Polar Bear Newborn Cubs - Day Three

We are now half way through our time at Wat'chee and have still not seen bears. It's difficult to remain positive but in slow years like this they can go many days without finding bears. We just have to hope that many isn't more than five!

Our tracked vehicles rumble across the tundra in
a capable but none-to-gentle manner.

The question on everyones lips is "where are the bears?" and it's a good question. Either the mothers are staying in their dens longer than usual for some reason or simply very few females went to den this year. The first option should mean that we see more and more bears as the season progresses but the season is almost over and we are not seeing them. That leaves few bears going to den. Again, a variety of reasons could be responsible for this. If females do not gain enough weight during the summer due to poor hunting they will not go into heat. Some locals feel the reason could be many females drowning due to early ice break up during the summer or females falling victim to cannibalism by starving male bears.

Master trackers Morris and Amuk take a well earned break.
The frustration of no bears weighs on no one more than them.

 Whatever the reason, the troops are getting desperate. Some are toasting to the bear gods. Some are changing into lucky shirts or lucky socks. Some visit the empty den from a few days ago and roll in the snow hoping to gain a scent to attract bears!

Michael Spence surveys the horizon for
signs of bear activity.

While bears are still absent, other wildlife made an appearance on day three. About midmorning we approached a small herd of caribou digging through the snowy crust to reach lichen and other small plants like labrador tea. The single male with his family of cows and calves allowed us to approach to a few hundred yards before losing his nerve and trotting away. 

A small group of ptarmigan pecked at stunted willows. Completely white from head to toe except for a black eye and beak, they are difficult to spot on the snow. Our local Cree guide assured me they make a tasty soup but they more commonly fall victim to fox or falcon.

Returning to the lodge late in the day we crossed paths with a red fox scurrying across the frozen lake to the cover of the spruce on the shore.

Heavy cloud cover prevented any further northern lights viewing tonight.