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Ok, I give up! What is it?

John A.

Unconstitutional laws are not laws.
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I saw a few photos last night of a bear that was taken near where I live.

I know that there are different colored black bears. Black, Cinnamon, even salt and pepper grey.

But I'm curious as to whether this is a black bear or not?

Most black bears that I have seen don't have as much of a pronounced hump between it's front shoulders and head as this one appears to have.

So, is it a black bear? Or a brown bear/grizzly?

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I saw a few photos last night of a bear that was taken near where I live.

I know that there are different colored black bears. Black, Cinnamon, even salt and pepper grey.

But I'm curious as to whether this is a black bear or not?

Most black bears that I have seen don't have as much of a pronounced hump between it's front shoulders and head as this one appears to have.

So, is it a black bear? Or a brown bear/grizzly?

View attachment 21237

View attachment 21238

I'm no expert but it sure looks like a griz to me.
 
Same here John...sure looks like a grizz to me too. The pronounced hump, round ears and the really square snout...all trademarks of a grizzly.
 
I was thinking the same guys. Just looks different from what I'm used to.

That's great.

Just great.
 
However, it is possible its a brown colored black bear. A clearer pic would definitely help.

The Kentucky Dept of Fish and Wildlife doesn't seem to list them (grizzlies) but it wouldn't be the first time (nor the last for that matter) that an animal species defied being placed in the box we want to put them in. There are lots of eyewitness accounts as well pics of animals that don't "officially" belong where they are spotted.
 
Ky Dept of Fish and wildlife is a joke.

For years, they said there weren't any black bears.

No coyotes.

No mountain lions.

No wolves.

No Bald Eagles.

Yet, we have all of the above.

At this point, if they told me that we didn't have unicorns, I wouldn't believe them.

I showed them this picture of a mountain lion that I got on an old 35mm trail camera not even 200 yards away from my old house where I was raised. The officer came to look at the picture and said that I had gotten the picture off of the internet and was hoaxing them. Which really pissed me off. I offered to walk across the creek and take the photo with us so he could see my camera that was still hanging on the tree and then look at the trees in the background, and he wouldn't even get out of the truck to walk over there with me.

My sons first grade teacher had her dog snatched by a mountain lion a few years ago and she saw it run around the side of the house with the dog and she called them. She was furious when she told me the story because she said they told her she must've been mistaken too.

Oh:

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But we don't have them either.

https://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines...tain-lion-Monday-in-Bourbon-Co-285957541.html
 
Well, it is a brown bear. Browns have humps too. I doubt it would be a grizzly.
 
Aren't browns and grizzlies basically the same except grizzlies are fatter?

Sincere question. I have no experience with either.
 
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-frequently-asked-questions.htm

2. What is the difference between brown bears and grizzly bears?All grizzly bears are brown bears, but not all brown bears are grizzly bears. The bears you are watching on the cams are brown bears. Grizzly bears and brown bears are the same species (Ursus arctos), but grizzly bears are currently considered to be a separate subspecies (U. a. horribilis). Due to a few morphological differences, Kodiak bears are also considered to be a distinct subspecies of brown bear (U. a. middendorfii), but are very similar to Katmai’s brown bears in diet and habits.

Even though grizzlies are considered to be a subspecies of brown bear, the difference between a grizzly bear and a brown bear is fairly arbitrary. In North America, brown bears are generally considered to be those of the species that have access to coastal food resources like salmon. Grizzly bears live further inland and typically do not have access to marine-derived food resources.

Besides habitat and diet, there are physical and (arguably) temperamental differences between brown and grizzly bears. Large male brown bears in Katmai can routinely weigh over 1000 pounds (454 kg) in the fall. In contrast, grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park weigh far less on average. There have been no documented cases of grizzly bears weighing over 900 pounds (408 kg) in Yellowstone. Additionally, grizzly bears seem to react to humans at greater distances than brown bears.
 
Grizzly bears got the name grizzly, because their fur isnt neat like other bears. Its rustled and "grizzly"...
The one in the pic, looks like it has neat "groomed" fur....
That's why I'm thinking brown bear....
 
Thanks for the link. Still somewhat confusing but that is a far better explanation than what I was conjuring up in my head.
 
Not nearly as confusing as the taxonomy of fish, but anyhow a grizzly is a "morph" or mutation of the brown bear.

I shot these about 12 years ago. The photos, not the bear.

These are commonly seen in the Sequoia Nat Park, and We were on motorcycles, following a tour bus, when it stopped for a photo op.
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They must get shaggier at altitude. This was about 6000ft elevation, very near the Auto Log.

This one sees me on my bike. She's within striking distance for a bear, 4 shore.
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But she's gotta hop that log first, and my engine burbles menacingly. I blip the throttle just a crack, sharply, and suddenly she's more interested in feeding.
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And baby bear . . .
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The interesting part was that there were 3 bears above us, on the opposite side of the road, where nobody was looking. After my buddy's wife screamed in fear, we rode around the bus, and saw them just bopping along, at the edge cut, 10 feet above us.

This is me at 7500 ft, after a 3 hour ride up the mountain.
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Those are some really good pictures caddmann. Thanks for sharing those.
 
Those are some really good pictures caddmann. Thanks for sharing those.

Unfortunately, the shot of me was great, because I didn't take it. The shots of bears are screen grabs of a low-rez video I made. I don't know if the video still exists.

I didn't get any shots of the other 3 bear: A mother & 2 cubs.
 
Grizzly bears got the name grizzly, because their fur isnt neat like other bears. Its rustled and "grizzly"...
The one in the pic, looks like it has neat "groomed" fur....
That's why I'm thinking brown bear....
The “grizzled” part can be colouring as well. Grizz often have some light or blonde colouring around the hump which tends to stand out. It’s tough to tell for sure in the original pics whether it’s just reflecting sunlight off the shiny coat or if that is truly a light patch of hair.
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These pics were captured in 2017 by my wife near the side of the highway about 8-10kms north of our cabin. Definitely a grizz...lol
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Ok and just for fun.......not trying to hijack but....watch it all the way through. It’s worth it.
That’s if you find grizzly bear encounters humorous. This one is from here in BC.

 
I’d like to load up some of these babies in my Winchester 30-30 lever when I’m not the point man on the hunt. Should provide some good bear medicine....190 grains at a time!:sniper:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=222

I’d like to test these out as I’ve never thought of my 30-30 as good enough against dangerous game. But the numbers look good. Chucking 190 gr bullets at 170 gr velocities is not to be sneezed at and Buffalo Bore makes some quality stuff. My 30-30 also happens to be the 20” trapper model, exactly what these rounds are designed for.

Thought this might interest Cadd and John as well.
 
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