Monday, July 26, 2010

Sow and cub show

We've been lucky enough to have several sows with cubs cruise the shores of Pack Creek this summer. Mocha and her yearling cub, quite familiar bears, have been the most regular. Mocha has demonstrated a lot of dominant behavior all summer, chasing subadults and adult females from various clamming and fishing holes. We initially wondered if we'd see a lot of bears on the creek this season with the amount of dominance Mocha had been displaying. Despite her efforts, many bears have made their way to the creek. Junebug, a young little mother of one spring cub, has also been regular. Her cub is easily intimidated, and oftentimes she runs away when her mother catches a salmon in the creek. The cub must associate any violent movement as something to run from, thus the quick and powerful movements of snatching a fish hit the cub's panic button and send her sprinting for the trees. Hopefully she learns to understand that fights with fish are good fights, or else she might run right into the clutches of a more dangerous bear...


Junebug and her frightened little cub scanning the waters for fish.



Freshly caught pink salmon, with Junebug's cub hiding somewhere in the sedge...



Big ol' Mocha and her yearling cub obtaining some fresh vitamin D in a late July sucker hole.


Staying within arm's reach as other bears approach the creek.


Mocha taking a nap creekside, and her cub wrestling with one of her numerous phantom friends.

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