Black Bear Yearling

This was a surprise! This was late one morning on a 5 day trip. I am walking out with still more than a mile hike to get back to my truck when I hear something. I'm making noise due to the abundance of black bears around me in the North East North Carolina wilderness. I hear something as I'm walking and it's when I turn to my right that I notice this yearling back bear in-between the opening of the tree line. We shared glances and the bear stuck around long enough to get its photo taken. I prefer not to be this close to bears. This area hosts the densest population of black bears on the planet. So by spending enough time here, occasionally it happens. I'm carrying a cooler seat pack and a big lens on a monopod across my shoulders. My camera of choice is the Canon R5 and a EF600 f/4 lens. Right now is the time that the refuge starts waking up. The big boys are starting to move which means mating season is near. With the bean crops coming up, the bears are taking advantage of the prime food source. This was a successful trip for me. My days were spent hiking in the refuge and nights spent primitive camping at a state park nearby. NE North Carolina has a lot to offer for both the landscape and wildlife photographer.