Mad Momma Grizzly at 25 feet

[Okanagan]

A friend and I did a dumb thing and got away with it.  We drove up to a grizzly sow and cubs beside a road, closer to the cubs than the sow, and rolled down the window to take a picture.  She threatened a charge.  Chevy Impala accelerated enough to spare us.

Day before yesterday we drove around a bend in a two lane road and saw a grizzly with two cubs 75 yards ahead of us.  One cub was on the edge of the road, one just over the edge and the momma was across the road ditch.  We'd been stopping near black bears to look and take pictures.  Without thinking, driver Tim slowed to stop beside the bears as I powered down the (slow) window and lifted my camera.

As we decelerated to about 5 mph a few feet before coming even with the sow, she started slinging her head and doing a loud bawling bellow mixed with a growl.  Saliva would sling out of her mouth as she lifted her nose at the end of her sideways head swing, and she bounced up and down on her front feet.

Oops.

I snapped a photo at that moment, realizing this tableau was not going to last long. Wide angle:  zero zoom.  Ears of both cubs sticking up just over the road edge.



Tim punched the accelerator at that moment.  As we passed our closest point to the sow, she and I looked into each other’s eyes at closer to 20 feet than 25.  She landed her second bounce of front feet and her weight shifted forward into a charge.

At that instant, one of her cubs churned up out of the ditch heading between his mother’s front legs, and her forward motion changed into a swing of her head down at the cub in kind of a sniff and brush aside.  Her head swung back up but in the fraction of second lost to her cub, the Chevy was digging and I thought, ”We’re going to make it.”

Tim flicked his eyes to the mirror to see if she was chasing us.  30 yards down the road his shoulders relaxing told me we had made a clean getaway.  Neither of us had said a word.  75 yards down the road he asked,” Do you want to go back and take another picture?”
“No.” I replied.

Ten minutes later came the first of three waves of jelly belly nerves for me, as we replayed the tape as to what might have been:  if we had come to a full stop, if Tim had taken time to say anything before acting, if the bear had charged immediatly instead of doing the threat bounces, if the cub had not distracted it for a crucial split second…

Might have been interesting to take back the rental car with grizzly claw cuts in the door metal.  More likely it would have come through the open window.

[possumal]

Dang, you're a braver man than me, Okanagan!  Those big old mama bears are ferocious rascals when it comes to protecting their cubs. 

[Okanagan]

Dang, you're a braver man than me, Okanagan!  Those big old mama bears are ferocious rascals when it comes to protecting their cubs.

Posumal, twarn't brave at all, not a trace.  Thoughtless is the best handle to give it.  Stupid is closer.  If Tim and I had taken even 20 seconds longer to consider what we were doing, we would have swung over to the far side of the road away from the bears and maybe snapped a drive by pic without slowing much.  Or stopped 50-75 yards away and taken some zoom pics from inside the car.

Drive up closer to a sow grizzly's cubs than she is, and roll down the window!!!  when she is within 25 feet?  We were  13 hours into a 14 hour road trip, and had started early.   Fatigued brains maybe

[possumal]

I knew you were totally familiar with those kinds of critters, but I didn't want to say something nasty. 

[FOsteology]

It's amazing how quickly an animal of that size can MOVE. You guys were lucky!

[Hawks Feather]

I just read in tonight's paper about a group that wasn't as lucky.  None of them were killed, but several were pretty tore up.  It was a survival training and despite being told that you need to immediately play dead, most had their instincts (wrong) kick in and yell and run.  Glad you encounter didn't end that way.

Jerry

[iahntr]

Cool pic.
but  video would be better,
can ya go back and,,,,, ah never mind. 

[Tikaani]

Great picture Ok, my son is currently bumping in to them left and right while fishing.  With salmon runs in full swing they are behind every bush down south.

John