Heh... You know, there's a ring of truth in that! Not necessarily because the flash will scare them, but because you get a rare chance to see a bear in the wild, and the $%*&#$ thing won't likely cooperate and hold still long enough! That's the real risk in wildlife, this thread notwithstanding!
I think it's especially good to post my bear photo story especially in light of the conversation about telephotos. My husband and I saw a black bear, with cubs, last summer on a trail ride. I even had my camera out... had just finished taking this picture.
She [the bear] was on the logged hillside above... off to my left and a ways off... my horse ~may~ even be looking at her but I doubt it. I don't think he ever saw her.
We were with a friend on a mountain bike. We were all stopping to take a rest break in the clearing.
When we first saw her, she was standing up, trying to get a look at us. Bears do not actually have terrific vision. We looked at her a good several seconds (seconds where I could have gotten a terrific picture) just staring, gobsmacked. Then she started down the hill in our general direction. Perhaps not aggressively, but at least with a high level of indifference. We found that rather alarming, particularly for my friend on the bicycle, and we decided to get out of there.
So we started away, my friend on the bicycle pedaling a pretty good clip. I just entered those trees behind her and was following along, when I suddenly remembered the dang camera. *&$^%@+#! I thought! I need a picture of this!
So I turned my horse around and headed back into the clearing. The bear had come down the hill and was ambling away and my horse was NOT pleased to be separated from the group and was dancing all over the place impatiently, and I was too eager and I tried too hard to zoom in too much with the camera. So THIS is all I got.
I know people who have spent years in the woods, some hunting bears, who have never seen one. I've seen two while riding up there. I think I've run my odds. My feelings are mixed on seeing another one. I don't really want to, but I'd love to get a picture.
