“We are going Brown Bear watching today” my captain announced.
“Great, so I’m sure I’ll be safely perched on a viewing platform.” I thought to myself. “Close enough to get a good view, but far enough away in case a bear decides to attack.”
“No,” he responded. “We will be kayaking up the creek and walking along the riverbank, likely coming less than 30 feet from the animals.
“Great, so I’ll make sure my life insurance policy is in order before we go.”
We anchored in Kanuk Bay, part of the Katmai National Park in Southern Alaska. This was a wild and undeveloped mountainous region with the largest protected Brown bear population in the world, estimated at 2,200.
Every summer, these predators arrived to follow the yearly salmon spawning runs. They weren’t accustomed to human food and were habituated to tourists watching them fish in the river. As a result, viewers had an up close opportunity with these animals in a remote section of wilderness.
Normal safety protocols when Brown Bear Watching was for each person to carry bear spray. This deterrent was 10x stronger than pepper spray in case of an attack.
However our captain lectured us against using it before embarking, “These bears are interested only in catching salmon. As long as you give them sufficient space, you should be fine.” – (keyword should be)
“If you have to use the bear spray, then you’re doing something wrong,” he added.
Embarking
Our 12 person group began early in the morning, kayaking from the mouth of the river near Geographic Harbor. Mountains and steep cliff faces surrounded us on both sides, populated with waist high grasses and bushes. Luck was also in our favor. The typical temperamental Alaskan weather turned out to be surprisingly sunny and warm.
The 13 foot high flood tide assisted us paddling upstream, and it gradually submerged vast sections of the previously dry riverbed around us.
Once the river became too shallow, we ditched the kayaks and continued upstream on foot.
I’d never seen a bear in person before. Growing up I’d seen evidence through paw prints and scat while vacationing in Tahoe. However I’d heard of enough stories of hungry Grizzly and Polar Bears attacks in remote locations and hoped this wouldn’t be a similar situation.
The flies and mosquitos buzzing around us were horrendous. No matter how much repellant I drenched my skin in, the determined insects still found a way to bite.
Over the next hour, we walked through prime bear habitat. The sockeye salmon were swimming around our feet by the dozen, waiting for the rising tide to continue the upstream journey to spawn. The bears would be drawn from nearby, waiting in the shallows where the fishing was easiest.
Large patches of grass were matted down nearby. We were close now.
The Bear Viewing
We rounded the next river-bend to the viewing location and I saw two large dark shapes dashing through the water. Brown bears were running through, busily chasing salmon. They’d stop, track the salmon darting past, then scamper after them while jabbing their open jaws in the water. Click here to watch one run past our group!
Another tour group had already staked out space alongside the river, their photo lenses busy snapping away photos. We cautiously walked up and took a seat alongside them. There were plenty of front row seats for everyone in front of the animals. See a bear fishing for her cubs here.
It was a surreal feeling watching a wild predator sitting such a short distance away. There was no wall or barrier. Nothing, except 30 foot was separating us from the animal. Should the bears have suddenly felt threatened, we probably wouldn’t have put up much of a fight against such a massive predator. But luckily the bears seemed completely comfortable with our presence.
The bears ignored us more than the seagulls nearby, who were busily searching for salmon eggs in the shallow water.
A few moments later, a sow and her three cubs wandered out of the bush and into the picture. Their dark colored fur provided incredible camouflage against the foliage. The mother briefly glanced over in our direction, then began fishing downstream while the cubs stood watching nearby. Clearly we didn’t appear to be a threat. Watch the sow and her cub wander past here.
We counted 7 different brown bears wandering around the stream that afternoon. Most were in the water fishing, but others were laying on the banks in in the bushes nearby. We almost walked directly over one who decided to take an afternoon nap laying halfway in the water.
We trekked up and down the stream for a few more hours until it was eventually time to depart. The tide was beginning to recede and no one wanted to be stranded in bear country overnight.
Overall it was an amazing experience. I returned with all my limbs and viewed an apex predator up close in his native environment.
And my camera had enough bear photos for one lifetime.