Real Life Grizzly Encounters with Mothers and Cubs

Thanks so much, Stan. I have been chasing Grizzlies since the 70s and never liked the noisy aggressive approach when in bear country. While on a hike in Golden BC many years ago, my son, wife, dog, and myself walked right by(60ft) a grizzly sow with two young cubs. My son was about 20ft in front of me, with our dog and my wife was about 20ft behind me when I heard that unmistakable huff of a bear. I froze and slowly turned my head to the left and there they were on the other side of a small creek. I told my wife to keep walking to get past me and I made eye contact(a no-no for sure) with the sow so that she would at least start with me if she decided to attack. I just spoke softly and told her how beautiful she was and that we were not there to hurt her or her cubs. That sow burned a hole in my soul with her stare. I had never been that close to a bear with cubs that weren't tranquilized, and I have seen a number of bear charges, so I thought I was dead. Luckily, our fearless dog, a Pitty/Mastiff mix never barked or made any aggressive movements. We slowly made our way to the car which was 50 yards away and then just watched the bears while they took their time and strolled away. An extremely lucky and magical encounter for sure. Stay safe out there!

What a beautiful and respectful way to (non) interact with the bears , demonstrating that they dont display any unneccesary agression in contact with humans.

I absolutely agree with you Stan, being Respectful, Quiet, Peaceful, and stay still not moving when Momma Bear is nearby with her Cubs, and of course understanding we are in her home territory. Your videos are amazing and love what your teaching us. Thank You so much 🙏🐾

Excellent narration & a great compilation of your encounters Stan. Thanks for putting this together for all of us!

I am so grateful to you for your videos. This one is especially profound because of all the mother bears and cubs you encounter, that could make your hike very dangerous. Your calm voice, your respect for, and enjoyment of bears, is something everyone who hikes, older or younger, should hear. This is normal - all those attention-seeking videos of awful bear attacks are not.

Great footage! I live in the Smokies and had a black bear sow walk into my yard and feed her cubs. I was sitting on the ground reading a book. The cubs make this crazy almost purring sound when they nurse. It was amazing. I did not move and was a good 30ft from her.

Excellent videography, Stan! You know that I behave the same way as you have taught in this video, and yes this type of bear psychology is much safer than aggressive and Loud Behavior! ( in my humble opinion!)

I think most negative commenters are armchair explorers and have no real world experience with wildlife. It always amazes me how many opinions these people have. But, they don’t know! I really enjoyed this video, thanks for putting it together. I’ve learned a lot about bears from your videos and appreciate your knowledge and experience. Putting that together with books I’ve read and my own experiences helps me to grow in my own understanding of blacks and grizzlies.

Thanks for wonderful scenes of bears being bears. Yeah! ...those cubs sooo cute. Your analogy of having a dinner at home & the door bursting open w/all sorts of noise - excellent. Here in Boulder, CO, bears do frequent the alleys in search of yummy treats in garbage cans... we see the results - bins torn open, stuff scattered across the alley - and once in a while bears snoozing up a cottonwood tree. But somehow no bear attacks.

Awesome video. I've watched all of your videos and agree about keeping in a quiet peaceful state. I also feel like the animals can sense the character of a human. Love your videos......

Not a bear but I came upon a huge mama moose and her calf in the woods of Alaska. I told my German shepherd not to bark, he din't. We walked right past them I said hi moose. She just kept chewing and eye balling me.

Beautiful and informative. I didn’t know grizzlies were diggers. I’m very envious of your life. Thanks for sharing!

I bet it takes a long time to hike a few miles. You have some really excellent videos.

Oh my gosh what a precious sight to see this momma bear and cubs! Thank you for not adding music. Love this video. Thanks for sharing!

Awesome videos as always and thanks for teaching a guy who's heading out to Alaska, what to and not do. More appropriately..

I live by the Smoky Mountains and do a lot of backpacking in the area. I completely agree with your views on bears. I’ve encountered a lot of Black bears, have always remained calm and respectful of the animals. Have never experienced any problems. Unfortunately several bears in this region get habituated to people and can become aggressive. Planning some trips to Yellowstone/The Tetons. Backpacking in Grizzly country makes me nervous, but your videos and interactions is very comforting and educational. Thanks for all of your great content.

THANK YOU SO MUCH STAN for correcting the mis-guided info so many of us have been taught otherwise (to be making lots of noise while hiking, and with an encounter) ! The noise philosophy was always against my intuition, but figured i just didn't know better. SO MUCH APPRECIATION OF YOU !!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Super nice scenery, I'm sure it all has to do with your energy, and calmness. Appreciate you sharing with us!!🙆‍♀️🙅‍♀️👍

Simply precious Stan! Thank you for sharing! 🤗

You been very bless to see all these bears I hope you do a video like this on all the wolf's you seen. Great video