Why hunt Grizz?

[Rupert Retired]

Babes love to take their clothes off while lying on a bear-skin rug in front of an open fire! But that is a side benefit, not the real reason to hunt them. For society, I think the hunt is absolutely essential, as mentioned in numerous posts above, a hunted population is a wary population. When a grizz runs away from humans, that means they are being managed properly. There are many examples of non-hunted predators becoming dangerous (eg California cougars), and then (if this doesn't end in tragedy) the predator needs to be taken out by the authorities anyway, so not hunting them is self-defeating and dangerous. But that is still not why I hunt them. I would say, it is all of the categories you mentioned (except the eating part!). They are exciting, it gives you a great excuse to get out in nature and enjoy things (after all, it costs $, so you do sort of need an excuse to justify that). It is a challenge, it is exciting chasing a big bear that can turn the tables on you if you aren't careful, it allows you to pursue your hobby regarding rifles, bullets, shot placement, and endless arguments on that front, a bear-skin rug is an awesome trophy that will bring back memories for the rest of your life, it bolsters your ego and is great bragging material. And, don't forget the babes thing.

[Fisher-Dude]

How does a Grizzly know he's being hunted? Only way he knows soft little human animals are threat that needs to be avoided is if he's hurt by them. If he's shot (presumably killed) then the lesson doesn't matter.

If you're trailing a grizzly, and you happen to break a branch, best be looking at your backtrail, because he will circle around to see what you are and what threat you pose.

Geist was emphatic that in the absence of fear of being hunted (be it by man or by other grizzlies), the bears tend to become problem bears.

Kill or be killed is what their natural instinct is. It's not a case of having being shot at, it's a case of being hunted. They are way smarter than you're giving them credit to be.

[300rum700]

How does a Grizzly know he's being hunted? Only way he knows soft little human animals are threat that needs to be avoided is if he's hurt by them. If he's shot (presumably killed) then the lesson doesn't matter.

It's lessons passed from mother to cub that will change the behavior of bears and if mom sees dad get dusted as he climbs off her in the spring then she's going to know those soft little humans aren't to be ****ed with.

[sawmill]

I have taken 2 and helped friends get 4 more over the years. The meat was horrible stinky(Hazelton bears) but the thrill of getting killed was huge. I got them both mounted and they were majestic, a half mount 9 foot boar and a 6.5 silvertip female. Then my house burned down and I realized I had killed them for no other reason than to show them off. I don`t hunt bears at all anymore. Still feel like shit for wasting those two.

[AgSilver]

I don`t hunt bears at all anymore. Still feel like shit for wasting those two.

Not even black bears now?

[RiverOtter]

I try not to assemble animals themselves into a hierarchy of "worth". In that regard, a grizzly is no more "valuable" to me than a coyote mousing in the field or a cougar perched in a fir tree. What sets one animal apart from another for me, is the unique challenges each presents me as a hunter. That is where grizzlies come into their own, at least for me. They inhabit the wildest of places, which in itself presents risks. Add to that, the fact that if you flub your shot, they're not out of character to try and "end" you, instead of fleeing from you. Heck, sometimes they even choose confrontation without being wounded, simply because the urge to fight outweighed the flight at that particular moment. Fact is they're very unpredictable and capable of causing serious injury or death; hunting a grizzly successfully is a huge accomplishment.

Aside from the above, I agree with a hunted population being a safer population, as the bold daytime bears take the brunt of the harvest.

[Useyourfeet]

I hunt them to be a part of scientifically backed wildlife management and to make sure they fear man. Perhaps most of all because you never feel quite as alive as when you're stalking a grizz.

[kgs]

Totally agree with this comment...

I hunt grizz firstly, to aid in the management of the species. I hunt grizz because I can hunt grizz. I hunt grizz because it's the ultimate prey animal where I reside, and if I kill one it is because I was the ultimate predator!! I hunt grizz because I enjoy recreating in the habitat the grizz lives in. Moosin

[adriaticum]

Hunt grizzly because it you don't hunt them, they will hunt you.

[steel_ram]

Shooting them for the thrill, because it makes you, "the master predator", seems to me to be kind of a waste. Pretty expensive thrill in many ways. My opinion anyways. I enjoy reading old stories of pioneers tracking a bear for days in the pristine high country before making a close, one shot kill. Shooting bears along salmon streams and on the beaches not so much.