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Grizzly mother and cub. Khutzemateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. BC
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Grizzly mother and cub. Khutzemateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. BC



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This mother and cub were on the alert for danger but it didn't help. The next day the cub was killed by a huge male in order to bring the female back into ...
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This mother and cub were on the alert for danger but it didn't help. The next day the cub was killed by a huge male in order to bring the female back into estrus
Read less
cameraNIKON D300S

settings Aperture f/8 ISO 640 Shutter 1/125 Focal Length 2000/10 

upload_dateOct, 2017

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1498

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People's Choice in Bear Necessity! Your Best Shot of Wild Bears Photo Challenge
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Categories

1 Comment |
GeraintI
 
GeraintI February 10, 2020
What a stunning photo. Shame about the story to go along with the photo though

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Tags

#beat #grizzly bear #temperate rain forest #Khutzemateen #Khutzemateen Grizzly Bear sanctuary #bc #British Columbia #bc #Mother and Cub
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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken from a zodiac in the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary on the British Columbia coast.

Time

Early afternoon just after 1 pm.

Lighting

The whole shore was in subdued light as the sides of the inlet rise steeply for up to 2000 ft from the water. This gulley the bears are are descending even more so.

Equipment

Nikon D300S. Nikon 70 - 200 F2.8 lens. Monopod with a gimbal head

Inspiration

This was memorable; day 2 of a 3 day guided trip to the sanctuary in May which is the beginning of the season. Were in a Zodiac with two motors, one a 50 HP for travelling upend down the inlet, the other a silent electric motor for maneuvering near the bears. We had been following this mother and cub since early morning as they walked up the side of this majestic inlet.The mother would pause for long periods to graze on the lush vegetation, the cub not yet weaned would nibble and explore but never far from his mother. Both were constantly alert - sniffing for danger. At one point a steep cliff rose straight from the water. They took off into the woods and this photo was taken as they descended a gulley back to the water edge. The caution was justified - next day the cub was killed by a male, in order to bring the female into estrus and ready to copulate. Fortunately we did not witness the killing, but it cast a black cloud over the last day of our trip.

Editing

Image was cropped slightly. Basic tweak in Lightroom.

In my camera bag

On this of trip I had two bodies: a Nikon 800E and 300S. Lenses for the bears were the 70 - 200 f2.8 and a Nikon 80 - 400. Polarizing filter for both. For landscape in the inlet I had a Nikon AF-S 12 to 24mm !:4G ED. Access was in a small float plane so weight was critical.

Feedback

Only access to the sanctuary is with a guide whose skill and expertise is critical. We used Dan Wakeman of Sunchaser Tours who has been leading trips here for over 2 decades and is himself a photographer. Accommodation is on a sailboat moored in the inlet. Nobody goes ashore. He usually has 4 to 6 people in the Zodiac. We were lucky in that in early season there were just two of us. Six people would be crowded. One strategy might be to make a group of 4 and negotiate with Dan about not taking any more people on that trip. Access to the Sanctuary is a float plane from Prince Rupert. This town is a very long drive from anywhere else on the Continent, but there are several jet flights into town daily from Vancouver. On a clear day it is a fabulous scenic flight over the Coastal Range. The Grizzly trip can conveniently be combined with a trip to Haida Gwaii - another place to take fabulous photos.

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