“Grizzly Confidential: An Astounding Journey into the Secret Life of North America’s Most Fearsome Predator” by Kevin Grange

c.2024, Harper Horizon, $29.99, 288 pages

You never went anywhere without him.

Your teddy bear was both cuddler and comforter, he dried your tears, slept with you, had his own place at the table and through the years, he put up with being dragged, thrown, slobbered on, and scapegoated. He was your constant companion and you loved him literally to tatters, so read “Grizzly Confidential” by Kevin Grange. The Ursus arctos horribilis inside it ain’t your childhood best friend.

As a boy, Kevin Grange loved the outdoors.

In addition to being a young, avid Field & Stream reader, one of his best-loved gifts back then was a book on tracking animals, and he spent much of his spare time in the woods near his home, book in hand. He was particularly interested in studying the information about bear tracks, the curve of their claws, and the shapes of their toes. 

That fascination grew to a healthy respect and a lingering fear of bears that Grange carried with him to his job as a paramedic in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Yosemite parks. In his work, a bear encounter could happen at any time. What would he do?

He was a writer, right? So, he’d write a book about it, that’s what. And in the meantime, he’d face his fears about bears, particularly the fiercest bear, the one with the worst, most dangerous reputation.

The first thing he learned was that there are many myths about grizzlies that aren’t true. 

They’re not all killers; in fact, experts say grizzlies are not even the most dangerous bears on earth. Their sense of smell is hundreds of times better than yours. If you know what to look for, a bear will tell you what it’s thinking and feeling. Grizzlies are curious, highly intelligent, trainable, and wildlife biologists love studying them – and hunting them, as Grange discovered, can be a good thing, if it’s done legally and correctly, management-wise. And though they’re known to be fierce and sometimes dangerous, the one thing a half-ton grizzly fears is about two feet tall and weighs 60 pounds.

Fat Bear Week is coming, and you’re not quite prepared. You’ve checked out the competition, you know your favorite, all you need now is “Grizzly Confidential.”

Never mind that its subject has scared you in the movies, charmed you on TV, and made you super-alert on your hiking forays – Grange goes even deeper as he takes readers on a journey of discovery with wildlife experts and managers, scientists, outdoorsmen, and folks who live and deal with bears near their homes. This can be thrilling, but it’s also cautionary if you’ve been thinking about a fall-leaf-viewing hike – which means that this book can be lifesaving and awe-inspiring, too.

Readers with a respect for bears will appreciate Grange’s fear and his willingness to explore it; readers who don’t know much about grizzlies except what Hollywood has taught them are about to have their eyes opened wide by an enthusiastic, inquisitive, easy-to-enjoy read. “Grizzly Confidential” is a great book to cuddle up with.