Yellowstone Grizzly - insane closeups!

[Tom Reichner]

Kristin and I  took a weekend trip to Yellowstone, and were fortunate to see and photograph a good variety of the park's wildlife. Dunraven Pass was finally cleared of snow, and we were able to drive that route on just the 2nd day it was open. We're so glad we did!

A nice, mature grizzly was approaching us at a steady pace. We didn't see it until it was about 40 yards away, so it was already very near, and gave me almost no time to get ready for it. I only had time to get my 1.4x converter off. I rapidly got into position and started clicking away! He came straight at us until about 6 paces away - then he turned and changed course.

It all happened so fast I didn't even have a chance to check any of my settings. I was at f8 and ISO 200. Yikes! There had been no time whatsoever to set up a tripod, so I was left handholding my heavy 400 f2.8. Shaky! I wish the grizz would have given me just a few extra seconds so I could have adjusted my aperture and ISO to give me faster shutter speeds. But there was simply no time, and I had to shoot him the way it was.

I was able to rip off about 15 to 20 images before he changed course and turned his backside to me. Many images were blurry, but a few were reasonably sharp. If I'd had a tripod set up they'd be crystal clear, but as is so often the case with wildlife he simply gave me very little time. I'm just thankful to have gotten what I did.

We saw several other grizzlies during the two days that we were in the park, but none gave us the thrill of this very close-up encounter. After something like this, it's hard to have much interest in viewing a grizzly that's 600 yards away thru a spotting scope. All I wanted was another close-up encounter!

By the way, the 2nd image is completely uncropped - that's what I got right out of the camera with just a 400mm on a full frame 5D body. Yes, he was that close!

[saylean]

Not a bad weekend! Glad all went home ok. Nice pics man, love them bearskies

[grandpawrichard]

Holy Cow Tom!
That was Way To Close for comfort; but your shots are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Dick

[jackelope]

giddyup...my wife and i had a close encounter with one there...we were fishing slough creek in the lamar valley and walked up on one on the trail. the bear was about 30 yards when we saw him. i don't think he ever knew we were there, that or he didn't care. we turned around and went the other way quietly. i guess if i had to i could have poked him in the eye with my fly rod.
great pic's and way to not wet yourself with him that close.
 

[Huntbear]

WOW!!!  Very cool pics!!!  Love the close encounter.  Glad he decided you did not look like dinner...

[coop2424]

Those are awesome pictures especially since you did not have much time to setup. 

[boneaddict]

OHHHHHH thats awesome.

[WDFW-SUX]

pretty bear

[popeshawnpaul]

Looks like you are having a good time Tom.  I did the same thing last year in Hayden Valley when a griz not unlike yours headed right at me.  I overexposed 4 stops but was able to get it all back with raw.  Got to love the new dslr cameras.  Looking forward to more shots.

[huntnphool]

Nice pics Tom

[Pathfinder101]

great bear pics Tom.. Holy crap that's close.  Took guts to keep snapping pics, but we're glad you did.
  I had a signficant emotional event with a mamma griz and a cub at Buffalo Ford when I was 16 years old.  Turned out OK, but there were a few tense moments.
Nice work!

[Slider]

WOW!!! That Bear gave me Goose Bumps!!!

[Ricochet]

Good job, Tom.  Stellar work, as usual.

[bowhunterforever]

Awsome pics!

[Timber]

Incredible shots Tom!

[tlbradford]

Thanks for sharing Tom.  Where is the one with you giving him a hug.  I want to see some Grizzly Adams photos.   

[Tom Reichner]

Thanks for sharing Tom.  Where is the one with you giving him a hug.  I want to see some Grizzly Adams photos.   

Last spring & summer there were three that would have liked to have given me a hug.  Not the friendly kind of hug, though.  One was a Black and the other 2 were Grizzlies.  I think I learned from those experiences, and will be more careful from now on.

[Pathfinder101]

Thanks for sharing Tom.  Where is the one with you giving him a hug.  I want to see some Grizzly Adams photos.   

Last spring & summer there were three that would have liked to have given me a hug.  Not the friendly kind of hug, though.  One was a Black and the other 2 were Grizzlies.  I think I learned from those experiences, and will be more careful from now on.
[/quote
   If "6 paces" from a griz and still snapping photos is "more careful" Tom, I think we need to hear the stories of the 3 Bears last year...

[Tom Reichner]

  If "6 paces" from a griz and still snapping photos is "more careful" Tom, I think we need to hear the stories of the 3 Bears last year...

The bears last year were not happy bears.  The black had cubs and I overstayed my welcome.  Fortunately, she realized that if she chased after me she would be getting farther from her cubs, which she did not want to do.  So she just hissed a lot, but stayed put.  If put in the same situation again, I wouldn't stay so close for so long.  As soon as I see obvious signs of malevolence, I'd back off. 

The Grizzlies . . . well, we surprised them.  It was a sow and a very large yearling.  We would have been fine, but the wind changed, and . . . well, they were not expecting to smell humans that far from roads, campgrounds, etc.  I think the air currents were confusing, and they simply ran away from where they thought we were.  But, like I said, the air currents were confusing, so they actually were running right toward us.  So they top the hill at a dead run and see us in their way.  They weren't about to stop all that momentum, so it was up to us to get out of the way.  They were both grunting at us so loud it was more like a roar.  They were pissed!  They all say that if a Grizzly charges, DON'T RUN!  But I don't think it was these Grizzlies' intention to charge.  They just wanted to get outta there, but while at a dead run found us right in their path.   So we had to get out of their path.   That meant RUN!  So this is the one instance where running was the right thing to do.  We didn't so much run away from the grizzlies - we ran out of their path.  I think there's a difference. 

Anyway, I never again want to surprise a grizzly. That may mean not being able to sneak within camera range, but that's just something I'll have to give up in order to stay alive and healthy.

When we returned home from that trip, we googled Grizzly attacks.  The year before, a photographer in Yellowstone hiked way back along the Trout Creek drainage.  He approached too close to a sow and a cub, and she charged him and mangled his face badly.  It had been a sow with a radio collar.  Guess where we had our encounter.  Yep, you guessed it - Trout Creek!  And one year later.  And this year it was a sow with a yearling.  And she had a radio collar.  Same bear.  She'd already attacked & mauled someone.   God must have wanted us around a bit longer to get us out of that mess.  Needless to say, we don't hike back along Trout Creek anymore.

Attached are a few photos.  The first one is of the Black Bear sow that was mad at me for staying near her & her cubs for too long.  The 2nd image is of the Grizzly sow after we got out of her way, taken as she continued to run past us.  The 3rd is of the Grizzly yearling.  After he and the sow got about 80 yards past us, they stopped, stood up, turned, and looked back at us to make sure we weren't following them.  When they saw that there was no pursuit, they continued to run away from us at a slower, lumbering pace. 

A part of me keeps wondering what would have happened if, instead of running to get out of the Grizzlies' way, I had stood my ground, calmly switched my focus mode to AI Servo, switched the drive mode to "rapid", knelt to steady the camera on my knee, aimed the autofocus sensor at the sow's head, and started clicking away.  Would I have gotten mauled?  Would she have slammed right into me and ripped me up?  Or would she have diverted her course and passed right by?  If she'd have done the latter, then I would have some of the most awesome Grizzly images ever taken!  But then again, we could've ended up a bloody mess, a couple miles away from help.  I'm glad I did what I did and got out of the way.  But still, I can't help but wonder what those pictures would have been like.  The light was awfully good . . .

[TeacherMan]

Once again great shots of a nice animal. What other pics did you get when you where there? You should make a thread on your trip.

[farmin4u_98948]

Thanks for sharing. You never said what type of bear proof can you were in while you were shooting.....      

[Tom Reichner]

You never said what type of bear proof can you were in while you were shooting.....      

My bear proofing consisted of:  Cabela's fleece shirt & camo Wrangler jeans

[Pathfinder101]

helluva experience Tom.  The "part of you" that wonders what would have happened if you "stood your ground" and kept taking pictures must not like you very much.  I would try to avoid hanging out very much with that part of me.
I used to have a "part of me" that did stuff like that.  I haven't really seen him since I was in my early 20s...

[PacificNWhunter]

Way cool, great pictures!

[popeshawnpaul]

Sounds like you are as crazy as I am Tom.  Do you feel safe with bear spray?  I know I don't...

[Tom Reichner]

Sounds like you are as crazy as I am Tom.  Do you feel safe with bear spray?  I know I don't...

No, I don't.  Probably 'cause I think I probably wouldn't use it until it was too late.  At what moment do you switch from camera to bear spray canister?  I'm afraid the moment I choose would be just a bit too late. 

[JackOfAllTrades]

I used to have a "part of me" that did stuff like that.  I haven't really seen him since I was in my early 20s...

Frick!  I haven't seen that guy 'in me' since I got married, had kids and realized that someone else depends on me. -That's been a while.

That close to a Griz.. Kinda like tippy toe'ing through a bed of rattle snakes on a sunny day.. 

-Steve

[boneaddict]

Well the black bear that nailed me, I never got a shot of.  Thank GOD I put the camera down first and grabbed the gun.  As for pepper spray, I just figure by the time I deploy it I'll probably be dead.  I imagine myself sticking the canister in its mouth to keep it from chomping down.....kinda like the airtank in the jaws movie.    

[JackOfAllTrades]

Oh My God!  Wouldn't that just piss a Bear off.  Chomp down on a can of Bear spray! 

If you think he wanted to hurt you before that.. I gotta figure he'd want to rip you to shreads after getting a mouthfull of that.   

-Steve

[Pathfinder101]

Oh My God!  Wouldn't that just piss a Bear off.  Chomp down on a can of Bear spray! 

If you think he wanted to hurt you before that.. I gotta figure he'd want to rip you to shreads after getting a mouthfull of that.   

-Steve

Nawww...  He'd back off for a second, lick his chops and say "Hey!  C'mere guys!  This one comes with hot sauce!"..

[popeshawnpaul]

In all seriousness, I saw a bear guy spray one from a ways away on tv and those grizz just backed the f-off real quick.  It gave me confidence in it but man, I want a gun for some reason.  At least I can die happy knowing I'm being eaten but it's my fault because I didn't shoot it in time...

shawn

[Jackjr]

Nice Pics

[Skinner]

That's awesome!  Makes me want to take a trip.

[boneaddict]

Between your pics and watching that bear show last night, I'm getting a hankerin. 

[Hornseeker]

Man...I know a guy that had to drill one about 9 days ago here in MT... he had a 7mm and counts himself lucky as hell... I too carry a gun... but I am not sure I shouldn't start carrying spray.....

Great pics Tom!!!!!

[Pathfinder101]

I carry bear spray whenever I go someplace I might have an encounter.  I had a "significant emotional event" with a griz and her cub in Yellowstone when I was a teenager.  The bears turned out to be merely curious, and they released me untouched (much like a trout-come to think of it).  But I carry spray now...