BareBack Jack

Beaver Jack summed it up pretty well.The best advice I can give you is always be aware of you suroundings.Bears are sneaky and can come up on you in a hurry.If you stumble on one with cubbs your best defence would try to put some thing between you and her,something to stop the charge.Try to make your self as small let them be the dominate one.Donot Run this will trigger predetor vs prey and the may not wan' t to eat ya but play abit.Sometimes there is nothing you can do sh** happens.If you are alone and dressing you animal keep the rifle close.Don' t be so engrossed in cleaning that you don' t listen,pairs work the best (1 cleaning and ! watching).You game calls will also atract predetors so keep alert.If calling put your back agianst a tree and keep eyes,ears and nose open.I dout your guide will put you in harms way,but you never know.If one attacks your guide don' t run help him out.Clients and freinds have ran at the sight of a bear attacking the other.

One more bit of info if you are attacked by a Blackie DO NOT PLAY DEAD,fight back as hard as you can.
BBJ.

BareBack Jack

MinnFinn,I had never encouterd a grizz till about 5-6 years ago.We were hunting north of Linclon MT.We were huntin a area that we had heard had a grizzly in it.We figured everyone else had steared clear of it so we hunted it.I reameber it was snowing/rain and was just about dust.I was walking side hill down a ridge in some prety thick blow-down timber.I was going slow and looking for movement when I saw him,he wasn' t a big bear like on t.v but big enough.We both made eye contact and he huffed ,stood up and ran.I yelled bear and moved out.

My 2 encounter was when I was hunting south of Ennis MT in the Gravley Range about 3 yrs ago.I was hunting south of Jonny Rige road when I came apon a elk kill that was buried in the dirt,had grizz sign all over it.My mout went dry and I went to defensive mode in a hurry.I started backing out with my rifle in hand and the beltloop of my pistol,when he came out not 20 yds away.he came at me and hit the breaks @ about 6 feet.He popped his teeth and blew snot.I was so scared I never even took the saftey off my gun.I had also dirty pants from bracing for the hit I tensed up so much.(Hence beaware of surroundings)


My 3 came the same year same area 20 miles south on the auto tour raod I can' t remember the name of it.We were hunting clear cuts and dark lodge pole timber.I kick a bull out of his bed and i was hot after him,when I herd some noise not 100 yds to my left I figured it was the bull doubling back so I was stalking slowly and quietly.I seen move ment and it was a grizz about 3 yrs old he had a insulated thermos and was chewing it,he smeled me and ran leaving the thermos.I took with me cause I figured no one would belive me.His teeth had gone through and kool-aid was leaking out of it.I don' t know were he got it cause the road is a good 3 miles away.
Well there are my bear stories.BBJ

iloveto4x4innc

Are there bears in the Gunnison, CO area? I' d hate to end up as a bear turd because I didn' t take a gun with me when I went to take a leak in the middle of the night.

BeaverJack

Only blackies down in Colorader. But they kill more people than grizzlers do. You ain' t gotta worry bout takin' a pee at night. More likely you walk up on a sow an cubs, or she saunders into yer tent cause you fergot to put the cap on the toothpaste an' laid the tube down next to yer boots. I' d say you would be better to worry ' bout lightning strikes while glassing than becoming a bear turd in camp.

121553

It seems like this thread comes back prior to hunting season each year as it seems we just recently answered this same question earlier, but sense you ask, here my two cents.
Beaver, #6 does not apply to Blackies, but only Griz. When approached by a Blackie, yell at it, wave your arms and try to be the dominate creature. Don' t do this with the Griz encounter as you want to appear meek, humble and inferior in its presense. You are dealing with two different type bears and both treated totally different. I live in the Kootenai National Forest just at the base of Glacier National Park and I have had several black bear encounters with bears seeing me at the same time and once a sow that had two cubs that I encountered at 20 yrds dureing bow season, most black bears will avoid an encounter if an exit route is availiable. A Griz has a personel space of something like 50-75 yds away, if you are within this perameter, you are in immediate danger. You will know real quik if bear are pesent because of the amount of scat/signs in the area, and if there is, then you need to be bear-aware. Since I live in Griz/Black bear country, a pistol and bear spray are all standard equiptment, even if its not used it gives me a sense of assurance and confidence needed at times. You never know when you may have to put an animal down such as feral dogs or such if need to be. I' d rather have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
I made a post last year about a friend of mine that was attacked by a griz while he was hunting, in what he thought was a moose he kicked out of a bed turned out to be a Griz Sow with a cub at 30 yrds, the griz charged Chris and then took the cub to safety and came back at Chris one more time, lightning fast speed and at point blank range he fell back and shot the griz with his 7 mag. The bear fell dead. Chris got law enforcement. Biologist and feds investagated the site and bear, Chris was not prosecuted as they found evidence of powder burns being on the bear and it was a justifiable shooting. I asked him later, " What if you had bear spray?" His repley was, " You got a 7mag and bear spray, stick with what works."
But if you do, you better make sure your life is endanger.
Due to the overwheming amount of non-residents shooting Griz thinking they' ll black bears, all non-residents and residents are required to take a bear identifacation test prior to receiveing there bear permit.
I am not trying to make you feel paronoid, but just go prepared and be aware of your surroundings, just as you would if your hunting in snake country. Bobby

BeaverJack

I stand corrected. I don' t worry much bout blacks, cause they have also always run off when we see each other. The question of bear spray is relative to yardage. A surprised, non-charging bear at 20 yards can be shot with bear spray an' he will leave more often than not. At 10 yards with snappin' an' swippin with a paw, I' m flippin' off the safety on my rifle.

Skyhigh

This one time at band camp......

losthwy

Pepper spray is very effective for all bears and much lighter than any side arm. I would learn a little about the behavoir differences between black and grizzlies, they are very different species. Leave the side arm at home to avoid snickners.

BeaverJack

I don' t see what a sidearm' s got to do with candy bars. But I do know them folks in colorady thet got torn apart in their tent a couple weeks ago probly wisht they had a snickers bar right now, or any other candy thet don' t have dirt an' worms in it! Lost does make a good point, with respect to learnin' ' bout bears, but the backcountry is still the backcountry, no matter how many cell phones an' trail signs. I carry a sidearm in the summer, an' will be alive long after most pink arsed mama' s boys et their last granola bar an' died from exposure cause they couldn' t signal a rescue team or shoot thet rock chuck that was the only chance for a meal in a week. Lots of busted up corpses wished they toted a firearm I' m bettin' . Signaled my ol' lady with my 44 a couple weeks ago when she took a wrong trail.