Saw 17 Grizzly in a very small area while hunting last fall (4-29). Had a moose draw in the same zone . Never saw one moose!
Lots of Wolf, Lots of Bears . Only saw One deer. Hunted hard for months. Granted this massive, steep and deep country,but
there is an imbalance in this zone for sure.
Here's to next year.
Happy to have spring bear in the freezer.
3 of us put in for LEH Grizz and did not get one.
Good luck all.
I'd have to say for the challenge... I hunt black bears for meat, and will take grizz meat home for sure. But grizz are rarer, tougher, more aggressive and will take ore and better hunting to connect with. The payoff from achieving the challenge is meat, memories, and a souvenir rug...
Why hunt grizzly bears? I can't think of much better way to spend a sunny day in May laying in the snow glassing an avalanche slide waiting for a bear to walk out in freshly green slide. Watching sow and cubs slide down in the snow or stalking a big boar, life doesn't get any better.
Take it up with Dr Valerius Geist.
He always emphasizes that we must hunt grizzly bears to keep grizzly bears wary and wild.
I was at one of his presentations when he described how wary a hunted grizzly bear is - a truly wild grizzly is suspicious and "afraid" of any sound he hears on his backtrail.
it's not about a griz feeling "hunted" it's about it being wary of humans...ie: we scare it away so it gets a fear of people..if it doesn't have fear of people , it gets shot therefore fear of humans is a trait that helps them live and that is what mom will teach the cubs
There is a different "vibe" in the air when you are stalking an animal with intent to kill. They seem to be able to sense that there is danger. Ever notice in the offseason, game animals often pay very little attention to you.....season opens and that all changes.
Lions will be seen sleeping in close proximity to herds of peacefully feeding ungulates. The zebra(or whatever) know the difference between a lion on the prowl and one that is no threat.
What I am saying, is you don't have to kill a grizzly for it to know it is being hunted.
Also, anyone who runs 100% kills on every stalk opportunity is a heluvalot more skilled than I am!
Good thread, I hope it stays civil.
Darcy
why hunt them? if i did id say for the carrying capacity science that says its the right thing to do for healthy populations vs over crowded and week/sick animal if that isnt carried out.