Winter Brown Bear
On a holiday to Canada in 2014 my wife Nete and I had an amazing experience viewing grizzly bears catching salmon in the wilderness of Great Bear Rainforest.
Since, I have been more engaged into wildlife photography and often think back on the occasion wishing for better images of these giant mammals.
Living in Denmark the closest place to find bears is in Finland and almost three years ago I booked an interesting trip to Martinselkonen Wilds Centre in the north eastern part of Finland nearby the Russian border.
Usually, photographers travel to this location during the light summer months but this trip was in April just as the brown bears come out of hibernation wearing their thick winter coats.
Furthermore, the taiga is still covered by snow allowing for some special images in the winter environment. And this time a year you avoid the awful plague of mosquitoes.
Martinselkonen Wilds Centre
The trip was arranged by the British wildlife photographic holiday business Natures Images and scheduled for April 2020 but due to Covid-19 restrictions it had to be postponed twice and finally run in April 2022.
We were a small group of nine including my wife and the British wildlife photographer Richard Peters as our guide. On arrival in Kajaani in the afternoon of 18 April 2022 we were met by our Finnish host for a three-hour drive to the wildlife centre.
Upon arrival we had a nice dinner and a briefing about the coming days before a good night sleep in a real bed – the next four nights would be spent in a hide with freezing temperatures.
First day in the hide
The Brown bear is nocturnal and therefore not active during the day. As a consequence, we went to the hides by 4 o’clock in the afternoon and remained there until being picked up again the next morning.
This time a year the sun is setting just before 9 o’clock in the evening and rising at 5 o’clock in the morning which only allowed us a few hours to photograph. And during this short timespan some bears also had to show up.
Furthermore, as the snow was still almost one meter deep it would be difficult for the bears to move in the area – not the best chances to get bear images!
Following a hot meal in the afternoon we were transported to the hides by snowmobile with trailers for the five-kilometre drive.
We arrived to the hides in a swamp of a forest clearing and it was difficult to walk without sinking deep into the snow. My wife and I were directed to a small two-person hide and made ourselves comfortable and ready to photograph.
Arriving to the hides
The staff buried pieces of salmon into the snow at different locations and there was an elk carcass just in front of our hide. It had to – hopefully – attract some bears to the area.
Salmon is buried to attract the bears
Inside the hide we had a bench to sit on when photographing out of a few openings. Also, there were small windows to provide some light and allowing us spotting for bears.
My wife Nete inside our hide
Now, we had to stay inside the hide until the next morning. Fortunately, we could use a small chemical toilet!
In the afternoon the temperature inside the hide was fine as outside the sun provided about 15 degrees Celsius.
For several hours we were on constant alert looking for bears but no one turned up. After sunset it was getting dark and we had given up hope when suddenly something moved in the forest to the right of the hide.
YES – it was a brown bear approaching!
It came closer and found some salmon in the snow just 50 metres in front of us. Unfortunately, it was too dark for proper photography but it was a great experience and brought hope for the coming days.
After a short while, the bear left and we had the coffee and sandwiches provided for us. Then, as we were ready to start preparing the bunk bed for the night another bear turned up from a different direction. Now, it was impossible to photograph but we still enjoyed sitting and watching the huge bear in the dark.
Finally, the bear left and we could switch on the torch to arrange the bed. It turned out to be somewhat troublesome, but in the end, we got into the sleeping bags.
We had brought our own sleeping bags with a good tog rating and therefore decided to leave the small gas heater off although the temperatures would be minus 5-10 degrees Celsius during the night.
We quickly fell asleep but at 3:30 I woke with an awful cramp in my leg. We decided to stay up and got a cup of coffee.
Brown bear in the blue hour of the morning
It turned out to be a wise decision as it was already getting reasonable light by 4 o’clock and by 4:30 a brown bears showed up.
This time the light was much better and we got a lot of images in the blue hour just before sunrise.
By 6:30 we were picked up by the staff on the snowmobiles and transported back to the centre. It was a very cold ride!
Following breakfast and upload of image files it was time for a much-needed nap and a nice hot shower.
From a photography point of view the first day in the hide had not been very successful but we had seen brown bears and the experience had been uplifting and promising.
Second day in the hide
As on the previous day we were transported to the hides in the afternoon. It is a nice drive by snowmobile through the forest and takes about 25 minutes from the centre.
There are 10 hides all facing the swamp with trees in the background. My wife and I had the same hide for all four nights which was fine.
The sun was high on a blue sky and the harsh light was not great for photography. Not that it mattered much as there were no bears anyway.
Outside the hide activities were sparse. A lot of crows were sitting far away in the trees as were a couple of white-tailed eagles.
It is actually quite strenuous sitting in a small hide for hours turning your head from side to side all the time looking for bears.
The hard work paid off at 8 pm as a brown bear was spotted in the forest to the left of our hide. The sun had disappeared from the area but still beautifully lit up the trees in the background.
We had an amazing time enjoying the bear and took a lot of images. The bear stopped as it got the scent of salmon in the snow and started to dig up a meal. Once, it sat down only 30 metres in front of us!
After a while the bear went back into the forest struggling with the deep snow.
It turned out to be the only bear viewing this evening, so we subsequently ate our sandwich and drank a cup of coffee before getting ready for the night. This time it was much easier to prepare the "bed", and we went to rest already at 22:30.
The phone alarm rang at 4:05, where we got up and sat up the gear for photography. We even had a hot cup of coffee – amazing that the water in the thermos was still warm after more than 12 hours.
This morning no bear came and again we were picked up at 6:30 and driven back to the Wilds Centre with breakfast at 8 am.
Third day in the hide
After dinner at 3 pm it was again departure to the hides and we now knew the routines.
We were quickly ready with the cameras, but the bears were left waiting. Fortunately, not as long as on the previous days.
Already a quarter past 7 o’clock my wife spotted a brown bear far away coming out of the forest in the middle of the swamp. It was really well spotted, as all other times they had come either from the right or the left side in relation to the row of hides.
Brown bear coming out of the forest
By this time the beautiful brown bear was lit up by the sun and I managed to get some very nice pictures using my long 500mm telephoto lens.
Beautiful sunlight on the big brown bear
Unfortunately, as the bear came closer it found several pieces of salmon that was placed by a small tree trunk, where it even sat down with its back to us. A little later, it continued to the dead elk, which was consumed in large quantities.
After a long time, the bear decided to return to the forest and disappeared.
Then a new bear came from the left. It was far away and sat on its buttock and sniffed. Eventually, oddly enough, it decided to turn around and went back into the woods.
However, it was not long before it came back and this time it went directly into the area, where it found a piece of salmon, which it quickly disappeared with.
Soon after, a bear came in from the left again – probably the same one. This time it stayed much longer and also ate from the elk.
It is hard for the bears to move in the deep snow
After it disappeared, the aforementioned bear came back from the right side and feasted on the elk for a long time.
Along the way we had dinner (sandwiches and coffee), but the coffee got a little cold with all the activity.
Finally, we were able to rig the bed which we had become quite good at.
The alarm was set for 3:50 am even though it was well before getting light. However, it takes some time to get the hide ready for photography, so just in case.
The phone woke us up at 3:50 after a good night's sleep, and the first thing my wife said after looking out of the small window was: “there's a bear outside”.
It was still too dark to photograph and we had to be careful not to make too much noise disassembling the bed. However, I was able to prepare my camera and although the light was still sparse, a few pictures were taken.
Brown bear arriving just before sunrise
Teddy left again, and we packed down from the night and had a cup of coffee. However, it wasn't long before the bear returned.
At one time it actually rained a little, but soon the clouds disappeared and the sun came out as on all the other days.
We were picked up a little before 7 and made the nice – but cold – trip back to the Wilds Centre with breakfast at 8.
Last night in the hide
Well arrived at the hide a little before 5 pm after the roughly 25 minutes of sledding, we again got our "own" hide being the third from the right-hand side. We quickly got ourselves installed and were ready for bear photography.
Means of transportation in the snow covered forest
This time I had replaced my 500mm lens with a 70-200mm zoom to be able to get more landscape in the pictures. Having looked into the images from the first three days I realized that they were getting too repetitive.
Hours passed, and there were still no bears. Unfortunately, the sun gradually went away from the area outside the hides, which in the early evening is in shade due to the hides making long shadows.
Fortunately, a bear came at 20 o'clock, so the last day in the hide was saved!
Now, the bear needed to be in a good position for me to be able to exploit the wide angle of the lens.
The bear quickly found a pile of buried pieces of salmon right in front of our hide and settled down to eat in a bad position from a photography point of view.
Later, it went over to the elk carcass and started eating, which was photo-wise miserable.
Suddenly, it stopped eating and turned to the forest in front of us. It peered and we followed its gaze and saw that another bear had emerged from far away.
Obviously, it was not a friend, so the first bear immediately rushed to leave.
Time to leave as another bear arrived
Gradually, the second bear approached and just as quickly found the remains of salmon from the hole where the first bear had eaten.
At the same time, the trees stood in the background bathed in a beautiful evening light from the setting sun. It was truly unbearable to see that beautiful light suddenly disappear as it just lay there eating.
After a short while, however, the light on the trees was back, so it was obviously only a cloud that had passed for the low sun.
Finally, the bear had finished eating salmon, but just moved to the elk carcass. Now the sun was so far down that only the treetops were lit up, but suddenly the bear went for a short walk and I had my picture.
The last rays of sun on the treetop was beautiful
In between, we managed to eat the sandwiches and had a cup of coffee before the bear eventually disappeared with the light – it was an absolute perfect end to the trip.
Again, we sat the alarm for 3:50, and this time there was also a bear standing in the twilight outside the hide. It quickly walked over to the elk and started eating.
Gradually, it became brighter, although this morning it was a bit cloudy. We had otherwise had sun and blue sky for most of the trip.
Gradually, a large number of crows gathered around the bear. About 30-40 of the black birds were a rare sight on the snowy ground. Usually, they just flew around and sat in the trees.
A lot of crows waited for the bear to leave the carcass
When the bear eventually left the area after an hour or so, the crows started the great feast on the elk carcass. Evidently, they are not able (or interested in) producing the edible parts themselves.
We had an early pick up around 6am as we would leave for Kuusamo airport at 8am for our return flight.
Back at the Wilds Centre, we got a quick shower and packed before some breakfast. I even managed to make a backup of yesterday's photos.
Closing remarks
Travelling to Finland photographing brown bears in a winter scenery was a good decision and definitely worth waiting for. We had an amazing trip with more bear encounters than we could have expected.
Entrance to Martinselkonen Wilds Centre
In April, when spring is approaching, there is a definitely a risk of coming home empty-handed, as there is still winter in northeastern Finland.
The bears are only just emerging from their winter hibernation, so there is no guarantee of seeing these magnificent animals.
In fact, we only saw two different bears during our four days in the hide, but luckily they came by several times and we had some nice light on a few occasions.
The conditions at Martinselkonen Wilds Centre are perfect with lovely food and nice rooms. The latter of which, however, is not used as much. The staff are very welcoming and everything worked according to plan.
Furthermore, we were favored by lovely weather and some very pleasant fellow photographers. A special thanks to our perfect tour guide Richard Peters, who was always helpful with good advice and guidance besides being a very nice person.
Also, it was great being on a photo trip with my wife Nete, who is not normally interested in photography. However, she loves bears and even managed to take some lovely pictures herself – my tuition and her training sessions before the trip paid off.
One of many fine images shot by my wife Nete
Personally, I fulfilled my dream to get better bear pictures compared to the first time in Canada.
A fantastic trip that is definitely recommended!
