For some reason, I can't edit my previous reply to add more content.

I personally would NEVER take ANYBODY's word about bear safety, UNLESS they live in the bear's territory. There are way too many self proclaimed armchair experts that offers advise on bears and have never even seen them in the wild, or if they have, it has been a few days out of the year usually with an armed guide.

I am not a bear expert. I know a lot about the bears because I live in bear territory. Right now there is bear scat in my backyard. A lot of "bear experts" gets killed. I am still alive. I follow my rules on bear safety and they are the same rules that Alaska Fish & Game recommends people follow (except I don't wear bear bells). The most dangerous bear is a bear habituated towards humans and most bear charges are in the areas where "tourists" visit. Bear charges are not heard of in our remote areas. I live on the Kenai Peninsula (look at a map of Alaska and find the Kenai Peninsula just south of Anchorage.) The Kenai Peninsula is not considered remote, but we are the size of West Virginia with a population of 49,000. We have in Alaska, wildlife refuges that are 270 air miles from the nearest town. We have parks that are larger than New York State. We have a State Park that is larger than the Adirondacks and it is located INSIDE Anchorage City Limits. What all this means is no matter where you are in Alaska, you are in bear country. To live here is to learn about bears and how to deal with them.

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I'm far from any kind of "expert" but I do spend a good deal of time around grizzly and black bears, and bear biologists. I follow my own recommendations.

The bear recommendations I make (its the most asked photography related question I get in Glacier Park) are first and foremost, dont go out looking for grizzly bears in the bush, bears are where you find them, they are always around - no such thing as a bear safe trail, dont look them in the eye (well, exept through a lens under "safe" conditions), never approach one, and dont scare them, if you encounter one on the trail dont panic, stay calm talk soft but firm and leave the area.

I dont agree when people see photos of bears and then say the shooter was too close. they dont know what was used to capture the shot, and they dont know the situation the shooter was in when he/she captured the image (Treadwel was different, you could tell that a pile of his shots were taken with a 50mm).

Have some idea about bears, stick to some guidelines and do your best to maintain a safe distance so as to no harm the bear or put the bear in a situation that it could be harmed.

Hey Everyone,

I am glad that we have been discussing this. I think that the issue of safety is quite legitimate...not only for myself and Chanthee, but the other critter involved.

Looking back at the situation, I will not disagree that I was definitely on 'the edge.' Given the situation that I was sitting with a ranger, who had bear spray and a taser, and given the cover that we had, I did not feel like I was in any danger at the moment. However, I think we can all agree that you never want to be in the situation when you have to rely on any of these as they are hardly 100% reliable in terms of protection.

I also think that the bear felt that I was no threat at any given time, and was generally not at all interested in any of us. I was there watching the guy for about 2 hours in mid-afternoon sun. He was quite content eating grubs and plant life. However, I think that there is no question that had I been alone that I would have handled the situation differently. Also, had it been earlier in the season, or had it been a sow with cubs, I would have been even more cautious. I don't want to be taken out of the poor guy's belly in a garbage bag (for those of you who did not see Grizzly Man, it is a worth while rental).

I think that if you can fill the frame at 400mm, even with the 1.6 crop, you are definitely cutting it close...and if you are by yourself, it is definitely too close. Yellowstone rules indicate 100 yards for carnivores...and I think that this number should be used with discretion. It is not 'all or nothing.' There has to be good judgment exercised in any event. There are many times when I think 100 yards is no where near enough.

I think that I was a tad closer than this - but not by too much. As folks have guessed, these images are all cropped - though some of them are more so than others.

-James

Absolutely a fantastic shot James. Although it is a bit risky to get that close to such an animal, there are times when we're out hiking and in an instant it just happens. I don't do much photography in bear country when I'm alone, but over the years my wife and I have stumbled upon some incredible animals that most would feel to close. We stay calmn and get the shot. Exellent James.

My 2 cents are Nice job I enjoyed them!!!!

Great shot!

I've hunted/fishing/photo in grizzly/brown bear areas and the only time I felt unnerved was on a trip to Brooks Falls last summer. Ended up being "followed" by a big ol bear through the woods. We were on a trail and this guy was coming our way from the other direction. As instructed we stepped off the trail some distance to let him pass. Well..instead of going by he decided to come into the woods and follow us for a bit. Going cross country through the woods with a bear in tow will make the hair on your neck stand up. I would have loved to have a few hundred yards between us and that bear.....

Hey Andrew,

That is pretty freaky and at the same time, a bit of a perspective builder. How long do you think he followed you for? How many were there in your party?

James

There were two of us. At first when we stepped off the main trail and he decided to come our way, it was no big deal. There are a ton of "bear trails" off the main trails going to the viewing platforms. But as we started to make a few turns off trail to try and get out of his way, he followed. Thats when it got a little unnerving. Probably followed us for 75yrds or so. Seemed like 2 miles. He then lost interest, stopped and watched us go on our way. Gave us another story from the trip.

The bears at Brooks being acclimated to seeing people all over definitely act different. They really don't care about you and expect you to move out of the way. They know the game plan. The bears we encountered while fishing really wanted nothing to do with us other then a few instances when they became interested in the fish that were being reeled in.

" But as we started to make a few turns off trail to try and get out of his way, he followed. Thats when it got a little unnerving. Probably followed us for 75yrds or so."

Yeah...that could be a bit unnerving. I am curious about what precautions most folks here use when shooting in the back country areas.

James