Ron.C
WKR
Have friends that hunt Alberta and see colour phase bears there. Personally, I've seen 4, all in south east BC between Radium and Cranbrook.
One was in 2012, a beautiful light brown colour phase black bear. It was an absolute beautiful mature bear and if I were not on a spring Grizzly hunt at the time (when that was a thing here), I would have taken him without hesitation.
The other three (way back in 2008) were in Sept archery elk hunting. Was a brownish sow with 2 light brown yearling cubs, and a interestingly a third cub that was black. The sow with cubs was in an area about 150 km south of where I saw the larger lone bear on the griz hunt.
Here on Vancouver Island our bears are usually jet black sometimes with a white blaze on the chest. Even their muzzles are black compared to the mainland bears that that often have a brownish muzzle.
On some part of Vancouver Island and the coast, there are a few white or blue (Glacier) colour phases of the Black Bear. These bears are protected and it is against the law to shoot them.
One was in 2012, a beautiful light brown colour phase black bear. It was an absolute beautiful mature bear and if I were not on a spring Grizzly hunt at the time (when that was a thing here), I would have taken him without hesitation.
The other three (way back in 2008) were in Sept archery elk hunting. Was a brownish sow with 2 light brown yearling cubs, and a interestingly a third cub that was black. The sow with cubs was in an area about 150 km south of where I saw the larger lone bear on the griz hunt.
Here on Vancouver Island our bears are usually jet black sometimes with a white blaze on the chest. Even their muzzles are black compared to the mainland bears that that often have a brownish muzzle.
On some part of Vancouver Island and the coast, there are a few white or blue (Glacier) colour phases of the Black Bear. These bears are protected and it is against the law to shoot them.