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View Full Version : Crazy Grizzly encounter on the Bowron River!!!



lightmag
10-06-2008, 08:28 AM
So i had my buddy over for dinner last night and he walks in and throws 2 pics down on the table with him beside a big grizz. I'm like what the #%^&*( you don't have a grizz tag????? he's like nope and proceeded to tell me what happened to him thursday morning.

2 weeks earlier i was standing on the exact spot it happened elk hunting with him and we were "huffed" at in the creek bed but never saw anything so this story really hit home knowing the spot and being there not too long ago!!

Him and his dad were down at the creek the night before elk calling with lots of cow calls and had some answers and seen some cows cross the creek. So the next morning they scented up "cow scent" and were down calling again, they had some action, some bulls came close but would not show themselves, so after awhile they decided to move up the mountain. Half a km down my buddy realized he left some gear back at the creek so he went back for it and his dad went ahead. So he gets his gear turns around and retraces his steps up to the old washed out bridge and sees big brown movement out of the corner of his eye down to his right and as he turns he sees a grizz huffing and lunging up the the small incline (actually spinning out) 20' away (no lie!!) he pulls his gun up (luckly he doesn't use a sling so his gun was in his hand) he sees head 10' away and pulls the trigger, SAFETY ON!! all he has time for is as he is pushing the safety off he pushed the gun forward at the bear and pulled the trigger as she was a gun length away, he hits her, she misses a step and her legs gives out and she falls slightly to her right as he steps to his left and she just squeezes buy him!! he jacks a shell ready to hit her again and again sees movement to his right, 2 CUBS!!! 1 1/2 year olds, they follow mom thankfully!! He hears them in the bush her thrashing around!! then they come flying out across the road into the bush!!

Now my buddy is a very seasoned and expirenced bush man, so he wants to track her to see if she is dead, tracks her about 250 yards, the blood dries up and he thinks good, i didn't hit her hard and she will live.

He calls the C.O's and they go out the next morning and find her dead 100yards past were they stopped. He had hit her in the top of the shoulder and exited the elbow completely shattering the front leg (the reason she missed a step and fell to the right thankfully) she died of blood loss. She is a silver tip too, C.O's said he probably can have the hide as it was a legit shooting, she is just over 6' but has a huge head 22".

Crazy close call, he said if his gun was shouldered he was dead, if he didn't have a shell in he was dead, if he had hit her in the chest rather than the leg causing her to fall and change direction she would have been on him probably killing him before she died!! all in all his balls of steel and his crazy fast reaction and his lucky shoulder shot saved his life!! he doesn't blame the bear, they surprised each other and she did what a bear does, protected her cubs. The C.O's were really good about it too, as after they went out and saw his spent cartridge and boot marks 3 feet from her spin out marks up the hill there was no doubt about his story!! Pretty cool he is getting the hide too as like he said this bear means more and has more memories behind it than anything he has shot or probably ever will shoot.

This happened down the bowron FSR 100km from PG!! Like i said this story made the hair stand up on my neck as i was in that exact spot 2 weeks earlier!!! crazy story, you just never know!!

Blainer
10-06-2008, 08:36 AM
WOW!!!That is a change of underwear story.

jml11
10-06-2008, 08:46 AM
That is quite the story. Those Bowron bears sure are notorious. I recall someone being killed out there only a couple of years ago by a grizz.

SUAFOYT
10-06-2008, 09:11 AM
Too close for comfort. We used to camp at the bottom of that hill at Haggen Creek for years. We had several sightings over the years and some of them close but nothing like that. Glad to hear everyone safe. Can you be a little more specific as to what washed out bridge so I can landmark? Thanks.

870
10-06-2008, 09:18 AM
crazy story. cant wait to see the photos.

browningboy
10-06-2008, 09:19 AM
We used to hunt Cub Road and there was a nasty bear up there, very aggressive!

Mr. Dean
10-06-2008, 09:26 AM
I'm amazed that he's getting the hide. :shock:

Jagermeister
10-06-2008, 09:33 AM
I just bet that he didn't tell you about the darkness that happened in his pants!
An encounter with a grizz in that area is not suprising, what I find suprising is that elk are inhabiting the Hagen Creek area.
What is the status of the cubs? You do not mention the size, like were they yearlings and could fend on their own?
I think that there was a book written about a grizzlies in that area by a former resident.

riflebuilder
10-06-2008, 09:58 AM
I had to kill a Charging Grizz once she came out of the bush 15' away at a full run. I can feel for this guy it is pretty unnerving. It happens fast and is over before you get to be scared. All I got is a picture from the Wardens and they didn't hassle me much as it was a very simmular situation and they could tell that it was self defence. If he gets the hide he is pretty lucky. They took averything from my grizz I would of loved to have kept the hide and skull.

BiG Boar
10-06-2008, 10:15 AM
These are the storys I like to read about before heading up to PG this weekend.

The 'Hummer'
10-06-2008, 10:48 AM
I used to live close by in Wells and still have a cabin at Bowron Lake. The Bowron River is fairly well known for Grizzly and there used to be a few spots, not too far from Bowron Lake, where sightings were 'numerous' and photo ops took place when the salmon are spawning. There was a woman, Ella Price, in that vacinity that had a guide camp on the river close to the salmon spawning grounds. That was prior to the logging road being pushed through years ago. A friend, Tim Cushman of Wolverine Mt. Outfitters, used to guide in the Haggen Creek area.

Mr. Dean
10-06-2008, 11:45 AM
These are the storys I like to read about before heading up to PG this weekend.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

killman
10-06-2008, 06:44 PM
These are the storys I like to read about before heading up to PG this weekend.

Be careful the place is crawling with Grizzly.

Allen50
10-06-2008, 10:56 PM
can you post the pic,, thats one lucky guy.. better keep a bear tooth on a necklase for good luck when hunting,, it could have chewed him up.. what happened to the cubs, were they there when you went back to find the mother bear,,,

jkosturos
10-06-2008, 11:45 PM
Thats a crazy story i definately would have to change the undies !! My step dad Was just attacked by a bear yesterday he fought the bear and killed it wit his bare hands no lie !!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/WEB_FIRST_-_Attacked_100_Mile_man_kills_bear_with_stick.html

Jagermeister
10-06-2008, 11:56 PM
I'm impressed. Good thing that the dogs were there to create a distraction as well.

BigBanger
10-06-2008, 11:58 PM
Wow man your step dad is one lucky guy .

Jagermeister
10-07-2008, 12:25 AM
Wow man your step dad is one lucky guy .Lucky?? Hell, he's a Jeremiah Johnson Mountain Man!

mark4
10-07-2008, 05:55 AM
Don't try this at home.

Stone Sheep Steve
10-07-2008, 06:11 AM
Thats a crazy story i definately would have to change the undies !! My step dad Was just attacked by a bear yesterday he fought the bear and killed it wit his bare hands no lie !!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/WEB_FIRST_-_Attacked_100_Mile_man_kills_bear_with_stick.html

That there deserves it's own thread!!! :shock:

SSS

hillclimber
10-07-2008, 06:38 AM
Thats a crazy story i definately would have to change the undies !! My step dad Was just attacked by a bear yesterday he fought the bear and killed it wit his bare hands no lie !!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/WEB_FIRST_-_Attacked_100_Mile_man_kills_bear_with_stick.html


wow thats amazing and with a stick too. maybe i should start carrying a stick when walking in the bush

moosinaround
10-07-2008, 07:14 AM
Thats a crazy story i definately would have to change the undies !! My step dad Was just attacked by a bear yesterday he fought the bear and killed it wit his bare hands no lie !!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/WEB_FIRST_-_Attacked_100_Mile_man_kills_bear_with_stick.html
A good reason for carrying a 12ga in the bush and know how to use it versus a can of seasoning!! Or a big piece of hickory!! Good story!! Moosin

Mr. Dean
10-07-2008, 10:51 AM
Thats a crazy story i definately would have to change the undies !! My step dad Was just attacked by a bear yesterday he fought the bear and killed it wit his bare hands no lie !!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/WEB_FIRST_-_Attacked_100_Mile_man_kills_bear_with_stick.html

The link takes me to the site but can't direct me to the story.....

Brambles
10-07-2008, 11:00 AM
Yup those are the encounters than make you go home and hug your kids, good thing he can still do that.

cndnmike
10-07-2008, 11:25 AM
Mr. Dean - I had the same problem "page not found" when that comes up type Bear into the search section of the page - it should work then (if my link here doesn't

http://www.bclocalnews.com/search/?curSection=&keywords=bear&searchWSS=%2Fbc_cariboo

jml11
10-09-2008, 04:07 PM
I'm amazed that he's getting the hide. :shock:


He's not, I talked to the CO that responded (friend of mine) and he told the guy he can apply to get the hide and would probably have to buy it if the application is successful (auction???). However it is unlikley he will be successful (these applications are usually denied for grizz). Allowing the hide to be kept for reasons like this is not a precedent anyone wants to set! I could just imagine how many 'self defense' killings there would be if we could keep the hides :-?.

kgs
10-09-2008, 04:31 PM
Seen some mighty big grizzlies on the Bowron. Great story glad he is around to tell it

lightmag
10-09-2008, 05:44 PM
He's not, I talked to the CO that responded (friend of mine) and he told the guy he can apply to get the hide and would probably have to buy it if the application is successful (auction???). However it is unlikley he will be successful (these applications are usually denied for grizz). Allowing the hide to be kept for reasons like this is not a precedent anyone wants to set! I could just imagine how many 'self defense' killings there would be if we could keep the hides :-?.

correct you are, the CO just picked up the hide from him tonight. Funny thing is all the CO's did when they went out to the kill site was snip the tip of the ear off for DNA and left the bear there???? So my buddy called him and went out and skinned it out, it was like the CO's were going to leave it there to rot??? You would think that in a legit shooting with ZERO questions they would let a guy have the hide, like my buddy said, that bear means more to him than anything he has or will ever shoot, would be nice to it as a memory. But i guess there are idiots out there that would stage self defence shootings just to get a grizz hide then, it's too bad because i think a guy deserves the hide/bear after going through something like that.

Wolfman
10-09-2008, 07:37 PM
Hey Lightmag;

What caliber was used, just out of curiosity?

Wolfman

hunter1947
10-10-2008, 04:07 AM
You where lucky as for the bear its good that you put it down ,this bear could be a big problem if left out there for others to come in contact with it.

lightmag
10-10-2008, 08:40 AM
Hey Lightmag;

What caliber was used, just out of curiosity?

Wolfman


THAT'S THE CRAZY PART, ALL HE HUNTS WITH IS A 270 WITH A 130GR SHELL!! he has taken many elk, bear including the beauty 6' + a week before the attack, 50" plus moose!! crazy, that being said he is a awsome shot and doesn't seem to miss or make bad shots. He was lucky though as it entered the top of the front shoulder, destroyed the upper leg bone and exited the elbow, there was nothing left of that bone, but of coarse at the muzzle you still have over 3200 fps of energy, it was the destroyed leg that caused her to fall to her right and miss him, lucky!! she died slowley i'd imagine with blood lose from the leg, the area she was found in looked like a bull dozer was there, even with her mangeled leg. Sucks the cubs probably won't make it, this year cubs, (big german sheppard size). But some things can't be helped right.

BiG Boar
10-10-2008, 09:29 AM
you got any pictures for us?

lightmag
10-10-2008, 09:54 AM
you got any pictures for us?

not at the moment, i have a pic but i need to scan it first and i don't have a scanner, hopefully i'll have it soon.

Vansmasher
10-10-2008, 02:00 PM
Thats quite the story litemag. I think your buddy used up one of his lives there.
I had an encounter 3 years ago just west of there, southeast of Mt. George, while working. The bush is so thick in that country you don't anythings there till its just about on top of you. If not for my dog, I'd be a statistic.

Heads up in the Bowron everybody.......ALWAYS.

bigben
01-07-2009, 01:54 PM
glad he came out of it okay ............I had a similar experience still see her and her two cubs today as I write this unreal experience ...........bono fortuna