Bear 793, Blondie and her three coys, (cubs of the year). Grand Teton National Park

Our first three trips to Grand Teton National Park had been very successful. We had seen grizzly 399 and her four cubs twice, as written in previous blogs. Since then, we had made our trips without seeing any bears and our friends Dan and Barb were beginning to wonder if they were bringing us bad luck. So, when we heard that bear 793 had not only reappeared after a two-year hiatus and now with three new cubs, we had to make another trip. As we neared the park, our friends Becky and Fred called us to report that they had encountered a massive bear jamb. The bears had gone back into the woods, but it was a good place to start.

As we passed the entrance to Colter Bay, we encountered the massive bear jamb. Renita was driving and found a safe place to park. We didn’t waste any time joining the throngs. No one was taking any pictures, so we walked back and forth talking to people, all of whom had seen the bear family. Several showed us their pictures and told us that 793 and her cubs were walking back and forth along a line of trees. A group started to take pictures and as we neared them and we spotted the sow and then her three new cubs. She was grazing on vegetation and as she fed the three little cubs followed her.

They were not interested in anything but nursing and whenever she stopped, they quickly tried to feed. Occasionally she would stop feeding and look at al the people and you could see her red ear tags. She moved behind trees, and we could only spot her when the family passed across open spots in the forest. We did not care it was so great to be able to watch four grizzly bears, acting well like grizzly bears. She had brought her cubs along the road, knowing that the people would keep boars away, and she knew that the boars would kill the cubs if they got the chance, (by killing the cubs she would become receptive to mating). We spent two hours watching them before they disappeared into the woods. Renita had also heard that bear 610 had been spotted with her three new cubs and so we checked out several other spots, but to no avail.

We ate lunch at the Oxbow Lake area where Dan and Barb got a new life bird, a Western Grebe, (notice the large fish it had caught). After lunch we decided we would head back to the spot where we had seen 793 and the timing was perfect. She and her cubs were nearing a side road and were out in the open, about one hundred yards away, (considered the minimum safe distance.

As they neared the road the cubs crowded around her and when she stopped on the road the hungry cubs started to nurse. She watched us for a little while and then went into the ditch where she allowed the coys another chance to nurse, before moving into the woods.

At one point a member of the bear management team walked down the road and let people approach as the bears had disappeared from sight. Our friend Dan was right behind him but no luck with the bears.

As we left the park a bull elk in velvet grazed alongside the road.

It was also taking advantage of the people as it knew that they would keep the bears and wolves away. The antlers are now growing about one inch a day and this bull would have an impressive rack for the fall. It had been a great day, it always is in the park, but this day Barb and Dan got their first Grand Teton Grizzly bears! Clear skies ps bear 399 was spotted swiming the Snake River and her four sub adults have all dispersed. Two, one woth a collar and one without have traveled to an area near Pinedale, Wyoming.