How many of you have had a dangerous Grizz Encounter
#12
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Beautiful Western Montana
Posts: 2,308
RE: How many of you have had a dangerous Grizz Encounter
ORIGINAL: Hemi
With all the guys on here that hunt remote areas with Grizzlies present, I was wondering how many of you have had an actual dangerous, aggressive type encounter where you felt your life or anothers life was in danger?
And how many of you have had troublesome type encounters where the bears come into camp etc.. and steal meat off poles or ransack tents,coolers,backpacks etc?
Im not real big on hunting around Grizzlies myself, although it seems here in BC, you dont have a choice!....
I had one Large male grizzly a couple years ago charge in on me from approx. 400 yds away. Fortuneately I was only 75 yards from the truck and I beat him to it!....he actually stopped 30 yds short of the truck and milled around and then retreated into the muskeg. Also had a number of times where we have seen Grizz at close range and they proved to be no problems...But it does make my nervous sleeping in a nylon tent in the back country when you the Grizz poplulation is high.
Do any of you have some tips and precautions for those of us that may be less experienced with this sort of environment? Theres some obvious rules like no food in camp etc...but some more thoughts would be an intersting read.
With all the guys on here that hunt remote areas with Grizzlies present, I was wondering how many of you have had an actual dangerous, aggressive type encounter where you felt your life or anothers life was in danger?
And how many of you have had troublesome type encounters where the bears come into camp etc.. and steal meat off poles or ransack tents,coolers,backpacks etc?
Im not real big on hunting around Grizzlies myself, although it seems here in BC, you dont have a choice!....
I had one Large male grizzly a couple years ago charge in on me from approx. 400 yds away. Fortuneately I was only 75 yards from the truck and I beat him to it!....he actually stopped 30 yds short of the truck and milled around and then retreated into the muskeg. Also had a number of times where we have seen Grizz at close range and they proved to be no problems...But it does make my nervous sleeping in a nylon tent in the back country when you the Grizz poplulation is high.
Do any of you have some tips and precautions for those of us that may be less experienced with this sort of environment? Theres some obvious rules like no food in camp etc...but some more thoughts would be an intersting read.
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: WV
Posts: 4,484
RE: How many of you have had a dangerous Grizz Encounter
good post muley. I believe that lots of time if it is a non-surprise type of encounter where a griz is actually using a more investigative and methodical approach, it is usually a sub-adult to young adult male who is still trying to learn what's edible and what's not. And if you just lay down instead of fighting back in that scenario--you just became edible. I guess it could also be an older or injured bear that has become predatory. Although I've only seen one in the wild, I'm totally facinated by them. The one I saw was actually climbing around on a giant scree slope above the highway near augusta. I spotted him as we were driving--so not much of an encounter, but still awesome though.
#14
RE: How many of you have had a dangerous Grizz Encounter
I had a black bear charge me last turkey season. I was moving out a logging road, trolling for a hot bird, and just wandered between a sow and her 2 cubs.I saw some movement about25 yards to my right, and there stood a big sow, eating skunk cabbage. She hadn't seen me, so I thought I'd just slink on by. I had no reason to believe that there were cubs in the area.
Imade it about 5 feet before I spooked 2 cubs that had been hiding in some brush on the opposite side of the path.One of them got tangled in some vines and started bawling. The sow immediately turned and charged, butinstinctively, I had alreadystarted running. I made it about20 yardsbefore she got up onto the road, between me and the cubs.
I turned and took the gun off safe, and was backing away from her. She took a pretty aggressive posture and popped her jaws a couple times, but it was clear that she wasn't coming any further. She was just standing her ground. We were face-to-face at 10-15 yards, and I was pretty nervous. She and I apparently decided to call it a draw, and walk away to fight another day.
If it were dark, I'd have been in big trouble, because I wouldn't have known what was happening. Not a Grizzly, but a pretty scary moment.
Imade it about 5 feet before I spooked 2 cubs that had been hiding in some brush on the opposite side of the path.One of them got tangled in some vines and started bawling. The sow immediately turned and charged, butinstinctively, I had alreadystarted running. I made it about20 yardsbefore she got up onto the road, between me and the cubs.
I turned and took the gun off safe, and was backing away from her. She took a pretty aggressive posture and popped her jaws a couple times, but it was clear that she wasn't coming any further. She was just standing her ground. We were face-to-face at 10-15 yards, and I was pretty nervous. She and I apparently decided to call it a draw, and walk away to fight another day.
If it were dark, I'd have been in big trouble, because I wouldn't have known what was happening. Not a Grizzly, but a pretty scary moment.