Yellowstone Grizzly - Dunraven Pass, Oct 3rd

Beautiful shots, taken from a vantage point way way too close for my comfort. With a bear like that, I'd definitely want a very very very LONG lens. I'm thinking telescope here...

Beautiful animal. Is that like a stick, stuck in her neck?

Personally, I think that's the whole problem in a nutshell... .. .. "Mankind" (humans) in their utmost arrogant stupidity, inteligently push these (and all) wonderful creatures into where "we" think is best.

(WoW, I think I hurt myself thinking up that philossophical point, I'm going to meditate on it)


Thank you for shareing these images, I would have been to nervous to get a non shakey shot.

Terrific captures Tom. I've been looking for an opportunity to capture bear shots for some time now. Right place, right time hasn't happened for me yet.

Fantastic shots. I have a trip to the Smokies coming up soon and hope to capture my first bear shots there. I'm pretty sure (I hope) I wont run into any Grizzlies but hear that I might run into some black bears.

Great pics

I am not going to speak at all to the ethics one way or the other.

The images are fantastic and the education I receive from this forum is amazing.

I live in NY and have never been to grizzly country.

We deal with black bears here in the north-east, not as fierce but still demand respect.

Thank you for sharing these images with the rest of us.

KnightRanger wrote in post #8838297
Beautiful animal. Is that like a stick, stuck in her neck?

Yes, it's a stick. Most of the bears at this time of year have quite a few bits of different types of vegetation stuck in their coats.

KnightRanger wrote in post #8838297
Personally, I think that's the whole problem in a nutshell... .. .. "Mankind" (humans) in their utmost arrogant stupidity, inteligently push these (and all) wonderful creatures into where "we" think is best.

So very true. We often think of Grizzlies as needing large wilderness areas in order to thrive. Yet the fact is that they would be quite content to live on the fringes of urban and suburban areas. It is we who will not allow them to live amongst us, because we fear for our own safety. We put our own need for safety above thriving bear populations - that is the biggest threat to Grizzly populations.

I am in awe, hats off for capturing the shot . . .I expect the longer you waited for eye contact the greater the feeling of pressing your luck. No doubt in my mind you reacted to the sound of opportunity knocking and proffer the shot as its own reward. Kudos.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #8841809
Yes, it's a stick. Most of the bears at this time of year have quite a few bits of different types of vegetation stuck in their coats.


So very true. We often think of Grizzlies as needing large wilderness areas in order to thrive. Yet the fact is that they would be quite content to live on the fringes of urban and suburban areas. It is we who will not allow them to live amongst us, because we fear for our own safety. We put our own need for safety above thriving bear populations - that is the biggest threat to Grizzly populations.

It's true that the grizzly problem is really a human problem, but they do need wilderness to survive. Denning security is a major component of this. Their home range averages 347 square miles. The major threats to grizzly bears are logging, roadbuilding and other forms of development. As road density increases, grizzly populations decrease. So does human caused mortality which of course increases with more roads and development. Another big problem arising is hunters who shoot grizzly bears thinking they are black bears during season. Most grizzlies simply try to avoid people. There are only a few places left in the lower 48 with grizz populations. There's the Northern Casdae group (About a dozen animals in Washington on the Canadian border), the Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystem(similar predicament in far NW Montana and N. Idaho). Then there are the two "biggies", the Glacier Ecosystem in Montana and the Yellowstone ecosystem in Montana/Idaho/Wyoming. Both of those have vbiable, relatively large populations of grizzly. They are also the wildest eocsystems in the lower 48. The other "biggie" is currently low on bears, the Frank Church/Selway Bitterroot Wilderness complex in Idaho/Montana. This is the third wildest in the lower 48. Recently, a large grizzly was killed by a hunter baiting black bears near the Great Burn roadless area which is considered part of that ecosystem. That was a huge loss for the natural reintroduction of grizzly bears to that region. It's possible that more are there, however.

Make no mistake that if you are in grizzly country in the lower 48, you are in the wildest we have left.

These are wonderful images.... The only image I have of a Grizzly Bear was taken from more then a quarter mile away with the bear walking along a Glacier National Park mountainside. Needless to say, my photo is not crisp, clear, and "bear"ly recognizable.

Concerning the "close" appearance of the bear, I will avoid the arm chair quarterbacking and make the assumption that the folks gathered to take the image were doing so in a safe fashion for both humans and bears. I will state however that I am glad that I WAS NOT that close. I likely would have been the slowest runner!

Isn't photography exciting when doing it in areas where we are not necessarily on top of the food chain! Stay smart and safe everyone!

Mike55 wrote in post #8842105
. . . There are only a few places left in the lower 48 with grizz populations. There's the Northern Cascade group (About a dozen animals in Washington on the Canadian border) . . .

Make no mistake that if you are in grizzly country in the lower 48, you are in the wildest we have left.

That's me! I'm right on the edge of that North Cascade population, and feel very privileged to be here. The Pasayten Wilderness is currently the prime area in this population's territory, but Fish & Wildlife officials are hoping that they expand to cover the majority of the surrounding public land (primarily the northern portion of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest).

Unfortunately, it is extremely rare for anyone to see any of the Grizzlies in this population, as the vast majority of the land is public land open to hunting. This causes the Grizzlies to be very reclusive, and more nocturnal than they would naturally be. Even though Grizzlies live just 15 miles from me, my best bet is still to travel 600 miles to see the ones in Yellowstone.

#1 is absolutely stunning. I have several shots of the black bears in the Smokies and certainly understand and can appreciate every effort not to "push" the bear.

Yeah it's pretty funny. It has to be much harder in those super dense woods and canyons to spot them, unlike the caldera meadow which is basically the heart of Yellowstone. Throw in the fact there are barely any Cascade bears and forget about it. That would truly be remarkable if anyone got a pic.

The most telling example to me is Glacier. I never, ever see bears on the west side which is lower with completely forested mountains. I've never even seen one. The east side? I easily see more bears there than Yellowstone, and with far more close encounters. The haibtat is so rich in some palces, and much of the slopes are clear of trees. Also, in some of these spots the mountains funnel out into meadow and these are key wildlife corridors. It's amazing.

In terms of the Idaho/Montana Frank Churck/Selway area, I bet it would be very hard to spot bears there as the mountains are lower, but mostly forested. Probably the only way to spot one would be to bait it, like the hunter who shot a grizzly there thinking it was a black bear.

You're lucky to be so close to all that great stuff. I hope to be closer to this area by spring, permanently.

Great photos Tom.

I wonder if we should "reintroduce" grizzlies to some of their former range?

There was an attempt in the 90's to reintroduce grizzlies to the Selway Bitterroot/Frank Church ecosystem, but it was blocked by a new administration.

Get some current information about the bears and DNA study at
http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/
It sure is nice to see a couple of great pictures open a spirited discussion about ethics and our top predators.
Mike55,you are so correct about seeing bears on the East vs west side of Glacier. Those high open slopes on the east side are great habitat for bears. The west side being lower in elevation are more forested. If you can't see the forest thru the trees you sure can't see the animals. Until......