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Because I conduct research on brown and now black bears in Alaska, I usually get asked questions by hunters where they can find a large grizzly bear. My first question is usually “Are you looking for an interior type bear or a coastal type bear?”. This usually results in mass confusion and requires me to explain my question.
Confused? Let’s take a quick taxonomy lesson to understand. There are eight species of bears world-wide; North America has three species – polar, brown, and black. Scientifically, there is no grizzly bear. Grizzly bear is a local or popular name for brown bears found living away from coastal, salmon rich environments. (Other local names include Griz, Brownie, Silver Tip, and Wood Weasel.) Lewis and Clark described brown bears they encountered on their famous exploration of the Louisiana Purchase territory. They encountered bears with varying coat colors, but all with a degree of ferocity they had rarely encountered before. The mountain men of the Rocky Mountains also encountered brown bears – it is from many of their writings that the name grizzly bear became popular. The name arose because of the grizzled appearance many of the bears had in their coats. Later, as explorers and sportsmen recounted tales from their travels in Alaska, stories of its famous big brown bears emerged. In fact, early taxonomy books listed the brown bear and grizzly bear as separate species. I have one taxonomy book from 1959 that lists 87 different kinds of brown and grizzly bears in North America – the authors admit it unlikely that all were different species, but information was lacking at that time to say for sure. However, in 1973, scientists had settled on the fact that the brown bears found in Europe and northern Asia were the same as the brown bears found in North America.
OK, now we know that brown bears and grizzly bears are really the same critter – at least as far as biologists are concerned. But sportsmen recognize both brown bears and grizzly bears. Where is the line that separates them?
Early on, the boundary between brown bears and grizzly bears was said to be 50 miles from the coast starting at the southeastern tip of Alaska extending to the southwestern tip of the state. The Boone and Crockett Club first stated that the boundary between brown bears and grizzly bears was a line 75 miles from the coast up to a certain point in western Alaska. Now, their definition follows major watershed boundaries for the most part, but then follows an arbitrary line (the 62nd parallel) between the Alaska Range and the western coast of Alaska. While more accurate than the arbitrary 75 mile inland rule, it is still not correct when you look at the physical features of the bears.
Sportsmen measure bears by the size of their skulls (once they have been cleaned and dried). Biologist’s measure bears by their physical size (skull and body) and weight. Several biologists (myself included) have attempted to correlate various body size measurements with skull size – all have met with varying degrees of success (or failure, depending on how you look at it). Boone and Crockett Club guidelines state that a brown bear skull must be a minimum of 26 inches; Pope and Young guidelines are 20 inches. A bear with a combined skull length and width of 20 inches is a very respectable bear, 26 inches is truly a very large bear.
So when is a brown bear a grizzly bear? First, location does have an important influence. Are you in the southern coastal regions of Alaska? Are salmon available in quantity? Living near the coast has two big advantages. First, there is a longer growing season so bears do not have to spend as much time in a den hibernating. Second, salmon are usually abundant, allowing for a compact source of protein and fat. If it is possible to spend more time out eating than sleeping, you will be a bigger bear. On the other hand, bears living away from the coast in the southern half of Alaska live in environments with less or no access to salmon, have less access to protein sources in general, and spend more time hibernating are smaller (physically) bears. These are grizzly bears.
What about the coat color of the bear, does that indicate if a bear is a brown or a grizzly? Not really. I’ve seen brown bears living in coastal Alaska with colors ranging from blond, to red, to light brown, to a rich chocolate brown. In general, male brown bears tend to be darker and females lighter. The trend is also there for grizzly bears that I have seen, but it is much more subtle.
OK, the picture is beginning to get a bit clearer. What about coastal British Columbia? If bears on the Alaska side of the coast are called brown bears what about those on the British Colombia side? According to the Boone and Crockett Club, brown bears are only found in Alaska. In reality, coastal British Columbia has some pretty big bears. Again, longer growing seasons and salmon make for some pretty big bears.
So where are the big bears found? Statistically, the biggest brown bears are on Kodiak and Afognak Islands, the next largest are on the Alaska Peninsula, and then the ABC Islands (Admiralty, Baranoff, and Chichagof ) in southeast Alaska. In reality, the next North American or world record could come from any of those places, or some place in-between. Hunters are drawn to Kodiak Island because of the name and reputation. But to draw one of those limited and coveted permits is a long shot. Interested in a big grizzly bear? It depends if you are interested in possibly submitting your trophy for listing or not. If not, then look at the north slopes of the mountains that rise up from the coast (Chugach and Kuskokwim Mountains for example) to find larger grizzly bears. If you are interested in listing your trophy, then hunt as close to the dividing line as you can and pick an area that may be more productive (again, longer growing season and more protein and fat food sources).
Interested in a big black bear from Alaska? Again, look to the coastal region. The area bordering Prince William Sound and southeast Alaska grow some pretty big black bears. But Alaska is not the only place that grows big black bears. The central part of the east coast is producing some large bears as well.
Like any hunt, do your homework, prepare yourself and your gear, do lots of shooting with your rifle, pistol (even if it is only a .22 rimfire), or bow. Then go and enjoy what God has provided in His great outdoors.
| Steve Kovach is our own resident wildlife biologist. He has been working as a professional biologist for over 20 years throughout the west, working mostly with mammals. He has held some positions that were largely management-oriented and others that were research oriented. Steve is also an avid outdoor photographer and an NRA firearms instructor and Training Counselor. Currently he lives with his wife and daughter in McGrath, Alaska, working on the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge conducting research on black bears. Steve and his family enjoy God's great outdoors by hunting, fishing, trapping, and camping together. Do you have a topic you would like Steve to look into and write about? If so, drop him a line here at God’s Great Outdoors. Steve assists Tracy Breen with each magazine issue by serving as the Managing Editor - a fancy title for the guy that does the layout work, edits and creates the graphics, and gets the articles into web ready format. By the way, the bear in the picture is one of Steve's research partners and she is very much alive. |
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