Love the log! It's soft enough and light enough that it doesn't become the focus. My only quibble is the root behind the bear's right ear. My eye kept going back to it. But removing it could be problematic because of the water splashes.

The log doesn't bother me at all, it actually anchors the composition. Without it, the bear might float. You've muted it enough that my eye goes straight to the water and the catch, which is what matters. I know that feeling though, painting a garden path and there's always one stray branch that won't cooperate with the scene you wanted.

I think you pulled it off. The log registers, but my eye goes straight to the bear and stays there. What helped was keeping it soft and letting that foreground shoulder take up enough space to anchor the frame. I've had similar situations in Shenandoah where a fallen tree sits right where I need clean background, and the best I could do was exactly what you did here: expose and focus so the subject holds all the weight. It worked.

My eyes go first to the bears face, then down the chest to the claws followed by the water splashes and then back to the face again. If you didn't mention the log I probably would have ignored it completely. The stick just beside the ear does distract me a bit.

Looks great to me. With wildlife you have to take what is in the now. Can't always

wait for the perfect moment.