In hunting controversies is the Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear is a large predator that is different from a black bear due to having a hump on its shoulders.

The Male grizzly will weigh in at 300 to 850 pounds.

The female will weigh in at 200 to 450 pounds.

Their height at the shoulders is 3 to 31/2 feet tall.

Their length is 6 to7 feet long.

They live from 20 to 25 years.

And they can run up to 35 miles an hour.

So don't try to out run one.

The Grizzly bears have short rounded ears with a concave face and very long claws about the length of a humans finger.

Their colors are usually darkish brown but can vary from a very light cream to black. The long guard hairs on their backs and shoulders often have white tips and give the bears a "grizzled" appearance, hence their name "grizzly."

The correct scientific name for the species is "brown bear", but only coastal bears in Alaska and Canada are referred to as such, while inland bears and those found in the lower 48 states are called grizzly bears.

Since the species was first listed as threatened in 1975, Defenders of Wildlife have worked to promote a grizzly bear recovery program throughout the Northern Rockies.

And our efforts are not without reward as grizzly numbers have nearly tripled in the greater Yellowstone area in the past three decades, and 48% of the bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem which is Glacier National Park their home.

Defenders of Wildlife created the Defenders of Wildlife Grizzly Compensation Trust in 1997 to compensate ranchers for livestock losses to grizzlies.

In 1999 Defenders of Wildlife went a step further by starting a fund to promote proactive initiatives to prevent conflicts between bears and humans, like installing bear-resistant garbage dumpsters and electric fences.

By focusing on conservation efforts that keep bears alive and encourage habitat sustainability, Defenders are working to achieve a healthy grizzly population throughout the West.

Grizzly bear feed on garbage,grass,animals,nuts,honey,salmon and almost any other food that is available for that time of year.Grizzlies gain around three pounds a day before going into hibernation.They need lots of body fat to get them through 5 to 8 months in the den and feeding cubs.

The grizzly is a solitary animal until breeding season which is only a few months.

They build a den in the winter months on north slopes to get a deep snow blanket and hibernate until the spring thaws.

While in hibernation they give birth to their new offspring from January thru February which is one to three cubs and do not even know it.

It is up to the new born baby to find mother's warm milk to survive.

The cubs are 1 pound when born and by the time hibernation is over they have

gained 20 pounds.The cubs stay with mother for 2-4 years.

The hibernation period is around 5 to 8 months.

Grizzlies mate from may thru July and the gestation period is 63 to 70 days.

The grizzly has one main preditor which is human.

Hunters shoot more grizzlys accidentally by not knowing how to tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear.

Habitat loss to logging,road building and the encroachment of home building is another contributing factor in the grizzly's demise.

The population of grizzly's in the lower forty eight states stands around 1200.

In Alaska the population is 40000 bears.

In Canada it stands at 20000 to 25000 grizzly's.

Your defense against bear attacks is makes lots of noise and wave your arms outward.

If that doesn't work, lay down and fold your body up into a ball and cover your face with your hands.

Try to reach your pepper spray and if the bear gets within 20 feet, spray at it's facial area.

Buy pepper spray in the streamer can only,as the fogger can will not do much good at a 20 foot range.

Defending a grizzly attack is best done by applying pepper spray to the bears facial area.

The stinging of the eyes and coughing will make most bears turn and run away from you.

When the bear turns and runs away from you,you need to go in the opposite direction also.

Most bear attacks are caused by a person getting between momma bear and her cubs.

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