2021 International Wildlife Photographer of the Year | "Grizzly Remains"

Hard work, determination, patience, and even a little luck all played a role in the capturing of this image. While out cross-country skiing near my home in Montana I stumbled upon the remains of a bull elk. Based on tracks and other sign nearby, I determined that a wolf had been regularly feeding upon the carcass. Knowing the potential for a unique photograph I returned later that afternoon to set up a custom DSLR camera trap. Wolves are intelligent and wary animals, so I placed the camera down into a tree well and camouflaged it using branches and snow. Over the next two months I returned once to change out batteries and check on the camera. The wolf never returned. Instead, I captured a variety of other scavengers; foxes, martens, ravens, and even snowshoe hares were all regular visitors to the carcass.

As winter transitioned into spring it became increasingly difficult to access the camera due to deteriorating snow conditions. I stayed away from the area for as long as I could before needing to return to change out batteries. I waited for a cold day due to a creek that had to be navigated along the way. I loaded up my skis and decided to throw in my snowshoes as well, just in case. After a week of unseasonably warm early spring temperatures, I arrived at the creek only to discover that the ice had completely melted, turning what was once a small stream into a raging torrent. I spent the next two hours constructing a makeshift bridge using downed timber. Once safely across I snowshoed the rest of the way to the camera. As I approached the area I immediately noticed a set of very large, and very fresh tracks heading in the direction of my camera. It was a grizzly. Not knowing if the bear was still on the carcass, I decided to check a nearby trail camera that I had set up a few hundred yards away. The last thing I wanted to do was walk into a bear feeding on the carcass. Trail camera footage revealed that the bear had passed through the area that morning. Before approaching the camera I made lots of noise to hopefully spook anything that might be on the carcass away.

As I approached the area I immediately noticed that the carcass had been moved away from the camera. The nearby creek was flowing high above it's banks, and the water had flooded the area where my camera and PIR sensor were positioned. The camera case was pointing up into the trees and the lens was covered in slobber, courtesy of the bear, but thankfully my tripod helped to keep it above the water line. There were numerous bear tracks in the remaining snow surrounding the elk. I did not have high expectations when I opened the case to check the images captured by the camera. In my many years of camera trapping, one thing I've learned is that bears have a way of "disabling" a camera while at the same time never having their picture taken! Reviewing the images, I found plenty of snowshoe hares, a pine marten, and a red fox had all paid the fallen bull a visit. My jaw literally dropped when I came across this chilling image of a very large Grizzly Bear staring directly into the camera. This was the last frame that was captured before the bear lunged at the camera, completely altering the careful composition that I had spent hours setting up just a few months prior.

I am pleased to announce that this image took 1st place in the “Animals In Their Environments” category in the coveted 2021 international Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition!

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