YT Grizz

Some images from of a bear near Destruction Bay, Yukon.

I don't see a picture.

Sorry. Young bear from YT.

Man, you were WAY TOO CLOSE to that bear!

Nice shots!

Naturalist wrote in post #18417865
Man, you were WAY TOO CLOSE to that bear!

I wouldn't assume anything like that without more data. Many places in Alaska or western Canada, you can take very close shots of bears from boats.

Look at the lens used. 70-200 - the distortion on the bear's nose in the first image. That's enough data for me.

Thank you RikWriter. I love your Yellowstone bear/wolf series. What an awesome experience and amazing images.

I'm glad you survived the encounter Bruce.
Helluva a set of images there.

A little to close for comfort.

I am a bit surprised at the concern for distance and characterizing this as an encounter. In 35+ years in AK and YT I have had bear ‘encounters’, this was not one. I have had problem bears in camp and been bluff charged before when situations dictated that the bear did not have an out or when cubs were involved. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy hundreds of black, grizzly, and coastal brown bears and have never once had to use aim and discharge a gun or spray. This series was shot across a highway out the window of my Tahoe with my wife, 11 year old daughter and two dogs in the vehicle. This bear was quickly browsing and gorging on currants along the roadside. We drove past him, stopped the car and watched him feed as he approached us. Never left the car or did not creep along next to him. The only noteworthy portion of this shoot was when the bear sensed/heard/smelled something behind him in the brush. I assume another bear and with this guy’s slight build I am sure he was worried about a more dominate animal. But when he got up on two and looked away from us that created a situation where he did not have an out. We drove on. Ears were never back, no lunges or head sway. We saw 17 other bears, black and grizzly, that evening. I would be happy to replay any of my encounters for anyone but I can tell you there are no pictures (distorted or otherwise), no two lane highway, no cleared ditches and no Tahoe. As for the distortion, I was using what I had available, liked the results and shared them. Thanks for the nice comments and I guess, the concern.

There's always a tendency among people to assume the worst. Having been in many situations such as yours I have an idea how such photos can be safely taken and thus don't try to lecture people without knowing the facts.

nice shots. I think any shot with a bear in it is "too close" for some people. nice work on your constructive, benign, responsible, interaction with this bear.

Love the photos, especially the last image where you can see those awesome claws! Thank you for sharing them.