A once-in-a-lifetime predator-prey moment captured in Montana

I spend a lot of time in wild places, but nothing could have prepared me for what unfolded on that cold October evening in western Montana.

The day had been a disappointment. Hours of driving, glassing, waiting—nothing. I decided to take a back road home that evening, a route that passed through the mountains. The light was fading fast, the kind of quiet, unproductive day that every nature and wildlife photographer knows all too well. Snow had begun to spit from a dull, gray sky, dusting the ground just enough to soften the edges of the landscape. Autumn was at its peak—golden grasses, rusted hillsides, the last color clinging to the trees.

That’s when I saw them.

A small group of mule deer stood partway up a hillside just off the road, their coats already flecked with snow. I eased to a stop, rolled the window down, and slowly lifted my camera. The snowflakes were quite large, making for some beautiful atmosphere. For a moment, it seemed like the day might offer something after all.

Then everything unraveled.

The herd tensed all at once and bolted toward the timber. Before I could react, a piercing sound cut through the air—a scream so sharp and desperate it froze me in place. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned just in time to see a mule deer tumbling down the embankment and into the road only yards from my truck.

At first, the screams didn’t make sense.

Then I saw it—a long tail rising and snapping into view.

The doe had a mountain lion on her back!

Instinct took over. I quickly leaned out the window and began shooting as the deer struggled to regain her footing, hooves scrambling for traction on the gravel surface. She lunged forward, trying to escape, but the cat launched again, clamping onto her back. Its front legs wrapped around her neck, tight and deliberate, like a choke-hold.

They crashed back to the ground together.

What followed was chaos. The deer fought with everything she had—kicking, twisting, refusing to give up. The mountain lion held on, muscles coiled, focused on one thing: survival. Blood, dirt, and hair filled the air as the two thrashed in the middle of the road. It felt endless, though in reality it was no more than thirty or forty seconds.

Finally, the cat secured its grip and began dragging the doe toward the edge of the road.

I knew what lay below—a steep, unforgiving slope. When they disappeared from sight, I jumped out of the truck and ran to the edge, heart pounding. What I saw next was almost impossible to process: the two animals tumbling head over tail down the hillside, locked together as they fell.

When they finally came to rest at the bottom, they lay just a few feet apart.

Both were motionless. I remember thinking, there’s no way that deer is alive. I was wrong.

Without warning, the doe sprang to her feet and bounded into the trees, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared. Not even a second later, the mountain lion followed—leaping after her, relentless, determined.

Then everything went quiet. I stood there alone, staring into the timber, waiting for another scream, another sound—anything. But the forest offered nothing. Just silence.

I returned the next day and searched the area, looking for some sign of the doe. I found none. Whether she survived or the cat eventually caught up to her, I’ll never know.

What I do know is this: resilience in the wild is absolute, and mercy is rare. There are no villains and there are no heroes—only the hunter and the hunted, locked in a struggle as old as the landscape itself.

Posted in Montana, Wildlife Photography, Nature and tagged mountain lion, vs., mule deer, cougar, attack, hunting, hunt, predator, prey, deer, cat, rare, encounter, Montana, nature.

From flying helicopters in the icy heart of winter in Alaska, to remote camera trapping in the mountains of Montana, I continued to push the boundaries of what is possible with a camera—capturing our natural world as you’ve never seen it before! The photographs that you see here, in order of when they were captured, represent what I consider to be my finest work from 2024. Please take a moment to enjoy the collection and consider transforming your interior space with a fine art print that is bound to inspire you on a daily basis!

Posted in Wildlife Photography, Nature and tagged best of 2024, photography, nature, wildlife, landscapes, fine art photography.

Part II of my “Best Of” blog piece focuses on my most memorable wildlife encounters of 2023. I’m blessed here in Montana to not have to travel very far to photograph a wide variety of wildlife species. This past year, however, I really focused my efforts on elusive cats, mainly the mountain lion, or cougar. I have dedicated the past several years to building a portfolio of these majestic, yet seldom observed cats. Over the past few years, I have been able to narrow down specific areas where my odds of capturing these big cats are almost guaranteed. Finding these areas meant putting in hundreds of hours, both in the field and also by using Google Earth to scout out potentially viable areas. That’s where my DSLR camera traps (not to be confused with “trail cameras”) come into play. I can leave these cameras out in the field, essentially working for me 24/7, for extended periods of time. As a result, a majority of the photographs that you will see here took considerable amounts of both time and effort to achieve. I hope that you will enjoy and appreciate them as much as I do!

I picked up my first camera at a very young age, but it wasn't because I wanted to become a photographer when I grew up, at least not at first. As a young boy, one of my favorite hobbies was tracking animals. I would set off into the woods alone with nothing but a small pack containing everything I needed to document the wild animals that lived in my neighborhood: a ruler, a pencil, a notebook, and a can full of plaster of paris so that I could make castings of the footprints I found. As time went on, I found myself wanting more than just measurements and casts of tracks. I started carrying inexpensive, one-time-use disposable 35mm cameras to capture photographs to go along with my records. By the time I reached my early teens, I purchased my first 35mm SLR camera.

At first, I was strictly documenting tracks and sign with the camera, but soon I found myself purchasing a small telephoto lens, hoping to capture animals that I encountered in the woods: foxes, deer, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, whatever I came across. It was easier said than done! Not only was I carrying a camera in hand, but I was also building basic remote camera "traps" to capture images of nocturnal wildlife. These crude designs made use of sensors found in motion-activated lights, vehicle door lock actuators (to trigger the camera's shutter button), and heavy metal boxes to keep everything waterproof. The light source was the flash on the 35mm camera. Talk about an unflattering look!

As I grew older, my passion took the back burner as the rigors of everyday life at times got in the way. In the back of my mind, however, I was quietly plotting my career path as an artist. I knew the road would be long and not even close to easy. Making a living as a photographer is not easy or guaranteed, not in any way. Sure, I get to travel and take "pretty pictures" for a living, but what you don't see is all of the countless hours spent in wild places to capture a singular, special moment in time. Along with that, there is also the skill and dedication that goes into crafting meaningful imagery. Lastly, you must have an undeniable passion for nature and the outdoors.

That brings me back to the image that you see here of a large male mountain lion checking out a rocky outcropping on a late winter morning in Montana. It is a combination of several of my passions. Tracking, wildlife, and photography all wrapped up into a single image. Technology has come a long way since I first started building my own remote cameras back in the early 2000s. Nowadays, I build much more sophisticated camera traps using DSLR cameras, infrared sensors, and off-camera flashes so that I can get creative with the light. I spend countless hours scouting in the wild to find just the right place for a camera trap. Unlike with traditional wildlife photography, where you are often reacting to the conditions and behavior in real-time, with camera trapping, you are only limited by your own imagination. The photographer is able to control nearly the entire process. Everything from the composition to the lighting, and to some extent, even where the animal is captured within the frame.

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. After several long months of patiently waiting, this large male finally returned to this rocky overhang and triggered my camera early one morning as winter was coming to a close. The location was so specific that this cat and a few passing elk were the only animals that I captured over a three-month period of time!

I first came across this location over a year ago and made note of it. Having spent so much time in the field learning the habits of mountain lions, this rocky outcropping looked like the perfect haunt for a cat. I monitored the area for several months and began to see a pattern of activity emerging. This past year, I was able to finally get one of my DSLR camera traps in place. Both the camera setup and the lighting proved to be quite challenging, as the location is literally right on the edge of a small cliff. With a little ingenuity, I was able to make it work. Over the next several months, I captured a few of my favorite images of mountain lions to date, and I missed an even better shot of a female with kittens due to dead batteries. That's just the way it goes sometimes! In the end, though, patience and persistence paid off.

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 this iconic view of Grinnell Lake and Angel Wing Peak, at sunset. A rare set of weather conditions aligned perfectly for this image, fresh snow, and relatively low winds.

The next morning, I made the 6-hour drive to the east side of the park, arriving at the trailhead a little after 3 p.m. and began the solo 5-mile trek up to the glacier. The plan was to photograph the sunset up there, which at this time of the year was a little after 6 p.m., so I hiked at a relatively fast pace. Not only that, but temps were hovering in the single digits. By moving quickly, I was able to stay somewhat warm throughout the hike. When I arrived, I found the Upper Grinnell Lake to be already frozen solid. With some time left before sunset, I made the decision to descend to this lower vantage point overlooking Grinnell Lake instead. Without much time left before sunset, I managed to find a composition that I liked just before the clouds lit up.

As I was waiting for the light to get better, I was paid a surprise visit by a couple of friendly “locals.” A female mountain goat and her youngster! I was framing up a nearby composition when I first noticed the pair. They were about 100 yards below me, moving across a snowy cliff band. As the light in the sky became more and more intense, I found myself glued to the viewfinder. Eventually, I looked up and caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and was shocked to see a mountain goat quietly observing me from a few feet away. I remained still, and once the goats were satisfied that I wasn’t a threat, they trotted right up to join me on the rocky perch. Knowing how special the moment was, I carefully moved a few feet to my right and got into position to capture the pair as they took in the grandeur of the scene that was before us. Not only was I able to capture this iconic landscape in unique conditions, but the presence of the goats really elevated this image to another level for me.

Once the sunset was over, I began the long, frigid trek back to the trailhead in the dark. I stopped several times to photograph at a few other locations on the way down, making my way through the night by headlamp until a full moon graced me with its presence. Hiking in grizzly country always comes with a heightened sense of awareness, and when you are hiking in the dark solo, one must be hyper vigilant and aware of their surroundings. While I did not end up encountering any bears that night, just a lot of footprints, I did see one on the road driving out of the park. It was a fitting way to end the day and a reminder that I’m not the only one out there wandering through the wild.

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!

Posted in Wildlife Photography and tagged best of 2024, wildlife, photography, fine art prints, nature.

GRIZZLY REMAINS

A grizzly bear, fresh out of a winter slumber, investigates an old elk carcass on an early spring morning in Montana. This photograph earned me first place in the “Animals in their Environment” category of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2021.

Nature and wildlife have always been an integral part of my life. Whenever I am photographing wild animals, I am always trying to capture them in a unique and inspiring way. I want the viewer to feel an emotional connection to the animal, just as though they were standing right there when the photograph was being made. One thing that has always fascinated me are the rare and elusive animals that exist in the world but are rarely observed in the wild. Animals like the Canada lynx, or the mountain lion, immediately come to mind for their amazing ability to move across the landscape virtually undetected. It is because of species like the lynx that renewed my interest in remote camera traps. Simply put, a "camera trap" is any stationary camera that is triggered by a change in the environment, such as the presence of an animal, for example. A camera trap can be something as simple as a consumer-grade trail camera, or something as advanced as a DSLR camera setup. Because my goal is to create professional quality fine art photographs, I use the latter of the two.

THE LION KING

A mountain lion captured with a DSLR camera trap prowling a
ridgeline on a summer evening in Montana

Camera traps can be a great way to capture wildlife with very minimal disturbance to the animals themselves. For the past several years now I've been largely focused on creating a portfolio of wildlife photographs captured using these sophisticated remote cameras. I first became interested in camera trap photography in the early 2000s, when I constructed a very basic trail camera that used a 35mm film camera. The camera was then rigged up to a PIR sensor from a set of motion-activated lights and triggered by a solenoid from a vehicle’s automatic door lock. The whole setup was housed in a heavy metal canister. As crude of a contraption as it was, I did get some results with it; foxes, bears, skunks, deer, to name a few. An on-camera flash provided me with the light needed for nighttime subjects. Needless to say, it was a less than flattering look.

Fast forward to today. I now build and employ hi-end camera traps that use DSLR and Mirrorless cameras and wide-angle lenses to capture professional quality, print-worthy photographs of wildlife that tell a story far beyond the typical portrait. Traditionally, most wildlife photography is done using long telephoto lenses, whereas camera trap photography uses wide-angle lenses capable of depicting more of the environment where these creatures thrive. Besides telling a story, these photographs are great for shedding light on rarely observed animal behavior and for wildlife conservation, especially when they are used to document endangered or threatened species. Not only that but checking on and maintaining the cameras gets me back into nature, which to me is an added bonus. Equally exciting is when I check a camera and find that it captured exactly what I was hoping for. This does not happen nearly as often as I would like, that’s just the nature of things, which makes it even more rewarding when everything does come together just as I envisioned.

A look at just some of the necessary gear required for a camera trap

Professional camera traps, despite having similarities in how they are triggered, are in no way comparable to your average off-the-shelf “trail camera”. In fact, they are far from it! Besides being very low-quality, most commercially available trail cameras use infrared LEDs for illumination of nighttime pictures and video. DSLR Camera traps, on the other hand, use a number of off-camera flashes, or “speedlights” as they are known. Speedlights are commonly used in studio settings, where the portrait photographer uses them to add a pleasing light to their models. As a result, camera trapping is often likened to setting up a portrait studio in the forest and hoping that an animal passes by and gets their picture taken. Through the use of off-camera flash, camera traps are capable of capturing nocturnal wildlife that would otherwise be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to photograph otherwise.

A DSLR camera trap setup in the field. Look closely, can you spot it?

By now you must be wondering, how do I choose where to set up the camera? Good question! Here’s my roundabout answer to that. Camera placement is just as critical as understanding how to set everything up. Think about it this way. The camera’s field of view is only able to cover a very tiny patch of forest, and many animals have vast home ranges. Male cougars, for example, have home ranges that can easily span 150 square miles. For comparison, the city of Seattle is only 92 square miles! This should help you understand why camera placement is so important. When I am attempting to choose a location for my cameras, I often rely on tracks and other sign left behind by the particular species I’m targeting. Once I observe some sign, I then begin to look for areas on the landscape that can be used as natural “funnels” for the wildlife.

SYMBOL OF THE WILDERNESS

Expect the unexpected. Imagine my excitement when I checked the memory card from this camera trap, which was set up for mountain lions, and found this wolverine instead!

Just as camera placement is key, composition is equally important to me, and that is what is so incredible about camera trapping. The photographer is able to control the entire creative process, everything from the composition to the lighting. When camera trapping, you are really only limited by your own imagination. Checking camera traps is one of the most exciting things a photographer can do. It becomes even more rewarding when you find that you captured exactly what you were anticipating, especially after you’ve put in the time and effort to find that perfect location. As good as all of this sounds, camera trapping is not without its fair share of pitfalls, however. With all of the electronics, sooner or later you’re bound to run into problems that will need some troubleshooting. There are numerous mistakes I see beginner camera trappers making. I know, I’ve been there too! I can help you steer clear of, and overcome, these pitfalls, saving you from years of costly mistakes that are easy to avoid once you become aware of them. Don’t leave that once-in-a-lifetime photograph to chance, learn how to get it right the first time.

Now, this all sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? Not exactly. Camera trapping requires a high degree of patience and dedication, not to mention the technical know-how to get everything set up and working correctly. On top of all of that, the animals must cooperate. Understanding animal behavior goes a long way in capturing successful photographs. Simply placing the camera at a random spot in the forest may produce some results, they will most likely not be the results that you’re looking for. That’s where my eBook, The Ultimate Guide to DSLR Camera Trapping, comes in. Besides covering the basics of camera trapping, I also discuss scouting techniques, lots of camera trapping tips and tricks, and various other methods to improve your success. I’ve designed the guide as a resource for all levels of photographers, from beginners to professionals. The information is easy to digest and will put you on the right track to start capturing the images you’ve always dreamed of!

Are you interested in learning more about DSLR camera trap photography? Then you’re going to need to pick up a copy of my eBook: The Ultimate Guide to DSLR Camera Trapping - Guaranteed to take your wildlife photography to the next level. Think of it as a sort of “crash course” in camera trap photography. At over 200 pages, it’s loaded with information to help you not only get started in, but also succeed, in this unique field of wildlife photography.

Here is just a small sampling of what you can expect to learn from my eBook:

• What is a camera trap?
• A thorough rundown of camera trap components and gear
• DSLR camera, lens, and flash recommendations
• Basic and advanced camera settings
• Working with speedlights to craft studio-style lighting that is as natural looking as possible
• How to power your equipment for extended periods of time
• Instructions for building your own camera traps
• Scouting techniques to aid in choosing the right location for your camera
• Deployment of your camera trap
• Countless wildlife camera trapping tips and techniques to help you succeed
• Real-world examples of actual DSLR camera trap setups in the field, complete with diagrams and the end results from each set
• All of this and much, much more!

So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring the exciting and highly addictive world of remote camera traps by downloading my eBook today!

Click Here to Learn More →

Posted in Camera Trapping, Wildlife Photography and tagged dslr, camera, trap, trapping, remote camera, wildlife, photography, nature.

In 2022, I continued to expand my DSLR camera trapping efforts in Montana. Specifically, I wanted to capture a collection of images of wildlife within the larger landscape. I wanted to show where these animals live. I spent a lot of time studying maps, searching for locations that coincided with what I had in mind. Once I located these areas on a map, it was time to lace up my boots and go explore these areas on foot. I’ve always believed that there is no substitute for actual time spent in the field. It is a time-consuming process, but one that is absolutely necessary if you want to achieve results. This image comes from one of my most productive locations from the summer. Within just a week of setting up this camera, I captured all three of Montana’s cat species, including this beautiful cougar.

I stood there in the frozen expanse of Yellowstone on a subzero morning, watching as this mighty American bison moved slow and steady across the snow. Its thick winter coat was crusted with frost from the steam rising from the geyser basin, giving it an almost otherworldly presence. I absolutely love photographing these giants during the winter. In that moment, I felt both humbled and awed — witnessing an animal so iconic, so perfectly adapted to this frozen landscape, reminded me why I keep returning to the wild.

High in the mountains of Montana lives one of the most elusive carnivores in North America — the wolverine. Rare, powerful, and almost never seen, it has earned a reputation that borders on myth, yet few ever witness one in the wild.

In early spring, I hiked into the high country to check a remote camera I had set for mountain lions. A light spring snowfall had blanketed the landscape overnight, though much of it had already melted under the warmth of the afternoon sun by the time I arrived at my camera. Beneath the tree, I found a fresh cougar scrape — a good sign that the location was being used. I opened the camera housing and began scrolling through the images: skunks, a mountain lion… and then I stopped. There it was. A wolverine.

The conditions couldn’t have been better — fresh snow, fog lifting from the mountains, and early morning light spilling across the scene. Seeing one of Montana’s rarest animals appear on my screen, exactly where I’d hoped but never expected, felt almost unreal. Moments like this are why I keep returning to the wilderness, investing time, patience, and trust in remote cameras.

During an autumn visit to Colorado, my wife and our two pups embarked on a backpacking trip into the San Juan Mountains about midway through our trip. We arrived at our destination in the early afternoon. As it neared sunset, a storm on the horizon threatened us with rain, but fortunately we were treated to this spectacular sunset instead! The light that evening seemed to go on forever. It was one of those rare moments of being in the right place, at just the right time. We were fortunate to have this incredible view all to ourselves that evening.

The mountains that you see here are the Grenadiers, a sub-range of the San Juans, and are situated within the Weminuche Wilderness. In the early 1860s prospectors found deposits of gold and silver along the river here, carving its way through the gorge, and large-scale mining operations began in the 1870s.

Wet, dreary mornings make for some incredible conditions for photography, especially during autumn. The rain really makes the colors pop! After coming across this spot while walking through a Colorado forest, I spent over an hour getting soaked to the bone making images like the one that you see here. The fog drifted in and out, it was like a scene from a fairy tale.

Remote camera trapping has been a passion of mine for a very long time. I made my very first "camera trap" images all the way back in 2001, using a very crude trail camera that I built from scratch. The crude setup used a 35mm film camera and a sensor from a set of motion-activated lights. Fast forward to today and technology has come such a long, long ways. These days I employ sophisticated DSLR cameras and state of the art triggering systems to capture truly unique images of elusive wildlife in their natural habitats.

This ridgeline proved to be one of my most productive locations of 2022. This family group of four lions triggered the set on a summer night. The exposure I previously had dialed in was enough to pick up some stars in the night sky, which was what I had envisioned. The fact that I was able to get two of the four cats in one frame was a miracle. Perhaps what I enjoyed most about this image was not only the pose of the cat on the left, as if poised to pounce on its sibling, but also the playful look in the eyes of the youngster on the right.

While wandering around an aspen grove in Colorado, I came across this beautiful arrangement of trees and autumn color. Forest scenes are often “busy”, making them surprisingly difficult to photograph. I enjoy the challenge and eventually I was able to compose an image that I felt did the forest the justice it deserved. When I look at this photograph, I can almost smell the autumn leaves. How about you?

After one of the most unbelievable encounters of my life with a wild wolverine at a backcountry campsite in the Sawtooth Mountains, I ventured out into the dark of night to a nearby lake to photograph the Milky Way Galaxy. With a little advanced planning, I was able to capture the galaxy in all of its glory, complemented beautifully by the jagged peaks of the Sawtooth Wilderness. A perfect ending to a perfect day in the mountains.

There's nothing quite like enjoying a beautiful Rocky Mountain sunrise, while listening to elk bugle in the distance. While everyone else was clamoring around the larger bull and his harem just up the way, I hung back, not wanting to be part of the crowd. Instead, I focused on this bull that was lying down in the middle of this large meadow. Just as the sun rose, bathing the mountains in a brilliant red glow, the bull rose and began making his way across the meadow. The landscape was really enticing here, so rather than using a telephoto lens, I switched to a wide-angle lens so that I could capture this environmental portrait.

A personal project for me last winter was to document (with remote camera traps) how mountain lions navigate natural features found on the landscape in order to successfully stalk and ambush their prey. This project required a ton of field time, both for scouting, as well as for setting and maintaining multiple camera traps and numerous trail cameras.

Over the course of the winter, I learned so much more about these elusive big cats and even tracked down several kill sites, scrape areas, latrines, daybeds, among other things. One day, while I was checking on cameras, I even witnessed (for the second time in my life) a lion ambushing a deer in the wild. This all happened less than 70 yards away from where I was standing!

This image depicts a male mountain lion returning to feed on the remains of a deer cached under the snow on a winter night in Montana. There were multiple trails leading to the cache, so I picked the one I thought the cat would most likely use and it turned out that I was correct. The cat returned later than evening and proceeded to travel directly down the trail that led past my camera.

While photographing on a bluebird morning in Colorado, I noticed a small puddle of rainwater filled with some decaying autumn aspen leaves. Taking a closer look at the arrangement of leaves, glistening with raindrops, I realized that it was just too good to pass up. The early morning sunlight that was streaming through the forest enhanced the subtle textures of the leaves.

A mountain lion pauses beneath an old Douglas fir in the mountains of Montana, at sunrise. I captured this image using a sophisticated DSLR camera trap system. This tree serves as a territorial marker for the cats. The dominant tom, pictured here, returns often to leave his scent. This not only warns other toms that they are trespassing, but it's also a way for the male to communicate with females whose territories may overlap.

For my birthday in August, my wife and our huskies embarked on an adventurous backpacking trip into the Sawtooth Wilderness. Our destination was an alpine lake situated high in a remote cirque, surrounded by towering peaks. The rugged nature of this wilderness makes it one of my favorite places for backpacking. Perhaps the best part about this trip was the insane wolverine encounter we had the evening before I captured this image.

After hiking for a few hours, we finally made it to the lake. After setting up camp, I set off to hike up to the upper lake to check it out. While searching for compositions for sunset, I discovered this small waterfall just as the clouds began to glow. I really enjoyed how the warm light on the mountains contrasted so nicely with the cooler tones of the water. I found this entire area to be very promising for landscape photography, so when I arrived back at camp that night, I talked my wife into packing up the next morning and trekking to the lake above. I woke the next morning, a year older. Bluebird skies greeted me as I crawled out of the tent to photograph the sun rise. After breakfast, we packed up our campsite, loaded our heavy packs, and began climbing steeply up to the next lake. We set up camp yet again, beneath massive, craggy peaks and went for a swim in the icy waters. We spent a relaxing evening just enjoying the views from our campsite. That's when it happened.

I was knelt down taking pictures of our pups with my camera phone, when I heard my wife yell out, “Wolverine!” Shock immediately set in! A wolverine was in fact loping right through our camp, less than 15 feet from us!! Our pups were even closer than I was and when they saw it, they began chasing after it. They nearly snatched the animal by the tail before reaching the end of their leads, narrowly escaping what would have likely been a disastrous confrontation for us all! As for me, I was too busy picking my jaw up off the ground to do anything but gawk at this magnificent creature. Once I was able to compose myself, I ran over to the edge of the cliff it ran down to see if I could see it again. I was able to get one more glimpse before it disappeared into a small stand of trees, never to be seen again.

In all of my time spent in the mountains, I've never spotted a wolverine in the wild, until now. I could not have asked for a better birthday gift and although I wasn’t able to capture a photograph, it is a moment that will forever live in my memory. It is these wild experiences in life that are by far the most rewarding. And honestly, how many people can say that their fur kids spotted one of the rarest critters on the planet!

On a winter day in Montana, while snowshoeing through a forest in search of Canada lynx, I heard what sounded like a cat crying out. I decided to follow the sound to see where it might lead me. As I got closer, the sound became louder and louder, but at the same time, it was difficult to pinpoint. I moved slowly and carefully, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was making the noises. The forest was dense, and I could not see farther than a few feet in front of me at times. Eventually the noises led me to a small clearing in the forest. When I looked up, I saw this young lynx perched at the top of a very tall tree with a broken top. The sound I was hearing was a female lynx calling out to her kitten. I'm not sure how this lynx ended up in the tree, but fresh coyote tracks in the area could have been the reason. It was interesting to observe this behavior in the wild. Eventually the lynx descended down the tree, reuniting with its mom and the two of them moved off deeper into the forest.

This was the very last image captured by one of my cameras in 2022. It was taken on December 29th. I actually came across this fantastic location back in 2021, while I was scouting for mountain lion sign. I finally decided to set a camera here and I’m certainly glad I did! This large tom appeared to be on the hunt on this particular evening, scanning for deer from the rocky outcropping. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to find an image like this on the memory card. I look forward to capturing more images like this one in 2023.

Posted in Nature and tagged best of, photography, 2022, nature, fine art, prints, wildlife, landscapes, travel.

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

PURCHASE PRINT

International Shipping Available! Please Contact me for shipping rates and ordering info.

Hard work, determination, patience—and a little luck—all played a role in the capturing of this image.

While cross-country skiing near my home in Montana, I came across the remains of a bull elk. Tracks and sign in the snow told the story: a wolf had been regularly feeding on the carcass. Sensing the potential for something unique, I returned later that afternoon with a custom DSLR camera trap that I built myself. Wolves are intelligent and wary, so I tucked the camera deep into a tree well and carefully camouflaged it with branches and snow.

Over the next two months, I checked it only once to swap batteries. The wolf never returned. Instead, a steady rotation of scavengers showed up—foxes, martens, ravens, even snowshoe hares. As winter gave way to spring, access became more difficult. I delayed my next visit as long as possible, waiting for a cold day to help with a creek crossing along the route. After a stretch of unseasonably warm weather, I arrived to find the once-frozen stream transformed into a raging torrent.

I spent two hours building a makeshift bridge from downed timber before finally crossing and snowshoeing the rest of the way in. Near the site, I spotted large, fresh tracks in the snow—a grizzly. Not wanting to surprise a bear on a carcass, I checked a secondary trail camera I had placed nearby. The footage showed the bear had passed through just hours before I arrived.

Making plenty of noise as I approached, I found the scene completely changed. The carcass had been moved away from the camera, and the nearby creek was flowing high above its banks. The rising water had flooded the area where my camera and PIR sensor were positioned. My camera case was tilted skyward, the lens smeared with slobber—courtesy of the bear—but miraculously, the tripod had kept it above the waterline. Fresh grizzly tracks surrounded the site.

I didn’t expect much when I opened the case. In my years of camera trapping, I’ve learned that bears have an uncanny ability to “disable” a setup without ever getting their picture taken. Scrolling through the images, I saw the usual visitors—hares, a pine marten, a red fox.

Then I came to this frame.

A massive grizzly bear, staring directly into the camera. My jaw dropped. It was the last frame captured—taken just before the bear lunged at the camera, altering the carefully crafted composition and ending the story in dramatic fashion.

Comment

Posted in Wildlife Photography and tagged grizzly remains, grizzly leftovers, grizzly, bear, wildlife photographer of the year, international, photography, competition, WPY, camera trap, camera trapping, dslr camera trap, montana, wildlife.