Back to Black Bears (say that ten times). It is a sheer delight when you get to spend an hour with Black Bear Cubs playing. Of course, first you must find them. As a wildlife photographer you learn where Bears live; where can you go and it won't be overcrowded with people; what time of year; and what time of day will give you the most potential for finding and photographing them. In general, mountain forests offer the best chances. However, forests don't always provide the best photo. You really want animals to be in the open, unless you are deliberately doing a book on hidden pictures. So, open fields, meadows, and tree-lines provide the best setting for photographing Bears. Spring is without exception the best time of year. Bears are just out of hibernation and looking for food ----- and there is food everywhere: nice tender new buds, blades of grass, new plants, etc. And, where is all this nice new foliage? Exactly where you want the Bear to be for the best photo: areas that get the most sun: open fields, meadows, and tree-lines. Spring is also a good time because Bears don't want to spend much energy. So, the likelihood of getting close enough to get good photographs is best in Spring. The next best time of year to find and photograph Bears is the fall. In the fall they have berries and pine nuts to eat. But, they are also looking for fat and protein; animal fat and protein. So, you must be much more cautious in the fall and must keep a further distance away. On to the Cubs. I was traveling on a back road in Jasper National Park when I came across a Sow with her two Cubs. It took about 45 minutes before the Sow was comfortable with me around. It was then that I could slowly, quietly, and carefully move about and get some photos:
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