nature, Photography

Looking Back … at Bears

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Once more, here is a “looking back” post containing pictures from years ago; these photos aren’t necessarily great but are important to me. There are three earlier posts in this series; you can find them here if you’re interested:

https://lynettedartycross.com/2025/01/26/looking-back/

https://lynettedartycross.com/2025/02/03/looking-back-again/

https://lynettedartycross.com/2025/02/10/looking-back-once-more/

In the last post, I left off in 2017 with my arrival in the Northwest Territories. I would work there for the next six years and eight months, concluding with my retirement in October, 2023.

This time, I’m looking back at some of the bear photographs I was able to take during my NWT time; one of them is an all-time favourite.

We spotted this tired-looking spring bear, probably a yearling, while returning from a hike in April, 2018. We were safely in our truck when we saw him.
This bear was very determinedly getting through the deep snow. Did he have a very important date to keep? This may look like a winter picture, but I actually took this one in late May, 2022, while on my way to a conference. In NWT, it can snow at any time between mid-August and mid-June.
This bear was a very big guy and still looking sleepy in early May, 2021.
This young bear from June, 2021, was very curious about us and looked at us just as much as we looked at him; it’s one of my all-time favourite photos. He was probably wondering if we had something more interesting to eat than plain salad!

Happy Monday.

56 thoughts on “Looking Back … at Bears”

    1. All these photos were taken from my truck, so no danger involved. We were acutely aware while hiking though and always carried bear bangers and spray. Even here, we’ve had bears come down out of the mountains to enjoy people’s backyard vegetable gardens.

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    1. That bear seemed astonished and intrigued to see us. He just stopped eating and stared. Wonderful to see him like that but great to be inside the truck, too! I don’t miss all that snow – and sometimes lasting into June – at all!

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  5. These are great photos and great memories Lynette. While we hope never to see a bear, when we are hiking, we have been lucky to see several from the safety of the vehicle. Glad you are now looking back to see how your journey brought you to now. Happy St. Patrick’s Day Lynette. Allan

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    1. Happy St Patrick’s, Allan! I saw all these bears from the safety of the truck. They like the cleared areas next to roads as it’s easier to forage so it’s not unusual to see them there, especially in spring. We did see quite a few – at a distance – while out on the land – so we were always cautious about having the bear bangers and spray along. It’s interesting looking back now. Thanks, Allan. Cheers.

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    1. Thank you very much, Ally. Some of them are huge. These photos were taken from my truck so I was safe. The bears like to forage next to the cleared road borders since it’s easier; it’s also a good way to get pictures. I did see some from a distance when I was out hiking but I had bear bells and spray along. Black bears are usually non-confrontational; it’s the grizzlies we have to worry about most. Agreed – the bear in the last photo was definitely considering something!

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    1. It sure does, Jacqui. Black bears are usually non-confrontational but some can be aggressive, especially the ones that are habituated to humans or if there are little cubs around. I carry bear spray which works well to deter them. Grizzlies are another matter entirely, however.

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          2. Breathing it in sounds absolutely awful!! You must have been coughing and coughing (we all do stuff like that, though!). It’s comprised largely of concentrated capsaicin which is derived from chilli peppers, so pretty strong stuff.

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    1. I have seen them at a distance when hiking in the north. There, they aren’t habituated to humans and will usually run away – as long as you’re not between them and their cubs – but if necessary they can be deterred with bear spray. That said, I wouldn’t want to come face to face with one either!

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      1. I have also seen them from a distance (on a boat) but we saw signs warning us of bears when hiking on Vancouver Island. I think if we had known how big there were we might not have been so brave!

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        1. I sometimes think that some hikers don’t prepare enough. They should always carry bear spray, bear bangers (noise makers that scare them off) and be aware of bear sign in the woods. Some of the male black bears are huge, and then there are the grizzlies. It’s far more difficult to defend against one of them; much better to stay out of their way.

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    1. Thank you very much, Anneli. They certainly are great foragers, but you’re right. Sometimes I saw very skinny bears especially if the winter had been particularly long. Agreed – I always found it thrilling to see a bear!

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    1. I’ve seen them from a distance while hiking. In the NWT they aren’t habituated to humans and will usually run away unless you’re between them and their cubs in which case they can become very aggressive. I always carry bear spray which is quite effective. Cheers.

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  14. These pictures are unbearably cute! My favourite is the last shot as well with the bear staring back with a few blades of grass in his mouth. Did you have to carry bear spray with you when you lived in the NWT?

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    1. Hahaha. 😊 Good pun. 😊 I carried bear spray whenever I was out on the land anywhere from the beginning of April to the end of October. It is also part of the aircraft equipment list. When hiking I only ever saw bears from a distance and they aren’t habituated to humans so will usually run away. The exception is if you’re somehow between them and their cubs. That’s definitely when you need the spray!

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  17. We bought bear spray when we landed in the Yukon and then paid it forward to a young guy coming off a plane. It felt much safer to have it than not have it. We did see a couple of road side bears but I would hate to encounter one of them when out hiking in the middle of nowhere. Good photos. Benrie

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    1. Thank you very much. Agreed, Bernie. I don’t think it’s wise to go out in the bush, particularly up north, without bear spray and bear bangers so it was good of you to pass yours on. Up there, bears aren’t habituated to humans and usually run away, but there are so many that your odds of encountering one are a lot higher than in the south. When I was out on the land in NWT I saw some from a distance (all my photos here were taken from the safety of the truck) and was really glad I didn’t come across one face to face!

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      1. We were busy watching a grizzly (with binoculars) in Waterton. I turned around and there at the edge of the woods, about 25 feet away, lumbered a huge black bear….Yikes.

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  18. Magnificent animals. I frequently encountered black bears on the trail when I was living in BC and was never threatened, although I carried bear spray as a precaution of course. Unfortunately, that community was atrocious at coexistence. Garbage and dirty BBQs left freely accessible, the local policeman tempting bears out of the forest into traps in town and then killing them, people encouraging their dogs to chase bears or chasing themselves up the street. I saw things there I’d rather never see again.

    As you say, black bears are normally non-confrontional (with the exception of rare predatory attacks by large males – it’s very different with grizzlies because they are much more likely to charge defensively). Sadly, excessive fear produces very unpleasant human behaviour.

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    1. Oh my, Adele. I’m aware that in some communities the behaviour regarding bears is basically sociopathic (I know a whole community can’t be characterised that way, but that shoe does seem to fit sometimes). I encountered a similar community when I was working in the north. The behaviour vis à vis wildlife was vile.

      I agree that excessive fear isn’t a good thing. There does need to be a healthy respect and precautions do need to be taken, however. I’ve seen some people behave so blithely and completely stupidly around wildlife, not recognising that almost any animal can be dangerous; I once saw a bull moose charge someone who kept getting closer and closer in order to take photos. He was lucky to escape uninjured.

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      1. Sorry to hear that you’ve also encountered this. Yes, sociopathic is the only word for it sometimes.

        Absolutely re: respect for wildlife. They are not toys, nor is their purpose to provide backdrops for selfies. I like Parks Canada’s old motto – if you make the animal change its behaviour, you’re too close. Sadly, humanity often seems to veer between excessive fear and being excessively blasé, and both attitudes lead to terrible things.

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        1. Humans can be absolutely despicable. At my age I shouldn’t be surprised but still sometimes am, nevertheless.

          Maybe it’s time to revive that old Parks Canada motto. It’s still very appropriate. I’m reminded of the picture of a sign a fellow blogger recently posted: do not feed the alligators. When we need to post signs like that, I really wonder about us. Yikes.

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