Veteran Grizzly in Khutz

Great capture. Is this Brutus?

Hey Bill,

The brown leafy algae (Fucus spp.) gives this away as a shoreline scene and nicely complements the colour of the big guy. That stuff is amazingly slippery and here it almost looks like the bear is fighting a bit of a slip in this shot.

The image feels a bit tight on top to me but I get that, being full-frame, that can't be adjusted via cropping. Your shot does give a good feeling for the environment that the bears of the Great Bear exist within.

Bit of an update and a note to Jerry: Yes, this is the bear that some call Brutus. Bill's shot caught him at the worst he had ever been looking (patchy coat, infected eye, very thin) and some of us thought his reign of King of he Khutzeymateen was drawing to an end. But, as Bill said, he returned in 2013 and was "fighting fit" again. He only visited the Khutzeymateen for a few hours - one purposeful march through the estuary that absolutely scattered the "lesser" bears (for a few days) and gone. 2013 was a year that saw few receptive breeding females in the area, and the thought was that this bear's quick trip through was a reflection of that (i.e., that his return was motivated by finding something other than food! ). I was lucky enough to photograph him in 2013...you can check out how at least part of him was looking then in this shot...

Hello Jerry, As Brad mentioned Yes this is the guy they call Brutus. He is Very Large and Very old. Apparently about 27 +- years old . Quite a thing for a Wild Bear to reach this age. But He is the King of the Khutzeymateen and many males know him and stay away from him. The damaged eye was probably from a female , who can be Very protective of their young ones & will fight to the death to defend the cubs. I am planning a Revisit into the Khutzeymateen in the future and maybe get Real lucky to see & capture an image of this Impressive One!
In my Gallery there are a few Images from the Khutzeymateen & at least one other of this Big-Guy.

Thanks for the feedback

Bill

Postcript: Was notified by an Expert Bear guy & probably the Eye of this large male Bear was from something other than a Bear-Encounter. The lack of any other Visible damage, like scratches, bites etc. would seem to think the Eye got infected from a branch poke or something more relevant to that.
I am not an Expert on Bear stuff too much & am sorry I may have steered this Eye thing towards an innocent female:)

Cheers

Bill

Bill, Bill, Bill...

Man...are you intentionally setting yourself up for abuse?

I could have SO much fun with this statement:

"I may have steered this Eye thing towards an innocent female"

But of course, I won't!

Cheers...

Brad

You guys are making me smile! I like this and did have the same thought as Brad about wishing for a little more room on top. The dynamic tension of his pose is a strong positive.

Hello Lon

It was an opportunity that may never happen again , seeing this guy lumbering along the shoreline. He was keeping a steady pace and I think something on his mind that kept him focused. Fallen trees and slippery slopes were only minor obstacles as he progressed.

Bill