Just came across this thread and read all the posts. I just made a considerable journey through the Alaska and Yukon Territories and had more than a couple encounters with black and Grizzly bears, have the picts to prove it. Got quite close to the grizzlies but they were catching salmon in the creeks and couldn`t have cared less about me being there. After a few days of stopping and taking picts of bears in the rivers and creeks I got a little too bold and a little careless, spotted a grizzly in a creek about a 100 ft away and stopped the van, jumped out and did a quick sneak up to get that better shot, the grass was about 3-4 ft tall along the river bank and there was a spot where U notch would give me a clear shot of the river so I headed straight for it in my hurry to get a great picture. Almost s-it my pants when I was not more than 10 ft. from the part in the grass a big brown bear with a 3 ft. salmon in its mouth magically appeared , it was coming up the river bank and heading into some low bushy spruce trees, it only paused a second and continued on its course, I froze until I could only see its rear end in the trees, then slowly backed away to the van.
I did not have a gun with me and doubt that I would have time enough to drop the camera and get a gun out,ready it, aim and discharge a well aimed shot if the bear had decided to charge me. I gained a hell of a lot of lot respect real fast right there and then, I already knew better but just got reckless, I had observed and taken picts of 8 bears before this encounter and they had stayed put, fishing and eating their catch at a distance. The bear I had spotted was still in the river, it was the unseen bear that came up the river bank and I had a close encounter with, luckily I was not right in his path or travel way and I guess it did not take me as a threat to its safety or taking its meal away.
Later that evening I got to see 2 bears fighting and chasing each other around in a creek, there were hundreds of Chum salmon spawning there and the bears were running up and down the creek with fish racing away from them in all directions, each time they would meet they would growl and hiss at each other and once they actually banged into each other , then each gave a swat at the other but it did not get too serious. More than enough food to go around so I guess they were not too concerned with territory.
I just would not want to meet any of them if they were in a foul mood or hungry and I was not packing one of my favorite long guns, loaded, chambered and the safety set.
Pioneerguy600
