Lily - June 1, 2012Unencumbered by yearlings, June spent 6 hours today traveling far outside the study area. The area was so remote there was no hope of catching up with her, but we doubt Big Harry was with her. Hopefully we will be able to check on her tomorrow.
Another video of Jewel and her cubs from May 12 is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZP58UXdZu0.
Lynn is off to ‘the cities’ (Minneapolis/St Paul) with his wife Donna to visit family. So, ‘while the cat is away’… I thought I would share with you my very first walk with June. It seems appropriate because she was being followed by a male that day. I cringe as I read through it now. I was determined to walk with bears, but very inexperienced. I’ve grown in my knowledge and understanding since then. And June has grown too—she looks so young in these pictures taken that day!
Thank you for all you do.
—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
Date: June 24, 2004
Duration: 1526 – 1930 hrs
Bear: June
Observer: S. Mansfield
Note: This is the account of my very first walk with June, a great teacher and a very special bear.
June looks back - June 24, 2004At 2:52 PM I radio-located 3-year-old June just west of the eastern clear-cut along the RR grade west of Trygg Road. I decided to make contact and try to walk some with her. She held pretty well and finally came to me at 3:26 PM. She had circled around and come in on my back trail. When the nuts were gone she inspected me in good shape – likely checking for more food. She then began tugging at the antenna when I placed it between us. When she grabbed the cable and began chewing on it, I pepper-sprayed her. [This is one of those cringes… I seldom even carry pepper spray anymore!] She ran off a short ways and rubbed her eyes.
Because she hadn’t bolted entirely, I chose to follow her as if nothing had happened. She continued to run short distances and stop. I followed. I could see her eyes were watering but she began stopping to check out stumps and rocks almost immediately. She continued to look back at me – and occasionally ran a few steps – but she didn’t bolt.
June feeds on wild calla - June 24, 2004We crossed to the south side of the RR grade into a swamp and at 3:52 PM she began eating wild calla lily leaves. She continued to feed on calla for the next half hour – between short bursts of running and short bouts of grooming. At one point I became aware of another bear in the vicinity – and of course June did as well. She stared intently in that direction. I spoke so the other bear would know I was there. June lunged and huffed in the direction of the other bear then she went back to feeding on calla. I suspected the other bear was a male interested in June.
I followed her to an upland area where she ate peavine and dandelion leaves and checked rocks for ant nests. She defecated and then entered the edge of a grove of small balsams and lay down. I sat down about 8-10 feet away.
Male follows us - June 24, 2004Soon the subtle snapping of twigs signaled the approach of another bear. I could see his form through the trees as he circled us and then laid down about 30 feet on the other side of June. June rested, groomed and slept for an hour and a half. During this time the male kept shifting his position to move closer to June, softly grunting and tongue-clicking as he approached. She seemed oblivious to his presence – but I am sure she was very aware.
Male crosses behind us - June 24, 2004When June finally got up and started to come to me, I stood up and the male moved back away from her. June checked me out for more food (I had none) and again there was some awkwardness as we sorted this out. She began meandering, sniffing the leaves and ground intently. She defecated and as I pulled out a ziplock to collect it she naturally thought 'food' so we again worked through the 'NO FOOD' issue. [It took several walks before June learned that bags only contained nuts at the beginning of our walks—but she did learn!] As she began meandering and foraging there were none of the short bursts of running she had displayed earlier – she seemed to accept my presence. I watched as she ate peavine, dandelion leaves, honeysuckle berries, rose buds, and uncovered a colony of red ants and licked up the pupae.
As we came upon an ATV trial she began intently checking the bear-marked trees along the trail. All this time the male tailing her was nearby – grunting and tongue-clicking – but mostly out of sight. Once I turned to see him standing up to peer over some bushes at us, and a couple times I saw him cross our backtrail in an open area.
After 4 hours I left her. I was wet from following her through the swamp and thoroughly chilled from sitting while she rested.
Details of male bear’s approach as June was resting:
June scent marks a birch - June 24, 20041652 Male circling us, just in sight.
1706 Male moving closer, now bedded about 15 m away. Male very attentive, keeps lifting head to look in this direction.
1725 Male resting alert looking intently in this direction.
1728 June grooming and scratching then back to sleep.
1730 Male resting recumbent again.
1731 Male on the move, coming closer, then laying down again.
1732 Male moving closer still, grunting. He has 2 good eyes so is not Jack or Lumpy.
1733 Male moving away again, out of sight this time. June stretches, yawns and goes back to sleep.
1747 Male returns to lie down in his original bed 15 m away.
1749 Male now resting with his head down. June asleep with her head on a rock.
1752 Male moving closer again and resting – same place, same pattern.
1754 June twitching in REM sleep.
1758 June stretching and yawning.
1759 Male is up moving closer, licking the air and grunting. Lays down closer to June.
1803 Male is resting with head down but attention is in this direction. He seems to have an old scar across the bridge of his nose. He nose is lumpy, perhaps from bug bites.
1816 Male is up, yawns, grunts, moves closer, licking air, then sitting.
1817 Male approaching, grunting, backing off. June wakes.
1818 Male laying down, the closest yet, maybe 2.5 m the other side of June.
1819 June having good scratch, stretching. Male moving closer and lying down.
1820 June rolls over – facing me now. Male approaching behind her, grunting. Scar over his left eye.
1822 Male moving, still closer, sitting.
1823 Male lying down. I can see he has a neat round hole high on his forehead between his ears.
1824 June up. I stand up and male moves back to previous bed.
1825 June sits and grooms.
1827 June up and on the move.