Flying in our DHC 3 Otter we landed on the ice pretty well exactly at the Arctic Circle on the edge of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. We had flown from Churchill, about a one hour flight over tundra and snow.

It was late afternoon and we settled in to our warm, comfortable cabins before enjoying a lovely dinner with excited, convivial like minds.

The following morning after a good nights sleep and breakfast we donned our warm gear for the minus 20 degree day and ventured out into our electric wire ringed compound to wait for polar bears to come by. They would be on their way north to the fast setting ice where they could find some seals to break their hibernation fast.

Now, our guide explained, if a bear comes close to the wire don’t panic just do exactly as I say and all move slowly as one. Back up to the hut and leave me and our Inuit guides to explain to the bear that we are just taking photographs.

OKAY. THAT’S GREAT. At this point no-one said anything but probably like me there were a few knotted tummies.

Within a short time we could see our first bear way in the distance slowly walking towards us. He was the same colour as the background but unmistakable.
We all started madly taking photographs and then we heard a very quiet “slowly move backwards towards the hut.” Backwards, backwards, which way was that? Everything but the bear seemed very small, especially the electric wire separating him and us…..

Our guide began banging two metal pots together to scare the living daylights out of him. Then he fired a few rounds from his starter gun – the sort that’s used to start a yacht race. Our Inuit guides were on alert with their rifles, heaven forbid, but well…….

However, we needn’t have panicked, he had plenty of time and just settled down making very definite eye contact like a large blond labrador and waited.