After 20 years in the back country of northern B.C., there was only one occasion when Canadian wildlife filmmaker Leon Lorenz had to fire his 44 Magnum. The grizzly attack was caught on video and can be seen on just-released Wildest of the Wild, Lorenz's seventh movie.
The attack happened last summer near McBride when Lorenz was filming a grizzly with her two-year-old cub. She caught Lorenz's scent and charged. It only took a few seconds, and when she broke through the bush a dozen away after zigzagging towards him, Lorenz fired high, scaring her off with the noise.
"Her momentum took her past me, she then wheeled around and took off the same way she came with her cub right behind her," said Lorenz, still shaking his head over the close encounter.
Lorenz, who lives in Dunster, is a two-time international award-winning cinematographer, who has captured wild animals on film including bighorn sheep, rutting mule deer and moose, Chinook salmon, birds and, of course, bears.
Lorenz started pursuing his passion in 1991. After years of trying to film in his spare time, he quit his graderman job at a mill in 1998 to pursue his love of capturing never-before-seen footage of wildlife.
He's quick to say he only uses footage of animals in their natural state. There is nothing staged -- just animals behaving as they do.
His latest project, made over the last four years, showcases unique animal behaviour and what it takes to be a dedicated filmmaker.
"Nobody's going to put up with what I do to get the shot," said Lorenz. "I have to sneak around the bush like an animal myself and hide for hours at a time undercover, swatting at mosquitoes."
Lorenz usually takes off for two weeks with his camera equipment piggy-backing on top of a 70-pound pack.
He heads out on his solitary trek with caution, prepared to do what it takes to get the unique shots like a male porcupine urinating on a female porcupine only to get swatted in the head for his efforts.
"I believe I am the only one in the world who has that shot," said Lorenz.
He grew up hunting and fishing and lived in the country in a home with no running water or electricity. When he saw a film about beavers in grade school, he knew what he wanted to do when he grew up.
There are seven videos in Lorenz's wilderness series and his latest high definition video, Wildest of the Wild is available for sale at Spruceland News, Northern Hardware, Bon Voyage Sports, Books & Co., Ave Maria, Jolly Mart, Hart Home Hardware and Van Horlick's Gifts for $19.99. For more information visit www.wildlifevideos.ca.
