Can you spot the bear? Yellowstone guide issues challenge

A Montana-based guide who leads hiking expeditions in Yellowstone National Park on Friday tweeted a landscape image and asked followers if they could spot the black bear.

“I’ve been told my more recent ‘Find the Animal Friday’ posts have been way too easy,” Douglas Scott declared. “This one is a little more challenging.”

Can you spot the black bear? Photo: Douglas Scott

Scott, who runs The Outdoor Society , granted ForTheWin Outdoors permission to use the image and supplied a second image that we’ve posted below to serve as a hint for those who might struggle initially to spot the bear (as I did.)

Can you spot the bear in the images posted above? (Answer below.)

Scott told FTW Outdoors that he captured the image June 21 from above the Lamar River “on a perfectly clear day” in the park’s northern range.

“It was definitely a fun spot as my client was amazed I saw it so easily from so far away,” Scott recalled.

Scott’s X followers chimed in with guesses but, as of Sunday night, only one had pinpointed the bear’s location.

When I guessed, Scott informed me that I had found “the shadow of a tree.”

Another guess was met with the reply: “Unfortunately, you are incorrect. You most definitely found a non-animal shadow though!”

Black bear is pictured in the clearing barely left of center. Photo: Douglas Scott

The image posted immediately above shows the bear when Scott was closer (or zoomed-in). Readers, if they choose, can use landmarks in the image to match the location of the bear in Scott’s original image.

To view the answer, click on Scott’s tweet and scroll to Matt Inman’s comment. Or simply view the image posted below.

Scott specializes in leading day trips to remote areas “beyond the boardwalks” of Yellowstone National Park. The hikes typically last between four and seven hours.

Arrow points to black bear. Photo: Douglas Scott