A male Grizzly Bear is focused on his prey (pink salmon that you can see just in front of his forward paw) and is ready to pounce on it at any moment.  This Grizzly Bear did a lot of splashing, jumping, and pouncing in order to catch fish under those powerful paws and sharp claws.

The pounce method was just one of the many used by the Grizzlies we watched. Some of the different fishing techniques among the bears were standing on a rock (or shoreline), and watching the water until they saw the fish they wanted, and then jumping in after it.  Other bears would almost snorkel and put their eyes under the water and scan for fish, using their paws to bring one up.  Or like this guy who splashed around in the shallower water and pounced on the fish.  There didn’t seem to be one method that was more successful than the other, just some bears that were more successful, and this guy was often quite successful.

This image is copyright © Terri Shaddick, if you are interested in using or purchasing this image, or any other images on my site, contact Terri Shaddick at [email protected].

Taken: August 11, 2017

Camera: Canon EOS 1DX Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 1600
Exposure: 1/2000