Black bear but brown?

[zedex]

Is a black bear all black? Or does/can it have brown on its back.
Was out hiking today and saw a big bear, just saw it going through the trees and it was definitely brown.
I dont hunt bear so not familiar with their colors. I couldn't find any prints at all but found his skat.
This isnt the first time i have seen a brown bear in the Okanagan. Seen one about 20 years ago in the same area.
Thanks

 

[Paul_T]

Black bears can be colour phased from black to brown to blonde to red. I've seen all those phases within a 100 square mile area in the Interior

 

[MDR]

Black bears have a variety of colour phases. The key is in the face. Black bear faces look very different than a grizz.

 

[zedex]

Thanks guys. Yes i know the faces and body shapes they are pretty easy to differentiate. But wasn't sure about the color variations.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Black bears have a variety of colour phases. The key is in the face. Black bear faces look very different than a grizz.

As do grizzlies, never count on color as an identifying feature. That #### smell like pepper or have bear bells in it ?

Grizz

 

[legi0n]

(hijacking thread)
I've been scouting today where I have seen/taken bears every year (and captured them on the dashcam)
not even one piece of $hit
what the heck?

 

[Ardent]

Brown (cinnamon) colour phase black bears are common inland. Here’s a couple I’ve done photos of in BC. In some areas of Montana for instance, they’re the vast majority and black is rare. Needless to say, they also come in white on areas of the coast (Kermode). There’s even a blue strain (grey). There’s no guessing when you see a Grizz, big shoulder hump, much broader head.

 

[zedex]

As do grizzlies, never count on color as an identifying feature. That #### smell like pepper or have bear bells in it ?

Grizz

No but it tasted a bit off maybe needed salt.

Sorta funny story. There is a 4k hike on the icefield parkway(bow river hike maybe cant remember) and the sign said watch for bears. So theres this bus load of Chinese tourists and this one woman IS DECKED OUT. Bright clothing like bright greens and orange,big hiking boots, hat,tassles,gps,water bottle,back pack,gloves and she had bells all over her you could hear her jingling. I was gonna ask her your bell joke but i figure she wouldn't get it.

 

[zedex]

Brown (cinnamon) colour phase black bears are common inland. Here’s a couple I’ve done photos of in BC. In some areas of Montana for instance, they’re the vast majority and black is rare. Needless to say, they also come in white on areas of the coast (Kermode). There’s even a blue strain (grey). There’s no guessing when you see a Grizz, big shoulder hump, much broader head.

Great photos.

In the words of Timothy Treadwell.(grizzlyman)
Hes a big bear
Hes a strong bear
Hes a good bear

 

[Ardent]

Treadwell was quixotic, he personified bears and figured he was able to befriend them, he may have been partly right too except he met a bear he didn’t know as one does in the wilderness. I see them as bears, which are rightly admirable and noble in their own ways, which are far different than ours. Just don’t forget that, but don’t fear them either.

I actually see Treadwell as a prime example of the low actual hazard of being in bears. He spent 13 years deep in the grizzly / browns, at close range unarmed. It took that long to get eaten. For the average outdoorsman who sees a grizzly or two a year, the risk is about like getting struck by lightning. The debate looms large on the best chambering for lightning defence.

 

[trevj]

Had a Black sow with two brown cubs running with here around the farm here a couple years ago. One of the cubs was a lot lighter color than the other.

Had a pair of Grizz sows out digging roots on the hills in front of my place last spring, high country was frozen really late, so they came down low to get a bite to eat. Pretty nice looking bears, for all that they represented almost ten percent of the entire zone's population around here...

 

[450yukon]

Back in the 60’s as you can see from my sisters attire and hairstyle we raised two cubs from the same mother. One was black and the other a very light brown/ almost tan.

 

[Mik123]

Back in the 60’s as you can see from my sisters attire and hairstyle we raised two cubs from the same mother. One was black and the other a very light brown/ almost tan.
View attachment 682071

That's interesting. How long did you have them for?

 

[Grizzly Adams]

No but it tasted a bit off maybe needed salt.

Sorta funny story. There is a 4k hike on the icefield parkway(bow river hike maybe cant remember) and the sign said watch for bears. So theres this bus load of Chinese tourists and this one woman IS DECKED OUT. Bright clothing like bright greens and orange,big hiking boots, hat,tassles,gps,water bottle,back pack,gloves and she had bells all over her you could hear her jingling. I was gonna ask her your bell joke but i figure she wouldn't get it.

In the same area, our Dutch neighbor took a couple of relatives from the old country for a hike. Sign at the trail head warned of bears, she stayed there and the other two went down the trail. When they got back she asked if they'd seen any Grizzlies ? No, but we did see a couple of nice black Bears. This is the pic they took.

Grizz

 

[450yukon]

That's interesting. How long did you have them for?

we got these two little critters about mid Feb when my brother was bulldozing bush and knocked a tree down that had a den below. Momma jumped over the A-frame and hightailed it off into the bush. He saw the cubs below and walked the Cat to a farther part of the 1/4 section to leave the family alone if momma returned. Several hours later he drove to the den with his vehicle and with light snow falling all day, she had never returned. He picked the two cubs up, put them in a burlap bag & kept the vehicle idling till done his day.

What a surprise when he comes home and dumps them on the kitchen floor! The black male one with a white V on his chest, Yogi was 7lbs and the brown female, Kiwi was 6lbs. Doing well on our Jersey milk cows raw milk even the lighter and smaller Kiwi left no doubt as to who was boss as they grew up. They were like two mischievous puppies, only better at climbing tables, counters, cabinets and getting into everything. Took a bit longer than a dog to get toilet trained but since they slept in bed with me I welcomed that day. Daylight the three of us were UP, they made sure of that playfully.

We had them until I believe Sept/Oct and standing on hind legs would have been 4ft tall. I was 14 at the time and outrun them by mid summer, not a chance. I'd take off running with them in pursuit and a slap to my heel would send me flying off balance. They were an experience! At first they were kept in a wooden box by the wood stove that we used for early born calves and probably within a month were able to scamper out of that and then they had free range, weren't kept caged up at all. We kept a 'guest' book and close to 700 people came by to pet wild bears.From what the CO's said when they picked them up was that they were being taken to the Kansas City Zoo.

 

[conor_90]

The one that will really throw you off is the black with blonde face GRIZZLY bears common in the area directly north by northeast of pg

 

[Orion]

As has been said, they can be all sorts of colours.
Pics from my yard a couple of years ago.

 

[Shovel]

we got these two little critters about mid Feb when my brother was bulldozing bush and knocked a tree down that had a den below. Momma jumped over the A-frame and hightailed it off into the bush. He saw the cubs below and walked the Cat to a farther part of the 1/4 section to leave the family alone if momma returned. Several hours later he drove to the den with his vehicle and with light snow falling all day, she had never returned. He picked the two cubs up, put them in a burlap bag & kept the vehicle idling till done his day.

What a surprise when he comes home and dumps them on the kitchen floor! The black male one with a white V on his chest, Yogi was 7lbs and the brown female, Kiwi was 6lbs. Doing well on our Jersey milk cows raw milk even the lighter and smaller Kiwi left no doubt as to who was boss as they grew up. They were like two mischievous puppies, only better at climbing tables, counters, cabinets and getting into everything. Took a bit longer than a dog to get toilet trained but since they slept in bed with me I welcomed that day. Daylight the three of us were UP, they made sure of that playfully.

We had them until I believe Sept/Oct and standing on hind legs would have been 4ft tall. I was 14 at the time and outrun them by mid summer, not a chance. I'd take off running with them in pursuit and a slap to my heel would send me flying off balance. They were an experience! At first they were kept in a wooden box by the wood stove that we used for early born calves and probably within a month were able to scamper out of that and then they had free range, weren't kept caged up at all. We kept a 'guest' book and close to 700 people came by to pet wild bears.From what the CO's said when they picked them up was that they were being taken to the Kansas City Zoo.

Thats pretty cool

 

[Shovel]

Seen brown black bear a couple of times

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Seen brown black bear a couple of times

I have nice rug downstairs. Went bear hunting in northern Alberta, with a friend, but had to promise the wife , no more bears for me, unless it's brown, only so much room. Walking down a cut line, came around a corner and Holy Crap. Practically shot from the hip, he was that close. buddy filled his tags the next day, but they were black.

Grizz