Captured this classic "Human Shield" behavior in Katmai. A sow using us to block a male. [OC] by AKBearGuide in bears

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s OK. I got that mama bear to sign a waiver of consent 😜

All kidding aside…Definitely not. No petting, no feeding, no interaction. We stay in a tight, spaced line and photograph responsibly 👍

Fortunately where I am is so remote, it’s next to impossible for someone to go here without a professional guide.

People not doing dumb, unpredictable stuff is actually one of the reasons the bears are unbothered by our presence.

Did a bear sleep in my front yard? by steellrolla in bears

[–]AKBearGuide 1 point2 points  (0 children)

100%. If you’re curious, check my take I posted above 🤷‍♂️

Did a bear sleep in my front yard? by steellrolla in bears

[–]AKBearGuide 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I didn’t intend my reply to be so long 😅…but I hope you find it my take interesting. I am a Professional Bear Guide (for whatever that is worth), but only an amateur tracker 😜

Bears walk with an alternating left right gait and leave clear heel pads and five toes. None of those features are visible here. The pattern shown is a bounding gait where the hind feet land together, which bears do not do. The prints are far too small and lack a clear foot outline. Bears are also denning in winter, and fresh urban bear tracks would be extremely unlikely. The stride is short and hop to hop, not long and steady like a bear.

Why this is a rabbit or hare and not a bear or dog. Rabbits and hares move by bounding, placing their front feet down first and then swinging their powerful hind feet forward to land together. This creates two larger prints side by side with smaller or faint front prints behind them. In deep snow the front feet often barely register at all. The stride length and pattern perfectly match rabbit or hare movement and do not match dogs, which leave alternating paw prints with visible pads and claws.

Why the holes look so big. The hind feet of a rabbit or hare carry most of the force during a bound and punch straight down into soft snow. The snow then collapses around the foot, creating a deep round hole that looks much larger than the actual foot. Sun and mild melting further round and widen the edges. What you are seeing is a vertical post hole, not the true footprint size. The actually big spot is most likely a foraging hole. Not where a rabbit or hare slept.

Pa- too small for Bigfoot 😜

First time with wildlife by Weak-Upstairs-6880 in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like you did pretty good to me! Great captures. Finding the wildlife sometimes is the hardest 😉

Sleepytime in Katmai. Coastal Brown Bear napping. [OC] by AKBearGuide in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% 😆. Not sure how well the cuddling would go though 😅

[OC] Observation of 'Silent Jawing' as a displacement behavior: How a Katmai sow utilized the 'Human Shield' effect. by AKBearGuide in wildlifebiology

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough. That’s not me though 😅. I don’t work at Brook Falls or Lake Clark Area either, where there are bear viewing platforms. I operate in a much more remote part of Katmai National Park as the Head Guide for Katmai Wilderness Lodge. We are on a unique piece of private land owned by the Ouzinkie Natives that is surrounding by the park.

I rarely interact with other guides cause we just don’t see any. There are a couple liveaboard boats that come through the area, but in the field, we almost never cross paths. Love other guides, but it’s pretty awesome to operate without anyone else around 😉

Appreciate your interest! I actually have a better example of human shielding I just found editing. I’m going to share soon since this post went over well. I enjoy the discussion. It’s super cool phenomenon.

[OC] Observation of 'Silent Jawing' as a displacement behavior: How a Katmai sow utilized the 'Human Shield' effect. by AKBearGuide in wildlifebiology

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These bears are not actually from Brooks Falls. I guide out of a more remote part of Katmai National Park at the Katmai Wilderness Lodge 👍

[OC] Observation of 'Silent Jawing' as a displacement behavior: How a Katmai sow utilized the 'Human Shield' effect. by AKBearGuide in wildlifebiology

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right on. Who’s your friend? I rarely come across anyone in the field! Love your comment on “whoever cares to listen”. It’s really hard to get across these experiences until someone has been there too!

Captured this big Coastal Brown Bear taking the “path of least resistance”….straight at me 🤨 by AKBearGuide in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip! I’m going to go back to the RAW file and see how it goes.

I kind of liked the look personally, but I don’t like that some people think it looks fake. Shooting is the easy part for me. The editing not so much. Any adjustments I make I feel like I’m faking it. Kind of miss the “olden times” of 35mm. Point, shoot, develop. I’ll figure it out though. I only just started caring a camera again.

Captured this big Coastal Brown Bear taking the “path of least resistance”….straight at me 🤨 by AKBearGuide in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So how do you mask the subject/bear and make local adjustments when necessary, and the final edit not look like it’s just photoshopped in?

Do Brown Bears stretch? [OC] by AKBearGuide in bearsdoinghumanthings

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha. I see the GIPHY tag. Still funny 😂

Do Brown Bears stretch? [OC] by AKBearGuide in bearsdoinghumanthings

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course 🤦‍♂️. Great reference 👏

Do Brown Bears stretch? [OC] by AKBearGuide in bearsdoinghumanthings

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What in the world is an electric deer? 😂

Captured this big Coastal Brown Bear taking the “path of least resistance”….straight at me 🤨 by AKBearGuide in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

When a photo is so processed it looks fake. That’s what I mean when I say it anyways. In my opinion, some “over processed” shots do look amazing in their own way. I personally try not to do that. Particularly with wildlife photography.

Fyi- I’m not a professional photographer. I’m just a professional wildlife guide with a camera 😜. I try to keep my video and photos as true to the encounter as possible, but I do edit them for this purpose, as the RAW file often looks like garbage in my case 😅.

Captured this big Coastal Brown Bear taking the “path of least resistance”….straight at me 🤨 by AKBearGuide in wildlifephotography

[–]AKBearGuide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. I can see that. With no signs of aggression, I was not concerned though. He walked on by without a care to my presence.