ABOUT GRIZ

I've observed grizzlies and black bears along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front for many years -- at a distance -- at a safe distance. I've never had the equipment for great telephoto pictures, and have therefore avoided the temptation to get those "up close and personal" camera shots. Some photographers take the risk, but I won't. I do not want to put my life in danger nor the life of the animal.

But hiking through grizzly country offers the opportunity to appreciate grizzlies by observing their vestiges in the solitude of their own habitat. In short, we need to be respectful and appreciate the wild places we visit . . . and treasure the experience. Be observant, and enjoy the subtleties both big and small.

Below are some pictures I've taken over the years that illustrate those things I find almost as exciting as seeing grizzly bears themselves.

Tracks in mud. A bear's hind foot will overstep its front foot in a normal walking gait. The forepaw of the grizzly is generally pointed inward or pigeon-toed and has long curved claws. Note the impression of the forepaw (right side of photo) and how the tips of the claw impression are considerably forward of the toes -- characteristic of a grizzly track.

Tracks in snow. Again: overstep, inward pointing, long claws. A well defined track will provide additional information. Using a ruler, measure the length of claws of the front foot. Long claws (3 inches) indicate grizzly. Is there space between the toes or are they close together? Using the Palmisciano Line Method (a method developed and named after bear researcher Daniel Palmisciano), you can differentiate between a grizzly track and a black bear track. A simple and concise explanation of the method is illustrated at www.bearinfo.org/tracks.htm.

Other track information. Sometimes you do not have well-defined tracks, such as in deep snow. But you can get an idea of the kind of animal from the stride and straddle measurements. Above is the gait pattern of a walking bear. Measure the distance of the stride from, for instance, the back of the left front foot to where the same foot is placed in the next stride. Make two or three measurements for consistency. Then measure the straddle, which is the distance between the outermost edges of the gait pattern. According to track-expert Dr. James Halfpenny in his book "A Field Guide to Mammal Tracking in North America," a straddle of 14 inches indicates black bear and 20 inches indicates grizzly. The above tracks measured 20 inches, indicating grizzly. But I am cautious about my analysis simply because of snow conditions and the possibility of measurement error.

Claw marks. This traveling bear stopped to paw at the crusted snow. Maybe the animal smelled something and was investigating, or stopped for a drink, i.e., eat snow. Notice the broad deep claw marks in the snow. The tips of grizzly claws are broad, like the eraser end of a pencil. A black bear's claws are shorter and more pointed, like the sharp end of a pencil.

Taking a Break.

Food source. Claw marks, bite marks, and the remains of hair are all indicators of bear activity (left). This dead snag was torn apart. Why? Insect appetizers!! Once inside the snag (right), pockets of tasty insects are excavated as the bear digs and licks. Ants, larvae, grasshoppers, crickets, wasps, and all kinds of creepy crawly insect critters are great seasonal food sources for the omnivorous bear.

Day bed. Snowshoeing the high country in the spring of the year is a favorite activity of mine. Lots of solitude. It's not uncommon to come across grizzly tracks in the snow. Grizzly bears emerge from high elevation den sites and travel to the lower elevations to take advantage of the "early green-up," where grasses are just coming forth with valuable spring-time nutrition. On one occasion, I "back-tracked" a set of old grizzly tracks and found an old "day bed" dug into the perimeter of a tree well (left photo). Nearby was a frozen pile of compacted snow containing several bones (right photo). The bear probably scavenged a winter-killed ungulate. Carrion is an important source of protein for bears in the spring of the year. "Day bed" is a loose term. In actuality a bear will remain in the area and feed on carrion for many days. A note of CAUTION. When in grizzly country, be aware of your surroundings and don't risk unexpected encounters. Be noisy and ALWAYS carry pepper spray and know how to use it. Use common sense and weigh the importance of where you are at against the importance of where you want to go. I've actually terminated day hikes after coming upon fresh bear sign . . . and went back to where I came. There's always another day. Don't put yourself or a bear at risk. Because, as we know, a bear that has been involved in an encounter is often "removed from the population," which means it is usually trapped and euthanized . . . or, just outright shot. Sometimes it is trapped and delivered to a zoo. But it is very rare for a zoo to accept an adult grizzly.

Courtship [bliss]. I've been fortunate enough to observe the courtship and mating activities of wild grizzly bears. I suspect there are not that many wildlife biologists that have witnessed such activities. I think such sightings are a rarity since grizzlies are not frequently seen anyway. The literature on the subject suggests mating starts to occur in May and can continue into early July. But I think the love bug bites a little early on the Rocky Mountain Front. I've observed it in the month of May. A bear biologist was reported in the newspaper as having said it occurs as early as April. Following a short-lived spring snow storm, I took this picture (above). Having observed the courtship process from years previous, my interpretation of the photo is that a single male grizzly was following a female in estrus. They will follow almost foot-step for foot-step, remaining fifty or so yards behind. Note in the lower right corner of the photo that a third set of grizzly tracks joins the parade . . . again, almost foot-step for foot-step. I've observed females being followed by one or two males in this same manner until the time is right. The female will sometimes mate with several males during the mating season. When a female is in estrus, you can expect there will be one or more opportunistic suitors in the neighborhood.

Rub tree. In this photo the lighter colored area of the tree is the result of bears rubbing against it. I've seen grizzlies stand on their hind feet and rub their backs against a tree, sometimes pointing their head and nose straight upward to rub the top of their head. Sometimes they will remain on all fours and rub against it like a cow would do. The rub on this tree extends higher than I could reach. One time I watched a black bear rub it's front side while standing against a tree. It would sway back and forth in an almost comical way, resembling the swimming motion of a fish. Locating rub trees was a component of a very sophisticated grizzly bear population study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of researcher Kate Kendall (www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/NCDEbeardna.htm). Research assistants located rub trees (and other rub objects) throughout the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. They then fastened pieces of barbed wire to the trees. When a bear rubbed the tree, the barbs would snare hair samples (try rolling the phrase "bear hair snare samples" around the inside of your mouth. Whew!). Information from the hair samples helps researchers determine population numbers through DNA analysis.

Rub trees. Sometimes bears will be aggressive and give trees the "treatment." Above (left photo) shows long claw marks (vertical) and bite marks and bark pulled from the tree (top of left photo). The claw and bite marks on the tree in the background (right photo) were not too hard to spot. The bear tracks across the snow bank in the foreground took me right to it.

Bear artifact. Note the scarred-over claw marks etched up and down this mature aspen tree. It was likely that a black bear made these marks which, on aspen, will scar over and remain for years and years. Dr. James Halfpenny, a recognized carnivore ecologist (www.tracknature.com), regards this type of scarring as a "bear artifact." Black bear are tree-climbers. Grizzlies are also capable of climbing trees, but don't commonly do so.

Artifacts. Speaking of artifacts, let me cover one more point. In the above photo, you see a "flake." No, silly, not the quarter, but the piece of white chert that was chipped from a larger piece of chert. Sometimes called "chip stone," the flake is likely the remnant of an ancient sojourner's effort at crafting a stone tool. Think of it: By picking it up, your hands may be the first hands to touch this artifact since it was crafted by ancient hands hundreds, or even thousands of years ago. Think of this: Put it back! The Rocky Mountain Front teems with archaeology. Fortunately, most all of it has yet to be discovered. By removing artifacts (and I would regard something as rudimentary as a chert flake to be an "artifact") you may be breaking the law. On federal land, one law to pay attention to is the Antiquities Act of 1906. On other public, tribal, and private lands, there are other laws, codes, and common courtesies that dictate respect for the landowner and the landscape. On my excursions I've spotted flakes, projectile points (arrow heads), scrapers, rock cairns (rock piles), and rock circles (tipi rings). Some of these I've found in high elevation mountainous areas and other things at the lower elevation plains and foothill areas. All artifacts should remain in place. For those who have an investigative curiosity, it would be appropriate (in my estimation) to record what you've found; perhaps a photo, perhaps a GPS reading, perhaps a sketch. But leave the artifact where you find it. A courtesy would be to notify a federal, state, or tribal cultural resource official. And here is a an important note. If you discover an artifact that is "in context" or "in situ," it should not be touched. Examples of this would be: not disturbing stones in a rock circle or rock cairn; leaving a stone tool that is partially exposed in a creek's cut bank; or even leaving historical items (old buildings) untouched. Once the artifact is disturbed from its context, a ton of information is lost. An archaeologist would be unimpressed by a handful of arrowheads because the context has been lost. Oh yes, the flake in the photo above? I put it back . . . along with some tobacco and a few special words.

"Pidamaya" to all my relatives, including the grizzly

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