Grizzly Bear
Subspecies of Brown Bear / Grizzly · Ursus arctos
Lower 48 — primarily Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington; small populations in Cabinet-Yaak (MT/ID) and Selkirk (ID/WA) ecosystems
Overview
The grizzly bear of the Lower 48 states represents the southern extent of a population that once occupied terrain from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, and from the Arctic to central Mexico. Today's surviving populations in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington are genetically isolated fragments of that historical continuum, separated by developed agricultural valleys, highways, and towns that prevent natural dispersal and genetic exchange. Despite this isolation, individual populations have demonstrated remarkable recovery — the Greater Yellowstone grizzly population of approximately 700 to 800 animals in 2024 occupies a much larger range than it did during the listing low point of 1975, regularly producing dispersing young males that push far into adjacent Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming habitat that was empty of bears for decades. Grizzlies in the Lower 48 are slightly smaller on average than their Alaskan coastal and Kodiak counterparts, a reflection of the lower productivity of their inland habitat. A large Greater Yellowstone boar might weigh 600 to 700 pounds in peak fall condition, compared to the 900-plus pounds achievable by Kodiak bears. What they lack in size they compensate in adaptability — the Yellowstone grizzly's diet has been documented to include over 260 distinct food sources, ranging from elk calves and cutthroat trout to moth aggregations on talus fields at 11,000 feet and whitebark pine nuts excavated from Clark's nutcracker caches. The grizzly's hump — a massive muscle mass over the shoulders evolved for digging — and the distinctive dished facial profile clearly differentiate it from the American black bear, a distinction that has life-or-death consequences for hunters operating in shared habitat across the Northern Rockies. The silver-tipped guard hairs that give the animal its common name are most pronounced in inland populations and can vary from a pale blond through chocolate brown to nearly black, making coat color an unreliable field identification characteristic.
Identifying Features
Prominent shoulder hump of dense muscle mass; concave, dished facial profile; short, rounded ears set wide apart; front claws measuring 3 to 4 inches, considerably longer and straighter than black bear claws; silver-grizzled guard hairs most visible on the back and shoulders; broad, round front track measuring 5 to 7 inches across in the Lower 48; characteristic pigeon-toed walk with heavy, rolling gait.
Hunting This Subspecies
Currently, legal hunting of grizzly bears in the contiguous United States is prohibited under the Endangered Species Act, though this status has been subject to ongoing political and legal challenge particularly for the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide populations. Hunters seeking to hunt the grizzly must currently pursue the species in British Columbia or Alberta, Canada, or travel to Alaska where Interior grizzlies occupy large portions of the state. For those hunting Canadian grizzlies — which represent the same taxonomic population as the Yellowstone grizzlies but fall under provincial management — the strategies that apply in interior Alaska are directly relevant. British Columbia's grizzly season, prior to the 2017 provincial ban on trophy hunting, concentrated on the Coast Mountains and the Rocky Mountain foothills with resident and guided non-resident seasons in fall and spring. Alberta maintains a limited grizzly season in specific wildlife management units with controlled access draws. In Alaska, Interior grizzlies are hunted across a vast swath of the state's interior in management units that allow both spring and fall seasons. Spring hunting, conducted during May and June on alpine slopes and south-facing drainages, targets bears freshly emerged from dens and concentrated on limited early green-up areas. Fall hunts coincide with pre-denning hyperphagia and berry feeding in August and September. Archery hunters pursuing interior grizzlies face extraordinary challenge — calling techniques using cow elk or caribou distress calls have drawn grizzlies in published accounts, but the combination of heavy cover and the bear's acute senses makes archery success extremely rare.