strait to Vancouver Island and this is between one and a half to a two-mile swim.  The area biologists put radio collars on ten grizzly bears about twelve years ago and one of the bears crossed Knight Inlet five times. The two bears in this photo are swimming with the salmon in the Glendale River the site of the viewing stands Grizzly Bear Lodge uses every fall. They are looking for dead salmon that have drifted down the river to settle in a deeper pool.  It is easier to pick up these fish than chase others.

 

Grizzly Bear Reunion

January 19, 2015 Lodge Guide

Not an easy picture to explain as a mother grizzly with cubs is not normally that friendly with other bears. This is Bella in the back with one of her two cubs (I could not get all into one picture.) meeting with juvenile siblings in the Glendale River estuary. And no these are not her previous cubs but she seems to have accepted them as family and we frequently saw them together over the summer. Talking with the other guides in the area we could not understand the behaviour but we accepted it as it made for some great photos as the five of them got together and played.

 

 

Spring Grizzly Bears

January 16, 2015 Lodge Guide

These cubs are about eight months old and still stay pretty close to their mother. Our spring and early summer grizzly bear trips travel up Knight Inlet and we start looking for grizzlies along the shore for that last half hour of an hour and a quarter boat ride. On this day we had changed in to the river skiff, which allows us to travel in the shallow water of the river before we saw bears. When in the river your guide is in the water pulling the boat up river and this permits a slow and quite approach to the bears. They are not frightened and this produces some amazing photographs.