Its spring black bear season in Idaho! One consideration for those in either northern Idaho or in the southeast corner of the state is the presence of grizzly bears. Thankfully there are ways of telling both types of bears apart, based on visual characteristics and on the type of sign (tracks) left behind.
A main tell of the differences in the presence of a “hump” on the grizzly there is a pronounced hump on the front shoulder which is lacking on the black bear. This switches on the tracks however with a “hump” being noticed on the black bear’s pad on the toe side that is absent on the grizzly’s footprint.
Black Bear Track Dimensions:
- Front: 3.75-8” Long x 3.25-6” Wide (cubs: 3.25” x 2.75”)
- Rear: 5.5-9” Long x 3.5-6” Wide (cubs: 3.25” x 2.75”)
- The little toe is set back (remember the arch or hump in the pad) and may be faint. Claw mark are frequently seen but shorter and usually less than the length of the toes. The front pad is wedge shaped. The rear foot is similar to a person. There are five toes on each foot with a big toe on one side and a little toe on the other.
Grizzly Bear Track Dimensions:
- Front: 7-13.5” Long x 5-8.75” Wide
- Rear: 8.25-14” Long x 4.5-8.5” Wide
- The claws on the front foot are longer, usually at least 1.5 times the length of the toes. The arc or the pad is much flatter and the toes are more inline compared to the black bear. The rear foot is human like, and the front pad is also wedge shaped.
If you are going to find yourself pursing black bears in grizzly country I would suggest studying on the differences between the two species. Many of the Fish and Game departments have some online resources to use as a practice, a search for bear identification tests usually will produce some good results. I am fond of Montana’s program, which can be found here: https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/education/bear-identification.
Check out our training calendar for upcoming classes. I still have a few opening slots for Monday’s Intro to Tracking class.
-Joe
Outpost 95 