My Bear Photography Day At The Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary In Orr, MN

Bears, bears, bears!

I kept excitedly squealing this, out of nowhere, on occasion in the months leading up to this adventure. I’m in many animal groups on Facebook and somehow (I can’t remember if it was someone’s post or a ‘Suggested For You’ – but I think it was a post) I saw that for $275 you can go and photograph wild black bears in Orr, Minnesota at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.

You know our budget, so this would be 2 days of expenses… but I had a plan. What are parents for if not to spoil their bear-loving children? So I dropped a note to the “beary” best dad in the whole world and hinted at an early birthday present. Needless to say, the World’s Best Dad came through! Little did he know what I was really planning on doing or I might not have convinced him that my likelihood of ending up as a bear snack was really quite low, and he should finance this operation.

The Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary

The Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary has a sweet story, albeit, not perfect. Vince took a job in the woods during the depression at a logging camp to help make ends meet during the depression. The black bears in the area began making an appearance, drawn by the food the loggers were cooking. Vince was concerned that they’d handle the issue by shooting the bears, so he began to feed them so they wouldn’t be interested in the human food nearby.

You know my feelings on feeding wildlife. It’s not ideal (and in some cases it’s illegal), but if it’s already happening I’m gonna join in – like at the prairie dogs – and I feel even better about it when I see natural behaviors by the animals still intact as well as a relatively healthy fear of humans. For the most part, I endeavor to leave the wildlife wild, and know that in many places “a fed bear is a dead bear.”

But Vince was ahead of his time by trying to coexist with bears and conserve their lives through his feeding. His relationship with them grew over the generations and the sanctuary carries on his work today. You can read the full story here. The sanctuary provides some nuts and seeds to supplement the bears’ natural foraging behaviors and they lay it out in an enriching way so the bears still have to find it themselves in logs and under covers.

On Site – Safety and Information

There’s an elevated viewing platform that the public use to watch the bears from safely. There’s a tremendous amount of safety precautions in place which was nice to see.

However, I wasn’t there as “the public.” I was there as a wildlife photographer and so was granted special opportunities to be on the ground with the bears to photograph them. Not on the high platform. Not in a car. Not behind a fence. Just out there in what’s called “The Magic Circle” with the wild black bears of Minnesota. You can see why I didn’t fill my dad in on all the details when asking him to finance this adventure.

I arrived early and waited to be let in to the property. If you see bears outside of the magic circle you honk as a way to discourage them from interacting with humans (and vehicles) outside that safe space. I pulled up alongside a woman who, as it turns out, was just as excited as I was to see and photograph the bears (Hi Jess!). She planned to visit all weekend, while I only had the one day. She was a wonderful companion throughout the day as we enjoyed photography and the bears together.

We attended “bear school” where the rules for being on the ground near the bears were explained. Basically, the bottom line? Be bear aware, everywhere.

Photographers can be particularly bad about this since we get caught up in the shot we’re trying to get. So while you’re watching one bear, there might be one right behind you. They’re surprisingly silent. They may also come towards you, and can’t hold measuring tape with their paws, so you’re to keep 10 feet between you and the bears at all times. You also hold up your hands and firmly say “I don’t have anything for you bear” if they approach. I only had to use that technique once during the day and my furry friend wandered away.

You find out your boundaries within the magic circle and you can’t get lower than the bears you’re interacting with. To capture lower photos you have to be on one knee so you can always be ready to pop up in case a bear approaches. You watch out for the others in the magic circle too by alerting them to sneaky, silent, cuddly bears coming up behind them.

You can leave the property to eat elsewhere or to eat lunch and snacks in your car. Your car is also bear-proofed with poop. Wait, what? Yes, bears don’t like bear poop but they do like car tires. So buckets of bear poop are provided to place around your tires to keep inquisitive, furry friends away.

The volunteers and staff do loops around the area to replenish bear snacks and care for the Magic Circle. They also did a great job of answering questions and came out to watch the cubbies with us for a bit; it’s clear they love the bears as much as Vince did.

The only irritant on the day, besides the mosquitos, were newer volunteers who didn’t keep their voices/footfalls a little more quiet when they were near us photographing the bears. We had a beautiful spot where we were getting great pictures of a yearling (young cub from last year) when the volunteers approached. He loudly talked and joked with another volunteer which scared away our little friend. As it’s not an inexpensive day for most amateur photographers, I’d have appreciated a little more awareness from the volunteers while being near the photographers and bears. Especially since it was just the two of us that day so we weren’t hard to spot.

Bears! Bears! Bears!

Overall, it was an incredible day. I wish I’d had an even better lens, but I got some great shots with my Nikon D5600 and Tamron 70-200 lens (our affiliate links). I spent 10 hours on the ground with the bears and the real hope was to see cubs and watch as they climbed the trees. We were lucky to get that experience on the day. So without further ado, come with me into The Magic Circle at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, MN.

Tips For Visiting Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary

Where To Stay

Stay nearby. Orr, MN is out a ways from anywhere, but the cute town boasts a few cabins and motels that you can stay at. We chose Norman’s One Stop since it was dog-friendly, affordable and close to the sanctuary.

Where To Eat

Go to breakfast at the cafe in town and GET THE DONUTS.

When To Arrive

Arrive nice and early at the sanctuary so you can get a full day in with the bears and it’s cooler – so they’re more active – earlier in the day.

What To Wear

Wear clothes that cover you to help with sunburn and repelling insects. Also wear bug spray – it doesn’t seem to bother the bears.

Maximize Your Time

Make the most of your day. I stayed 10 hours while Jess stayed 12. Take full advantage of the time they give you to spend with these amazing, furry friends (the bears, not the volunteers.)