While nobody could say for sure without being able to see the ears, face shape, and claws, I am seeing the distinct shoulder hump of a grizzly.
The Photo was taken in the San Juan’s of Southwestern Colorado, not far from where the Last confirmed Grizzly was killed in 1979 by a Hunting Guide by the name of Ed Wiseman. So I would say that there is a chance that it’s a grizzly in this photo . The body shape, size , hump and location- high up in a mountain meadow where grizzly bears tend to roam in the summer months. Now what would prove that it’s without a doubt a grizzly , clearer pic of it with its head more at a level spot , so as to see the pronounced hump, the long white claws and a dish shaped face, would all be better indicators of whether this bear is a grizzly. The Wiseman bear was a female , who most likely had Cubs. So those Cubs offspring, could possibly be barely hanging on in that area of the San Juan’s. It’s all up for debate. There is evidence that there were legitimate Grizzly sightings up into the late 90s in that area. A Book called the Lost Grizzlies follows the search for remaining Grizzly in the San Juan’s. They found scat, large Dig sights and large prints .
I don't see how it's possible. Look at various remnant populations of bears in Europe, even those with only a handful of individuals, those bears are encountered... often.
You and @Dinkshooter have been hunting together recently...Colorado grizzly bear and bigfoot sightings are equally frequent and equally credible.
Maybe I'm way off base, but aren't a ridiculously high portion of the Cabinet-Yaak bears "named" and ID'd? MFWP knows of most of the grizzlies?
And bears that start colonizing new habitat in Montana are almost immediately spotted or they get into trouble. It’s big news as soon as a bear is seen in the Big Hole or the Little Belts, and it’s a full time job keeping bears on the prairie out of trouble. And all this is happening in parts of the state with a lot less people than anywhere in Colorado.
I like when the AGFC guy said the vast majority of sightings are just house cats lol.
