“I Don’t Chase, I Attract”- Alaskan Brown Bear Sits In River & Patiently Waits To Catch Salmon

This feels like it should be a scene from a Samurai movie where the master is teaching his apprentice the importance of patience.

It’s always fascinating to see how various animals in nature hunt for their food. Some use aggressive tactics, while others use patience and let their prey walk right into a trap. But no matter which approach wild animals choose to take, it’s always special when you are able to witness it in person.

One Alaskan wildlife photographer captured a rare moment of a brown bear sitting in a stream with salmon jumping around him.

According to the National Park Service, brown bears will use a few different fishing techniques when hunting in a stream. Bears often learn these techniques from their mothers, and while some will venture out and try new ways to fish, most of the time, bears will stick to the best method for them, hardly straying away. Different ways bears fish, including snorkeling; this is where bears go underwater looking for fish, often in the fall when salmon are dying, making for an easy dinner. Other techniques include diving, pirating, begging, and a sit-and-wait/stand-and-wait strategy.

The bear in this video utilizes the sit-and-wait technique, which requires patience but minimal energy. The bear is sitting in a rushing stream with salmon jumping all around him, but the bear is not taking his eyes off the portion of the water right in front of him and is not distracted by the movement around him. With this way of hunting, bears will sit and wait until they feel a fish near them and will either pin the fish with their paws or bite the fish as they jump in front of their face.

Because this way of hunting requires a lot of stillness, bears that hunt like this are considered dominant as they rule the stream while hunting.

The moment captured by the photographer is beautiful, even though there is little action in the short clip. The bear sits in solitary and practices the law of attraction, hoping a salmon will jump right in front of it. This bear is working smarter and not harder.

@whiskeyriff Waiting for the salmon to come to him. 🐻 // 🎥: @KAR Photography #whiskeyriff #riffoutdoors #hunting #brownbear ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff

Check out some of the original comments on the video where viewers were in awe of the moment.

“He’s using the law of attraction.”

“Bear: if they wanted to, they would…and they did.”

“Sometimes you just need a soak.”

“I don’t chase, I attract.”

“I, too, want a jacuzzi and fresh sushi.”

“This is me as a bear.”

“Looks like me at a buffet.”

“That’s why they call it fishing, not catching.”

If you want to see how they catch fish with this hunting style, check out this super neat BBC Earth video.