The Story Behind “Deadly Hunter”

The summer of 2012 was a banner year for owls for the Launstein family, especially for one of their favourite species: the silent hunter of the boreal forest, the Great Grey Owl.

Marlise joined her dad and sisters for a multi-day trip photographing Great Greys in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta, and the trip resulted in some of our favourite images of this species to date. Marlise spotted this owl perched on a weathered old fence post while it scanned the surrounding meadow for movement that might lead to a meal. Marlise, Jenaya and John set their gear up and began photographing their handsome subject, and it gave them a plethora of poses as it sat perched in the open shade below the forest. Suddenly the owl became very intense, focused on the grass almost immediately beside Marlise. We didn’t even have time to process what was happening before it launched seemingly straight at Marlise! We all instinctively stepped away from the owl, dragging our tripod-mounted cameras with us, but Marlise had the presence of mind to turn her lens toward the owl and compose this shot, focusing on the beautiful raptor through the dense grass just as it emerged with a freshly-killed mouse in its powerful beak. She squeezed off this shot before the owl flew off into the forest to enjoy its meal.

To be clear, the image depicts a wild owl that was NOT baited, called or lured in or manipulated in any way.

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To inquire about reserving an Artist’s Proof or one of the Open Edition prints of “Deadly Hunter”, give us a call or simply fill out the inquiry form below–or better yet, drop by our Wildlife Art Gallery on Main Street in Blairmore, Alberta!

Don’t forget you can follow the Launsteins’ photographic adventures on Twitter @LaunsteinFamily, on our Blog right here on our website, and get some behind the scenes content on our Facebook page at Launstein Imagery.