Residents of Harvie Heights were shocked last weekend when the Bow Valley’s most famous bear, a.k.a. “Boss” or 122 Bear, came looking for crab apples.

It was near the home of nature photographer Jason Leo Bantle, who ran art galleries dedicated to wildlife photography in Canmore and Banff; but Bantle admitted in an interview with CTV News on Friday that he missed the entire gorgeous photo shoot.

“He passed by my house in Harvie Heights; I’m a professional nature photographer and biologist,” Bantle said. “(But) it was the middle of the day! I wasn’t home!”

That night, Bantle saw the news on his social media feed and was quite upset.

Luckily Bantle had a nose that liked these Boss crab apples and he reappeared the next day; but noticed that the tree was gone.

It looks like Bantle’s neighbor had a tough choice to make after the surprise visit.

“On the Sunday night after her visit, it was a tough decision for her; she had planted the tree with her husband 40 years ago – but she cut down the tree,” Bantle said, “(and then she) cleaned up all the berries on the ground and everything, and when she came back the next day she found them unattractive.” He made sure.”

This did not deter the Boss, who scoured the area, including climbing some difficult areas and searching for food.

Boss was looking for crab apples to stuff before hibernating

“He was persistent; he stared at his garden for an hour, like it was a very unique place,” Bantle said, and he was able to capture a video of the visit.

“The residents and I sat in the safety of our vehicle and enjoyed this great wound; he is such a nice guy,” Bantle said.

Harvie Heights is a village located between Canmore and Banff, but Bantle said it’s pretty rare for bears to wander into the town. That’s even rarer for Bear 122, who is thought to be in his mid-20s, roughly the maximum life expectancy for bears, he said.

Boss forages for food in Harvie Heights on Monday, November 4, 2024 (Photo: Jason Leo Bantle)

“He’s a pretty unique bear,” Bantle said. “There’s a lot of history in the Banff area. He weighs 600 pounds, he used to wear a radio collar, but now his neck is so big they don’t know his exact location, but he would wander very long distances – and those distances showed that, especially in the spring, he would go up and down the valleys looking for girlfriends.

Photographer Jason Leo Bantle recently encountered Bear 122, also known as The Boss.

“Because he is our patriarch,” he added. “He is the father of more than 50 percent of the puppies in the valley.

“So he’s a pretty busy kid in the spring.”

Volume creation

Bantle said The Boss probably built up his muscle mass before returning to Banff for a nap during the winter months.

“In hyperphasia, that’s where they want to eat as much as they can just to recover,” he said.

Bantle, who has a master’s degree in biology studying carnivores, says it’s important to respect the need to allow wild animals to survive in nature separate from humans, and that people in the Bow Valley are generally respectful of wildlife.

“We need to understand, there are only 65 grizzly bears left in Banff National Park,” he said. “That’s not a huge number compared to historical (numbers) – and every bear is very important, so being aware, being safe in bear areas, being safe in areas where there are bears, Be smart – there are so many things we can do when we’re out in the wild – and a nature “And as a conservation advocate, it is very important for me to spread the word about these magnificent creatures.”