Alaska is a very large state, and Denali National Park is over 6 million acres. In that amount of land, there is tons of backcountry and areas most people never see. While hiking across the tundra I was hoping to find moose, and one evening I finally found one. This moose was just in the tundra at first, but then made its way to the pond. It was incredible see the moose surrounded by the Alaskan backountry!

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For years I have been wanting to capture bears in snow. It’s difficult because once the snow shows up, bears are often foraging for their last meals before heading to hibernate. I was so thankful this bear had not left yet and was still looking for salmon. When it crossed this small island and headed to the river, the snowy scene and river came to life!

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On only the coldest of mornings can hoar frost happen. Not only does it have to be cold, but there has to be moisture in the air as well. When the sun made it over the ridge, the trees began to shine because of the hoar frost. A buffalo was underneath this tree trying to stay warm and find some food as it was -40 degrees.

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Salmon are an incredible species because they know how to return to the exact river they were born in. They leave as a small fish to the ocean, and then migrate back as an adult with millions of other salmon. I had never found a location with so many fish in one spot until I found this area. As the bear sat in the river, the fish moved around the bear as they migrated up the river.

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Elk get to live in some of the prettiest places. They definitely know how to choose a home. This male had a large harem and was doing his best to keep them together on a beautiful evening in the mountains.

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It's not often you come across three bull moose hanging out together.  I first only saw one moose, and it was only once I hiked up and over a hill did I see that there were three moose.  After spending over three hours with them and only getting mediocre pictures, that all changed in a heartbeat.  I couldn't believe my good fortune when they all left the pond and went up on the ridge and stood still for just a few moments.  Being all along with these moose with this setting was a moment I will never forget.  

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There are many, many mornings I get up and don’t even take a photo. But the reason I keep getting up is because moments like this only happen in the morning. As the sun was just beginning to come over the ridge, a low fog in the valley ignited in an orange glow. This mom and cub were moving along a small ridge, which allowed them to be silhouetted against the fog. I loved how I could still see the mountain in the background above the fog and how peaceful the scene felt as the valley and sky lit up with the first light of the day!

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Photographing a family of any species is so difficult. When you have more than one animal, to get all the animals to line up and follow each other or all look the same way can seem impossible. As this family walked in front of the mountains, I prayed they would get close to each other and all look up at the same time. It only happened for a brief moment, but that’s all it took to create the shot I was looking for!

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There are moments that are hard to capture because of their incredible beauty! Nature surprises me all the time with how amazing it can be! I did my best to capture this moment to try and let others feel just how incredible it was. Having all the elements in nature come together was a moment to remember!

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Bald eagles like to sit where they have a good overlook of the area. When I noticed this eagle, I hoped it would sit long enough for me to get close enough to get a good photo of it. It didn’t care I was there at all and I was able to capture this eagle with this amazing mountain behind it!

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It is not very often that you have a crystal clear view of Denali.  On my last camping trip of the summer I was fortunate to come across this scene.  In Wonder Lake was a mother and calf moose taking there time eating the grass of the bottom of the lake.  I could not think of a better way to end my summer. 

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For many many years I have wanted and tried to get a great photo of a wolf in front of a great scene. Wolves are hard to find and photograph to begin with, so also getting them in front of a scene means the timing has to be insane. After years of searching and waiting, my moment finally arrived, when on the first nice day in days, a wolf walked in front of this volcano and I had the shot I had been wanting for years!

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I knew this morning that the sunrise would be nice. When I heard an elk bugle, I began to search quickly for him. Seeing him stand their in front of the mountain as he called out was a great moment.

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It is hard to understand just how vast Alaska is until you have been.  Denali is over 6 million acres, and the majority of that land is all backcountry access only.  Wildlife can truly live their lives and never be influenced by human activity.  A large moose takes advantage of a nice evening to eat from a pond and to get away from the bugs. 

Highly Honored Image-Nature’s Best Photography, National Park Competition

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Caribou love the high country to try and get away from the bugs. They love the fall even more because the bugs begin to die and they can focus more on eating than running away from bugs. This nice bull caribou was moving the ridge when he stopped and looked at us before going back to eating.

Highly Honored Image-Nature’s Best Photography, National Park Competition

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There are moments when photographing when everything comes together, and it makes you forget all the other moments. Even though the other moments make up 95% of the time, it is that 5% that keeps me going. Ever since I came to Denali in 2008, I have been trying to get a bull moose in a pond with Denali in the background. I didn’t think it was going to happen on this night, but the clouds opened enough and all those years of waiting paid off!

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Watching bears fish for salmon is always a treat. Being able to do that in the fall makes it even better. The river just came to life in the fall. This bear was walking out from the woods to start swimming and fishing.

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I love getting off the road and away from everyone and finding my own shot.  There are many times I spend hiking through the tundra or woods and don't come up with anything.  But those moments when you do find wildlife to yourself are the moments you never forget.  When I found these three bull moose together I was ecstatic.  I followed them for over three hours before this special moment occurred, and I was more than happy that I waited and followed to see what photographic opportunities they would present.  

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The fall in Denali is my favorite season of the year!  The colors and activity of the animals always gets me up early in the morning.  I hiked many miles to have an opportunity to photograph this moose.  I had gotten good shots, but after he moved up the hill to scare another bull moose off, did I finally get a shot that showed just how endless the valleys of Denali are. 

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Great grey owls are a majestic owl of the forest.  They perch on tops of trees to have the best vantage point to hunt from.  With this view, it looked as if it was watching over the Tetons.  

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Yellowstone is a beautiful park with many unique features in many different areas. At the Mammoth Hot Springs I had always wanted to photograph bison in front of the massive hot spring, but never had bison go close enough. Finally, after years of waiting these bison passed in front of the hot spring and were close enough to the hot spring that I got my shot!

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Brown bears live in beautiful locations all over Alaska. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many of those places, but I have to say this area was the most spectacular. The scenery and beauty of this place was unmatched. This bear family were enjoying the nice day in front of the amazing mountains!

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Denali is a park with over 6 million acres of protected land.  There are only around 300 grizzly bears in the park, due to how hard it is to survive there.  On a clear day, a grizzly bear roams the open tundra looking for berries in the fall.

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Large bull caribou can have really strange looking antlers once they are fully grown.  They roam the far north and are continuously on the move looking for food and to get away from the bugs.  There is not a really large herd in Denali like there use to be, but this large guy was alone one morning and went on a small ridge to look out over the valley and up at Denali.

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Elk are very active in the morning during the rut trying to chase off other males and corral their females.  After an exhausting morning, an elk takes a break and just reflects on the morning and looks over his harem.

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There are many animals I have hoped to capture on a ridge with glaciers behind them. Brown bears were not one of those I realistically thought I would capture one day. When I saw this mom and cub go up on this ridge I got incredibly excited! As mom went to lay down the cub began to play and climb around the rocks. This scene was incredible and a shot I never expected to capture!

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The Grand Tetons are a spectacular mountain range.  As I headed out this morning they were not in view due to the fog.  All of a sudden they appeared and the morning light was just hitting them.  I found a pronghorn and it ran on top of this hill to show the awesome grandeur of the Tetons. 

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Sunsets in Yellowstone are often not that colorful due to the amount of clouds in the sky, or due to no clouds at all. Seeing that a great sunset was about to happen, I began to look for an animal to put in the picture. Finding a bison herd on a ridge added great contrast to the setting sun.

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Capturing animals in their environment is one of my favorite shots to get. Their environment change with the seasons, and each season gives a completely different look. The river and forest just came to life once the trees turned peak yellow.

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Polar bears wander the far north and wait for the ice to come in. This mother and cub picked a great area to wait on the ice to come in with dramatic mountains in the distance. They ended up getting in the water and swimming across to an island.

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Banff national park is a beautiful park with tons of mountains and glaciers. It is heavily wooded, so there aren’t many opportunities for a shot like this. It was incredible seeing this grizzly family walk through an opening in front of the glacier above Lake Louise!

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The winter in Glacier is not pleasant. It is often quite cold and snowy, and the wind will blow up to 90 mph at times. On this day, the wind was around 40-50 mph and making it hard to take a still shot. Fortunately, I was able to position myself in a place to capture the bighorn in front of the mountain when it walked on the ridge.

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Fishing far salmon takes skill and patience. If a bear were to run after each fish, it would burn more calories than it would gain from catching a fish. Large brown bears have learned over time that it pays to be more patient and let the fish come to them. This guy would just stand there, and then all of a sudden pounce and was usually successful and didn’t waste much energy.

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Black bears tend to spend the majority of their days in the woods. It's really difficult to find a scene with a black bear where there isn't mostly woods in the picture. It was a real treat watching this bear as it moved by the lake with the mountains surrounding the valley!

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The entire coast of Alaska is beautiful. Everywhere I have been on a boat in Alaska, it is just amazing to me how the mountains never stop as far as I can see. These waters create an amazing habitat for numerous marine mammals, and humpback whales come to Alaska in the summer to feed in this paradise.

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When tracking caribou high into the mountains, I don’t plan on it being a short trip. Caribou are often on the move and are difficult to photograph. Between the tough tundra and miles of walking, it makes for a long day. But the reason I go high into the mountains after caribou is for a shot like this! I love when a plan comes together and I’m able to capture an animal with the background I wanted!

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Daylight in Alaska in the summer time seems to be never ending. There aren’t many hours of darkness, so to get the good light you have to stay up late. I had noticed while at this location how the sun set and I was hoping for an opportunity for a bear to be in the right place at sunset. We found this bear and it stayed just barely in the short grass as the sun set and I was able to capture the setting sun behind the bear!

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Black bears stick mostly to the forests for their food. It is not often they are seen out in the open foraging for food. This bear was eating on the edge of the woods, and I had just enough of an opening to capture the mountains behind him.

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I’ve spent years looking for moose in water in the morning, and 99% of the time I don’t find what I’m looking for. But on those mornings, like this, it makes all those days worth it. As the sun was rising, this mother and calf moose were eating from the lake bottom and taking in the view before heading off to rest.

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Polar bears survival depends on ice, as that is where they are the best hunters. The temperature was dropping and snow had fallen, but there still wasn’t ice. It looked as if this polar bear was looking out to see if there was any ice on the horizon.

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Bison travel in herds and those herds can number in the hundreds. After many years of waiting, I finally got to see bison walk across the orange thermophiles in a geyser basin in Yellowstone. Once the first bison went, the rest of the herd followed. Seeing an entire herd walking on the colorful hot spring run off and the winter frost on the bison and heavy steam rising from the hot spring made all those years of waiting worth it!

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Getting light in the arctic is not easy. It is often overcast and very grey. After spending all of our time with this bear in grey light, the sun shown through the clouds for just a few seconds to bring the landscape to life.

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The waters of Alaska are a beautiful space for whales to live in during the summer. If I was a whale, Alaska would be on the top of my list to spend feeding all day long. This whale shows its tail before diving in front of a glacier.

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There are shots you dream of and say,”If only a moose would be right here".” I’ve lost count on how many times and in how many places I have said that for a shot I wanted. This was one of those moments when I had said this for a few years, and when I saw this large bull moose walking in the fall tundra in front of Denali I captured a shot I had been dreaming about.

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While in Denali, I love being in the backcountry exploring on my own.  It is so fun to be off the beaten path and find animals by myself.  Once I found these moose, I did my best to track them across the endless tundra.  When they walked the ridge above this pond, I knew all the tracking I had done had more than been worth, and I could reflect back on how great the state of Alaska is!

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Bighorn sheep live high in the mountains in some of the most beautiful areas. In the winter they move further down the mountain to find food easier than under the deep snow. This ram was pausing to look where other sheep were before moving on, and the landscape of his home was incredible!

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Bison are amazing animals in that they can be somewhere one day and nowhere to be found the next. I was not expecting to see this herd as I was searching for the right place to photograph the Tetons. The bison help show how large the Tetons are even with clouds surrounding them.

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The coast of Alaska is an amazing place for brown bears to live. The food is plentiful and the scenery is spectacular! On a clear morning, a brown bear moves across a shallow body of water that is perfectly reflecting the mountains!

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When photographing bears in an area that has such beauty around it, I like to capture the bears with their environment. The glacier and mountains were spectacular and I was always trying to get bears to be in front of the glacier. I was very excited when this family went to get a drink in the last light of the day and were reflected in the river in front of the glacier!

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Fall in Denali happens much earlier than in the lower 48.  By the beginning of September it is sometimes over and winter has already moved in.  A bull moose moves across a ridge over the quickly changing landscape and knows winter will soon be upon him.

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The trademark of a humpback is its tail. Researchers can identify certain humpback whales by the markings on their tail. After being with this whale for a little while, it finally gave us a good dive in the direction we were hoping for with the mountains behind it.

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Polar bears hang out along the arctic ocean once the sea ice melts in the summer. They long for the ice to return so they can go out on the ice to hunt for their prey. It was a dramatic scene as this family walked a sand bank right in front of the raging arctic ocean near sunset.

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The winter in Yellowstone is a dramatic and cold place. In the geyser basins, there is often fog that heavily frost covers everything in the landscape. This bison blended in so well with the trees because of the frost, and I loved how the steam was rising behind the trees very dramatically. Looking at this shot it takes me right back to this moment and how cold it was.

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Before the sun rises is always a great time to see wildlife.  Usually they are moving around in search of food before the day comes.  The mountains are 55 miles across the water and are only visible on the clearest of days.  It was not long before the sun came up that this bear started scanning the tidal flats looking for clams as the sky was reflected in the shallow water. 

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The beautiful thing about nature is you never know when something beautiful will happen. It can happen at any time in the day. This was mid morning, but the way the sun broke between the clouds as this bear walked the ocean shore made for an amazing scene!

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In the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone bison are able to roam free just like in the past. Seeing a large herd of bison with the Tetons behind them takes me back and think about this is how it used to be all over America.

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Dall sheep are only found in the far north and high in the mountains. In the late evening as this sheep moved across this valley, the Alaskan Range was behind him and mountains he would rather be on.

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This is the largest bull elk I have ever seen! He was truly huge, and the way he carried himself showed how much he knew he was king of the area. Early one morning he was rounding up his females, and he went on this hill to look around. The recent snow on the mountains, and his beauty, created a perfect picture to start the day.

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Being out in nature, you never know what weather you will encounter. On this morning, it had been so foggy I could hardly see a bear on the river. When the fog started to clear, it was neat seeing that there were a number of bears spread out along the river!

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The morning light in the far north in late fall is beautiful. The sun doesn’t rise very fast and the nice morning light can last a while. It set a beautiful scene as the light reflected off the water and the cub played on the point.

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The fall is such a great time to be in the mountains. On this day it was real nice as there was fresh snow on the mountain peaks and the color in the mountains was great. It was made even better when the elk I was photographing across the river decided to cross and come to my side!

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Seeing the fall at its peak in the interior of Alaska is a sight to behold! It seems as if the entire landscape turns red. I try especially hard once the fall turns peak to find animals in this spectacular landscape. Here a large caribou looks around for where it wants to go next in the beautiful tundra.

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There is just something special about the fall! Everything seems to come to life more. In all areas that I photograph, there are always places I really hope I get to photograph an animal, because I know it would make for a great shot. It usually doesn’t happen, but on this afternoon this brown bear walked right in front of a grove of Aspens in peak fall colors, and I was very excited to capture the bear in front of the Aspens!

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Watching and searching for whales is one of my favorite activities on the water in Alaska. They are such majestic animals and always fun to watch. It’s exciting trying to photograph whales because you never know where they are going to appear. We had been following this whale and had hoped it would show in front of the glacier, and when it did I got the shot I wanted!

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Photographing animals in the environment they live in is difficult, but tons of fun to try and get. Elk usually live in the mountains, which gives more opportunity for this type of shot. But getting the right moment when it comes together takes time, and I was very happy when this bull elk paused on the ridge to look over his harem.

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Big horn sheep love hanging out high in the mountains. They are extremely agile and can stand on cliffs that are very steep. In the Canadian Rockies these sheep get to live with an incredible view of mountains and glaciers high in the mountains.

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Nature is a beautiful place! And there are endless places that are beautiful. I enjoy capturing animals in front of that beauty to show where that animal lives. It can be difficult to line up the landscape and the animal, but when it all comes together, it looks amazing!

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Caribou can move miles and miles every day across the tundra. Tundra is not an easy terrain to travel, and they make it look easy. Caribou can be very skittish around people as well because they don't often see humans. This caribou did not mind me and continued eating the lichen around the lake as I photographed him with Wonder Lake and Denali in the background.

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When the tundra comes to life in the fall, it is a stunning scene. The vibrant colors for as far as the eye can see is quite the site. Watching this moose move through the fall tundra was beautiful.

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Clear days are made that much more special is Alaska because they don’t happen that often. If all the days looked like this I would never leave Alaska. But because the weather is often bad, it makes me appreciate the clear days like this even more. On a day with no clouds and no wind, a brown bear goes for a walk in the completely calm coastal water.

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The amount of time I search for animals in Denali, as compared to how much I find and get to photograph animals, is dramatically different. So when I find an animal in an amazing place, it is that much more exciting. Watching these three moose move together in the lake while the Alaskan range was out was 9 years of waiting. I've looked and looked for moose here, and I just knew one day they would be there. I didn't expect three, but getting to be there and capture them in the lake was incredible.

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Pyramid Peak is one of the first mountains to receive light in the morning.  I'm always hoping to find an elk near the river where the mountain is reflected in the morning.  Finally, after days of waiting, I had my elk at first light and was able to capture both reflected in the river.

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There are some moments that are hard to put into words. This moose was not cooperative and offered very little photo opportunities up to this point. All of a sudden, instead of going over the ridge, he stopped and looked back and had this incredible scene behind him that showed off just how beautiful his mountain home is!

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I’ve spent many hours and days looking for caribou on the tundra without seeing any. I know they are there, but it is so hard to find them. When Denali is out and try even harder to find caribou because I really want to photograph them with Denali. Thankfully, I managed to find a couple of caribou and they kept coming my direction and finally they got close enough to photograph in front of Denali!

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Bison are incredibly tolerant to cold weather. They only start to get cold once it reaches -40 degrees. I’m sure on this day they were feeling it as the temperature was -25 degrees and the wind was howling. Seeing them in this kind of weather really put it in perspective for me of just how tough bison are!

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Grizzlies in any environment is fun to photograph. When they live in the mountains on a lake it just adds to the fun and possibilities. This large grizzly was slowly making its way along the lake shore with the mountains in the background.

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I love in the winter when it gets super cold and a low lying fog layer is in the valley. That means there is a good chance of hoar frost, and it’s even better when I find it on animals. This bison herd had hung out all night by this warm spring and were very thickly coated in hoar frost as the sun begun to rise.

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Alaskan moose are the largest sub species of moose.  At the shoulder they can be 6 foot, and when they are close they are huge.  In this picture, they look as big as ants because of just how large the landscape is leading up to Denali.

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It doesn’t matter to me what moose I find in the fall, as I just want a moose in that beautiful fall color. However, when I found this monster moose and he went out in the open tundra, and was surrounded by the amazing color, it made for an even better moment!

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Mountain time in the fall is the best place to be. Animals are active, and you never know what weather you will get. When a snowstorm hit the area I was in, I got excited because I knew where these elk were and that the bull elk was still in rut. Once I found them the bull elk put on a show and called out for all the elk to hear.

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Winter is Yellowstone is a difficult place to live. Lower elevations are a little easier, as the snow is not as deep. It is unusual though to see this many bison gathered in one area. Usually I don’t see more than 50 bison at most in one area. So seeing this many bison and elk hanging out together in this valley was awesome to see!

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The scenery along the Alaskan coast is beautiful.  When a couple of bears are walking the beach with distant mountains behind them, it doesn't get much better.

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Being in the mountains anytime of the year is great. The fall is one of my favorite times though because the light and the color can be spectacular. On this morning, this bull went to the river bar just as the sun was rising over the mountain and the entire river valley lit up!

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Watching a mother and calf move slowly across Wonder Lake as the sun rose was inspiring.  The reason they were in the lake was to eat the plants from the bottom of the lake.  As the calf looks back it catches a glimpse of the awesome power of Denali.

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