Wolf pack emerging from the willows at Nanuk. Quent Plett photo.
by Mike Reimer
What do you get when you put a couple of guides and photographers on 6×6 ATVs, pack on a bunch of serious camera gear, throw in a pinch of rain mixed with snow, cook at unseasonably warm temperatures, and stir in copious amounts of mud? A smelly and not so tasty batch of mud warriors!
And on to the river we go! Quent Plett photo.
Guides Mike, Jordan and Quent and their merry band of photographers spent some happy days splashing about on what should have been a frozen coastline looking for wolf action. The three week shoot began with great promise as three separate groups of wolves were spotted early on the adventure, including a 12-pack feasting on a kill!
Leading the way down the river at Nanuk. Quent Plett photo.
A good freeze in the early days made for solid travelling conditions and much ground was covered setting some new east/west records for ATV travel distances. The quick frost put wildlife on the move and many moose, wolves, polar bears, and foxes were spotted.
On the edge of the boreal forest. Quent Plett photo.
It soon became apparent that Mother Nature had other ideas however, as temps flatlined at -6°C and then climbed up into the pluses and threw in some rain! Our extended travel was brought to a screeching halt due to deteriorating trail conditions including river ice disintegrating into high tides, greatly hampering our search efforts.
But the show must go on, so no effort was spared in battling horrendous conditions, and the guides immensely “enjoyed” the numerous winching experiences as a result of crashing through thin ice on the creeks, and finding wonderful new mud holes to play in. They all agreed it was quite fascinating to have the mud on the north side of the ATVs freeze hard on the drive home, which only served to increase the washing experience at the river.
In the mist. Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Quent Plett photo.
This inevitably took place after dark, and the exceptional polar bear numbers around Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge meant that one guide had to be on the water hose and another had to man the spotlight scanning for bears. Despite as many as ten bears in the immediate vicinity, none approached the “car wash” to lend a helping hand. They had better things to do, most likely dreaming about seals.
One of ten polar bears in the vicinity. Quent Plett photo.
They say the early bird gets the worm and the many days of splashing and spinning about eventually paid off, resulting in some fantastic shots of wolves and bears, wolves and moose, bears and moose, bears and bears, and wolves and wolves, producing a whopping pile of fabulous gigabytes.
Churchill Wild co-owner and founder Mike Reimer surveying the semi-frozen landscape at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
Stay tuned for this award-winning footage to hit the airways sometime soon!
Video camera at the ready. Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Quent Plett photo.
Churchill Wild Polar Bear Tours and Safaris 2025-2026
