Originally Posted by
Joshua13
So here's the deal first day we got up here and the lady managing the store told us tons of bear activity doe. By germansen lake and specifically past the lake by 20 mile Creek. We went there and found not a thing. We were then told by another miner fella that the park was our best bet. Maybe by germansen landing. So we had a look around there. Not really any way to get up into the park by germansen landing as it is all houses (yes houses in the park) so we paid a visit to Ron repko as was advice of someone here. He was a really good guy. Said mostly we were a bit too early but we might find something by one of the fields down near the river, but still in germansen landing. He also said that the best way to do it is to use a boat and go down the river where you can't drive and come out about halfway up the park where omincea river meets oslinka river. The fields looked like they would be good and we found a great spot overlooking a big area. (I'll post a picture) but still nothing.
Next day we went up to where the two Rivers meet and it was a much better looking area and had tons of access to higher ground. But still nothing.
Today we got gas at the store and was talking to the young lady pumping. She's lived here her whole life and you what she said? Never seen a grizz bear. In fact the only time she has heard of someone seeing one was last year and it was a big deal for everyone in Manson Creek. Hmmm
So today we just boots around in the morning looking close to Manson Creek as we decided to go visit Nevel who runs the store/post office in germansen Creek. It is only open a few hours on wed. The whole conversation with her, which was again very interesting, found out a few things grizzlys do show up by the river once in a while, all the people of germansen Creek banded together to create the park in 2001. A few years before that there was a grizzly population study an apparently there are tons in this area.
Between Manson Creek and the landing there is alot of active logging and usually that is not good hunting but we decided we would try in there. As we don't have much other ground to cover. We finally saw a bear track! It was black bear and it was only a few tracks but at least it was something. So at the end of four days we have decided to call the game and head home. So basically it seems like no grizzly really here so I do not understand why the government gave us this MU as a substitute draw. I feel like they just wanted our money.
The second issue is the massive amount of logging here, now maybe I have just always been naive but the amount of clear cut up here is huge. Now my father worked in the lumber industry and we have tons of logging around where I live but up here it is completely over the top. It's like strip mining. So much forest has been removed it's no wonder there is no animals here. Back in the south there are clear cuts in every stage: fresh cut, left one year, new trees and on and on and it is mostly all staggered and down there they clean up the cuts and slash burn. Up here it just seems like they shaves off all the mountains took the good stuff and left it a mess piles of lumber that looked good (not just skinny lumber but large timbers) left and turned grey. And nothing cleaned up just anything g they didn't need left where it fell.
Now maybe there's something I don't know but for a guy who has always supported the forestry industry I was shocked at what it really looked like and for someone who thought they were getting a grizzly I'm disappointed.