Here’s something you don’t see everyday. Bear prints in desert sand. Just look at the detail! You can actually see the creases in the back foot. Based on the many, many prints we saw, this was a mama bear and at least one cub. I’m definitely no expert in tracking, but to me, the prints looked pretty fresh.
I believe these were the baby prints. Compared to a size 8 shoe, they’re just itty bitty. The adult prints were a little bigger, but not a whole lot.
I’ve seen a bunch of grizzly bear prints, but these are the first black bear prints I’ve ever seen. Upon finding the first one, I thought “aww, a baby bear print.” Then I spotted the baby prints and realized that the first ones I saw were actually adult prints. Finding them at all was pretty unexpected since when I think of bears, I think of mountains and forests. Although, these were found during hunting season so I don’t blame them for coming down off the mountain.