By: Aaron Wirsing
This year, we returned to Bristol Bay, Alaska for our 8th year (!) of non-invasive brown bear population sampling. 2017 and 2018 had been slow years, with relatively little bear activity, but so far 2019 has been busy. During our first foray up
Happy Creek, for example, we felt as if bears were all around us, as evidenced by high numbers of fresh salmon carcasses, prints, and 'kitchens' (areas along the creek bank where bears have flattened down the vegetation for easy access to the fish). The picture below features a a particularly impressive kitchen, where it seemed a bear (or bears) had been using a ramp to slide into a pool full of sockeye salmon. We'll soon be putting this idea to the test with a camera trap.
Happy Creek, for example, we felt as if bears were all around us, as evidenced by high numbers of fresh salmon carcasses, prints, and 'kitchens' (areas along the creek bank where bears have flattened down the vegetation for easy access to the fish). The picture below features a a particularly impressive kitchen, where it seemed a bear (or bears) had been using a ramp to slide into a pool full of sockeye salmon. We'll soon be putting this idea to the test with a camera trap.
We've weathered a bit after eight years (photo by Liz Landefeld).
Just what we're looking for as far as a bear-wire encounter! Here, a bear that is very likely to deposit hair on our first Eagle Creek wire.
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