Finding a Bear

It is hard work trying to see a bear in the wild.  My husband and I have been fortunate enough to see a good number of black bears and grizzlies but not without working at it.  I love seeing and photographing them in their natural environment.  Bears are normally shy animals that have very little interest in interacting with humans. Unless they are forced to be around humans to be near a food source, they usually choose to avoid us.  Here are some of my tips for seeing a bear in the wild, based on my experience.

Location, location, location!  First of all, you obviously need to go where the bears are.  National parks that boast a bear population are your best bet.  Yellowstone (WY), Grand Teton (WY), Glacier (MT), Banff (Alberta), and Jasper (Alberta) are parks where I have had luck.  Although both black and grizzlies are found in these parks, you are more likely to see a black bear since grizzlies generally stay in more remote places. That said, we still have had luck seeing them.

Timing is everything.  If you have ever been to a zoo, you know that mammals don’t entertain you much during the day; more often than not, they sleep.  They are most active at sunrise and sunset, when the zoo is closed.  Well, those same mammals have the same patterns outside of the zoo.  In addition, bears have become more nocturnal in order to avoid people in areas of high human traffic. If you want to see the bears, you need to wake up early…very early…even if you are on vacation.  We often woke up at 5:30 am to be out and about by 6:00 am looking for bear action.  The other good time to see bears is at dusk, when they are also active.

Patience is a virtue.  It is also a large part of seeing animals in the wild.  You need to be willing to sit and wait quietly, for a long time, over and over again.  Many times you will end up with no sightings, but you can’t give up.  You need to be persistent.

Proper preparation makes the wait more comfortable.  Having your ‘to-go’ cup of coffee, something to nibble on, and your camera in your lap is good planning. Make sure you have used the bathroom before your outing, which can be a few hours long.  Be dressed for the weather, especially if it is chilly.  The more comfortable you are, the more the waiting doesn’t seem to be so bad.

One morning in Jasper National Park back in 1989, we heard a woman in the gift shop of our lodge talk excitedly about seeing a black bear and her two cubs.  She told us where she saw them, two miles down Maligne Lake Road.  The reason I remember the name of the road is not because I have a fabulous memory; but rather it was written on the slides we took.  The next morning, we set our alarm early and by 5:30 am we were driving down that road, carefully watching the odometer as well as scanning the woods on both sides of the road.  Sure enough, after 1.7 miles, we spotted a black bear about 20 feet from the left side of the road.  We were lucky this time that our tip paid off.  Many times it doesn't.  (See patience above.)  We pulled off to the right and shut the engine.  Then we didn’t move or make any noises for at least 15 minutes.  We wanted the bear to see that we were not a threat.  We did not move or make any noise.  Shortly after our arrival, the mother bear went about her business of eating.  Her two cubs were not far from her.  

Now I know I said preparation was part of the process, but for some reason we had our cameras and tripods in the trunk of the rental car.   After 15 minutes, we decided we could slowly and quietly make our way out of the car, go to the trunk, and set up our equipment on the far side of the car (away from the bears).  We got some nice shots of the mother and cubs starting at 6:00 am.  We were there for over an hour when a pick up truck drove by.

If you have ever been to a national park, you know that when you see a car pulled over to the side of the road, it usually means a wild animal sighting.  Other cars stop and try to see what you have spotted.  The pick up truck pulled over on the left side of the road, the side where the bears were. Two men noisily and immediately got out of the truck, slammed their doors shut, and began walking towards the bears with their little instamatic cameras.  Can you predict what happened next?

There we were, patient and quiet for almost two hours, enjoying our planned experience, and then they came along and were going to ruin everything.  The upside was the great photos I would get for their stupidity.  Sure enough, the mother bear stood on her hind legs, which is not necessarily an aggressive act, but more a sign of curiosity.  New situations or sounds frighten bears and this allows the bear an opportunity to get more information using its senses of smell, hearing, and sight.  The men, however, immediately ran back to their truck when they saw her stand, started the engine, and sped off.  They were not present for more than two minutes, but that was enough time for mama bear to decide it was time to move on.  Our morning photo session had come to an end.

Mamma bear checking out the two noisy men

Before retreating back into the woods

I have many other stories of photographing large mammals, which I will save for another day.  These photos speak for themselves.  It was a great morning and well worth the sleep deprivation.  Spotting and photographing a bear in a national park is always considered the ‘prize’, but also capturing cubs and a bear standing, was the grand prize for us.

(If you haven’t read my blog about my encounter with the bison on the 

Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, you can check it out here.)