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Jason Leo Bantle has witnessed Banff\u2019s grizzly bear hierarchy firsthand.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been documenting bear No. 122 \u2014 better known as The Boss \u2014 for a decade now, during which he\u2019s watched the notorious grizzly firmly establish himself as the Bow Valley\u2019s most infamous bruin.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy experience with The Boss overall, over these 10 years, has been a bear that has gotten more comfortable with humans, more comfortable in his landscape and the abilities to navigate situations that are quite complex,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Boss is believed to be in his mid-to-late twenties, making him quite old by wild grizzly bear standards. He\u2019s been estimated to weigh somewhere between 650 and 700 pounds.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763308208_163_default.jpg\")
Bear No. 122, or The Boss, pictured feeding on berries in October 2025. (Jason Leo Bantle)<\/p>\n
As far as Bow Valley bears go, he\u2019s got an impressive resum\u00e9, which includes surviving getting struck by a train<\/a> and shutting down a popular Banff trail when he was observed eating a black bear<\/a> there.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a home range of over 2,500 square kilometres,\u201d Bantle said. \u201cThis bear has a story and, well, he’s a grandfather now. Could you imagine? He could sit down with his grandkids and have conversations that would just be awe-inspiring for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n But while The Boss is still on top of the Bow Valley bear hierarchy, he\u2019s got competition \u2014 largely in the form of bear No. 136<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSplit Lip is now in The Boss’s territory,\u201d Bantle said. \u201cSeeing Split Lip two or three years ago was a rare occurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n Bantle recalls encountering Split Lip last month, only a few days after seeing The Boss nearby. He said sightings of Split Lip have been happening more frequently in the Bow Valley in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cMyself and other people are having a lot more experiences with Split Lip in areas where The Boss was typically only seen,\u201d Bantle said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s indicative that Split Lip is moving in on The Boss’s territory, and The Boss is having dominance fights with Split Lip, and those dominance fights maybe are sometimes going in Split Lip\u2019s favour now.\u201d<\/p>\n WATCH | Showdown between The Boss, Split Lip caught on camera: A battle between Banff’s biggest, baddest bears<\/p>\n It’s a wildlife photographer’s dream to see a showdown between two of Banff’s most notorious grizzlies (from a safe distance, of course!).<\/p>\n Bantle said recent facial scars he\u2019s seen on The Boss are a sign that he\u2019s been facing competition.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these other bears are taking chances, or think that they can beat The Boss and they’re willing to fight with The Boss, and his defence is not as strong,\u201d Bantle said.<\/p>\n If The Boss begins to avoid fights he feels he’s less likely to win, and starts to surrender territory, it could signal to female bears that he\u2019s no longer the best choice to mate with, Bantle said \u2014 and that would make it hard for him to remain the Bow Valley\u2019s top bruin.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he will slowly stay in his territory, but he will not have all the luxuries that he’s had up to this point in time, of being that dominant bear,\u201d Bantle said.<\/p>\n Bears continue to be seen ahead of hibernation<\/p>\n Bantle\u2019s recent photos of Split Lip on a snow-covered landscape are a reminder that some bears haven\u2019t gone into hibernation yet.<\/p>\n Nick de Ruyter, program director of the BioSphere Institute’s WildSmart program, said while it’s hibernation season for most bears in the Bow Valley, some stay active and awake well into the winter months<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bear activity at this time of year depends on environmental factors, including weather, temperature and food availability.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on how good of a berry crop we had this summer, I think that a lot of the bears will be going into their dens fat and happy and healthy,\u201d de Ruyter said.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763308208_39_default.jpg\")
Bear No. 136, or Split Lip, pictured feeding on berries in Banff National Park in October 2025. (Jason Leo Bantle)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763308209_221_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763308209_664_default.jpg\")
The Boss in October 2025. Photographer Jason Leo Bantle says the scars visible under the bear’s eye are recent. (Jason Leo Bantle)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763308209_322_default.jpg\")
Split Lip makes his way through the snow in Banff National Park on October 2025. (Jason Leo Bantle)<\/p>\n