In the sparse and frozen wilds of Alaska , it is not often that a tasty meal jumps almost straight into your mouth . But that was the case for one bear while hunting salmon in the Brooks River , which runs through the Katmai National Park , in southern Alaska . However , the dozy creature was unable to take advantage of his good fortune , letting the juicy fish slip away , even after it hit him on the nose . Scroll down for video . Fish supper : A bear hunting salmon in Alaska eyes up his dinner as a fish leaps straight at him while swimming up stream in order to reach its breeding grounds . Staring at defeat : This salmon 's number appears to be up as it comes face to face with a hungry bear along the Brooks River in the Katmai National Park , Alaska . As close as it gets : As the two creatures come face to face , it looks as if the bear is about to enjoy the most hassle-free meal of its life . Sockeye salmon , which are native to Alaska , migrate up rivers during the spring in order to reach the breeding grounds where they were born in order to spawn . The fish , which spend the rest of the year out in the ocean , will swim against the current in order to reach the spawning grounds , leaping through waterfalls , which is where the bears wait . While the salmon are very fast and difficult to catch underwater , after they leap into the air they have no way of changing course , and so a relatively easy to pick out of the air . Husband and wife photography team Juergen and Christine Sohns captured the moment the bear let his prey get away . The salmon will not eat during their battle upstream , and will undergo a huge transformation , changing from grey to bright red , with their lower lip extending and their head turning green . Swing and a miss : However , nothing is a simple as it seems , and at the very last moment the bear makes a crucial error of judgement , and the Sockeye salmon is allowed to continue its journey . Second time unlucky : Photographer Juergen Sohns explained that once the fish are in the air they can not change direction , which should make them easy to catch , but not for this bear , as another fish slips away . Once they reach the breeding grounds , usually a freshwater lake , they will mate , before perishing shortly afterwards . These images were captured by Juergen and Christine Sohns , who travelled to Alaska to photograph the salmon migration . Mr Sohns , 56 , took the photo and said : 'The bear was just waiting at the best position in the falls to catch the fish when it was leaping . ' He said that , while the bear was unlucky on this occasion , he did have more success after moving further up the river . Mr Sohns and his wife , from Germany , are veteran wildlife photographers , and over the last 20 years have travelled to every continent on Earth photographing wildlife . Fish season : Sockeye salmon spend most of the year out at sea , but during spring they attempt to swim back up rivers to breed , making them easy targets for bears and eagles3020099 .
Bear was hunting along the Brooks River Katmai National Park , in Alaska . Might have gotten lucky after fish jumped almost directly into his mouth . But the dozy creature allowed the salmon to slip through his claws .