The large, cinnamon-colored bear that many locals and visitors have golfed with at Sierra Star in Mammoth Lakes over the years was found dead on Sept. 21 near a home on Rusty Lane. Local Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles stated that the cause of death is unknown at this time, but he was able to rule out a traffic collision. 

The male bear, weighing at least 500 pounds according to Searles was the largest bear in Mammoth (he head was 15” from ear to ear), and quite possibly the most mellow. Searles is unsure of his exact age because he only knew the gentle giant as an adult. “He was the greatest example of how well bears can co-exist with people,” Searles said. “The only call I ever received on this bear was from some golfers who were simply intimidated by his size.” 

The bear, which Searles never officially named because he stayed out of trouble, was commonly seen on holes 6 and 8 at Sierra Star. 

“He was a magnificent bear with zero attitude,” Searles said.

Recently, Mammoth enjoyed its 16th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza, organized by Mammoth Brewing Company. The event is held at an outdoor, wooded venue known as Sam's Wood Site, and draws more than 5,000 people. It's a busy time for Steve who stays alert and on call throughout the entire weekend in case the bears get wooed to the event site by the possibility of a free snack or a taste of beer.

The event kicked off on Friday, Aug. 5 and the headliner for that evening was the harmonic Blues Traveler. Shortly after the Blues Traveler bus had arrived onsite (they had been broken down for five hours on the drive to Mammoth), Steve received a 911 call for a sow and her clubs that had wandered too close to the event. The group of bears had become frightened, and were clinging to a tree, unable to climb down because of the gaggle of onlookers.

Steve arrived on scene and talked to the crowd, gave them stickers and let them get photos of the bears. He then asked the crowd to dissipate so that the bears could come down and head back out into the woods. The crowd obliged, but what happened next was something that even Steve (who has been in some pretty unexpected situations) would never have guessed would occur. As the bears came down the tree, John Popper and the rest of the Blues Traveler gang came out of their bus to watch.

"Popper was staring at the bears and then he turned and looked at me and said, 'I've seen you on T.V.'," Steve said of the surreal experience. "I've seen you on T.V.," Steve replied to the rocker.

Popper wanted to give Steve a harmonica, his trademark instrument, but Steve knew the group was tired and told them to go get some rest and he would get the harmonica later.

That evening, Popper took the stage with a Don't Feed Our Bears sticker not only on his amp, but also on his beverage cup. About three songs into the set, Popper stopped the music to talk about the Bear Whisperer.

"Steve is a badass, we all know that," Popper said. "And anyone who feeds the bears is a jerk."

"It was really cool for him to buff out the bears like that," said Steve, who had taken the stage at the beginning of the show but didn't feel like he got the message across as well as Popper. Whoever spread the word, the event did not experience any serious bear problems.

Photo Credit: Tiffany Henschel

John Popper gives a shout-out to Steve Searles and the bears at the 16th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza.

Looking for something to make you smile? Check out this footage of a momma bear and her frolicking cubs recently gathered by Steve. Now that summer has truly arrived in Mammoth, Steve gets to witness scenes like this one nearly every day. It's the fun part of being The Bear Whisperer.

The Bear Whisperer can now check award winner off its list. Recently, the two-hour premiere from 2010 was recognized as a 2011 Silver World Medal Winner in the New York Festivals Television and Film Awards. The awards ceremony was held in Las Vegas on April 12, and the show, which was entered in the Nature and Wildlife category, walked away a winner, helping to bring even more exposure to Steve and the bears.

According to the New York Festivals website, "The New York Festivals® World's Best Television & Films™ recognize the "World's Best Work™" in news, sports, documentary, information and entertainment program as well as in music videos, infomercials, promotion spots, openings and ID's. Now entering its 54th year, the total number of entries continues to grow, now representing over 35 different countries, making the NYF™ Television & Film Awards one of the most well known and widely respected competitions on the globe. In 2010, NYF™ combined both the Television Program Awards and the Film & Video Awards, thus creating one of the world's largest international competitions dedicated to both the TV and film industries. New categories mirror today's trends in world-wide program and encourage the next generation of story-tellers."