Cradled

A spring cub cradled against its mother in the backwoods of Cades Cove. 💕 Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

A Sneak Peek

A spring cub peeks around a tree. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Cuddles

Two spring cubs nap in a tree while mama bear forages nearby. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Feeling Safe

Currently in North America black bears are giving birth to up to five cubs, although two are most common. The gestation period is approximately 220 days, or seven months and a week. They become pregnant in June and depending on natural food sources, they'll give birth to healthy cubs. The good news is, the hard mast was abundant this year so it's likely most mama bears will be successful with their offspring. The spring, female cub you see in this image was taken on May 1st so she's about three months old. It was taken with a zoom lens, from a distance in a field at Cades Cove. Since then, she's given birth to healthy cubs of her own. We don't name wild bears except those who pass through our property, so it helps us identify them. She's a beautiful bear, just like her mother, curled up next to her chest. Written on January 31, 2023 Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

A Stroll In The Forest

A black bear taking a stroll on a sunny day in the Cove Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Slim

Today's December weather in the 60's got us to thinking of this past Spring. While we are not big fans of naming bears in the wild, this male bear made his way through our yard on several occasions this past year. In an effort to keep track of who's who, we named him due to his long legs and svelte stature. He always had a calm nature and kind demeanor. He was easy to identify due to the white fur spot on his forehead. Everyone, meet Slim. 🐻🤎

Gracie

We'd like to share a story about this young, female bear. We captured her image through the glass in early summer. She passed through our yard many times since, but mostly at night or early morning, so we only have her on security cam video. We haven't seen her for several weeks but since this image was taken, she's grown at least twice her size and walked with elegance and grace. We have a large white oak tree on the side of our house where bears, raccoons, squirrels and even deer have feasted all summer long. She's a beautiful bear but very skittish as most bears are. Maybe one day we'll see her again. Meet Gracie Bear. 🐻❤️

Clover

We've had many black bears pass through our property again this year, coming up the path from one side and head into the woods. Most are very skittish so being camera ready isn't always convenient. It's been unseasonably warm this summer so some actually lay under our large pine tree in the shade. This beautiful bear took advantage of the shade lying among the clover. We *think* she's new to us but some have changed and grown through the years. Meet Clover bear. 🍀🐻

Miss June

As many of you know, we live near a wooded area outside of Gatlinburg. Every year bears travel up the hill and pass through our property. Shown here is a healthy, large female posing in the shade of a large pine tree. Gatlinburg, TN

Born To Be Wild (Vertical)

A triplet climbs a tree as mama forages and the others play. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Scaredy Bear

Oftentimes when the loop road at Cades Cove is busy, we park and hike into the woods. On this particular day we were photographing wild mushrooms. Out of nowhere the winds picked up and we heard thunder rolling overhead and it seemed that rain was coming. Suddenly the young bear you see in this photo came running and ran up a tree. Bears are afraid of thunder and loud noises but after a moment, she came down and sat below. She could see us from a distance and stomped her feet so we wouldn't come any closer. Good bear behavior! We snapped a couple of photos, and she crossed a log and went on her way.🐻 Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Summer Stretch

While hiking, we saw this male bear sleeping under a tree. From a distance we sat on a log and observed for awhile before he took a big stretch and moved on his way. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Passing Through

Quite often we have bears pass though our property nearly all year long. They come up the side of the hill and go off into the woods. We just happened to be camera ready this time. Gatlinburg, TN

Siesta

A female bear takes a nap in the shade on a hot summer day. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Moseying

A female black bear moseys down the lane on a warm day in the Cove. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Epiphany

There are few things more comforting than seeing an old friend; the kind of friend that you often think of and hope that they are doing well. We first photographed the mama of this beautiful bear in 2012, ten long years ago. She was with her mama and two siblings in our video “The Beauty of Cades Cove” - our very first. The following year we photographed her nursing from her mother with her siblings, "A Mother's Love". We have observed her skills as a mother in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. She’s one of the most beautiful bears we’ve ever seen and a very good mama, so we were excited to see her with three more healthy cubs this year, including this one. Hence the title. For a clear image of this cub's mama, look at "Angelic". Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Acorn Hunting

A mama with three cubs steps away briefly to hunt for acorns. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Hickory Happy

A young bear appears to be smiling high in a hickory tree. ʕᵔᴥᵔʔ Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Mowing The Grass

Lawnmower unnecessary. 🐻 Great Smoky Mountains

Sunshine Bear

As the sun begins to set, this beautiful female bear grazes in the wildflowers and tall grass. Great Smoky Mountains

Branch Manager

A tiny spring cub practices his climbing skills on the smaller of his two choices.

Beneath The Dogwoods

A black bear takes a stroll beneath the dogwood trees in the distance on Hyatt Lane. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

The Culprit (Horizontal)

Added by request. After being stuck on Laurel Creek Road on our way to Cades Cove, we eventually found out why. There was a bear family in the distance high in a tree. We managed to capture this little one - notice the chest blaze. Although this was taken from quite a distance at 550mm, the image is cropped to show that he (or she) appeared to be looking right at us. Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains

Crossing Paths

While hiking, we came upon a mother bear and her three cubs. After taking an image of the mother bear, we didn't even notice the little one standing next to her until we uploaded our images. She's a strong and protective Mama bear and as most of our wildlife images are, this was taken from quite a distance. Great Smoky Mountains National Park