Meadow Creek Grizzly

North of Kootenay Lake in southern British Columbia, tucked between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains, lies a small community called Meadow Creek. 'Meadow Creek', that is the creek, is also a tributary of Kootenay Lake where a spawning channel has been created and maintained by the Freshwater Fishing Society of BC.

Every autumn the annual kokanee spawning run occurs, when millions of kokanee salmon fill numerous tributaries of Kootenay Lake to dance their last dance and sow their last and only seeds, before departing into the great watery hereafter.

The spawning and decaying salmon provide vital nutrients to both flora and fauna, from a myriad of bird species to grizzly bears and other mammals. I try to venture to the area at least once during the fall to seek out the elusive grizzly and try to get him to smile for a few photos. My intentions were to travel there early Monday morning after Thanksgiving on Sunday. Unfortunately the holiday was more festive than anticipated so I got a late start come Monday. Nevertheless, I made it to the channel in the early evening with what I thought would be enough light for my digital slr camera.

The spawning channel is a complex maze of small dirtroads, ensconced in thick forest, following the meandering Meadow Creek. I didn't travel far before I came upon a young grizzly up to his haunches in the kokanee infested creek. Unfortunately, he fled to the bush before I could get an adequate shot. I also realized that I'd have to bump up my ISO to 1600 in order to capture them in the dimming light. Sadly, the high ISO also creates a lot of pixelization and fuzziness which obviously ruins many shots.

An hour passed before I ran into a larger male griz. This awesome specimen stayed and fed on the spawning kokanee for over a half hour. I was 50 yards away on the road watching him through the bushes. I moved closer, down to the creek, and set up my tripod and shot happily away. A small side-road ran alongside the creek separated only by a thin line of brush. I thought I could get closer if I stayed low and snuck up until I was parallel to the bear. The grizzly was busy feeding on the salmon so I was able to move within 20-ft.

It was difficult getting decent shots through the branches, made even more difficult by the ebbing light. The boar soon noticed me squatting in the bushes busily taking inadequate photos - he just stared at me, apparently unperturbed... I had a can of bear spray in my vest, but really at the time, I didn't even consider it. I just tried to get a clear shot of him staring at me. Anyway, I took a lot of underexposed shots but was able to salvage a few which I'll soon post to my website gallery page here:http://www.fly-fish-bc.com/Photo%20Galleries/Photo%20galleries%20pg.html

I am always disappointed when my shots don't turn out but invariably I learn something - unfortunately, it usually ends up costing me a bit of money. After this event, I may have to invest in a better lens. Oh well, life could be worse. Just being so close to such a magnificent animal is always exciting and makes it worthwhile.

In this light the photos seem impressionistic - if Monet ever came across a grizzly this may have been one of his paintings.

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