This is the mating season for grizzly bears. That is the reason solitary boars have been seen frequenting areas usually occupied by sows and cubs. Until now the mating season has been an abstract concept for me, since I had no personal observations of this bear behavior to draw upon.
That changed two days ago, when by a stroke of luck, we were able to observe two grizzly bears courting and mating on Togwotee Pass.
I was impressed by the degree of tenderness that they displayed towards each other…
Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether the boar or the sow was initiating the activities…
I have to admit that I was concerned for the welfare of the bears when they moved to a busy highway to pursue their romance…
Needless to say, traffic was stopped in both directions as the bears mated in the road…
Afterwards, the sow crossed the road several times with no regard for the danger of oncoming traffic…
The boar, on the other hand, retreated to the woods and a cooling patch of snow…
The sow pursued him and appeared a bit miffed when she could not re-kindle his interest…
She then found her own spot to cool her passions…
The sow was last seen climbing a hill, perhaps in search of another suitor…
The boar was left wondering what had become of her…
Thanks for visiting, be well, and come back soon.
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