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Camping with Ursus Arctos Horribilis- Grizzlies

By
Home Inspector with NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Camping with - Grizzlies

Well I am making my way back to good old Wisconsin and doing some camping in route.
Back a couple of days I was camping in Wyoming in the Wind River area just north of Dubois.

                        Brooks Lake- Wind River Wyoming

My son, dog and I decide to go for a stroll when we run into a couple other campers who said that a Grizzly Sow and two cubs have just been spotted in another campsite not too far away.

So I decide that we may need to cut the little jaunt short and head back to camp.

So we start to head back to our campsite and did not get very far when guess who we run into?

Yes “Mommy Ursa Arctos Horribilis” and her two young ones. She was quite calm and they kept to themselves. The cubs would stop and stand on their hind legs to get a better view of us but there was no aggression.

                                Grizzly Bear Sow with cub

The next morning I was the first up in the campsite and went down to the lake to get some morning pictures when guess who I see coming back my way. Yes Mommy Ursa and the cubs.

                             Ursus Arctos Horribilis
It was such an exciting site to see these majestic creatures.  They were very calm and I watched as they got into a beached boat and eat some bait.

 

                             Grizzly Bears in boat

The mom was collard so they must be following her to see her habits.

“A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind”

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

 

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Malcolm Johnston
Century 21 Lanthorn Real Estate LTD., Trenton, Ontario - Trenton, ON
Trenton Real Estate

Yikes, I'm not so sure I would have been as calm about the whole situation as you were Donald. Even the cubs are amazingly powerful creatures. It's a good thing that everybody involved (bears and humans) kept their wits about them.

Jul 17, 2012 12:45 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Malcolm, the benifit of a good zoom is that I was not that close. I made sure I had an escape plan just in case.

Jul 17, 2012 12:48 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Don, remember, the key to outrunning a grizzly is having someone with you that is not as fast as you :)

Jul 17, 2012 12:54 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Charlie, That was part of the plan, Had some other campers there that I know I could outrun ; ) She was very calm though so as long as I kept my disstance I do not think there was any issues.

Jul 17, 2012 01:01 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Wow, the smell of your dog might have been enough to cause some serious investigation by the mother.  Hope you frequently checked your six!  And glad you got out of there intact!

Jul 17, 2012 02:46 AM
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

Good afternoon, Donald. As long as you are looking at them from afar, they are okay. Grizzlies can turn on a dime...

Jul 17, 2012 07:19 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Jay,

I have spent quite a bit of time in Griz country and I do not take these guys for granted. I had my back-up escape route all planned out.

Michael, You are right. I was shooting with the zoom pretty far out so most of the pictures did not turn out due to me not being able to hold it steady. Should of had my tri-pod with me. They are pretty fast animals, they have been clocked at 30 mph. 

Like I have said to Jay I have spent a bit of time in Grizzly country and this was my first pretty close encounter. Lucky for me it was a very calm one. She was very careful to stay to the water edge and with her cubs.

Jul 17, 2012 07:47 AM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Those are some really neat shots. Thank you for sharing them with all of us.

Jul 17, 2012 08:57 PM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Joe, Thanks. I have hiked this area several times over the years. It is known for bear activity but this is the first time I actually saw one.

Jul 17, 2012 09:38 PM