272 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Much has been written about the ferocity of the Alaska brown 

 bear. The great strength of the bear cannot be doubted, but 

 danger from this bear is dependent upon its disposition at a 

 given moment. There have been some disastrous encounters 

 with this huge beast, but a detailed analysis of such cases will 

 not be attempted here. However, during my experience on Alaska 

 Peninsula there was not a single instance when the bear did not 

 try to get away, even when wounded. One bear that was photo- 

 graphed at close range, a matter of some 30 or 40 feet, started 

 for the photographer at the sound of the shutter, and I must 

 admit considerable nervousness at the time, but it was obvious 

 that he was advancing out of curiosity. The bear fled when we 

 shouted and brandished a rifle vigorously. On the same day, an- 

 other bear, coming slowly along a trail straight for the camera, 

 heard the camera at close range and stopped. This bear was 

 more suspicious and *walked off reluctantly, obviously puzzled. 

 In neither case did I wish to shoot, unless it was unavoidable. 

 Indeed, except for a head shot, it might have been dangerous 

 to shoot at such close range. 



Apparently, some residents of Unimak Island had little fear 

 of the brown bear. Arthur Neumann related that on one oc- 

 casion he had forced a group of bears into the rough water of 

 Swanson Lagoon on a stormy day to watch them struggle in 

 the choppy waves. 



The Alaska brown bear deserves respect and should be ap- 

 proached carefully, because it can cause considerable damage for 

 a few moments even after being shot through the heart. It is 

 best to realize that although this bear is not particularly vicious, 

 it is very curious and is likely to investigate anything unusual. 

 The bear's eyesight is not good, which may account for its close 

 approach at times. 



An interesting incident occurred on the slope of Pavlof Moun- 

 tain. A companion and I sighted several bears high on a slope. 

 At the first shot, the largest bear rolled downhill, obviously shot 

 in the head (incidently, this was a regrettable shot because the 

 bear was wanted for a specimen). Three other bears followed 

 the rolling carcass, pell-mell, and it was apparent that they were 

 yearling cubs that were instinctively following the mother. The 

 mother rolled by very near us, and dropped off a small cliff at 

 that point. The three young bears followed headlong, and we 

 could hear them grunting, but at the very brink of the little 

 cliff they suddenly braced themselves and stopped. After a 

 detour, they approached the dead bear farther down the slope, 



