Protective mother.

[MN Shutterbug]

Outside my back door.

[Steve Foss]

Can I come live at YOUR house for awhile?

Seriously, nice photo. Where did you take it?

[MN Shutterbug]

Thanks, Steve. This photo was taken at Katmai National Park & Preserve on the Alaskan Peninsula. It's about 290 air miles SW of Anchorage. I believe it was about 10 years or so ago. It was quite the experience.

[Jim Almquist]

X I had to laugh when I first saw the pic.The only place I could think down your way that looked even something like this was Garvin park and I was pretty sure there was no Grizzles there

[Steve Foss]

Well, by the looks of the image you must have been fairly close to the animals. Doesn't have the compression you see in supertelephoto shots. You've got more courage than I do. The one place I won't go unless I've got a buddy with a big gun alongside me is wherever there are grizzlies and polar bears.

Anyway, your image shows the whole drama. The cubs' uncertainty, the mother's protective instinct and the interloper's alarm. It's a great capture, and partly because it must have been hard to stand there and watch that unfold without getting the heck out of Dodge.

[MN Shutterbug]

All right, I'll come clean. This was a sort of controlled environment. The browns were fairly close, but I was on a viewing platform about 15 feet off the ground and across the river. However, the bears could freely roam either side of the river and also easily break thru the wooden gate on the platform, if they were so inclined. Fortunately, the bruins are used to the presence of people and there has never been a genuine attack at this location, on a human being. Interesting though, the 1/4 mile trail thru the woods to get to this platform, is the same trail the bears use. I did see one sleeping in the grass, about 20 yards from the trail. You want to make noise so they know you're coming. The worst thing you can do, is surprise one. Caution and common sense is important. It was quite an experience. Katmai is considered the 2nd best brown viewing location in the world.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks for the back story, X. Doesn't take away anything from this image, IMO.

Don't know why more people haven't commented on this one. First time I've seen wild brown/grizzly bear images posted on this board.

[Paul]

When I was in Ketichikan AK a few years ago, bears were everywere, however I got absolutly zero good quailty images. At least none worth talking about. THere is a fish canning plant on the south side of the island, YOu could have just as well called it brown bear park.

[finnbay]

Great action shot! I was in Alaska for most of the summer in 1978. Fished the Gulkana and Klutina Rivers in the Glenallen area, and one guy fished while the other stood shotgun. Didn't see any bears there, but there was "evidence" all over the place. Did see a sow and two cubs and later a big boar in Denali Park. They were FAR away but still impressed me enough at that distance that I wouldn't want to be as close as you were taking those shots. I did get some photos but they were just dots on the horizen! Well done!

[MN Shutterbug]

Thanks, guys.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Quote:

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This photo was taken at Katmai National Park & Preserve on the Alaskan Peninsula.

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Isn't that where "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell was eaten and processed by a Brown Bear??

[MN Shutterbug]

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Isn't that where "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell was eaten and processed by a Brown Bear??

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You are absolutely right. Until that time, there had never been an attack on a person by a bear, for 85 years, at Katmai. I was there a few years before that unfortunate occurence. I had forgot all about this episode.

[chaffmj]

I couldn't even imagine walking around those bears. Very cool!