BearIntro
155 BigBlkOnBrdg1 Bklt 052019
Welcome to the early spring in northern Minnesota at the end of May. Here, a black bear lit up by the setting sun walks across a bridge into the clearing where we were waiting. In contradiction to TV and movies, our time with the bears was almost silent with very little vocalization. 400mm @ f/9 @ 1/800 @ ISO 6400 with exposure compensation set at -.67
Hotshot in the Morning
Hotshot is an adult male weighing over 500 pounds and here he is watching as we arrive in the early morning. The whole time we were there he seemed very relaxed and friendly. We had agreed never to approach the bears but they did sometimes approach us, although that was never a problem. Cropped from 400mm @ f/8 @1/50 sec @ ISO 1000
Who are you??
I believe this bear's name is Sarge and he is a black bear although his color says otherwise. He is a pretty large guy but just curious. Bears have an absolutely insatiable curiosity about everything and they are very smart. Cropped from 600mm @ f/8 @ 1/500 sec @ ISO 2000
Walking the Plank!
A small downed tree makes a great bridge for a bear. They all have perfect balance and went back and forth over this tree. Bears' two driving forces are food and fear. They were very careful to take turns on the bridge and leave lots of room so there were no misunderstandings. 400mm @ f/6.3 @ 1/400 sec @ ISO 1000
Endless Curiosity
A yearling looking down at me. We were there to take photographs of them but they were very entertained watching us. This younger bear probably had not seen a lot of people, especially after leaving his mother's side and fending for himself. 320mm @ f/9 @ 1/800 sec @ ISO 4000 with exposure compensation at - .67
Lunch with Momma
Two yearlings who haven't yet left their mother are happy to see that Momma has found some food! She has pulled up a rock and had a seat and they are very ready to join her and polish off whatever she has found. 250mm @ f/5.6 @ 1/1000 sec @ ISO 200 with exposure compensation at -.67
Cute Ruffians
It's really hard to look tough when you weigh about 5 pounds and are so cute. These twins were walking between trees behind their mother and exploring the new world and trying to figure out what we are. 600mm @ f/8 @ 1/1000 sec @ ISO 4000
Cub Up A Tree
Spring cubs learn to run up a tree very early in life and use it as protection while Momma deals with whatever danger there is. On a sunny spring morning this cub has dashed up a tree far enough to stop and look around. 460mm @ f/8 @ 1/1600 sec @ ISO 4000
Triplets on a Tree
Three sibling spring cubs play on a tree with Momma not far away. Cubs learn to scamper up a tree very early in life and they can climb very fast! Here they are distracted by playing. It's amazing how well they stick to the bark. 290mm @ f/10 @ 1/200 sec @ ISO 1000 with exposure compensation at -.67
Playing on a Tree
Three sibling spring cubs playing a few feet off the ground on a tree. They are very much at home and relaxed in a tree whether they are near the ground or 50 feet in the air and sometimes sleep in the crotch of a branch. 260mm @ f/9 @ 1/500 sec @ ISO 2000 with exposure compensation at -.67
Stacked Spring Cubs
It's either a testament to my skill as a bear trainer or just plain ol' luck that these three siblings lined up perfectly on the side of a tree. A little rain did not effect the bears at all. 195mm @ f/9 @ 1/125 sec @ ISO 1000 with exposure compensation at -.67
The Glamour Shot
A brown spring cub turned to look at me and several people have commented that it looks like a glamour model giving me a sly look. 400mm @ f/9 @ 1/160 sec @ ISO 1000 with exposure compensation at -.67
Late Afternoon and Sleepy
A spring cub looks down at its mother from a perch 30 feet up a tree as the sun goes down. Momma bears often "park" their cubs up a tree and do errands before coming back to collect the little 'uns. 400mm @ f/6.3 @ 1/8000 sec @ ISO 2000 with exposure compensation at -1
Perhaps Too High?
That is a yearling way up above a two-story building. There were green buds on the branches that it was eating and we could hear the branches crackling as it moved around. It stayed up there for the better part of an hour. 460mm @ f/8 @ 1/1600 sec @ ISO 4000
Moonshine
A very distinctive yearling named Moonshine came to visit almost every day I was in the sanctuary. This is about as close as I could ever get to Moonshine. 400mm @ f/8 @ 1/1250 sec @ ISO 500 with exposure compensation at -.67
Hades
Hades is a large male, probably about the same size as Hotshot, and in fact they are friends and sometimes rumble for fun. Hades has a distinct very black muzzle. He was more shy than Hotshot but still relaxed. 320mm @ f/40 @ 1/80 sec @ ISO 6400 with exposure compensation at -.67
Calm
This being northern Minnesota, just an hour south of the Canadian border, in May, the flies and ticks were on the bears. They didn't seem particularly bothered although we sometimes were. 290mm @ f/6.3 @ 1/400 sec @ ISO 2000
Hotshot in His Bath
This was May in northern Minnesota and the leaves weren't on the trees yet so the water must have been very cold but Hotshot liked getting wet. It must have kept the flies down for a little while. 180mm @ f/6.3 @ 1/400 sec @ ISO 640
Lookin' at YOU!
A large bear peers over a couple of rocks at me. There was nothing between us and the bears except a few rocks scattered about an open field of maybe an acre or so. We could take clear shots with no fence or glass to get in the way. 350mm @ f/8 @ 1/60 sec @ ISO 400 with exposure compensation at -1
The Mechanic
When you park at the sanctuary you roll your windows all the way up so they can't get their claws in and pop the window out, you lock the doors so they don't grab the handle and open the door, and you put a bucket of bear poop in front of every tire so they don't chew on them. You can see the bucket tipping here but I caught him just in time! 460mm @ f/8 @ 1/1600 sec @ ISO 4000
58 Standoff1 052019
People have asked how close we really got to the bears and this shows two participants waiting at the bridge for a bear to leave. A telephoto lens make this look closer than it is but being within 30 or 40 feet was not unusual. We had all signed papers saying we would not come within 10 feet of a bear. Bears, however, don't read well so they sometimes got a bit closer to us. 330mm @ f/8 @ 1/1250 @ ISO 1000
342 BigBrwnWlkTwrds2 052319
This bear, perhaps a female or a second-year bear, seemed to think it was going to cross a small stream until it turned around and started to walk away. I was behind it so it just walked right up to me as I backed away and turned to give it room. I took this photo at a distance of about 6 feet. There was no drama, just a bear walkin' by. 135mm @ f/9 @ 1/800 @ ISO 6400 with exposure compensation at -.67
