Polar Bear Adventure
Contributors to this thread:Bears
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Bears approaching from the south
Bears approaching from the south
I know it wasn't a hunt, but simply due to the rarity of accessing polar bears in the wild I thought I'd share some photos from my recent trip up to one of our lodges. Bear viewing was above average and just exceptional. I only spent two days in camp - thank goodness as I put 580 pictures on my Lumix and gained 5lbs due to the cooking. I simply won't have time to edit the images at all in the near future so here they are just as they come off the camera. I'm sure some post-processing could make them more appealing, but it is what it is.
Because the bears walk for hundreds of miles without hitting anything when they come across the lodge they generally come by to check it out, making for fantastic photographic opportunities - even right from the lodge.
Thanks!
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Mama doing some nursing
Mama doing some nursing
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
This adolescent boar already looks big! Yawn time!
This adolescent boar already looks big! Yawn time!
The 12 foot tide is rolling in along with some waves...and of course, this male.
The 12 foot tide is rolling in along with some waves...and of course, this male.
From: JL
26-Aug-21
Great pics! Thanks for posting them up.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Bears were vacuuming up cloudberries. Mom and 2.5 year old cub shown here. Mom estimated at 8ish years old and likely her first cub.
Bears were vacuuming up cloudberries. Mom and 2.5 year old cub shown here. Mom estimated at 8ish years old and likely her first cub.
These are the cloudberries. Remind me of a rasberry. Also tart taste. Lodge has excellent made-on-site cloudberry jam.
These are the cloudberries. Remind me of a rasberry. Also tart taste. Lodge has excellent made-on-site cloudberry jam.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Some biologists claim polars are strictly meat eaters. This simply isn't true as we watched them take in mounds of berries every day. They'll also eat kelp, and a variety of available foods. Bears were in fantastic shape. The ice was good to them this winter, and the seal baby jelly beans they were popping prior to ice out were plentiful.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Mother will nurse cubs right up until a boar pushes them away at roughly 3 years of age and she is ready to mate again, much like black bears. Always, always testing the wind. The bacon wrapped moose on the bbq may have helped...
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
My wife called this the gummy bear stance lol. Reminded me of the meerkats from Madgascar movie.
My wife called this the gummy bear stance lol. Reminded me of the meerkats from Madgascar movie.
More gummy bears lol
More gummy bears lol
From: JohnMC
26-Aug-21
Fantastic pictures. You are living the dream!
From: Nick Muche
26-Aug-21
That's incredible, very nice photos. What an experience!
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Bear in front of the lodge - you guessed it...eating cloudberries.
Bear in front of the lodge - you guessed it...eating cloudberries.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Everyone gets tired. And the sand is nice and cool for these warm bears on a beautiful day.
Everyone gets tired. And the sand is nice and cool for these warm bears on a beautiful day.
After digging this bed in the kelp it was funny to watch mom "hip-check" the cub a little for her own butt room when the cub took up too much space lol
After digging this bed in the kelp it was funny to watch mom "hip-check" the cub a little for her own butt room when the cub took up too much space lol
From: midwest
26-Aug-21
Really cool, Adam!
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
This roughly 5 year old male shown earlier, swam in from the open sea. Polars will swim just as readily as walking and have been tracked swimming hundred of miles in one shot.
This roughly 5 year old male shown earlier, swam in from the open sea. Polars will swim just as readily as walking and have been tracked swimming hundred of miles in one shot.
Same male passes by the lodge half a day later.
Same male passes by the lodge half a day later.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Tried to give our cooks a little break so the owner and myself cooked them a "shore lunch" inside the lodge. Fish, taters and onions, beans and corn. Almost like as if we were at the fishing lodge!
Tried to give our cooks a little break so the owner and myself cooked them a "shore lunch" inside the lodge. Fish, taters and onions, beans and corn. Almost like as if we were at the fishing lodge!
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
A different mother nurses her two cubs a mere 30 yards from the front windows. I took this picture through the glass. Interesting to watch the cubs alternate nipples. Mom had 4 nipples for 2 cubs.
A different mother nurses her two cubs a mere 30 yards from the front windows. I took this picture through the glass. Interesting to watch the cubs alternate nipples. Mom had 4 nipples for 2 cubs.
Mom will lose 2lbs/day nursing.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Coming back from watching the belugas. Of course a bear is guarding our approach.
From: Stoneman
26-Aug-21
Great photos! some of us will likely never see this many polar bears. Thanks for sharing (I know it can be time consuming) ha
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
My wife glassing the bears in the couldberries
My wife glassing the bears in the couldberries
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
And finally, security at the airstrip as we head out to leave.
And finally, security at the airstrip as we head out to leave.
My improperly situated photos refuse to rotate.
From: iceman
26-Aug-21
Holy cow, man. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
If I bored you...you can yawn along with this mother ;)
Hope you enjoyed. I know it was a rare experience and I am truly truly blessed. Have a great weekend everyone!
From: Bowboy
26-Aug-21
Great pictures thanks for sharing!
From: Paul@thefort
26-Aug-21
Is that a HIGH fence around the lodge :)?
From: dakotaduner
26-Aug-21
Thanks for sharing the pictures with us.
From: Kurt
26-Aug-21
Great photos! Beautiful spot there too!
Adam, are you in Manitoba? Wasn’t sure how far north the lodge is? Thanks!
From: GLP
26-Aug-21
Enjoyed this!
From: Hancock West
26-Aug-21
Nice photos.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Yes, it is northern MB. And YES it is a high fence Paul! lol We've got a the fence encased in thick wire fence, and then electric fence around most of it as well. Had the treat of watching the fence educate a couple young bears ;) It seemed like once was enough! Any bear with any age on them were very cautious animals. If you moved too quick they were outta there.
We obviously don't feed them in any way. So close encounters are purely related to curiosity.
From: t-roy
26-Aug-21
Very cool, Adam! Great photos as well! Looks to be some sort of monitor in the pic of the male bear with the waves crashing in the background. Any idea what that is? Also, how often did you visualize your arrow placement on those bears during the trip?? ;-)
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
t-Roy, yes we had a film crew from the UK there at the same time as well filming for a TV series. We regularly take Nat Geo crews and the like. Unfortunately their GoPro in its thick aluminum case made it's way into my shot :(
I think they were using that to time-lapse the tide or something.
From: APauls
26-Aug-21
Here you can see the curious bears
From: Altitude Sickness
26-Aug-21
Amazing pics, and what a treat to see polars that close.
From: Oryx35
26-Aug-21
Incredible! Thanks for sharing!
From: Elmer@laptop
26-Aug-21
Wow...awesome photos
From: Bou'bound
26-Aug-21
Amazingly amazing
From: blue spot
27-Aug-21
Adam, As everyone else said, thanks so much for posting. A real treat to take a mini tour for a few minutes and see some great animals and country side. That gos for every one else posting stories and trip recaps.
And I will vouch for the cloudberries. I enjoyed some when I was on an IFYE exchange to Norway back in 1991. Back to to local time and back to the salt mines!
Thanks Erik
From: Inshart
27-Aug-21
Great pics, but don't think I'd be going out for an afternoon stroll.
From: APauls
27-Aug-21
I loved looking at them from the front where you can see the power in that chest. They're capable of so much.
From: arlone
27-Aug-21
Like the rest, thank you for sharing. They are an incredible animal, what an experience!
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
27-Aug-21
Great photos Adam. Looks like a beautiful lodge as well.
From: Buckeye
27-Aug-21
Fantastic pictures. thanks for taking us along
From: Potro
27-Aug-21
great photos The polar bear are just a beautiful animals
From: SteveB
27-Aug-21
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!
From: Zbone
29-Aug-21
Cool.... Glad its a lodge, wouldn't want to go tent camping there...8^)
BTW, curious what kind of lodge is it - fishing, or just for wildlife viewing?
Thanks
From: Medicinemann
29-Aug-21
Did you ever draw your "airbow" and aim just behind the front shoulder? That boar near the ground camera is a toad.
From: Kurt
31-Aug-21
Adam, My friend, another caribou bow hunter might be in touch with you. He liked the photos! Kurt
From: 70lbdraw
31-Aug-21
Nice...those are some great pictures!!...rare...
Thanks for sharing!!!
From: Surfbow
01-Sep-21
Cool!
From: bowhunter24
01-Sep-21
Awesome pics thanks for sharing!
From: BULELK1
01-Sep-21
Very kool pix man.
How on earth would ya go out for a training run or hike with all those White Bears around ya!! haha
Good luck, Robb
From: Kevin Dill
01-Sep-21
Adam...we'd like a live cam feed from the lodge. You know....something as good as the Brooks Falls brown bear deal in Katmai. That's not asking too much is it?
Thanks for one of the best threads recently on Bowsite. Love all those polar-izing images!
From: carcus
01-Sep-21
Awesome pics, so cool
From: StickFlicker
01-Sep-21
Outstanding! Thanks for sharing.
From: deerhunter72
01-Sep-21
Incredible pictures. There's just something majestic about Polar Bears. Not sure that I could ever hunt them, not that I would ever have the opportunity anyway. Thanks so much for sharing!
From: APauls
01-Sep-21
Thanks for the kind comments fellas.
Kevin funny thing is I was actually debating a live cam lol. Wondering if I’d have issues if I had people in one lodge and they check the cameras and the other lodge has bears and they don’t… so I’ve held off for now
