Tag Archives: grizzly

On Confronting A Wild Thing

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On ConfrontingAWildThing9999Grey Wolf Yellowstone River                                        Click to enlarge

Sometimes the wildness of nature will come right up and smack you in the face. When you’re out shooting in a place like Yellowstone where the animals are plentiful but not necessarily habituated you get the impression that they’re not as wild as the brochures say they are. They are wild. They weren’t kidding around about it.

Now it is common sense that the animals here are not pets or tame or even human friendly regardless of what the wildlife shows tell you, after all the editors of those productions all have their own agendas, but not all of the creatures give off wild vibes constantly. You expect it from the apex predators but you’re rarely close enough to them to pick up on it.

There have been times when a grizzly walked by way closer than expected, his choice not mine, and he will give you a short glance letting you know on no uncertain terms that he is very aware of your presence and it is barely tolerated. That exchange of information however brief, will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and everywhere else for that matter, and then you realize what wild really means. It is one of those things that could take pages of explanation to give you a vague idea of the experience and only milliseconds to understand if it happens in person.

This wolf was feeding on a buffalo carcass on the other side of the Yellowstone river that the pack had brought down and was being watched and photographed by many photographers on the other side. We were all safe as far as that goes because of the river was probably 50-75′ wide and fairly deep at that point, so if he decided to come over everyone had plenty of time to get to their vehicles.

Everyone was excited, there was quite a bit of conversation going back and forth between the shooters and it was like the usual carnival atmosphere at one of these shoots when you’re photographing a big dangerous animal and everyone feels safe and secure. It is more like a social event than serious business.

Then the wolf stopped feeding and began looking at the crowd. It didn’t just glance at it. It seemed that it was deliberately making eye contact with individuals. It ‘s glance moved down the row of people and when it was your turn you felt the direct contact it was trying to make. It was uncanny. Suddenly the noise level was a fraction of what it had just been. It wasn’t intimidation as such just a reminder that this was its life and it was serious business. After making its point it turned and walked away. There was a momentary stillness before the crowd suddenly came to life and everyone burst into conversation about the experience.

When you come into direct contact with a wild thing it is a profound moment. You will feel differently about them afterwards and it is something you do not forget. That is if the grizzly hasn’t eaten you.

Christmas Gift Selection #3

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Grizzly Yellowstone                                                click to enlarge

Home and Personal Security service

With Home Invasions on the rise and other threats to life and property happening daily it’s no wonder people are jumpy and armed. But being armed isn’t the total solution. You have to sleep sometime and while your sleeping bad things can happen. That’s where this gift stars to shine. This security service is a complete and total protection plan. While you and your loved ones are peacefully asleep our trained operatives patrol your property, constantly on the lookout for bad people thinking about doing bad things.

No more Home Invasions! They stop immediately as the perpetrators never reach your front door!

No more clandestine Meth Labs set up in your garage while you’re out for the evening. The sensitive noses of our trained operatives can sniff out Meth from miles away. Not only do the cooks cease their operations but their equipment is not salvageable after our personnel is through disassembling it. In fact neither are the cooks.

Neighbor’s dog leaving little gifts in your expensive landscaping? Not any more.

Rest easy and be the envy of your friends and neighbors as you live a crime free life style. Feel safe on your property again knowing you can safely use your yard and pool without fear. (Note: use included whistle provided as you leave your dwelling to prevent misunderstandings)

This is a leased service with programs available by the month or year. We have only four personnel available at this time due to the increased demand for home protection. These individuals are highly trained with one of them a former Blackwater employee and the others were involved in securing some of our better known national parks.

Choose between Huey, Dewey, Louie and Maurice. Each has individual talents that are tailored to your special needs and property. Note: Huey and Dewey should not be selected to patrol the same property as they have had territorial issues in the past. Also Maurice is not recommended for families with children or small pets.

Give the gift of safety. This service is perfect for the shut-in or that elderly individual that can not leave the house often. Breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your loved ones are safe and secure as long as they stay indoors.

Ordering is easy. Just call the Institute’s 800 number to have our trainers bring out the individual of your choice to familiarize them with your property’s boundaries. Please have any individuals who might ever visit your home on hand for a meet and greet with our operative and you’re set to go.

Items Included: whistle, extra whistles available at nominal cost, leash, bells for homeowners to wear so as not to startle operative, Please specify bell colors, aqua, mauve, fire engine red, American school bus yellow, and black. Other colors by request. Manual on DVD for handy viewing, laminated printed card with command phrases allowing interaction with operative. Special note: Never use the phrase “Bad Bear! No!” this does not provide the desired response.

Optional items: 6000 lbs. high quality organic bear food, tuff-shed for food storage, 55 gal. drum pepper spray with handy pour spout, 16,000 volt temporary electric fencing with generator, installation not included, and Day-Glo signage warning trespasser’s that you have a security service at work, extra whistles.

HOME SECURITY PROTECTION SERVICE   $111,000.00 per month

Disclaimer: Service payment to be made one month in advance and is not refundable. Due to the volatile and uncertain nature of personal protection and security work the Institute cannot be held responsible for accidental death or dismemberment, lawsuits stemming from accidental death or dismemberment, phone charges pertaining to said lawsuits, property damage, disposal charges for human remains, disposal charges for animal remains, dry cleaning or replacement of clothing in the advent it cannot be cleaned, damage to vehicles, catastrophic damage to reputation or loss of quality of life issues, objectionable odors, conflicts arising from interaction with city, county, state or federal officials, damage to home or property from gunshots, flash and bang grenades, or battering rams, postage reimbursement for cease and desist letters, or acts of god and or nature. Lessee’s are expected to have adequate health, property, hazard and catastrophic insurance and will be asked to provide same before any lease can be signed.

Quiet Time

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QuietTime9142Grizzly and Cub   Yellowstone                                         click to enlarge

Snowy day here at the Institute. Many of the staff, at least the ones that haven’t snuck off during the night, are beginning to agitate for their two-hour furlough on Christmas day. That’s when we let the select few who can prove citizenship leave for a couple of hours to visit loved ones, or their parole officers, their social workers, or whoever else is near and dear to their hearts.

We try to keep everyone busy during this time of year to keep their minds off disturbances like seeing wives or their newborn children, things that distract them from their responsibilities. Sometimes we run out of our regular work such as repaving the roads here on the compound. Try as we might you cannot pour and spread blacktop when it’s 2 degrees out there. We don’t dare send anymore crews out to cut firewood, we’ve denuded half the national forest as it is, and those Forest Service folks are getting suspicious. Cutting down acres of trees is a no-no, that’s real sacred cow stuff to those guys. Plus I think that some slackers on those crews try to deliberately get caught so they can go to jail rather than report back to work in the morning.

Anyway I thought I’d show a picture of our resident grizzly, Sarah, and her cub, Chip, out for a walk on the compound. Sarah is part of our security team here and its her responsibility to encourage those staff members, and it’s usually the younger interns who try to break and run before their 10 year commitment is done, to stay in their barracks, I mean living quarters, after dark. We have implemented a no biting above the second button on their shirts rule, but Sarah is an independent woman and will often modify our regulations to suit her own needs. Saying, No Sarah! and Bad Bear! just seems to delight her rather than curb her more violent behavior. Maybe it’s just that she’s a grizzly bear and will do what a grizzly bear does and we just have to live with it. Note to self: Put up picture of the foot we found near the razor wire on the interns bulletin board.

Well it’s time to get the crews busy. We started shoveling the snow out of the remaining forest so it looks neater and we can identify what further trees may need to be removed. Enjoy the day.

Keep Me From the Cold

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KeepFromCold8256click to enlarge

Mom and the kid have been cooped up together all winter and it is time to finally get outside and get  some fresh air. Trouble is it’s cold out. Not, don’t blink or your eyelids will freeze shut cold, but cold enough for a brand new cub that has never known anything but the warmth of the cozy den and it’s mother’s ample body. Mom however is hungry, really hungry and she needs to eat something right now. The quickest most reliable meal is a ground squirrel which she can dig up pretty quick and she is working on that now. Wherever mom goes the cub goes too and today is no exception. The weather makes little to no difference to the mother and she basically ignores it. But today is an exceptionally awful day for weather, it’s cold, it’s snowing, the wind is blowing, the snow is wet and heavy and this is probably the first time the cub has been out. Mom is determined to dig up a ground squirrel and sets about that task with fierce determination leaving the youngster to hover about the edge of the activity. Thing is the snow is really cold on little paws, and it is taking a very long time for this ground squirrel catching business to happen, and why can’t we go back to the den, and won’t this wind stop blowing and OK that’s it I’m taking matters into my own hands, I mean feet. The only warm place for miles around is Mom’s back and that’s where he’s headed. This cub probably only weighs 15-20 lbs. and except for the sharp needle like claws digging in she doesn’t even notice him up there. The cub’s only problem now is staying on her back as she goes through the gyrations of digging for this squirrel. He’s only thrown off a few times but now that he’s learned the secret to staying warm he quickly climbs back up and this ground squirrel hunting thing is a lot more tolerable. This behavior won’t last much longer though as mom won’t tolerate it after he gets to a certain size which will happen pretty fast but then the snow going away will happen pretty fast too. It is spring after all but right now it’s really handy to have a mom around.

Couldn’t Sleep

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Couldn'tSleep5337click to enlarge

You ever have one of those winters when you just couldn’t sleep, you toss and turn and you look at the calendar and it’s only half past March and you normally sleep until May. Try as you might your eyes just won’t stay shut and there is nothing for it but to get up and wander around looking for the grass that isn’t up yet, hoping to find a dead buffalo to eat that the coyotes haven’t ruined, maybe run into some of your bear friends who couldn’t sleep either. It can be a miserable time. If you’re one of those innovative kind of guys you can always go nosing around the campgrounds looking for one of those soft-sided camper things to open up, the ones with the red and white plastic boxes full of supper, there’s always something to eat in there. After all it’s been since last fall that you’ve had anything to eat. Mostly though you find yourself just walking around, visiting all your old haunts waiting until somebody else wakes up to keep you company. This is the north end of Yellowstone lake near Mary Bay and its still winter here for awhile. Next year denning up in early December instead of the first of November will be a better idea. Plus no pizza before putting out the lights.

Gibbon Blues

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GibbonBlues2862-2

I had heard on the photographer’s telegraph (which is the rumor mill at Yellowstone) that there was a grizzly located somewhere along the Gibbon river several miles above Gibbon falls. As I was hurrying to find the location I kept watching the river bank hoping to see the bear. It was early in the day with the sun just rising over the rim of the  canyon and as I got further into the canyon the walls got steeper and it got darker and I noticed how blue the light was getting. Being both a wildlife and nature shooter I entered into that no man’s land where you have to make a decision on what to shoot. Possible bear or sure thing river. I have always found that a river in hand is worth two bears in the bush, so I stopped and climbed down to the river side to make this shot. It was very, very cold, I’m estimating about a million below zero, so I only made a couple of images. I climbed out and continued to look for the bear but as it turned out there wasn’t two bears in the bush, there wasn’t even one. So for me the image justified the decision and the title brought home both the color and the disappointment, hence the name Gibbon Blues.

Tough Love

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Being a grizzly cub can sometimes be a tough job. You have to get up in the morning, follow mom all over because she’s hungry, and if she’s hungry then there is a good chance you’re going to be hungry too. And because you are little you want to eat all the time and all you want is some of that nice warm milk that Mom provides. But like all moms she sometimes wants you to try something new, like some freshly caught and just squeezed Yellow-bellied Marmot.

After she has just spent 45 minutes digging one out of it’s den she is pretty determined that you are going to try some. It seems to be  a fairly difficult task to force down marmot this early in the day and it does not help at all that there are at least 50 or more photographers documenting your every move. The whole marmot eating thing turns out to be a game effort but lost cause because you just can’t handle that kind of food.

Expecting the worst everyone watching waited apprehensively as mom approached. It looked like this was going to be handled rather firmly and not by a time out either. Grizzly moms are known for a rather firm application of right front paw when they’re displeased. Instead mom did the right thing (moms usually do, right?) and carefully nuzzled her offspring’s face to show that it was perfectly ok to throw up in front of photographers. There was a chorus of awwww’s throughout the crowd and we were all happy and relieved to have witnessed what turned out to be a Disneyesque moment. There are a million stories in Yellowstone National Park and this has been one of them. There will be more as time goes on.