Earlier this month, the USFWS announced that after 41 years of Endangered Species Act protection, the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Area has recovered, prompting it to delist the iconic species and turn over its management to the states.
A lifetime in the backcountry of the Last Frontier has provided the author with some front-row views to what it takes to stand your ground against a bear that may or may not be bent on harm.