Grizzly Bear Tours BC

 “Not all fishmen are created egual” this saying applies to grizzly bears as well as humans.  Some bears seem to spend much of their time running and splashing in the water without catching many fish.  But the key to their succes is the size of the bear.  Although the two grizzlies in the photo appear to be three year olds they also look pretty healthy for this time of the year so their fishing style must be working.

The photos are not as clear as they could be but my excuse is that I was maneuvering the boat while taking photos one-handed.  The interesting aspect is the location. We were heading back to the lodge from a day’s successful whale watching to find this grizzly swimming between islands.  We were about eight miles from the lodge toward Vancouver Island.  It has become more common in the past five years to see and have reports of grizzly bears in the area of the lodge and closer to Vancouver Island.  As a result of the healthy population of grizzly bears in Knight Inlet the sub-adult bears are being forced out of the area and are starting to migrate down the Inlet and across Johnstone Strait to take up residence on Vancouver Island.  Grizzly bears have been sighted on the Island from Sayward to Port McNeil. To view a map of the areas mentioned scroll down the sidebar on the left to “Pages” then to “Google Map of Grizzly Bear Lodge Itinerary”.

In late may the grizzly bears bring their cubs to the beach in Knight Inlet.  The first beach is one that is tucked in behind a small inland about two miles west of Glendale River where most of the grizzly bear watching occurs. This is a small quite area free from male bears and provides the new cubs some sanctuary. I remember this photo taken by fellow guide, Glen, because on the first viewing of this cub it ran into the grass behind the beach logs. The second time, a day later, it also ran but came back our and hide behind it’s mother. This picture is the third visit where it sat and watched or boats.  They learn from their mother and in all that time the mother grizzly ignored our presence.  Not hard to tell that this is an early spring bear with the long appearing legs because the belly has not the full look of the late fall bears.

Click to enlarge

Thanks Glen to one of the lodge’s guides we have the perfect eagle picture. An eagle coming down to pickup the pinky orange rock cod floating in the water. When the eagles are about the lodge and we have rockfish we gather guests on the floating dock and throw out the fish and this should be the result.  The biggest problem is the one or two second delay on most digital cameras.  Solution have a SLR digital to listen to the guide when he says click do it because that is your two second warning or all you will get is a tail shot or a ripple on the water.

On whale watching tours from Grizzly Bear Lodge we spend the day in the area of Johnstone Straits.  These pictures were taken at Bold Head in Blackfish Sound about a fifteen-minute boat ride from Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island. I remember this day well as I normally take our guests to Bold Head and we tie up in the kelp bed to have our picnic lunch as it is a quite area frequented by humpback whales most of time several hundred meters (yards) away. However on this day in August one humpback came to visit us and played in the kelp. The first photo gives an idea of how close it came to the boat the second even closer.  No the second photo is not a blow up of the first because if you enlarge the second you will see a harbour seal’s head in the background.  Humpback whales often play in kelp beds and I believe the reason that this one came so close is because we were sitting quietly, motor shut off, and eating lunch. There were no other boats in the area and after the whale came close we were very quite in the boat and no one hit the side of the boat or made noise moving about as these noises are easily transferred through the water.  We had more than a thirty-minute visit.

Please.

This is a great site to visit to get a “guest eye view” of a trip to our lodge. Be sure that you do the whole five days that Rob has set up for his trip.

Click on this link 

http://www.masey.com.au/2010/08/dream-grizzly-trip-day-one/

Also: -if you search “You Tube” using the keyword SAILCONE you can view some videos from and about the lodge.

-and on Facebook at Grizzly Bear Lodge and Safari

To view a map of the lodge’s area and the location of each day’s itinerary”

Look to the left and scroll the sidebars to “Pages” and select “Google Map of Grizzly Bear Lodge Itinerary”

It is possible to navigate the map using the arrows in the upper left corner and to zoom using the + or – signs as well as changing to a satellite view in the upper right corner of the map.

Grizzly bear viewing from the lodge on Minstrel Island requires run up Knight Inlet to the Glendale River estuary.  Once we arrive we transfer to sixteen-foot flat bottom skiff which allows us to travel in very shallow water. Being able to move in shallow water means that your guide can leave the skiff and manoeuvre the boat by walking along side. This permits us to move up the river at a low tide where as using a motor we would need to wait longer and the bears would have left the estuary. As I recall this picture is an example were a grizzly came to investigate and we slowly backed down river until curiosity was satisfied. No we were not in danger as any loud noise such as banging an oar on the metal boat and the bear would have left immediately.  The bears we view have come to accept our presence and do not show aggression only curiosity.

Grizzly bear’s mating time is late May through June in the Glendale River area of Knight Inlet. It is also the same time that the mother grizzlies are bringing their new cubs to the estuary area for the first time.  This is potential a dangerous mix as males have been known to kill cubs as it is believed that the females will come into season. The courtship we watched unfold seemed to involve an uninterested female who was trying to avoid the male. The male was following her along the beach until she took to the water and eventually swam past the bow of our boat.  The male was undeterred and wadded along the shore to keep pace with the female. This continued up the delta grassland of the estuary until they disappeared in to the surrounding forest.

After catching the pink salmon in the river at Trapper Rick’s it is a short journey to thinking of a fishing trip to the lodge and catching the larger Chinook salmon.  Grizzly Bear Lodge has a partner website under “Sailcone Wilderness Fishing Lodge” for guests interested in a few days fishing or guest who salmon fish while their spouses enjoy the wildlife viewing. In this case a guide had a day off and went salmon fishing and his catch became a photo opportunity for the guests.

Guests electing to stay an extra day in the lodge cross-Knight Inlet Inlet and pass through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River located in the coast range of BC mountains and spend a day with Trapper Rick. If you take time to scroll down the side bar on the left and go to “Pages” and then “Google Map of Grizzly Bear Lodge Itinerary” it will show the remoteness of this river valley.  Rick’s cabin is an “A” frame left by the Department of Fishers when they built a salmon ladder on the river. Beside the natural beauty of the area, Rick’s many stories of trapping in the valley; the chance of seeing a grizzly bear there is always the fishing. Many guest say they have no interest in fishing until they have a rod in their hand and a quick lesson on how to “spin cast” and then “fish on” and they are hooked on fishing. The next challenge the guide has is to get back to the lodge before dark.

The whale watching safari day requires a fifty-minute boat ride to the area of Johnstone Strait adjacent to Vancouver Island. Wildlife viewed normally includes black bear and eagles on the way to the Strait’s and seals, Steller sea lions, harbour porpoise, dall’s porpoise, dolphins, resident killer whales (orca), minke whales and humpback whales while in the viewing area.  Guest’s interests vary but humpback whales such as the mother and calf shown as well as the bull Steller sea lions are always favourites.  The whales spend the summer feeding in the area and it is common to see eight or more whales in a day feeding on the herring.  The Steller sea lion are more abundant in the early spring and fall as they pass through the area between California and Alaska, however for the past four years a couple of dozen sea lion have made this area their permanent summer residence.

The guests and guides enjoy a meal around the large oak table, which seats ten. Starting with soup or salad followed by the main course, which in this case is salmon. Dinners are a lively time with discussions and questions about the day’s activities, what is on for tomorrow and any other topic one can imagine. One comment that is often heard is all we seem to do is eat (breakfast), view wildlife, eat (picnic), view wildlife, and eat (dinner). Yes and the answer is that is why we try to keep you luggage to 20 pounds because that is how much weight you could gain and we do not want to overload the plane on the way out. After eating the discussion continues around the table or moves to the “living room” and often involves the exchange of email addresses and the promise to send pictures.

Grizzly bear fishing techniques vary but from the number of salmon around the bear in the first photo not too much skill is required on this day. One fish under the belly another in the water and a third under the raised paw this makes it easy for this sub-adult grizzly. The second bear in deeper water seems to have its eye on the fish but isn’t sure how to catch the salmon. Because of the number of salmon the bears are very tolerant of one another it is common to see several mothers with cubs as well and juvenile bears feeding in the viewing area at the same time. After the two hour viewing time we are permitted on the stands it is back to the estuary for a picnic lunch possible a run up the river in the skiff and another chance for more wildlife on the return to the lodge.

Once the grizzly bear tour arrives in the Glendale River estuary we to transfer to shore and drive a van for fifteen minutes up an old logging road to the two viewing stands on a man-made spawning channel. The stand we normally use has view of the natural river on one side (the view shown) and the entrance to the spawning channel on the other. The stands are large enough to move about for good photos and steady enough to use tripods while others move around. The bears move up and down the river to feed on the pink salmon waiting to enter the spawning area or already in the spawning beds. The pink salmon show are often so abundant that you can not see the river bottom but this still makes it difficult for some bears to be successful at fishing.

Grizzly Bear Lodge’s day tour to view grizzly bears try to leave camp prior to 8:00 to arrive in Glendale Cove and make it to the viewing stands by 10:00.  The viewing stands are used after August 24.  The trip up Knight Inlet is always interesting and leaving early gives on more time to enjoy wildlife along the way. First, eagles are a constant interest and there are daily opportunities to some great photo in this case a rare shot of two mates sharing the same branch.  For me this is ideal as it allows me to answer an often ask question “Is that a female or male eagle?” Answer “The female is larger and unless they are side by side it is hard to tell the size.” This photo solves that question for these two eagles. Second, pacific white-side dolphins are a constant joy and if I had my choice I could run with them all day. This was a perfect morning for the perfect picture. A glassy calm day on the water which reduces the boats rocking and also permits one to see under the water and know when a dolphin is about to break the surface. All that said an excellent picture such as this still requires many tries and a certain amount of luck.

The lodge normally accommodates eight guests. This means that you interact with the other guests and the staff on a full time basis unless you prefer the privacy of your room. The mornings on the water are be cool so we provide the “floater suites” to keep you warm. They are your “Personal Floatation Device” and even if you choose not to wear them they need to be with you in the boat.  After snack time the guides will bring out the suited to make sure you have one that fits this taken care of it is time for your first “quest” for wildlife. The first evening we do a tour looking for black bear and eagles in the vicinity of the lodge, normally an hour or so before or after dinner depending on the tide.  The black bears are on the beach looking for food so we need a reasonably low tide to provide the beach. If we don’t have success on the first evening most days we find black bears while on a grizzly or whale tour. This evening was successful.

Please.

This is a great site to visit to get a “guest eye view” of a trip to our lodge. Be sure that you do the whole five days that Rob has set up for his trip.

Click on this link 

http://www.masey.com.au/2010/08/dream-grizzly-trip-day-one/

Also: -if you search “You Tube” using the keyword SAILCONE you can view some videos from and about the lodge.

-and on Facebook at Grizzly Bear Lodge and Safari

To view a map of the lodge’s area and the location of each day’s itinerary”

Look to the left and scroll the sidebars to “Pages” and select “Google Map of Grizzly Bear Lodge Itinerary”

It is possible to navigate the map using the arrows in the upper left corner and to zoom using the + or – signs as well as changing to a satellite view in the upper right corner of the map.

On your arrival your first view of the lodge is from the dock.  Guests are shown their rooms and then return to the front deck for a “arrival snack” of cheese, crackers, and fresh caught dungeness crab or prawns (in this case both).  This is to get up your appetite for dinner in about two of three hours. Once you have had time to eat or while we have a captive audience all in one place someone will explain about the night lights as we are on a generator, showers, hottub, daily schedule (very flexible) and answer any questions.

The first photo is a view of the departure dock in Campbell River. Guests leave Campbell River on Vancouver Island once they all arrive and their luggage (any extra room on the plane is filled with food for the lodge) is loaded. Departure by 3:00 or earlier is possible.  The flight to the lodge is approximately forty-five minutes and be sure you have your camera ready, as there are some great photo opportunities over the coastal inlets and mountains.  Once you arrive there is about thirty minutes of controlled chaos.  Often there are eight guest coming and eight guests departing.  The arriving guests want to hear for the departing guests how their trip was to gage their chance of success and normally the departing guests want to stretch their stay as long as possible so are glad to talk. Within all this we need to exchange luggage on the plane, incoming for out going, as well as unload any food we managed to get on board. The high tide provides a level ramp and makes us all happy when we carry luggage and food boxes to the lodge.

This is the story of four great guys, “the team consisting of the 4 Austrians Ingo, Sigurd, Walter and Heinz”. They say it best in their own words: “Please find below as required some fotos from our stay in your lodge in August this year. It gave us great moments and unique memories of a fantastic fauna in overwhelming nature.I hope you can use it in your website and show it to guests who are interested what their stay in the lodge would be all about. We appreciated very much the whole setup, means the lodge, the trips, the food and all the care you and your team provided for us.All in all it was a very successful choice to book your program and we can only highly recommend it to all who love to explore nature and stay in a lodge which is very small (only 8 guests at a time) and allows therefore very personal but professional care.Thanks again for everything and best regards to everybody there.The team consisting of the 4 Austrians Ingo, Sigurd, Walter and Heinz”