Grizzly Bears (and Black Bears too) have an excellent sense of both hearing and smell. They have an extremely acute sense of hearing and it is estimated that it is twice as sensitive as humans. But their strongest sense is their sense of smell, with the ability to pick up smells over one kilometer away. Therefore they will likely smell and hear a human before they actually see them.
That’s what happened in this case, with us setup with our cameras on a viewing site just on the side of the river, the Grizzly (along with her two cubs) came up along the river and then when she crossed into the bushes, she stood up so she could get a better view of us, and to determine whether or not we were a threat. No matter how many times I see a bear stand on its hind legs I don’t think I will ever get over how big I realize they are once they do it, and this bear was no exception.
If you are interested in purchasing this image, or any other images on my site, please contact me [email protected].
Taken: August 4, 2016

Location: Taku River, British Columbia

Camera: Canon EOS-1D X
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 6400
Exposure: 1/640