The King of the Khutzeymateen – Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Reacher, the single largest grizzly bear I have ever seen. Stay tuned for more photos of this reverse-mohawk giant that we guessed was 10+ feet tall (the sedge grass where he’s standing is almost 2 feet tall) and might weigh close to a 1,000 lbs after a good salmon/berry year.
Named after the 6’5″ 250 lb tv character, Jack Reacher. We considered Arnold, Mr T, the Hulk and a host of other names, but given this gigantic bear’s overwhelming presence, we opted for Reacher.
Zoom in to check him out in full. I’ll also be posting my first substack soon with a series of full-screen photos that you can zoom in on so you can truly see just how huge this grizzly bear really is. John E. Marriott Wildlife and Nature Photography
I have never seen a bear with this presence before. He looks old but not decrepit and likely has kicked some serious ass in his day. The reverse mohawk is a nice addition to his look. It helps put his intimidation stature off the scale. This is not a bear to mess with.
One of the things I remember about Doug Peacock‘s Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness is his story about a grizzly he knew in Glacier National Park. It was an old dominant foul tempered bear that actively intimidated him by destroying his camp. He took the hint and got out of Dodge. Later on, some bartender mentioned a black grizzly that was up there willing to “rip you a new asshole.” The bear in the picture sure has that vibe.