This short video was recorded last Fall (21). A large tree had come down during the year and bridged the river. I knew during the spawning season in the Fall, bears would use this tree as a bridge. So I set a camera up to record the activity.
I called this Sow “Lady” and her cub “Scamp”.
Lady wanted to scratch her back, but notice that she stopped and looked back to make sure no male bears were following her!
A male will try to kill her cub, so she was being careful.
Tofino Photography 
amazing to see Wayne🤓🙏thanks so much sharing…such a gift ~ smiles hedy ☺️
Oh My 🐻🐟 I was in Tofino – Ucalate summer of 1967 and never seen one of those ;)
Wow, you were here in 67! Thats when Tofino was still a sleepy little town! Lucky you!
Bears and other wildlife generally stay away from humans……thankfully!
The salmon were nice to us but the scary orcas kept their distance from our hired skiff ⚓
Orca’s appear scary because of their size but really are very gentle creatures.
As a rule of thumb I have found the larger an animal is the more gentle it is.
Beautiful capture, Wayne!
thank you Lynette!
What a cool video! That’s a beautiful spot-I love the colors of the trees.
thank you Bridgette! The moss makes for great colouring!
What she was rubbing against was a tree limb,which normally is turned 90 degrees!
Great video! Good thinking about the bears!
Thank you James. I got dozens of great videos from this location! Which was transient as it snapped in half a few weeks later! Almost lost the camera!
Watching this made my morning!
very happy she made your morning Anita!
What an amazing short video. Mamma bear caught in real life habit and habitat. Nice capture Wayne. Thanks for sharing.
my pleasure Marilyn and always happy to hear from you!
Thank you. So glad you are doing what you do so well. Exploring the natural wildlife in your neck of the woods and sharing your experiences. 😊
It’s been one glorious ride so far!
HI Wayne, this video is so sweet. What a great video capture.
thanks Robbie, she was a sweetie to be sure!
Great capture, Wayne 👍
Thank you Chris, watching them go about their day is always fascinating!
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
See the video and leave your comments on Wayne’s original blog post 😃
Hello, Wayne! For a moment, I thought the furry ones were back, but I reminded myself that it was still April.
they all should be up and walking about by now Noel and If you made a delicious salmon casserole, I’m sure they’d all come a running!
That bear was sure enjoying the scratch!
yes, she sure did Liz! I think she tried to grab the branch so as to rub harder but couldn’t reach it.
So that’s what that maneuver was! I wasn’t sure.
Yep,Sow’s do that all the time. They naturally know a male could be stalking them. I should give her a canister of my bear spray!
:D
A real treat, Wayne! The bears definitely like the tree, eh?
that was a tree limb she was rubbing against Doug. Because the tree fell over that limb instead of being horizontal was vertical.
Glad you enjoyed it Doug!
It always is fun watching wildlife in quiet moments.
Isn’t it Doug! The subtle’s are more apparent in silence.
exactly. That’s one happy bear rubbing against that branch!
she also tried to take a bite out of the camera. Bears do that,,they test strange things to see If it tastes good or can be eaten?
Kitties sniff things but don’t generally bite. I think you are correct about bears, though. With their appetites and need to prepare for the coming hibernation season, they need to eat it if it can be eaten!
they just want to see If it tastes good or not?
They wake up everyday with two questions on their mind…….”Can I eat It or can it eat me”?
A wise approach given some people actually kill and eat bear. Not me! Ugh!
I agree Doug,I’ve heard how it tastes…….no thank you.
I won’t eat any meat from a predator.
Sounds like a good golden rule………..besides you don’t want any of it’s friends coming around for pay back!
Yes, for certain!
Oooh, that backrub felt so good!
and who doesn’t like a good back scratch eh!
thanks for dropping in Noelle!
Those bears are my friends!
all my bear friends ask about you Annette?
They want you to read them a bedtime story next time they hibernate!
Aww. Great shot
thank you!
Wow! How near has she been to you?
not sure to be honest? I see so many bears it’s hard to keep track of them all but usually about 30 metres or so?
Loved this clip. Was so taken by the lushness of the forest. Looks like she was grabbing some moss for a treat at the end.
I think what she was trying to do Jane was to grab the limb so she could put more pressure on her scratching!
Glad you enjoyed it! I have several videos showing a bear (different bear) trying to bite the camera! You can see right inside the bears mouth!
Great captures, Wayne, Lady is a good mama bear!
Thanks Terri and you are correct, she is a good mother!
You have captured a moment of sheer ecstasy as she scratched that itch. I know just how good she felt in that moment from my own very itchy rash. Great footage Wayne.
When ya gots an itch, ya gotta scratch it!
That was a fun video!
Glad you enjoyed it Anne!
What a great video Wayne, so close, that tree is just perfect for them.
thank you Sandra! I agree, that limb was used several times as a scratching post!
Wow Wayne! You couldn’t have had a better placement for your trail cam. You must enjoy finding gems like this when you recover and view your SD card.
I’m kind of like a prospector panning for gold and yes I do get excited when I find a nugget!
Love that analogy Wayne! So glad you share your gold nuggets with us.
my pleasure Beth!
A handy-dandy scratching post to scratch that itch and luckily you picked a good spot to set up the trail camera and capture it – too bad Junior a/k/a Scamp is so short and couldn’t partake in the fun!
I’ll have to put another camera further down for my shorter furry friends!
Yes, how cute that will be with any cub learning how to scratch that itch by watching its Mama.
I bet that soft moss feels great on the back :)
Day at the Spa!
Love the ‘paw to the forehead’, thing she had going on! Some itches you just gotta scratch! :D
Yes,I thought she looked cute doing that as well!
How exciting to capure this fottage. It’s very mossy there. Do you get a lot of rain? The moss is a good sign, I believe, of clean unpolluted air.
We get around 15 feet per year. One of the reasons why the trees are so large here is because there are no forest fires due to it being damp on the forest floor!
The moss grows extensively on some of these old growth trees. This is a Sitka.
I’m happy you enjoyed the video Emma!
Adorable!
What a fantastic video. Thank you for sharing.
my pleasure Lisa!
How clever of you, Wayne, to set up the camera! This video is pure delight, my friend. I was enchanted from the first moment and then I heard myself gasp when the bear reared up and did the back rub. OMG. How fantastic. Thanks for having the forethought to do this and giving us this fun, secret look. Beautiful moss, too.
Wonderful that you enjoyed it so much Jet and thank you!
Great to hear from you again after your migration.
That was definitely a golden nugget. She is a happy camper. :)
Thanks Marsha!
Bears really enjoy a good back scratch…….just as long as they don’t ask me to do it!
She knows how to get a good scratch! Nice footage, Wayne. :-)
She sure does doesn’t she Lavinia!
Thank you for visiting!