I wrote on yesterday’s post about the two five-year old siblings who were fishing in the river, and not fishing very well, and then their distress at the very large male grizzly headed toward them. When they spotted him they left the water and one went into the brush, the other stood on the bank and briefly sort of hopped on his front paws a bit while making an odd huffing sound. After asserting his right to be there, or whatever he was doing, he too went into the brush. At that moment the Big Bear was in the river’s edge but he then veered toward us and came up on the bank we were standing along. Our guide said to stay still. I was sitting on the ground shooting with my camera on the tripod closest to the river from the rest and our guide said I could keep shooting. He unsnapped his marine flare holster but did not remove the canister. As the bear neared us you could hear his breathing and he moved his head from side to side looking toward the water then toward us but he never varied his speed, just kept steady past us and on down the river until out of sight.
Then the siblings returned. First they tried a bit of fishing but then came up on our side of the river. The more subservient one stayed away but the other decided he too could walk past us and did so. Unlike big bear he never took his eyes off of us and once past returned back up stream again staring at us the whole way. They then finally worked out of sight up river.
We headed across the dune and soon found the Big Bear fishing in the mouth of the river. Successfully. He caught two salmon quite quickly and then wandered up the bank, paused to turn back toward us and then left into the low shrubs.
We had to leave and it was far too soon. A day unlike any I had ever had. The photos today are sequential to my story.
Note the salmon diving back into the stream that got his attention!
Just missed….again!
And he huffs and snorts, but leaves.
Leaving the stream to investigate us is the reason for the upset by the other two.
He owns the river.
The Big Bear from less than 25 feet. Nervous much?
“Anything you can do…” But not more intimidating for sure as one of the siblings walks past us too.