Victoria port best way to see land wildlife- bears wolves moose (not sea/whales)

[mashisback]

Hi, we are in port tomorrow in victoria bc. What would be a good way to have a chance to see wildlife like bears in the wild?

 

We have seen multiple whales so that isnt what we are looking for. Just would like the chance to encounter a bear or moose or something. 

 

I am aware of risks involved and aware best things to do if i do see them 

 

Thank you

[martincath]

As a port stop? While there are occasional bear and cougar sightings in the greater Victoria area, these are opportunistic food seeking animals raiding suburban gardens, bins, and eating the odd pet - not an established population, very random sightings (except near garbage dumps, which definitely do attract black bears but are not exactly the kind of places tour guides take people, loud and stinky and full of big machines and dangerous footing!) so there's no bear tourism near Victoria.

 

Even on a very long port stop, with a private guide or a rental car to Port Campbell (the closest spot I can think of with any bear tours - almost a 4 hour drive each way!) it's just not practical unless you hopped right on a floatplane in Victoria harbour; but unless you chartered the plane for both legs and also paid for a private tour I just don't think you could possibly manage a same-day bear tour even by flying

 

Spend a few days on the island though, get much further north and/or west, and you would have as close to a guarantee as is possible of seeing wolves and cougars (highest density population of the latter in the world is in northern Van Island, and a pack of wolves has been stalking the beaches near Tofino so long that warnings are in place about not taking your dogs there). There's also bear watching trips (black) around Tofino so it's a solid spot for all the possible 'big hits' of the local animal world.

 

As to Moose - zip, zero, nada, they're inland beasties. Craptons of deer, some of which raid suburban gardens, but no caribou or moose anywhere on the Island, let alone near Vic.

[mashisback]

 

31 minutes ago, martincath said:

As a port stop? While there are occasional bear and cougar sightings in the greater Victoria area, these are opportunistic food seeking animals raiding suburban gardens, bins, and eating the odd pet - not an established population, very random sightings (except near garbage dumps, which definitely do attract black bears but are not exactly the kind of places tour guides take people, loud and stinky and full of big machines and dangerous footing!) so there's no bear tourism near Victoria.

 

Even on a very long port stop, with a private guide or a rental car to Port Campbell (the closest spot I can think of with any bear tours - almost a 4 hour drive each way!) it's just not practical unless you hopped right on a floatplane in Victoria harbour; but unless you chartered the plane for both legs and also paid for a private tour I just don't think you could possibly manage a same-day bear tour even by flying

 

Spend a few days on the island though, get much further north and/or west, and you would have as close to a guarantee as is possible of seeing wolves and cougars (highest density population of the latter in the world is in northern Van Island, and a pack of wolves has been stalking the beaches near Tofino so long that warnings are in place about not taking your dogs there). There's also bear watching trips (black) around Tofino so it's a solid spot for all the possible 'big hits' of the local animal world.

 

As to Moose - zip, zero, nada, they're inland beasties. Craptons of deer, some of which raid suburban gardens, but no caribou or moose anywhere on the Island, let alone near Vic.

Thank you, i couldnt have wished for a more complete answer