Fat Bear Week Day 2: Battle of the big boys and the up-and-comers

Day 2 of Fat Bear Week shines a light on the biggest (literally) stars of Katmai National Park and Preserve and the also the next generation. Two sets of Brooks River behemoths duke it out, including last year’s champion, Bear #32 (Chunk). Chunk faces a tough battle against a younger bear with an innovative fishing technique and catchy name: Bucky Dent.

In the other part of the big boys bracket, we see Brooks River regular Walker and his ferocious butt face a bird-eater appropriately named Gully.

We also see a battle of up-and-coming subadults in Day 2 voting. Social and playful 694 faces Katmai Brady Bunch member 620, while two bears that overcame incredible odds, 610 and 89 (Backpack), vie for votes in the other first round fight. Scroll for a full rundown of all the bears competing in this round.

After a record-setting Day 1 that resulted in many fans being unable to vote, explore.org announced an extension of Day 1 voting to Wednesday.

Bear #32 (Chunk) vs. Bear #164 (Bucky Dent)

The champ returns. Bear #32 (Chunk) spent most of the summer … somewhere. The 2025 Fat Bear Week champion emerged from slumber early this year as he took a stroll on icy patches in April. Then he disappeared from cameras for a long stretch in the summer only to re-emerge just days before the 2026 Fat Bear Week bracket was announced.

With a memorable name and physique, Chunk has earned many online admirers, but he wasn’t always a fan favorite. In 2024, he lost the Fat Bear Week crown for the second year in a row to mama bear Grazer. The two bears had been involved in an incident in which two of Grazer’s 2024 cubs were attacked by Chunk after falling over a waterfall. Grazer put up a fight against Chunk to defend her cubs, but one cub died after the encounter. Can Chunk go back to back? We’ll see, but he has tough competition.

Bear #164 (Bucky Dent) is a 7.5-year-old adult male that is so good at catching fish, he invented a new way to find them as a young subadult bear.

Bucky first appeared in the area in 2019 and rangers do not know the identity of his parents. In 2021, he struggled to find a good fishing spot as a subadult bear with lots of competition. So to find salmon, he invented a new fishing method. He stood at the deepest plunge pool under the cascade of Brooks Falls. Here, he could catch fish that welled up from the pool below, jumping up through the air, or falling from the falls above. No other bear has used this technique. Now that Bucky Dent ranks among the largest bears, he can fish wherever he wants. 

Bucky and Bear #909 are often spotted searching for salmon together, and don’t seem to mind close fishing quarters.

Bear #151 (Walker) vs. Bear #903 (Gully)

As a subadult, Bear 151 (Walker) was a playful, chill bear. This year, things changed at the Brooks River. Walker has competed in Fat Bear Week since 2018 without ever taking home the top honors. In his early days of competing, he lost out to legends like two-time champion Grazer (2023 and 2024) and four-time champion Otis (2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021).

At the Brooks River, Walker is a regular. If Brooks River was the TV show Cheers, he’d be Norm. Rangers first identified him in 2009 as an independent 2.5 year old. As a sub-adult bear, he showed off his playful side and could be seen in light-hearted scraps with other young bears, including Bears #503 (Cubadult), #289, #32 (Chunk). He was often referred to as chill, despite his large size and general dominance on the Brooks Falls during the salmon migration.

This year, Walker emerged as a more dominant bear unafraid to defend his spot on the hierarchy. Younger males like Bears #164 (Bucky Dent) and #907 could challenge Walker as they grow to full-size and maturity, and vie for a spot atop the pecking order.

Bear #903 (Gully) is another offspring of two-time champion Grazer. This 10.5-year-old beefy boy loves to eat not just salmon but also gulls. In 2020, cameras spotted him charging into and chomping on flocks of birds, earning him the nickname Gully. His size and confidence has moved him up the hierarchy, affording him some of the best fishing spots on the Brooks River.

In early summer, he can be seen sitting like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh at the top of the Brooks Falls. Gully made his Fat Bear Week debut in 2024.

Bear #694 vs. Bear #620

Bear #694 is a social 4.5-year-old subadult male often seen hanging out with bears of a similar age. As a cub, his mother avoided taking him and his littermates to the competitive Brooks Falls to fish. As he’s gained in size, Bear 694 can now be seen poking around the falls, though he’s more likely to fish downstream in the riffles.

Bear #620 is a member of Katmai’s ‘Brady Bunch’ blended family. In 2023, Bear 620’s mother Bear #910 blended her family with her sister Bear #909’s family in an event rarely observed amongst Brown Bears. Bear 620 was raised with her cousin, Bear #690 (Bean), who won the Fat Bear Week Junior competition in 2022.

This is the first year for both bears to compete in Fat Bear Week.

Bear #610 vs. Bear #89 (Backpack)

Bear #610 is a survivor. Rangers first spotted the small mother in 2015 and due to her small size, it was thought she could be only a yearling. Most bears stay with their mothers for two to three summers before going off on their own. It’s not clear what happened to 610’s mother, but she has persevered. She’s also had to overcome injury; in 2015, she sported a large wound above her right rip, the scar of which is still visible now.

This year, she emerged with her first known litter of cubs. All summer, she kept her cubs fed and safe, a noteworthy accomplishment for a first-time mom in a fiercely competitive environment. As explore.org notes: “She is a small statured bear with a disproportionately large ability to overcome hardship.” This is her first year competing in Fat Bear Week.

Bear #89 (Backpack) is the 10.5-year-old son of Bear #435 Holly, the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion. He might have the most fun nickname on the Brooks River, which he earned because of his habit of climbing on his mother’s back when the pair navigated the water.

Like 610, Backpack has had to fight to survive. In 2027 as a yearling, he emerged in the spring with a significant leg injury that prevented him from walking properly. Rangers feared he might not survive the season. But with help from him mom, he recovered and has emerged as a consistent resident at Brooks Falls.

“Unlike many large adult male bears, Backpack hasn’t shown much aggression toward his competitors,” explore.org says of Backpack. “He’ll stand up for himself when necessary, but he prefers to use a quiet strength to gain access to preferred fishing spots.”

Voting for Fat Bear Week runs between 12-9pm EDT (9am-6pm PDT, 8am-5pm AKDT) at explore.org. Due to an overwhelming response on Day 1 that prevented many fans from casting ballots in the first round, Day 1 voting will continue to September 23. The overall winner will be crowned on Tuesday, September 29. 

If you’d like another way to support the bears, donations can be made to Katmai Conservancy’s Otis Fund. The Otis Fund is named after Bear #480 (Otis), who won four Fat Bear Week titles before his death around 2024.  All donations made between September 22 and October 3 will be matched by explore.org.