The following images are all taken by Walter Conibear, the Grade 7 teacher at Elkford Elementary.
Please scroll for grizzly bear, black bear, elk, moose, sheep and goat.
There is a large variety of wildlife in this region and most of it has either been into the Outdoor Ed camp or has and can be seen from the main camp. Within Elkford there are a variety of wild animals that actually winter within the town limits. Mule deer browse throughout the winter on the ornamental species planted in yards and moose will lie down in the yards for rest periods. The deer have become aggressive towards any loose dogs and will chase them with delight. Cougar create problems when they come to town and choose cats and/or dogs for their dinner.
During the spring, summer and fall other critters are within the town. Grizzly bears come through town scrounging for food as well as black bears. You can read more about bears under stories
Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos horibilus)*
I captured the three grizzlies shown in the picture with my video camera from about 100 yds. The bear on it's hind legs is the female and the others are her two year old (nearly mature) cubs. There were actually four grizzlies present. The fourth was a large silvertip (boar) that had an amorous interest in the sow. The three of us hiking that day, watched with intense interest for about 20 minutes as the four bears maneuvered around the large clearing. The sow always kept herself between the boar and the cubs. If you look closely you can see the large white claws on the sow.
On the hike out of the area we came across a mature black bear feeding on the trail. We observed him until the wind changed. Earlier that day we had also spotted sheep and goats.
This trip was a preliminary trip into the Outdoor Education camp area to check on snow and wildlife conditions.
Grizzlies have played a prominent role in the cultural history of North America and for many people the grizzly bear is synonymous with wilderness.
These animals can reach 500kg (1100#) and have a tail to nose length of 1.8 m (6 ft). Average sizes are 270-360 kg (590#- 790#). Some of the largest have been recorded at 680 kg (1497#) and 2.7m (8.8ft).
The long, outer guard hairs are often tipped with white, silver (silver tip), or cream giving the grizzled appearance its name denotes. Coat colour can be various shades of blond, brown, black or a combination of these.
Colour is not a good characteristic for distinguishing between black and grizzly bears. The grizzly has a large hump over the front shoulders. This hump is a muscle mass used to power forelimbs in digging. Grizzlies have a large rounded head with a concave facial profile. The small rounded, furred ears are set well apart on the head in contrast to its narrowly set eyes. The claws of a grizzly are long and generally lighter in colour than a black bear.
In spite of their large size grizzlies can run at speeds up to 55 km/hr (35 mph) over most terrain.
Here is a a sow black bear with her cubs. The picture is from my video camera and was taken from the drivers side window. I was taking a drive about the country in August, to visit the local warm sulphur springs, and these bear were feeding along the road. They stayed in sight for a couple of minutes and were the highlight of the trip for the people with me.
Mountain Goat (Oreamus americanus americanus)
The herd of goats shown here were seen about 2 hours before we approached them. Previous to getting close we had seen them from across a high alpine bowl as we hiked the rim. The herd had been scattered around the bowl, feeding and relaxing, but upon first sight of us bolted to a higher grass covered ridge. We approached the herd from above with no apparent alarm. They were all bedded down and watched as we approached. One of the people with me approached to within 20 feet of the herd before they dashed over the top of the cliff to rattle across the cliff face.
Before approaching the goats we had been watching 7 mature Rocky Mountian Bighorn Sheep, various ewes and lambs and many elk in the different mountain meadows.
Present distribution of the mountain goat, including several introduced herds in the United States, covers parts of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Oregon; and in Canada, Alberta, Yukon Territory and British Columbia. B.C.'s population is by far the largest of any of the states or provinces. The Elk River Valley and adjoining areas are host to the highest populations in B.C.
The mountain goat may be best described as a goat-antelope, for he is not a true goat, in fact his closest relative is the chamois of the Alps. In appearance it is a blunt, squarish-looking animal with a rather short body and humped shoulders. The narrow head has a black muzzle, sharp pointed ears and a double beard of long hair on the chin and throat. The white coat has a soft, woolly, three to four inches thick undercoat. Long coarse guard hairs, up to seven inches long, form heavy mats over the shoulders and hips giving a humped appearance. The coat grows to within eight inches of each hoof, where it abruptly stops, giving the appearance of a goat wearing pantaloons.
The slender, black shiny horns rise in a smooth backward curve to a length of 10 to 12 inches. Horns are not shed and develop annual growth rings which indicate the age of the animal.
Black cloven-hooves also give accent to the white coat and are equipped with cushioned skid-proof pads for grip and traction on steep rocky terrain.
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
In the picture you see an immature bighorn ram among other members of the herd. I videoed these animals on an early spring hike in 1996 along the Continental Divide. We had been climbing the ridges on snowshoes and were about to begin our descent when a single, mature ram appeared below. As we watched him break trail through the deep snow, to reach rock outcroppings, he was joined by 7 other rams. Immediately above them appeared the herd of ewes, yearlings and the young ram which is in the picture. To get the video I had to remove my snowshoes and climb a short rock face. I was unnoticed as I peeked over the rocks to the sheep above me. To finish my climb, after videoing, I had to extract my toes from the small notch I had jammed them into for balance and emerge in full view of the herd. They could have cared less.
My partner and I had been climbing and hiking for several hours, were tired, hungry, and began a fire. As we were warming up and relaxing, the herd of sheep grazed down to within 20 yards of us. A herd of 14 elk were grazing on the slopes below us. Earlier in the day we had watched a cow and calf moose browsing in heavy alder.
Fully mature Rocky Mountain bighorn rams stand about 40 inches at the shoulder and weigh up to 300 pounds. Horns of the sheep measure up to 49 inches in length and 18 inches in circumference at the base. They normally form a tight curl close to the face and are often blunt or "broomed" at the ends. The front hoofs of the mountain sheep are slightly larger than the hind, but both leave a print which is almost rectangular. A hard rim around the outer edge of each hoof surrounds a softer, concave area in the middle, giving excellent traction on rocky terrain.
Elk populations in the Elk River Valley are high. It is seldom that a person goes on a hike without spotting some. Their habitat in the summer is usually high on the open slopes where the wind keeps down the insect populations and the snow banks last longest for that cooling effect.
The elk seen in the picture was videoed in July of 1996. The antlers had been growing since about April. It is unusual to see antlers like this with only one brow tine. To get the picture I had to climb above the bedded herd, over a large summer cornice and crawl for nearly 50 yards downhill on my stomach. There was a small alpine fir about 3 feet high between us. As I was nearing the bull, one of the cows that was with him spotted me and got up. I videoed her also but she was so close her body would not fit into the viewfinder. The bull finally noticed me and got up to investigate. Because I was on my stomach and the wind was blowing to me, he did not know what I was, and kept moving closer. It was an exciting event.
The bull and cow in this picture were very relaxed with our presence. We were returning from 2 hours in the bush when we rounded a corner and found these two staring at us. My wife videoed them for a long time, even approaching closer until the cow sauntered off. The bull remained for a few minutes more then slowly followed the cow into the heavy timber.
A bull moose in full spread of antlers is the most imposing beast in North America. It stands higher at the shoulder than the largest saddle horse and can weigh up to 1800 pounds.
Moose are a recent migrant to the area(over the last 100 years), and have slowly drifted in from the north and across the Continental Divide from Alberta. Activities of early settlers and miners in cutting and burning the dense forests which were present changed the face of the land. Huge areas, once heavily forested, were opened up. Food suitable for moose then appeared and moose moved in. It is interesting to note that the Indians of the Caribou, Chilcotin and other parts of the Interior had no word for moose in their native tongues.
There is a healthy population in our area now and sightings are frequent.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at
* Information on wildlife gathered from Canadian Wildlife Service publications Who'sWho , from B.C. Ministry of Environment publications through the B.C. Wildlife Branch and from personal experience of the owner operator of Rocky Mountain Wilderness Hiking Excursions.
Back to HOME PAGE