Brown Bears (Info, Pics and Videos)

[brotherbear]

Man Meets Grizzly by Young and Beyers.

The age to which a grizzly lives is not definitely known, but informed estimates vary between twenty-five and forty years. Old Mose, the Colorado cattle killer, is said to have been at least forty-five years old. The Pine Valley marauder, Old Clubfoot, was known to have been engaged in his pastime for thirty-five years and may even have been full-grown before he began killing. Old Ephraim roamed nearly thirty years in the mountains above Bear Lake. These animals all had the characteristic tracks, so there is some basis for their alleged longevity. Grizzly accounts often stress the age of the bear, perhaps giving it an exaggerated importance. Still, it is a little strange that I know of no tales concerning Young Mose, Young Three Toes, or Young Ephraim. This emphasis suggests something about the relationship between bear and man. It may be that the grizzly's hoary appearance invests him in early life with the semblance of age. More likely, it results from man's assumption that the longer the years of wilderness living, the more the bear is endowed with wisdom and cunning; longevity thus makes him a worthier adversary, a fitter foe for man, and man's triumph is therefore sweeter. This is true, I believe, for both the Indian and the white man. Reply