CARNIVORES: Grizzly Stores Part I

The Grizzly Bear population is nothing like what it once was. The California State Flag has a Grizzly Bear on it, yet accounts suggest that the last Grizzly Bear in California was shot and killed in 1922. Population estimates are 25,000 in Western Canada, 16,000 of which are in British Columbia. Population estimates for Alaska are about 30,000. Population estimates for the lower 48: less than 1,000, most of which are in Montana, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons (Wyoming). There maybe as many as 100 in Idaho, and less than 30 in Washington. 

Finding, photographing, and especially getting a good photo of a Grizzly Bear is a significant challenge, given their very few numbers. The most likely places to look are Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, where the numbers are higher and access is better. I was traveling in Yellowstone about 10 miles north of West Thumb when I came across a mother Grizzly and her cub. There were several people already stopped and looking. Soon a ranger came along to make sure no one got too close. Eventually there were 30 cars or more. But, the Grizzly was a good hundred or more yards away and never turned in our direction. The photo below was the best I got -- even with a 400 mm lens I needed to zoom in with photoshop to get the following out of focus photo:

I still get excited about seeing a Grizzly, but I am always hoping for a good photo. Had the Bear been closer, and looking at me while standing -- that would be a photo. Unfortunately, the Wildlife Photographer doesn't always have cooperative subjects.

CARNIVORES: A Return to Coyotes

As I was going through old photos I found something special. It is not the world's greatest photo, but it is a rare one:

I took this photo in Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia. Wells Gray, Cariboo Mountain, and Bowron Lakes Parks are clustered together and cover 3000 square miles (!) of wilderness. Only about 10% of Wells Gray is accessible by car. It has some amazing water falls, salmon runs, lakes, and wildlife galore. On one trip ('95 or '96) I was driving back from the road's end when I came across what looked like a Coyote. But it was black. Never seeing one before, I had to do some research. I found reports of Black Coyotes being identified, but never any "official" biological explanation. In checking the web in preparation for this post almost all of the searches led to hunters that have found and "killed" a black coyote. Here is one such account:

"Last Sunday morning, I shot a black coyote while deer hunting. It was a male, and weighed 55#. I'd heard there had been sightings of black coyote's in the area, but had never seen one before. It was very healthy looking, beautiful coat and tail. Question for the coyote hunters and trappers out there:How rare is a black coyote? I'm thinking of getting it mounted, or at least get the hide tanned into a rug."

I am not a hunter. When I fly fished, it was always "catch and release." I love wildlife. I love to be 20 to 50 feet from a Bear, or a Bobcat, or a Coyote. I would never think of killing one. I suspect that it is my "love" of wildlife that allows me to get close enough to get a good photo.  But, I must admit I don't understand killing something so rare, and so beautiful.

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part XV

One more Black Bear story for now. Once you photograph hummingbirds on hummingbird feeders, you try catching them in flight, or on a tree branch, or in a nest. The thought process is similar for Bears. You hope to catch a mother with one or more cubs:

Or you hope to find them amongst wildflowers to add some color:

Or you hope to find a mother with her cub walking amongst wildflowers:

Or you hope to catch one snoozing:

Or maybe in a tree:

in a box with a fox, on a train or a plane ....

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part XIV

Of the 800,000 Black Bears in North America about 3,000 live in Arizona. It took five years for me to find one though. And, it is not that I haven't looked. Arizona is a big hunting state. So, Bears -- even Elk are much more difficult to find and approach. I remember getting up a the crack of dawn in Flagstaff and driving up Mount Elden. I was in Flagstaff visiting daughter Erin, her beau Andy, and the Grand Kids Noah and Ruby. I was there for three days and made that trip up Mount Elden each morning. On the third morning I found my first Arizona Black Bear:

It lasted no more than 15 seconds, and this was that was the best of the three photos I snapped. Last year I had a little more success. I was driving on a 4x4 high clearance "road" only in the San Francisco Peaks area, and came across two Black Bear Cubs:

Once they saw me, they started crying:

Their crying brought mom into the picture for the first time:

As soon as they saw mom, they were running toward her:

Then it was good-bye:

Oh how I wished they were a little more comfortable with me. I would have loved to have gotten better photos. But, at least I got to spend more than 15 seconds with them. And, I was excited beyond words.

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part XIII

Continuing with Black Bears, I was fishing at Island Lake on another occasion when a Black Bear came slowly through the thicket. It was September as I recall, and the berries were out. The Bear didn't notice me in the water only about 15 feet or so away. As I put my fly rod down and got out my camera, he finally noticed me. He seemed surprised. So, after taking the photo I back peddled a bit to increase my distance from him. He too decided to move back and eventually leave the area:

Learning how to take good wildlife photos takes time. And, you learn a lot by making mistakes. I was driving along in British Columbia toward Tunkwa Lake and came across a young Bear by the side of the road. I drove to a point just 10 feet away from the Bear. But because he was on the passenger side I really could not get a good angle through the passenger side window. So I got out of the truck, and walked to the front and used the hood as a tripod. At this point I was just 8 feet away. This was early on in my photo career. I was still transitioning from fly fishing. What was going through my mind was: Am I safe?? I not only had the truck between the Bear and me, there was also a barbed-wire fence between us. I though this would be a great photo. Never occurred to me that I might be too close to get a clear photo. The result was a photo out of focus.

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part XII

Black Bears should always -- at all times -- be respected. Sometimes they will run away; sometimes walk away; sometimes continue to eat whatever and whereever they are eating; and sometimes run up a tree. Now, when I say "run up a tree" I mean it literally. The first time I saw this behavior was in British Columbia, somewhere around Little Fort. I saw a Bear cross the road a couple hundred yards away. So, I stopped and hiked in a bit where he crossed. He had not strayed too far from the road so I could see him within a hundred yards or so. I made a little noise so that he knew I was there and he scampered up a tree in a flash. I never would have thought a Bear could get up a tree so fast. Wonderful sight. Wonderful lesson. I took a couple of photos and then left him. It seemed the appropriate thing to do.

CARNIVORES: Bear Stories - Part XI

One of my first Bear stories, going back almost 20 years, came when I was still an avid fly fisherman. About an hour and a half west of Kamloops, British Columbia is Island Lake (also called the Big Okay Lake). Island lake was situated in the mountains behind the Highland Valley Copper Mine (one of the world's largest). It just occurred to me that I used to have a photo of my truck -- a pretty good sized truck  -- in front of one of those gigantic dump trucks they use for hauling rock etc. The tires on the dump truck were taller than my truck. I wonder whatever happened to that photo? Oh well. Anyway, Island Lake is a "trophy lake" monster trout of 3 to 10 pounds. I was leaving the lake after another successful day fishing when I came across this (brown) Black Bear. He was eating wildflowers and such. While this was before cellphones, I had a phone installed in my truck. After two 10 plus mile walks to a phone to call a tow truck I decided having a phone might be a good idea. Okay, back to the story. I decided to call Christine while I was watching the Bear. Because she was home I was able to describe to her the entire story as the story was still unfolding. Eventually, the Bear walked off: