Grizzly Along Highway 40

[cdock]

I finally saw my first grizzly bear in the wild last Sunday June 10. It was awesome! Well I was safe in the truck so... He was on Highway 40 about 10km before the Highwood Junction closure. Fairly big bear. Anyone heading up in that area this weekend be careful, he could still be around.

[wongrs]

there were a number of sightings along hwy 40 last weekend with 1 around lower k and a couple more along the kananaskis river.

 

be careful out in those parts if you're in the area.

[SanJuanWorm]

Theres tons of bears out there.

[trailhead]

Yeah we rode our bicycles by him on Sunday, he's been there every spring for years now. I think I saw him the first time about 10 years ago or so, he was just a yearling then. And I remember him from the K-100 roadrace a few years later, never even paid us any attention, what I'd call a good bear.

[bigbowtrout]

Yeah we rode our bicycles by him on Sunday, he's been there every spring for years now. I think I saw him the first time about 10 years ago or so, he was just a yearling then. And I remember him from the K-100 roadrace a few years later, never even paid us any attention, what I'd call a good bear.

 

A few weeks back this one in the photo made my Bro and I take a run for the truck as he was only 40 yards away from us and it was on the lower K near the out flow

[SanJuanWorm]

Thats an awesome pic chris.

[gravelman]

Were his claws debarbed? Was he adhering to fishing regs?

[Flagstaff]

Saw these two and another one in front of them at the Elbow Lake Day uselast year.

[bigbowtrout]

My Bro took the pic but the Griz was standing in the outflow of the lower lake and we made it up to the parking area to grab those pics. Yes a little to close LOL

[vhawk12]

Thank god for image stabilizing digital cameras huh? If I took that pic with my 35mm it would've been blurry as hell from my hands shakin' lol.

[Glenbow]

Chris, that's an amazing pic. I've seen griz's out in the K in the described areas a lot this spring. I talked to a CO out at the Lower K today that said they are responding to bear sightings out there almost daily now. Please keep this in mind all.

[lonefisher]

I've had a great year for bears so far. I think i have seen atleast a dozen Griz (maybe the same ones a couple times) and 6 or 7 black bears. Luckily no close encounters as of yet knock on wood. The griz have all been in the vicinity of the k lakes and the black bears have been all over. Last week I saw a couple people fishing the kan river on one of the bends near opal. After passing them I saw a griz emerge from the bush maybe 30 yards from the fishermen. I was tempted to turn around and warn them but I realized the bear was crossing likely to get away from them so I figured turning around might make him head back into the bush in their direction so I just kept going and last I saw he looked to be crossing the hwy..... I wondered if the fishermen even knew he was there.

[bigbowtrout]

My pocket camera only had a 3x optical zoom so my pics are not as good as my Bro's(first time LOL) but his new cam had a 10x optical so the close ups turned out better but we both had the hand shakes going for sometime after HA

All I heard was my Brother say we should get out of here then I saw the bear then all I could see was dust from my Brother running up the hill at mach 4 with his line caught on a rock just peeling out like he had a Bow river rocket on the end so I realed in and unhooked him then I jogged up the hill since I thought if that Griz wanted me for dinner he would be near his second helping by then LOL but to see my brother who is of far size guy running like OJ was priceless.