My Best Photographs of 2023 Part II: America The Wild

In order to capture this image, I spent several winters tracking and studying the habits and movements of these big cats. During that time, while out checking on camera traps one morning, I was even fortunate enough to witness a cougar successfully hunting a whitetail deer at very close range. Then one day, while I was out scouting for sign, I located a single, partial imprint in the snow beneath this overhanging rock. Based on that single impression and behavioral knowledge of the animals themselves, I decided it was worth setting up a camera in hopes the cat would eventually return to this location...

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Several winters ago while tracking a mountain lion in the snow, the tracks led me right to this unique rocky outcropping. I searched the surrounding area and found a tree with claw marks about seven or eight feet from the ground. These weren't made by a bear. The size of the claw marks suggested they were from a big cat...

Read the full story behind this image on my new publication, The Wild Journal

While you're  there, be sure to Subscribe (it's free!) to get exclusive access and content not available anywhere else!

This image, taken in the fall, shows a mother mountain lion and her cub on a dreary, rainy morning in Montana. I captured this unique image using one of my sophisticated DSLR camera traps. It's always exciting to capture more than one animal in a single frame. I particularly liked the natural framing of the youngster by the mother's long, curved tail.

Mountain lions are solitary creatures, typically living and hunting alone. They are rarely seen in groups, except for mothers with their young, and occasionally during mating season, when males will travel with females for short periods of time. They are territorial and often have large home ranges, with males having larger ranges than females. This solitary lifestyle helps them survive in their natural habitat, as they are able to hunt and avoid confrontation with other animals more efficiently, while at the same time reducing the risk of competition for resources.

Here is another photograph I captured at the same location as the image above this one. If you look closely here, you'll see the ghost cat of the Rockies, the mountain lion. In remote camera trapping, "ghosting," as it is often referred to, occurs when the ambient light in a scene competes with the light from the flashes. In this case, a rising full moon was much too powerful of an ambient light source. The instantaneous light from my flashes "froze" the cougar, but as the cat moved out of the frame during the long exposure, the animal became semi-transparent.

A majority of the time, these "ghostly" images do not turn out so well. For some reason, I didn't mind it with this image. Perhaps because of the moody atmosphere created by the full moon. The more I looked at the image, the more I enjoyed it!

Sometimes, just being in the right place at the right time can yield the best images. This capture is a prime example of just that!

Here, a young bull moose wades through a slow-moving offshoot of the Snake River, its massive body reflected in the water below. Towering in the distance, the rugged peaks of the Teton Mountain Range rise sharply against a blue sky. The calm water ripples around the moose’s legs as it moves deliberately through the shallows, perfectly at home in this wild landscape.

While out tracking Canada lynx over the winter, I had a fleeting moment with this young, inquisitive cat. While the encounter did not last very long, I was able to make this image while lying flat on my stomach in the deep snow. Being that they are such a rarity in Montana, I always cherish the moments I get to spend with these elusive wildcats.

Another special encounter occurred during the spring. Here, a female great gray owl diligently watches over her young at the nest. If you look carefully, you may spot the beak of one of the tiny newborn chicks. Great gray owls rely heavily on large snags (dead standing trees) such as this one, as they provide these big raptors with an ideal nesting habitat. Of the many great gray nests that I photographed in 2023, this image was one of my favorites.

To me, this sentiment really rings true. I am reminded just how important light is in photography. Far too often, I see images that are missing this fundamental ingredient. Simply capturing an image of a wild animal, or a scenic landscape, for that matter, doesn't necessarily make it a great image. Light has the power to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Until one learns to “see” and master light, only then will they discover the key to photography. Take, for example, this image of a ram I photographed in Montana. It turned out be one of my favorite wildlife portraits from last winter. Without the beautiful sidelight from the setting winter sun, this would be nothing more than your average run-of-the-mill portrait of a bighorn ram. When you add in that special light, however, it becomes something far more.

Two mountain goats pause to take in the iconic view of Grinnell Lake and Angel Wing Peak at sunset. A rare combination of weather and light came together at just the right moment to make this photograph possible.

But there’s more to the story than what you see here...

Read the full story on The Wild Journal, my new publication where I go deeper into the stories behind my photographs, the wildlife encounters that lead to them, and the experiences that happen long before, and sometimes long after, the shutter is pressed.

Mountain lions are solitary, stealthy predators that roam the extensive landscapes of both North and South America. With their powerful bodies and keen senses, these elusive creatures reign as one of the most skilled hunters in the animal kingdom. Their tawny coats blend seamlessly with their rocky and forested habitats, providing them with excellent camouflage as they stealthily navigate through their large territories. Known for their agility and athleticism, mountain lions are capable of leaping great distances and scaling steep cliffs with remarkable ease. Despite their elusive nature, they play a vital role in maintaining the balance of their ecosystems, contributing to the diversity and resilience of the natural world.

Shortly after returning to Montana from an autumn trip in Colorado, I had an unbelievable encounter with one of these majestic big cats while heading back from checking on one of my remote camera traps (coincidentally set for cougars!). Of the half dozen or so encounters I've had in the wild (two of which I witnessed were cougars taking down prey), this encounter was, without a doubt, the most special. Seemingly unphased by my presence, I was able to spend nearly an hour with this cat as it slowly moved through the forest, occasionally lying down underneath trees and, at one point, right out in the open! The light was fading, but I just happened to have my long lens with me, and I was able to capture several images I was very proud of. I particularly liked this one of the cat peering back at me through the natural framing of the forest.

The final two images that you will see below are from the same encounter…

I’ve spent a lot of time in mountain lion country, crossing paths with these big cats on numerous occasions. Many of those encounters were fleeting — a glimpse of movement, a set of tracks, the feeling of being watched — and often times I didn’t have a camera in hand, or there simply wasn’t time to reach it before the lion vanished back into the forest. Those moments taught me how easily these animals slip through the landscape, present one second and gone the next, leaving only a sense of awe and unfinished stories behind.

This encounter was different. At first, I assumed it would be just another fleeting glimpse — a quick moment in the shadows before the cat vanished into the trees. But what unfolded next was far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. For nearly an hour, I was able to quietly observe this magnificent predator as it moved through the forest with effortless grace, pausing to survey its surroundings, slipping silently through the underbrush, and occasionally glancing back, aware of my presence yet undisturbed by it. That hour became a rare window into the life of one of the wild’s most elusive and powerful animals, a memory that has stayed with me ever since.

Coincidentally, while returning from checking a remote camera trap I had set for mountain lions, I was fortunate to come upon this incredible animal. What are the odds!