Vuoden Luonnonkuvat 83-88 [antikvár]

Kuvan karhu on ikuistettu 12.5.82 Etelfi-Sallassa lahella maas-toon viemaani haaskaa. Karhu lahti pesansa luota 10.5. aamu-ydlia ja vaeisi kuvauspaikalle, johon olimme jo alemmin vieneet syotavaa. Satuin 10.5. iltapaivalla hiihtelemaan nSilla main ja tavoitin tuoreen jaljen. Seurasin jalkia, ja tullessani kuvauspaikalle kuulin aanta, jonka taytyi olla karhun aiheuttannaa. Suon perukassa nakyikin suuri tumma kontio noin 30 sentin paksuisen kuusen takana. Karhu istui ja pureskeli kuusta. Mydhemmin totesin, etta kyseessa oil ns. hevosmuurahaispuu, jonka kovaan kuoreen karhu oii purrut suuren aukon. Mukanani oli vain 35 mm:n objektiivi, ja siksi yritin hiihdeiia iahemnnaksi. Tultuani noin 50 metrin paahan kontio huonnasi minut, mutta nuuhki vain ilmaa ja jatkoi puun puremista. Hiihtelin lahemmaksi. Oilessani noin 35 metrin paassa kontio otti jaileen vainua, mutta ei suostunut vielakasn siirtymaan. Vaiiilamme oli tulvlva puro, enka paassyt enaa lahemmaksi. Kuvasin laajakulmallani muutaman ruudun, mutta karhu ei siita saikahtanyt. Huutelin kokeeksi, ja huutoni saivatkin otuksen liikkeelie. Kiersin puron ja kavin vilkalsemassa, mita karhu oli pureksinut. Tulln uudestaan paikalie 12.5. Iltapaivalla. LahestyessanI kojua hiihtelin hyvin varovalsesti. Loppumatkasta luovuin sukslsta ja kahlasin n. 30 om syvassa hangessa kojupuun iuo. Silloin edes-sanl Dievan kaatuneen kuusen takana kohahtl ja karhu ponnahtl esiin alkaen tuljottaa minua. Vaiiilamme oli matkaa noin 25 metrla. Aloin kalvelia repustanl 300-mlllista teleobjektlivla. Vahan valia vilkuilin karhun suuntaan, ja sieiiahan sen ievea naama molidtti. Sain kameran viimein esllle ja kuvauskuntoon, mutta kontio oli jo ehtinyt kadota. Arvelln sen lahteneen huomaamattani, vaikka hieman Ihmettellnkin, etten oilut kuullut mitaan, Kiipesin 3,5 metrin korkeudessa oievaan kuvauskojuun, vedin rinkan ja vesiastian yids ja asetuin taloksi. Laitoin 300-millisen jaiustaile ja velstin kojun selnahuopaan aukon. Kun olln saanut kameran reikaan ja kurklstin etsimeen, nain karhun jalleen, samassa paikassa kuin alkaisemmlnkin. Ilmelsesti nalle el ollut-kaan poistunut, vaan oli vain painautunut kuusen taakse makuui-ie. Siita aikoi kuvaamlnen, jonka tuloksista yhden lahetln Vuoden luontokuva -kilpailuun. Karhu oil paikalla noin kolme vuorokautta. Be viihtyi kojun iahella olevassa kummussa. Valllia se nuokkul unen tapaisessa, valiila kaveli levollisesti ymparlstossa. Kahden enslmmaisen vuo-rokauden aikana se ei syonyt juuri muuta kuin hieman lunta. Vuoden luontokuvaksi valitussa kuvassa karhu tallustelee rau-halllsena kuvauspalkan ymparlstossa. Kontiota oli helppo kuvata aina nlln kauan kun se ei viela oilut syOnyt. Vatsan tayttyessa karhun pelokkuus kasvol. Arkuuteen lienee vaikuttanut myos se, etta myohemplna pakkasdina metsassa kuuiui usein hiihtelevan metsastajia, kuululpa matalaa puhettakin. This bear was photographed for Immortality near a carcass I had placed on the ground on 12.05.1982 In the Southern Salla region. She had left her nest at davun two days earlier and wandered into the location we had prepared by laying out some bait. By chance I was out skiing that day and came across the fresh tracks. I followed them and came to the location where I heard sounds that could only be those of a bear. My heart stopped a beat when I suddenly noticed a large dark bear behind a some 30 cm thick fir tree. The bear was sitting and gnawing the tree. Later I found out that this tree, out of whose tough bark the bear had chewed a large hole, was a so called carpenter ant tree. Since I only had a 35 mm lens with me, I tried to ski closer. When I got to within 50 m the bear noticed me, but only sniffed a little in the air and then continued gnawing away. I skiied even nearer. Now I was only 35 m away, but although the bear again tested the air, she would still not agree to move. Between us there was now a stream in flood and I couldn't get any closer. Using my wide-angle, I took several shots, but even this didn't startle her. I tried shouting and this finally got a response. After the bear had moved off, I circled the stream and went to have a look at what she had been chewing. I returned to the spot on 12.05. in the afternoon. Approaching my hide, I skiied very carefully. For the final part of the journey, I took off my sklls and waded through some 30 cm deep crisp snow to the trees. Then something began to stir behind the fallen fir in front of me and the bear suddenly bounded out, paused and began gazing at me. There were about 25 m between us. I began to rummage for my 300 mm telephoto lens in my rucksack. From time to time, I glanced in the bear's direction and there was her broad face growling at me. I finally got my camera out and ready, but by then the bear had of course disappeared. I couldn't quite work out where and how and was surprised that I hadn't heard anything. I climbed up into the hide, some 3.5 m off the ground, pulling my rucksack and water canister after me, and set up shop. I mounted the 300 mm telephoto on a tripod and slit a hole in the wall blanket. When I got the lens through the hole and looked through the finder I spotted the bear again, in the same place as before. Evidently, she hadn't gone away at all, only lain down behind the fallen tree trunk. So i started photographing and sent one of the resulting pictures to the Nature Photograph of the Year competition. The bear stayed at the location for almost three days. She seemed to like the undulating ground around the hide. Half the time she slept soundly, the other half she ambled around peacefully. For the first two days, she didn't really eat anything at all except for a little snow. In the picture chosen as Nature Photograph of the Year, the bear is lumbering calmly about the location. She was easy to photograph as long as she hadn't eaten. Once her stomach was full, she bacame wary. This edginess was increased by the fact that the low murmurs of hunters on sklls could be heard late at night through the forest.