Wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson is used to finding grizzlies above the treeline in late summer, flipping over rocks for army cutworm moths. But a by-noon count of 47 grizzlies in a single day in the Absaroka Mountains still stunned him.
Cowboy State Daily reported that Anderson said the sighting happened last August in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and was later featured on his Endless Venture YouTube channel. The bears were gathered far above timberline, where migrating army cutworm moths bed down beneath rocks at 11,000 feet and higher.
It is a seasonal buffet for grizzlies. The bears travel up from lower country and spend hours turning over rocks to eat the moths as they prepare for winter hibernation. Anderson said the insects provide dense calories and protein when bears are trying to pack on pounds for hibernation.
"That even broke my all-time record, which included one day in Alaska at one of the hottest salmon streams when I saw 46 bears in one day," he said.
Anderson also joked that the attraction makes sense because he has tried the moths himself. "It sounds disgusting, but they're actually really good," he said. "They taste like honey-roasted peanuts."
The sighting could be another sign that more grizzlies are converging in alpine areas to take advantage of this food source. Anderson said he has watched the number of bears feeding above timberline steadily climb over the years — from single digits to the teens, then the 20s, and now well beyond that.
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That does not necessarily mean the grizzly population has surpassed official estimates of about 1,000 bears in the Yellowstone region. Anderson said it may also reflect changing bear behavior, especially as food sources shift.
He noted that grizzlies once relied heavily on whitebark pine nuts, but he now sees fewer bears in some of those former feeding areas. Some may be moving upslope instead, following the moths. He also said that on the day of the Absaroka sighting, he saw numerous females with cubs, which raised the overall count.
As more people head into bear country — including many with little experience — the odds of dangerous encounters can rise.
Anderson said decisions about grizzly management, including whether they should be delisted or hunted, should rest on "objective science" rather than "emotion and politics." He also questioned whether hunting would actually make bears avoid humans more.
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He said people heading into the backcountry should be prepared and give bears space, especially in places where grizzlies are feeding above timberline and may feel threatened if people get too close.
Anderson said many people still venture into bear habitat without easy access to protection. Some don't carry bear spray or a firearm at all. Others keep bear spray strapped to a backpack behind them, where it may be useless in a split-second encounter.
Anderson said some people have even stopped him to ask how to use the bear spray they were carrying. Preparation can't wait until the moment a bear appears.
"They're afraid of people and they think we're a threat, so they're going to go over and try to eliminate that threat," Anderson said. "Grizzly bears are not attacking people to hunt them down and eat them."
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