Zack Clothier is a Montana photographer, naturalist, and skilled animal tracker who has spent more than two decades documenting the wild. Through The Wild Journal, he shares the fieldcraft, stories, and hard-earned lessons behind his photography.
Camera Trapping
There are few animals that seem as perfectly at home in the rugged Montana landscape as the mountain lion. Rarely seen and incredibly elusive, they move through the country with such confidence, making even the steepest terrain look like a walk in the park. Mountain lions are built for this
From the Archive
In the far north, winter has a way of making everything feel larger, the mountains, the darkness, and the silence. On one unforgettable night, I found myself standing on a frozen river beneath a sky that seemed to come alive.
Stories
More than finding an animal, wildlife photography is about reading the landscape, understanding the signs, and being there when something extraordinary unfolds. This is the story behind Grizzly Remains, my Wildlife Photographer of the Year winning image.
I started “The Wild Journal” for those who love nature and want to learn more about it. Every month, I will share stories from the places I go, the animals I follow, and the photographs that rarely make it onto the wall. For more than two decades, I've
Stories
I spend a lot of time in wild places, but nothing could have prepared me for what unfolded on a cold October evening in western Montana. The day had been a disappointment. Hours of driving, glassing, and waiting had produced nothing, so as the afternoon slipped away, I decided to
Stories
Some encounters begin long before you ever see the animal. This one started with a handful of clues and a feeling that I should keep looking.
From the Archive
For a few moments, we shared the same overlook, watching the mountains fade into the last light of day.
Stories
Ever since capturing my internationally award-winning print Grizzly Remains, I’ve been drawn back to a single question: what else is possible with these formidable animals? Last year, I set out to explore that question by deploying a series of DSLR camera traps in the wilds of Montana, hoping
From the Archive
Some moments happen so quickly that you only understand what you witnessed after they’re already gone.
Stories
There is something about walking through the forest and knowing you are not alone, even when there is nothing in sight. A track pressed into the mud. A faint scrape beneath a ponderosa pine. Fresh scat along a trail. Sometimes that is all an animal leaves behind—a few clues
Field Notes
If there is one lesson that nature has taught me over all these years, it is that to really get to know a place, you have to return to it often. You have to become familiar with it in the same way you know your own backyard. That deeper connection
Stories
The camera had been left in a place I thought was well chosen. When I returned, it was still there, but something about its position immediately told me that the story had taken an unexpected turn.