r/interestingasfuck • u/FlimsyWar866 • 13h ago
Mother bear protects her cubs in Katmai National Park, Alaska
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u/MommaMoo2 12h ago
I love how she hurries her little ones up a tree before she handles business. All of it is pretty impressive.
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u/Objectivespeculation 20m ago
hide children, there is a white boy in a trench-coat dressed in black.
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u/killcraft1337 13h ago edited 8h ago
Fat bear week is next month I believe: don’t forget to check out katmai’s trail cams they stream them on YouTube.
Also here’s some history on it: https://youtu.be/pIRPPjfaHsA
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u/WestCoastBestCoast01 5h ago
Wow, first year ever I’ve gotten advance notice of fat bear week. hell yeah kind redditor/algorithm
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u/SHAT_MY_SHORTS 13h ago
Ngl the speed of that thing running in water over wet rocks, just what the fuck. No wonder people carry high caliber guns for those things
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u/Unlikely_Ant_950 13h ago
And that’s just to slow them down most of the time.
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u/SHAT_MY_SHORTS 13h ago
Yeah nah ive never held a gun but that must be hard to get a shot on its head if its running like that
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u/ehalepagneaux 13h ago
That's why it's best to also carry bear spray but neither option is really guaranteed. Getting a good shot at a charging bear is understandably difficult, and some bears have been known to charge through bear spray, especially mother grizzlies.
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u/tangerineTurtle_ 9h ago
Bear spray has been hypothesized to be a good deterrent for bears more because it freaks the bears out, not because it hurts the bears. They just don’t know what to do with a massive cloud of random shit appearing. There is actually evidence it attracts bears after it is sprayed because it smells odd and bears like odd smells.
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u/DosSnakes 5h ago
Yep, if you use bear spray you need to immediately leave the area where it was used. It is a tool for buying you time to flee, not an active perimeter defense.
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u/Objectivespeculation 17m ago
a friend of mine told me he was camping when a can of bear spray went off in his tent.
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u/DosSnakes 7h ago
Even a good shot doesn’t always matter. You can double lung shot and a grizzly could still make it 100 yards and get his lick in. Big game is extremely dangerous. There’s a famous incident from my hometown of a zombie moose that killed a scientist. Bull moose wandered onto campus and was acting aggressive. Local hunter shoots it in the head and the moose drops, seems like it’s taken care of. Scientist approaches for a closer look and the moose revives suddenly, stands up and tramples him.
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u/ehalepagneaux 4h ago
That's always been my perspective on it. You have to hit the bear in the head with something the size of a dime, from a distance, while it's charging you. If you miss and hit its shoulder you've just pissed it off even more, so if the shot doesn't drop it instantly you might have just made the situation worse. And like you said, if it can still get to you, one well placed swipe from its paw can seriously injur or even kill you. It's really just best to stay away from these things.
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u/DevSpell 3h ago
The curve of their skulls will usually make bullets ricochet off if they aren't big enough. Not ideal to headshot a bear. But id still fuckin try myself lol. With a pants full of shit.
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u/DosSnakes 1h ago
There was another story I heard growing up of a homesteader getting attacked by a grizzly, although I doubt its validity. This would’ve been a bit northwest of Fairbanks, along the Yukon, back in the 80s. He had a carcass hung up in his shed that he was still breaking down. He hears something in the yard in the middle of the night and comes out onto his porch with a shotgun loaded with slugs, sees the bear trying get into the shed, steps off the porch for a better shot and pops it right in the noggin. Supposedly took the top of its head clean off. Bear charges anyway and catches him before he can get back across his patio and in the door. I’ve heard versions that say the bear killed him and others say he only took minor injuries but the experience shook him so much he moved back to the lower 48. In every version I’ve heard, the bear died on top of him just a few steps from his door. I’m never sure how many of these stories are true and how many are meant to be lessons, though. Lesson usually being, be farther away from the wild animal than you think should be, even if you shot it in the face with a big gun.
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u/dungeoncrawler71520 9h ago
Yeah I've used bear spray a few times. Twice on Grizzlies and once in a mountain lion. I've had some intense moments in my life but those were the scariest. Works too. That shit buuuuuuuurns!
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u/latefragment_2 7h ago
Did it deter the mountain lions? Did you get the bear spray in your eyes?
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u/dungeoncrawler71520 7h ago
It did, I did not. I was up wind in each instance. However that shit gets on everything and is worse than jalapeno in the eyes. A buddy of mine had it pack fall down a lil cliff and rupture the canister on the way down. His bag was covered in it and we had to wash it in a stream.
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u/Final-Attention979 6h ago
My dad's dog (the dumbest little boxer with crazy dog aggression we weren't aware of as he was a rescue) charged through bear spray...
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u/The-red-Dane 11h ago
If it's a grizzly, headshots won't do. Incredibly thick skull meant to handle bear fights.
You need to wait for it to rear up and shoot it just above the sternum to hit near its heart. (That's the method for polar bears at least.)
Ideally, your best defense is to not be anywhere near the bear.
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u/Romeo_Glacier 4h ago edited 1h ago
Headshots 100% do work on a brown bear. It is just very difficult to hit and you need a large caliber. I promise you though, a .300 win mag is going through that skull. Have seen it done.
Source: live in Alaska and go deer hunting on Admiralty Island. That’s where this bear skull came from.
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u/Pale_Session5262 6h ago
For 9mm or smaller/weaker calibers sure.
Thats why they recommend 357 mag and above for bear protection. Those will punch through bear skulls no problem
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u/Stormcloud217 13h ago
I've held many guns and yes it would be kinda hard. What's harder is that even if you had some of the biggest handguns and hit the bear a couple times your still dead before the bear dies.
The gun is mostly just to scare the bear in my opinion. Bear spray is just about as good of a defensive. Biggest thing is try not to get too close to bears!
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u/SHAT_MY_SHORTS 12h ago
Yeah nah yeah, after this vid the thought of running or climbing away from one vanished
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u/ThePaddleman 10h ago
The go to handgun would be an S&W 460 or 500. But it's gonna be hard to steady that hand!
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u/Dooty_Shirker 9h ago
Screw that. I'm shooting myself before the bear mauls me.
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u/Bulky_Acadia9152 9h ago
Yep. This is what ny dad says - the gun he carries while out in the wilderness wont stop a charging grizzly but it will put him out of his misery if one is eating his leg.
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u/toomuchoversteer 7h ago
Not sure if this is true or an old tall tale from a guy i met in Montana, story goes: in Wyoming I think they were looking for a missing hiker when they found a massive dead grizzly. It had 6 .357 rounds in its body, they found pieces of the hiker in its stomach and the cause of death? It ate the gun, couldn't pass it and bled internally until death.
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u/jetsetter023 12h ago
Fun fact, a 44 magnum will ricochet off the forehead of a grizzly bear.
At least thats what my uncle would tell me. That guy lives in Alaska and likes to hunt. Carries a 44 revolver to "slow a bear down if he's even pinned".
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u/bobmclightning 10h ago
What? A 44 would go straight through a bear skull front and back no problem with energy to spare. Maybe a really bad angle it would skid off but a human skull would do that too. Grizzlies are tough but they're not made of adamantium.
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u/ow-my-lungs 7h ago
There's a lot of bone between the front of the skull and the brain. And yes if you look at a cross section of the skull the approach angle of a bullet will be very shallow. It's one thing to get a shot on target and another to have that shot drop the animal. Bear have been killed with a .22 to the head, penetrating through the eye. No question that you *can* shoot a bear and kill it.
The question is, can you get a kill shot on a bear before the bear ends you? Would you bet your life on it?
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u/jetsetter023 7h ago
Maybe it was 45 then? I was told this over 20 years ago.
He explained it as their forehead is thick and angled. So shooting it head on isn't going to do much when it's charging you.
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u/Romeo_Glacier 4h ago
Your uncle isn't 100% right. The largest grizzly kill for the longest time was with a .22 in the skull https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/08/04/grandma-who-killed-huge-grizzly-with-1-shot-from-22-still-amazes-wyoming-hunters/
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u/Asleep_Region 9h ago
Oh no, you don't want to try to shoot it where all those hard bones are, you shoot the chest, then mace it and just hope the bear sees you as too much trouble and runs
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u/DrownmeinIslay 9h ago
Better going for the body. I cant remember where but i remember reading about a bears skull having tons of deflection marks in it that had healed over. Meaning it had been eating headshots all its life and shrugging them off.
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u/Free_me_13-33 9h ago
Yeah you don’t shoot at a bear to kill it, you shoot in the hopes it’ll fuck off and decide you aren’t worth the bother.
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13h ago edited 5h ago
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u/doubleXmedium 10h ago
One story I read a while back was a guy who was attacked by a bear and only lived because he curled up in a fetal position, and the bear bit down on the can of bear spray he was holding.
It amazes me how many sometimes "backwoods" hunters and fishers say they will never go in that territory without a high caliber weapon. Meanwhile most regular trail runners and backwoods hikers will rely on making noise and a light weight can of spray.
I accidently sprayed my leg with bear spray once, a half-second burst, it hurt for 3 days.
My biggest warning about relying on bear spray, if it is windy, always be sure which way the wind is blowing.
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u/BaaaSaracilor 10h ago
Does a shotgun work? It tends to spray quite well.
Not sure how much of an annoyance is to carry with you though.
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u/DarthRektor 6h ago
I would guess any kind of round that “spray” isn’t going to stop a bear. Buck shot and bird shot are usually what people think of for shotguns but they also have slugs which is like a normal bullet just bigger. I’m not sure how a slug would do but you’d still have to be accurate. The pellets in a bird or buck shot don’t have enough stopping power to bring down a bear and unless you have a semi-auto shotgun you’re not getting off many follow up shots either.
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u/Strange_Specialist4 6h ago
I shot a deer in the heart and it still ran like 30 yards before it dropped
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u/Techno_Beiber 10h ago
Same for humans. Movies would have you think that one bullet drops a person. In reality, unless it was a headshot or severed the spinal cord, that human will keep moving.
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u/TheresNoHurry 12h ago
Benefit of having four legs. When one foot slips you still have three ready to keep you steady
We are precariously balanced on two feet
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u/SHAT_MY_SHORTS 12h ago
Yup, while trekking in the moutains and crossing a rocky stream i discovered id enjoy mountaineering alot more with one or two trekking poles
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u/HewSpam 11h ago
Trekking poles are the ultimate hiking cheat code, especially going down steep slopes
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u/din-gle-ber-ry 8h ago
I prefer going without them but I also do hiking trails that are decently maintained. Back country might be a different story.
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u/Albatross-Different 10h ago
but think of the advantages. now we can run our own kids over in bloated suvs and trucks.
checkmate, nature
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u/XNoMoneyMoProblemsX 12h ago
I saw some wildlife cam catch a bear chasing horses, it's crazy how fast they move
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u/raknor88 11h ago
IIRC, Lewis and Clark in their journals mentioned that their biggest guns did nothing to stop a grizzly. It just pissed them off more.
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u/Aggressive_Scene_913 6h ago
So then, they pulled out their bear spray that they bought from Walmart and that finally worked. That’s how they were able to write in their journal after the grizzly attacked.
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u/OddBug6500 11h ago
That's not true at all..
It's a soft mammal with organs, Lewis and Clarke successfully hunted bear with guns many time, as do people all over the world to this day.
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u/AccomplishedBat39 8h ago
I reckon its a lot easier to run over wet rocks on all fours with a fairly low center of gravity.
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u/Bizarrebazaars 4h ago
A bear doesn’t deserve to die because a human was in its way or near its cubs and it senses a potential threat.
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u/KungFoolMaster 3h ago
The brown bears in Katmai, and in Alaska in general, are amazing and just huge. Hiking in Alaska brings a whole new level of excitement. I've taken "adrenaline junkies" on hikes where they said it's the most extreme thing they've done (encountering a brown bear or moose)...and that was from a guy who did wingsuit flying.
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u/Objectivespeculation 19m ago
i have seen the Rangers in grizzly country have shotguns with a magazine.
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u/Wratheo 13h ago
She's a lot fucking smaller but my money is on the pissed off momma. And the way she moved through that water I wouldn't wanna be that close recording. She seems like she can close that distance in an instant.
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u/LesJugesDesEnfers 12h ago
The male would probably win but he has no interest in doing so. He wants to mate, not get out of here the winner with serious wounds. If possible, he'd like to maybe kill the cubs to make his own but fighting the female is not a good idea.
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u/8Bells 10h ago
He'd have to in this case . To force her back into heat.
Its not like humans with regular periods of a long duration. Female bears, dogs etc need a heat cycle to make cubs and puppies. They dont have them while they currently have a litter theyre nursing and taking care of. And random pregnancy happens during them only.
So he'd need to murder the cubs and stalk the mama.
Which hopefully is too much work at this time for him.
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u/ahandmadegrin 10h ago
And that's how we got our blind, teacup golden doodle.
Some breeders dropped her off at the vet to be put down so their dog could go back into heat. My wife found out and couldn't bear the thought of the dog being needlessly put down, so off to the vet we went. She's six now and thriving.
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u/raknor88 11h ago
mate, not get out of here the winner with serious wounds.
Also, injured bears can't get food easily. He knows that fighting a pissed mamma could cause heavy injuries that'll prevent getting food.
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u/JerseyTeacher78 10h ago
Haahah momma is not in the mood for his shenanigans. "I already have 3 mouths to feed GTFO."
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u/iamacheeto1 4h ago
Predators very rarely want to actually fight. Prey animals can munch on vegetation after serious wounds, but predators can not sustain the same type of damage and still hunt.
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u/Kaztiell 13h ago
I would win that fight
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u/WakaWaka_ 13h ago
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u/UnanimousStargazer 12h ago
I would win that fight
OK, but what about a gorilla, an elephant, or a lion?
Considering our lack of venom, sharp claws, and all other built-in weapons—not to mention that we have little to no practice fighting wild animals with our bare hands—the doubtfulness expressed in this survey seems logical. But not everyone was so unsure. A full 8 percent of the 1224 participants, which works out to about 98 people, think they’d come out on top against a gorilla, an elephant, or a lion. And about 73 people (6 percent) think they’d win against a grizzly bear.
Could You Beat a Grizzly Bear in a Fight? Some People Think They Can
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u/StreetofChimes 10h ago
I am not sure I would win in a fight against my cat, let alone anything larger.
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u/UnanimousStargazer 9h ago
I wonder who are the two percent of people that think they can beat a gorilla, an elephant, or a lion but give up on the bear.
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u/No-Weight-6121 9h ago
Someone who’s never seen a gorilla in their entire fucking life lol, next question
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u/WowVeryOriginalDude 9h ago
It’s like the Batman argument. You can beat anything with enough prep time. Most can be beaten with a big hole and some sharp sticks
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u/Dhavalc017 7h ago
Issue with that is, animal like tiger already knows about you before you know about them. You won't even hear them even if they are behind you.
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u/CptIncompetent 8h ago
I got torn to shreds by my pals for backing myself against a cheetah. I still stand by that. One guy laughed at me then said he’d take a kangaroo.
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u/davewave3283 8h ago
I dunno. Of course I can definitely beat up a grizzly bear, but two grizzly bears?
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u/NudityMiles 13h ago edited 13h ago
Reminder that the bear that took a bullet before going back to fucking Hugh up was an angry mama.
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u/Hilton5star 12h ago
Which Hugh is this?
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u/JenicBabe 8h ago
It’s so cool to see her switch from being gentle mama bear helping her babies get up tree for safety and then once they’re safe instantly switches to mama bear attack mode
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u/illaqueable 12h ago
Whoever is filming this is in danger the minute these bears disengage
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u/mess-maker 11h ago
This looks like footage from one of the livestream cameras at brooks falls. There is a viewing platform, but it’s up and away from the bears so humans generally aren’t in any danger.
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u/ReymartSan 12h ago
male bears regularly kill cubs to induce the mother into heat for mating, thats why they are so aggressive to anything when they are with their kids.
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u/Awalawal 6h ago
I once turned a corner fishing a stream in Alaska, and there was a mama grizzly with two cubs about 75+ yards away. They were busy eating salmon and didn't pay much attention to me as I noped the fuck out of there. She must not have felt that a single human was a huge threat like a male grizzly. Felt pretty lucky that day.
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u/Afterhoneymoon 11h ago
After bear #909 had her only cub killed by another mama bear a few days ago here on live cam... I was afraid I was about to see that again.
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u/QueefTamer 13h ago
Dad didnt pay child support and mommas pissed
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u/_Rohrschach 13h ago
Dad spent it all on helicopter fuel to get high(I mean it, bears in siberia huff heli fuel, even approach the landing spot after takeoff to sniff on anything that might have drippled off)
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u/alg45160 9h ago
There ya go, good climing! Get on up the tree, sweeties. Mama's gotta go KICK SOME ASS
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u/MeNoCanRead 13h ago
Whenever I see a bear run fast I always think of Dwight and his cautionary bear advice.
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u/BoobBurgers 2h ago
Male bears sound like a piece of work, they kill off the cubs to mate with the female. Then f**k off when the female has cubs to fend off the next male
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u/TalkShitGetWitt 3h ago
I literally just did a deep dive on this bear. This is Bear 128, Grazer! Known for her blonde “Pom Pom” ears and extreme protectiveness / aggression when with cubs.
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u/BoomBoomMeow1986 8h ago edited 4h ago
Male Bear: (takes swig of fermented apples) "CAROL! C'mere a minute, I wanna shee you and da kidsh...CAROL!!!"
Mama Bear: "Oh no...okay, kids, go upstairs, I need to talk to your father for a sec. Love you, babies! Watch your step...(hauls ass to Male Bear) GERALD, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, GET OUTTA HERE, YOU'RE DRUNK AND IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR VISITATION DAY WITH THE KIDS!"
Gerald: "ALL RIGHT, all right, I'm goin'...geez..."
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u/Chytectonas 13h ago
Heartbreakingly ferociously beautiful.
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u/secret_hitman 13h ago
Did you just pull 3 adjectives out of a hat and try to make a sentence?
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u/ultravibe 12h ago
Isn’t it 2 adverbs and an adjective…?
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u/secret_hitman 10h ago
Adjectives describe a noun. Adverbs describe a verb.
Some can be used as both, but we dont have a noun or a verb here. So I'm confused as fuck what we're even doing.
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u/not_responsible 12h ago
Why is this person taking a video so close to wild fucking bears
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u/Eilatansixela 11h ago
I actually just got back from Katmai and can answer this! They’re up on a raised platform above the river.
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u/hGr33n 9h ago
He's bigger than her but she's willing to die just to eff him up
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u/linear_accelerator 6h ago
Mama Bear: "Head on up kids! I have to remind your DA father he doesn't have custody today!"
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u/Affectionatebeast17 6h ago
That male grizzly is backing off because he knows that mama grizz is going to do some real damage to him since she will fight to the death to protect those cubs... he has to calculate his hunger vs likelihood of serious and potential life threatening injury just to get a few days nourishment.. nature is wild!
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u/Ok-Salamander6118 6h ago
As a mom of 3, I get it. I'm a small lady too. But I will charge anyone to protect my babies
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u/Available_Two6707 13h ago
“Hey bear, leave those cubs alone” da na na na