This photo does not tell a story. It’s more of a record, with my 3.5 inch pocket knife placed to give size information. While size can be useful in separating a Grizzly from Black Bear tracks sometimes, the more clear distinction is in how far the claws are separated from the toes (especially the middle claws), with Grizzly’s being separated by 3-4 inches. The story is how my wife, I and four other adult family members went hiking on a trail a few miles North of Yellowstone. I noticed the bear tracks in the trail shortly after we started. I ID’ed the tracks a Grizzly, as we continued. After 5 - 10 minutes of walking, with the tracks continuing down the trail ahead of us, we decided that turning around and finding a different trail might be the smart option…
Mark, this image provides a reality check for those who have not been there. After my two years of dodging every known bear on planet earth in Alaska you made the right decision. Thankfully I did not have to discharge my weapon when a grizzly broke into our cabin near Tatalina AFS. A civilian on our crew was in a front cabana area and shot in total defense.
btw: I’ve had that same MacGyver knife for over 30 years now…
Mark: Is it not said that discretion is the better part of valor? I’ve never had a close encounter with a bear except from the safety of a tour bus in Denali. I was very happy to have a window to shoot out of. Thanks for the story and natural history lesson. >=))>
We do have bears in Korea, now that a few have been reintroduced to a park quite near us . But in the unlikely event of my ever visiting your wonderful Park area, could you just clarify for me:the 5 marks at the right end of the footprint I’m guessing are the claws’ imprints. So do we look for a separation of 3-4 inches between that top and that bottom imprint in your photo? Excuse my curiosity, but you never know!
Mike, the separation is between the toe prints and the claw prints, looking particularly at the middle toes and claws. This distinction is not always true as Grizzly claws can get worn down significantly, but if you can see the large separation, it’s clearly a Grizzly. I’m also not if such a distinctions holds when Alaskan Brown Bears are included.
