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Photo of the Year - September 25: I left Yellowstone early to return to Utah, where I had flown in earlier in the week. Normally I would hate to cut a Yellowstone trip short, but I had a rare opportunity to try my luck at seeing a wild mountain lion. Wild cougar encounters are rare enough, but the opportunity to potentially photograph one was too good to pass up. I only had two days, so my expectations were low, especially since the process involved a lot of waiting, hoping a cat would show up at a couple of natural springs in the Wasatch Mountains. Positioned in a tree stand 20 feet above the ground and about 40 yards away from the springs, I struck out on the first morning. About an hour-and-a-half into the afternoon session, the sun dipped beneath the mountains. That's when the mountain lion appeared out of the trees. It was a stunning moment, and the following three or four minutes were nerve-wracking, since I was so worried about blowing the opportunity. However, I nailed the shots and came away with images documenting an incredibly close encounter with one of North America's most elusive predators. It definitely was the experience of a lifetime.
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