Random picture thread for Friday

@1northcoin said:

A shout out to 14 Year-Old Lincoln for alerting us to a bear just yards ahead on the trail headed to Alaska’s Kenai River.

As we avoided retreating so as to not suggest to the bear that we were prey, coupled with loud commanding voices, the now evident cinnamon colored Brown Bear vacated the trail and headed to the shore of close by Kenai River.

By the time we reached the same shore the bear had entered the water and initiated a swim to the opposite shore.

In this below video our cinnamon colored Brown Bear continues its swim along the shore line before disappearing into the woods,

The camera then pans upward and outward to reveal the spectacular setting that surrounds our idyllic fishing spot on the majestic Kenai River as seen in this early morning hour when the fog still blankets the ground and the surrounding mountains are illuminated by the morning sun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DudTGs9pHRg

Also, a shout out to Luke Nichols of “The Outdoor Boys” YouTube channel for his in person gracious fishing tips as to when and where to fish Alaska.

Following Luke’s advice we had a successful fishing trip on Alaska’s Kenai River and were able to enjoy the spectacular surrounding scenery uninterrupted by others during the early morning hours.

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OK, finally got the stills to load of the Cinnamon Colored Brown Grizzly Bear that we encountered on the trail before it vacated the trail, jumped into the Kenai River, and then swam across to the opposite bank:

And for good measure here are some photos taken by my nephew Calvin this past week on the island of Kodiak Alaska where the world's largest Brown Grizzly Bears reside and can reach up to 1,500 pounds:

Turning from Brown Grizzly Bears to Black Bears here are photos of a prior bear encounter this year when I was locked out of my house while watering the lawn and this 200 pounder and I stared each other down before he fortunately turned instead of continuing his approach toward me.

(FWIW while Brown Bears are twice as dangerous as Black Bears, of 66 bear attacks in Alaska between 2000 and 2017, 47 were caused by Brown Grizzly Bears and 19 by Black Bears. 7 of the Brown Grizzly Bear attacks led to fatalities and 3 of the Black Bear attacks resulted in human deaths.)

Also of note, Alaska Fish and Game use the terms Brown Bear and Grizzly Bear for the same bear.

Here are some added photos from an even earlier bear encounter this year when a Brown Grizzly Bear came up to me while being only separated by a chicken wire like fence:

The other bear encounter this year was a bit less dramatic and photographed in China rather than Alaska:

OK, so what should you do if you encounter a bear in the wild? This a question I have been reasking myself after last week's confrontation with a Cinnamon Colored Brown Grizzly Bear on an Alaskan trail. Here is what Alaska Fish and Game recommends:

1. Make noise as you hike so as to not surprised the bear.
2. Stay alert and look ahead for bears.
3. Once sighted do not approach the bear and give it as much space as possible.
4. Keep food and garbage out of reach of the bear.
5. Once sighted, stay calm.
6. Have deterrent (bear spray) in your hand or holstered to where you can reach it, not in your backpack.
7. If you are with others group together to look bigger.
8. Talking can help to discourage the bear if done calmly.
9. Most importantly, don't run.

On our most recent encounter we got 8 out of 9 since we were positioned single-file on a narrow trail there was no opportunity to group together, but we did stand our ground, talked loudly to the bear, and while we fortunately did not need to use it, had bear spray ready.

Truthfully I had reservations about how effective bear spray would be. A few years ago a former business partner had encountered a Grizzly Bear in nearby Eagle River which attacked him. He had neither bear spray or a weapon. Instinctively he turned to run but fortuitously tripped and fell. This forced him to curl up in a ball and after the bear had tossed him around to neutralize the perceived threat the bear departed while he was still alive.

Last summer In the same Eagle River area Susie Muro was out hiking with her dog when she was attacked by a Grizzly Bear. She had bear spray and when she used it the bear turned around shortly and then came back. She emptied the rest of her can and this time the bear and her two cubs took off leaving her unharmed.

A word of caution though about using bear spray, make sure you aim so the wind is not blowing toward you so that the spray comes right back in your own face.