Bears of Yellowstone National Park - Part V

On my first afternoon at Yellowstone (this trip) I came across a traffic jam. Guessing "bear" I pulled off the road immediately and started walking -- long before I saw a bear. Finally, a sow with two cubs. They were about 50 yards away, down an embankment. Trying to walk down the embankment to get closer was not a good idea (even if there weren't four Park Rangers there to escort you out of the Park). 

There are many bears in Yellowstone. Probably one of the very best places in the US for viewing bears. Because it is a National Park the bears live there in safety and are usually not threatened by people.  

My experience has been that roughly 1/2 the time you come across a bear in the wild (not Yellowstone), the bear runs away. About 1/4 of the time it walks away. In neither of those cases do I follow or track the bear. The bear has told me it doesn't want me around. I heard him. And I respect that. So that leaves 1/4 of the time for me to get a photograph as long as I don't "screw-up."

Yet, in Yellowstone, rarely does the bear run or even walk away. It continues to do exactly what it wanted.

At Yellowstone, bears are accustomed to people. A wildlife photographer who is used to and familiar with photographing bears could get safely closer than Park Rangers normally allow. However, that is just not a good idea. We need to set a good example. Because the last thing we need is to have someone unfamiliar with bear behavior get too close or do something that disturbs the bear and creates an "attack." Not good for bear or person.

Although a little further away than I would have liked, I did get a few nice photos:

Two Black Bear Cubs "Wrestling"

The Two Cubs Walking Toward Their Mom

The Mom Stands Up to Look Out Over the Field. Cubs Alongside Her.

Bears of Yellowstone National Park

Finding Bears at Yellowstone:

There are two ways of finding bears at Yellowstone National Park. Get up just before dawn and go looking for a bear ............  or get up later and go looking for a large crowd of people standing alongside a road.

After spending four nights in Yellowstone last week, I can attest that either way works. One morning I decided to get to the same spot I saw a sow with her two cubs the afternoon before. (I figured that a mother bear with cubs this age would stay within a couple square miles of their den).  As I approached this spot (there were two cars in front of me) I saw the sow and two cubs cross the road. 

I immediately pulled off the road, grabbed my camera, got out of my Jeep, and started taking photos. It was a wonderful experience as the bear cubs played happily in and among the trees. After about 30 minutes there were about 8 other people, all enjoying the "show." Eventually, the cubs went high up into a nearby tree, the mother followed and then they all settled in for a nap. It appeared that they would be there for awhile and by this time it was getting to be quite crowded with people, so I gave up my spot and moved on. Here are a few of those photos:

The Last of the Black Bears

The last of my "5" Star Black Bear photos once again comes from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. I had been photographing this female Black Bear with her cubs as they foraged along one of the back roads. After a few minutes the mother crossed the road with two of her cubs right behind. A third, however, lagged far behind oblivious to the fact that he was in the middle of the road. Once the little guy reached the other side the mother "scolded" him severely, which the cub took as if it happened frequently.

Black Bear with Cubs

Black Bear Cub

Continuing with "5" Star Black Bear photos and my encounter with a mother and two cubs in Jasper National Park, Canada, is this close-up of one of the cubs:

Black Bear Cub

Black Bear Cubs: The Story Continues

The "tale" of the Black Bear and her two cubs continues in Jasper National Park, Canada. 

While mom was busy eating, the two cubs played. Here one is doing a balancing act on a down tree while the second "peeks" around the trunk of an upright tree. Lot of fun to watch:

Black Bear Cubs

Black Bear Cub

Continuing with photos from my wonderful experience with a Black Bear and her two cubs in Jasper National Park, Canada, Today, a photo of this little cub waving at me. It took a good 30 minutes to get close enough to this cub without him or his mom feeling threatened. The result is one of my favorite photos:

Black Bear Cub

Note: All of my wildlife photos are from the wild; no zoos, no wildlife “farms” or ranches – no remote motion-sensor cameras, no tracking dogs, no electronic tracking devices, no “traps”, just simply photographed as predator and/or prey as found naturally  in the wild.   Photos are untouched and appear as seen through the lens. 

Black Bear with Cubs

While I think Black Bears are magnificent animals, their cubs are adorable. Several years ago while in Jasper National Park I came across a Black Bear with her two cubs. She let me spend about 45 minutes with them. It was one of my fondest and most cherished wildlife experiences. I have four photos from that series that I call "5" Star. I could have spent more time with them, but I ran out of film and had to go back to town to get more. (One of the many advantages digital has over film).  Here's the first of those "5" Star photos:

Black Bear with cubs

Pairs of Two: Ten

Of course pairs of young are always cute:

Black Bear Cubs in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Javelina Piglets here at The Azure Gate 

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part VI

I have mentioned before my "process" for getting close to and photographing Bears. The key is to have a "kind heart." I am convinced that Bears sense danger ---- and, fear. This "sense" or "scents" triggers a "flee" or "fight" response. Back in the late nineties, I was in British Columbia when I came across a Black Bear and her three cubs.  I did everything properly: 1) I made sure that the mom knew I was present; 2) I made no quick or sudden movements; 3) I didn't move until the mom started eating; 4) when I moved I took small diagonal steps; 5) if the mom stopped and looked at me, I stopped and looked at her, then away, then at her; 6) I had "love" in my heart. Because it was a dense forest, I needed to move around a bit to get clear photos. It didn't take long, maybe 15-20 minutes, and mom seemed comfortable with me around. The cubs couldn't care less, paying no attention to me whatsoever ...... until I broke a twig while taking a step. Those three cubs were up trees in a flash. The mother immediately turned to see what had scared her cubs. Realizing it was me, I decided to slowly back away to give her and her cubs more room. As I did, the cubs came down their trees and scampered off with mom. While breaking the twig was not deliberate, it did provide me with a nice photo:

Searching for Arizona Black Bears

Christine and I went up to Flagstaff Friday for a Copper River Salmon BBQ with our daughter, her family, and the in-laws. Wonderful time!! But that's another story. I usually get up at the crack of dawn so I thought I would go looking for Black Bears early Saturday morning (before everyone else got up). I first went up Mount Elden where I had seen a Black Bear last year. But nothing. Not even Elk or Deer. So, I decided to head further up the San Francisco Peaks and into the Coconino National Forest. First I came across eight female Elk. Like most Elk in Arizona, when they see humans they run away quickly. (Arizona is a big hunting state). But I took this spur (4x4 high clearance required) deep into the forest and came across two Black Bear Cubs playing amongst the rocks:

When they saw me they turning and started running away:

I did not follow them because I could not see the mother anywhere. (I have a rule not to get close to bear cubs unless I see the mother, the mother sees me, and the mother is OKAY with my being around). So, I kept my distance looking around for the mother when the Bear Cubs came back:

As you can see from this photo the cubs aren't looking at me. They are looking for their mother, who still is out of the area. Soon the cubs began crying and whimpering. Within about a minute, the mother came (not running but walking quickly):

As soon as the cubs saw "mom" they headed straight for her:

Mom saw what was going on and turned around to walk away, glancing back to be sure her cubs were following. It was over.

Although a wonderful and memorable experience, none of my photos were great. The cubs did not look at me, they kept looking for their mom. Even when mom came it was difficult to get a good photo of her through all the trees, leaves, etc. And, as I said I don't get close to Bears unless I know that they are comfortable with me around. That did not seem the case here.

black bear cub waiving

PART III: This is my favorite photo from this "encounter" because it appears that the cub is waiving to me. Getting close to black bears -- especially, black bear cubs is a process involving much patience. My experience (after photographing around 350-400 bears) is that 50% of the time you see a bear it runs away; 25% the bear walks away. When this happens I NEVER go after them, track them etc. The bear has told me they would rather not be around me. I "listen" and comply with much respect. What that means is 25% of the time I have an opportunity to get a good photo if I don't screw up. First, I make sure that the bear knows I am there. And, that the bear knows I know that he is there. I stop, look at the bear, and then look away. I continue to do that until the bear starts eating again. Then I take diagonal steps to get closer -- or get the angle I want. If the bear stops eating and looks at me, I stop and look at him, then look away. That continues until the bear starts eating again. If the bear walks away, then that's it. It's over. But, if the bear starts eating again I start walking again. This process continues until I get where I want to be, to get the photo I want to get. At some point I can usually move about freely -- albeit slowly, quietly, and without hand and arm movement -- and without disturbing mom who remains focused on eating as much vegetation as she can. In the case of the cub in this photo, I am standing about 20 feet away. The mom is about 50 feet away to the right. But, it took a good 45 minutes to get close enough for this photo without upsetting either the cubs or mom in the process.

black bear cub

PART II: Continuing on from yesterday's post, here is one of the two little cubs tightrope walking on a down log. Notice the second cub hiding behind the tree on the left. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's kittens or puppies --- or, black bear cubs they just seem to enjoy frolicking around and are curious enough to be totally unaware of  potential danger. These cubs were probably not much more than a few weeks old. So, they probably didn't know better. The temptation of picking them up is almost uncontrollable. Almost. Don't think mom would have liked that much. So, I keep my distance.