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The Predator Ring of a Grizzly Can Awaken Even Dull Senses
Lessons learned in Bush Alaska
It was the silence that first got my attention.
The tundra of bush Alaska has moments of silence, but this silence was profound. Minutes before, ptarmigans had been cooing, insects swirling, and the usual background symphony was humming. Now, even the soft breeze was silent.
It seemed as if all of creation was holding its breath.
Then I noticed the hair on my arms was standing up, and I felt the hair at the back of my neck tingle.
My subconscious was screaming at me to wake up and pay attention. What were my senses picking up that my subconscious knew about and was trying to tip me off?
It was in the tracks, of course. I had been tracking moose for two hunters following behind, and I should have studied nearby grizzly tracks more closely.
I noted that the tundra moss in the grizzly’s pawprints had been bent and was now beginning to straighten. That meant the bear had tromped through this part of the land moments before. Not minutes. Moments.
The tracks led down a slope to a ravine lined with scrub willow and brush, the perfect cover for a predator lying in wait.