BANFF – The Boss is back.
The first sighting of grizzly bear No. 122, a.k.a., The Boss, was on Monday afternoon (April 7) – the latest recording of the patriarch of Bow Valley grizzly bears being out of the den in more than a decade.
A remote camera also picked up an image of the famed bruin, believed to be in his mid-20s, on the same day.
Dan Rafla, resource conservation officer for Banff National Park, said Bear No. 122 is definitely on the leaner side, having emerged from winter’s hibernation.
“Looking at the photographs, he’s obviously still a sizeable bear,” he said.
“He looks pretty good, but like any bear coming out of six months of being in a deep sleep without having eaten, he’s definitely on the leaner side.”
Bear No. 122 was first spotted out of the den on March 18 in 2024; March 23 in 2023; March 14 in 2022; March 29 in 2021; Feb. 28 in 2020; March 19 in 2019; March 24 in 2018; March 22 in 2017; March 5 in 2016; March 19 in 2015 and March 16 in 2014.
Rafla said he may have been out of the den earlier than April 7, but nobody had spotted him until Monday.
“He’s well into his 20s, so we don’t have a tally of every year that he’s come out of his den. We’re obviously going to take things with a grain of salt,” he said.
“Having said that, even some of the observations from the previous 10 years might have just been luck and happenstance … it could have been earlier.”
Weighing roughly 650 pounds at his best, The Boss’ reputation is well deserved as the Bow Valley’s dominant bear. He’s bred with most of the female bears in the area – and DNA has proven he has fathered many – and he has access to the best calorie-rich food sources.
While his movements vary throughout his 2,500-square-kilometre home range in Banff National Park and potentially parts of Kootenay National Park, including front country and backcountry areas, he spends the early part of the year in the busy Bow Valley.
Last year, The Boss was left bloodied and scarred on his hind and face, likely a result of a fight or two with other large male bears, perhaps his closest rival, bear No. 136, a.k.a. Split Lip, so named for his disfigured mouth.
He ventured outside the protected boundary of Banff National Park to Canmore for the first time ever on Nov. 3, 2024, looking for a last-minute easy meal before heading to the den.
Witnessed many times on his trek between Harvie Heights and Canmore, he feasted on fruit trees and mountain ash berries. In Canmore, he was spotted in residential neighbourhoods on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Nick de Ruyter, program director for Bow Valley WildSmart, said there had been rumblings and concerns that The Boss might not appear this season because he is getting up there in age and his battle-worn injuries.
“We’ll have to see this year if he ends up continuing to be the most dominant male or not. He might get contended with,” de Ruyter said.
“It’s good to see that he’s out, nonetheless, and out on the landscape and alive and well.”
In the case of No. 122, he typically travels up and down the railway tracks as an easier way to move through the snowy environment, searching for spilled grain or the carcasses of other wildlife that were struck and killed by trains over winter.
Protective measure to help wildlife
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railway typically uses a vacuum truck each spring to suck up some of the spilled grain.
A few weeks ago, Parks Canada joined CPKC staff to drive the tracks looking for carcasses between the east gate of Banff National Park and Field in Yoho National Park in British Columbia.
“CP always call us if they strike an animal, but sometimes those are missed, by no fault of anybody,” said Rafla.
“Before the bears emerge, we proactively drive on the tracks with CP looking for carcasses and removing them if we find any.”
Last year, Parks Canada implemented a no-stopping zone along a section of the Bow Valley Parkway after photographers flooded to the area when The Boss and Split Lip were both hanging out along the train tracks, less than a kilometre apart at one stage.
The federal agency has many proactive measures that can be implemented to try to keep bears and people safe during this critical time of year, including spot closures, aversive conditioning and no-stopping zones.
Rafla said it is critical to get support from locals and visitors to give bruins space and security.
“What we ask for is also participation in not only reporting if you see the bear, but not sticking around and watching or not going out and trying to find that bear,” he said.
“These bears don’t really want to see you, to be frank. They do quite well on their own. Even though they are habituated, they can get disturbed and bothered by people.
“It does create a level of stress, so it doesn’t do them any favours for crowds to be around them and watching them intently.”
For now, The Boss and other bears that will be emerging from their dens in the coming days and weeks are focused solely on finding food.
Lean and in need of nutrition, bears typically spend spring searching for food in the valley bottoms and don’t move to higher elevations until the snow disappears and vegetation greens up later in the season.
The large male grizzly bears are the first to emerge from their dens in spring, followed by females without cubs by mid- to end of April, and then females with cubs typically some time in early May.
“There’s going to be more bears in the coming weeks that will be on the landscape,” said Rafla.
WildSmart’s de Ruyter said he is not aware of any bear reports yet around Canmore or in Kananaskis Country.
“It’s been a fairly mild spring, but even though we haven’t maybe seen them, it doesn’t mean they’re not there,” he said.
Important to be aware of wildlife
Spring is the time of year when residents and visitors are also encouraged to brush up on bear skills.
“The main thing is this time of year is we’re all going to be sharing the valley bottoms because there’s snow up high and the only available food for bears is in the valley bottoms, which is where we are, where we’re hiking, biking, camping,” said de Ruyter.
“We’re all cramped together in a finite small space in the valley bottom, so we just really need to be aware and know that there’s an increased chance of wildlife encounters.
“No matter what kind of bear it is, they’re going to be hungry, looking for food, and the key thing is we do not want to give them any kind of food reward or reason to come into town or linger in town or linger in campgrounds or day-use areas,” added de Ruyter.
“Managing attractants is really important. Don’t leave food and garbage out, don’t leave anything in the backyard, whether it be pet food, garbage, compost, greasy barbecues. We just don’t want to tempt bears and bring them into town and get them into trouble.”
Out on the trails, it is important to make lots of noise so as not to surprise bears.
With their heads down focused on finding food, bears may not hear people approaching if there are running creeks and rivers or wind or thick vegetation.
“The bears around here are aware of the human voice and we have lots of evidence that bears will move out of the way or off the trail if they can hear people,” said Rafla.
While it is best to carry bear spray throughout the year to use on other animals if needed, Rafla said he highly recommends carrying it and knowing how to use it now that bears are out.
“Make sure that it's accessible,” he said. “It can’t be overstated that if you need it, you need it right away.”
In addition, it is the law in Banff National Park, and neighbouring Kananaskis Country, to have dogs on leash at all times.
“That’s about not waiting for an incident to happen, but avoiding it altogether, and that’s the heart of coexistence,” said Rafla.
Hikers are urged to travel in groups and to stick to official trails.
“Although it’s not unlawful to travel off trail, it is difficult now because there’s still a fair bit of snow, but that’s where bears may be,” said Rafla.
“There's also the chance of just pushing them off areas, which is where they’re trying to secure some food and food is very minimal right now on the landscape," he added.
“These bears are essentially using their fat reserves they put on from last season. They’re looking for winter kill … in fact, maybe sometimes those bigger males are pushing cougars or wolves off their kills.”
Ungulates like deer and elk are also concentrated in the valley bottoms right now because there is still a lot of snow at higher elevations.
“So too are the bears, so too are other carnivores, so we’re having basically a higher concentration of animals down below,” said Rafla.
“It’s also where people may be if they're out for a hike on a beautiful day or a bike ride. So that’s something to keep in mind as well.”
Parks Canada asks residents and visitors to check the Banff National Park website for information on closures and to report any carnivore sightings, including bears, cougars and wolves, to Banff dispatch at 403-762-1470.
