Insane Hunting Story

[geoskier]

So last Friday I finished up 10 days of solid hunting out of Dease Lake with my local buddy. We each got a goat and he got two caribou for his family (Tahltan). I saw some monster bou but nothing over 4 points. We were mostly looking for sheep and we covered 4 good looking ranges from Good Hope south the the Tanzilla River. I had already struck out on my amazing trip to the Sharktooth Mountains and was dead set on getting my first ram. We only managed to see two separate groups of ewes and bad weather likely had a part in this.

Saturday: now solo I decided to head out for my last chance at a stone but I was also ready to kill a moose or caribou if I had the chance. About 7km up the trail and 4 hours into my hunt I came across a bull caribou. I wasn't sure if he was legal yet and I was out in the open so I quickly fumbled for my rifle. I quickly put the scope on him to determine if he was in fact legal. 5 points! I quickly cycled a round and dropped him with one clean shot. That happened at 1pm and I managed to get all the meat (in two insanely heavy loads) down to treeline where there was a rudimentary outfitters camp. I hung the meat up and went to bed.

Sunday: I arose to fresh snow and loaded up my pack with about 150lbs of meat and all the optics and headed for the highway. Oh shit!!!! The strap on my wet backpack broke. I had to shoulder the massive pack all the way down the slippery horse trail. I made it to the highway and planned to return the next day.

Monday (today): I raced up the trail to where my meat was hung. With a loaded rifle I inspected the meat and the surrounding area to make sure no bear was around. It looked all good. So I started sawing the antlers off the skull. After that, I went to make a quick cup of joe to power me up for my slog down the trail. I didn't even make it to my stove and a massive grizz came charging out of the woods - between my gun and I!!! It let out a huge growl and I just went for it and started running. I made it 7km back to the highway (down 600m) in under an hour. Unfortunately my truck keys were in my backpack next to the bear. I managed to quickly thumb a ride back to Dease and I immediately went to the RCMP/CO. They said there was nothing they could do about it since no one was injured (me nor the bear). I asked them if there was any way to use a helicopter as to spot the bear for safety and they said no. So now I sit in my Dease hotel room drinking my remaining beers and eating my remaining mountain houses (wallet is in truck) awaiting my coworkers arrival on wednesday.

Thursday: We are going to head up the trail with a couple high powered rifles and attempt to recover my gear (most importantly truck keys).

I really hope a bear doesn't get shot in a situation that could have likely been prevented by some flexibility in the MOE. The meat will likely be gone along with the antlers (still in velvet) so it is just retrieving a rifle that already made it to the road and some other gear.

Lessons learned: I am not hunting solo again until I get a dog. I am never leaving my rifle out of arms reach when around meat. Shooting a caribou screwed over my last chance at a stone this year.

No pics due to poor internet connection in Dease.

[Wrj]

Sounds like a wild time!

[bcsteve]

Wow! That is pretty insane! Glad you've made it back safe (so far anyway!). Be sure to show us some pics when you're back. Good luck!

[vikinghunter]

Glad you got away, pretty scary situation. Screw the meat your alive :-D looking forward to seeing some pics. and a follow up on thrusday.
Stay safe.

[Rhyno]

Man, rough go! That grizz encounter must have got the blood pumping!

Glad you didn't get hurt, good luck with the recovery.

[Ambush]

You're alive and unscathed, so you made the right split second decision. And I bet you didn't need the coffee to keep you awake for a few hours!

Take a good look around for the horns, they may not be far, then at least you have something to go with the story of the savage encounter.

Good luck, be careful, stay calm and finish the story.

[Drillbit]

Glad to hear you're not a maul victim!

Sounds like a great trip, and a story that you will be able to tell around many campfires! Cheers!!

[srupp]

Wow, insane is right...glad you are ok...everythi g in life can change in a heartbeat...nothing is worth your life....please let us know how your revovery of rifle keys goes?

Be safe..
Steven

[adriaticum]

Glad you made it out unscathed.
Another reason why we need to fight the power for the right to carry handguns.

[Colinofthewoods]

Thanks for sharing , what a crazy story. Looking forward to hearing how it ends.

[Darksith]

wild. maybe a pack alarm would of been helpful keeping the bear away or at the very least letting you know something was around...also a spare set of keys hidden on the vehicle somewhere is essential. Good luck though, at least you got half a nice bou right?

[Colinofthewoods]

Speaking of spare keys, I always keep a single key attached inside a pocket on my person in case I get separated from my pack.

[RiverOtter]

Good to hear you're unscathed, but it sounds like you won't have much of a meat load come Thursday.......

Should still be able to find the antlers though.

[Fella]

Holy smokes, glad you're ok!

[adamgarbett]

Hoooly crap!! That is going to be hell of a walk back in to get your stuff. Best of luck and be safe! I had a shhhitty cougar encounter a few years back when I was solo hunting and it is changed solo hunting for me ever since.

[Fred1]

YYEEEHHAAAAWWWWW!! That sounds like a hell of a hunt!!! Glad you made it! Clips and keys... get three.

[RiverOtter]

Big fan of a spare key wired to a hidden spot on my vehicles, especially for travel into remote areas.....

No doubt you've re-thought a few things today........:mrgreen:

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Wowsers! That's some drawer-filling action!!

glad you're okay.
I like to stash keys under a rock near the vehicle.
Hope your antlers are easy to find.

SSS

[Big Lew]

Speaking of spare keys, I always keep a single key attached inside a pocket on my person in case I get separated from my pack.

x2! I used to keep a spare key in my wallet, but with today's fobs etc. I now have a spare chauffeur key secured to my belt

[HarryToolips]

Awesome experience anyway, and congrats on the big game..glad you didn't get mauled and good attitude toward the lessons you can take from this experience..and just a friendly tip, your only supposed to identify the animal as being legal with your eyes or other optical aid, not your gun scope..

[ActionJackson017]

Close call! One of the more interesting reads in a while!! I'm very glad to hear that although you've had some trials and tribulations, you're okay.

[Kami]

Holy Shiite Muslims...Yikes. Lucky the grizz never ran after you. 7 km in less than an hour? Impressive! I bet any of us could do it after a grizz incident like that.
I'd like to hear more about the solo cougar incident mentioned above. I often hunt solo in areas with fresh cougar tracks. Please share. Thanks.

[Sofa King]

what a trip.
sux to have lost some meat, but that's a piss in the bucket compared to being in that situation and getting out with just dirty drawers.

[curt]

wow that is crazy glad you are quick on your feet good luck on your next
adventure in a day or two

[GotaGun]

Big fan of a spare key wired to a hidden spot on my vehicles, especially for travel into remote areas.....

No doubt you've re-thought a few things today........:mrgreen:
Ditto. always a spare key under my hunting rigs.

[avadad]

Geez that's intense! good luck with the rest of the adventure.

[Sofa King]

it's a good thing probably, that you had took some time sawing the antlers and hesitating a bit.
if you had already slung your pack on, and then the bear came out, you probably would have been in a bad situation.

[Darksith]

and just a friendly tip, your only supposed to identify the animal as being legal with your eyes or other optical aid, not your gun scope..
was waiting for someone to say this...why do you gotta go there oh holy one?

[geoskier]

was waiting for someone to say this...why do you gotta go there oh holy one?

Good to know. Self taught hunter so a lot of things that aren't in the regs get picked up like this. Either way, there was no clip in at the time.

[Skull Hunter]

If I were you I'd bring a couple of air horns up there and start blasting them once you approach the area with the hopes of scaring the bear away long enough to allow yourself to get your gear. Would hate to see you guys or the bear get wounded or killed for following it's instincts. I think I saw a couple of those horns in the camping section last time I was on the Dease Lake store.

[BlacktailStalker]

Sounds like fun! We got charged by a sow and THREE two year old cubs, they wants both our rams and goat. Part of hinting up north ! Hope ya get your rack back at least.
Guy got killed by a grizz south of Calgary today..

[skibum]

crazy story man - but question: once the bear managed to chase you off once, do you thing it will think it can do the same thing again? I don't know. That is going to be some walk back in.

[geoskier]

Air horns sound like a great idea. We will use those.

Reason I got chased off was because it got between my gun and I. If I had my gun pointed at it I would have felt a lot safer - still nowhere near 100% though with a .270.

We are borrowing a 45-70 and 7mm from a friend here and it should be enough fire in case shit goes downhill really quickly (which I hope it doesn't).

[markomoose]

Good luck geoskier !I hope the recovery goes well and give us an update?

[Rhyno]

Awesome experience anyway, and congrats on the big game..glad you didn't get mauled and good attitude toward the lessons you can take from this experience..and just a friendly tip, your only supposed to identify the animal as being legal with your eyes or other optical aid, not your gun scope..

Can you please quote the regs on this one in a new tread so as not to derail this butt puckering adventure.

If true I am surprised there is a market for spotting scopes;)

[r106]

Wow crazy story. hope you get your stuff back.

[boxhitch]

We are borrowing a 45-70 and 7mm from a friend here and it should be enough fire in case shit goes downhill really quicklySounds like there was some shittin-anda-gittin downhill the first time , that was fast :)
Its easy to get complacent about bears when playing in sheep or caribou country until an encounter reminds that it is also bear country. Good you are safe.

Old J.O. loved his .270 as a sheep rifle , but remember he was always guided , likely by someone carrying something bigger.

[835]

Never ever put your gun down ...... havent you ever watched a John Wayne movie????
Good to hear your ok.. too bad they wouldnt at least accompany you up there.

[deadlyshot19]

That gets the blood flowin'!!

[two-feet]

Hey great story, the most intense memories are "the one that got away" it seems. Looking forward to the rest of the adventure.

[dogboy]

Next time just punch that bear hard as you can straight in the nose ,it usually stops them in their track. If he's really feisty and gets the upper hand on you , stick your thumb up his butt ! It shows who is the dominant one ..... Or maybe the 45-70 would work to. Good luck

[Sofa King]

Never ever put your gun down ...... havent you ever watched a John Wayne movie????
Good to hear your ok.. too bad they wouldnt at least accompany you up there.

very true.
I could see if they were swamped with more important stuff.
I know that to them, this was just a hunter/bear encounter.
that nobody was harmed, so it's not a case.
but, how come they respond and kill so quickly on any report of a bear or cougar or coyote near town?
I know, I know, the whole thing with kids and shit.
but reality is, that animal hasn't done anything.
this bear did, even though it was just doing what is normal, it wouldn't have killed them to have went for a look to provide some safety.

[Getbent]

That is crazy!!

[ianm]

Great story, scary as hell! Hope you get your gear back in good shape

[sawmill]

Glad you made it.
Here is another lesson....ALWAYS have a spare set of keys hidden on or near your truck.A magnet box up in the frame hidden.When I go out still hunting with my buddy and we are going different directions we hide the keys under a certain rock or log so whoever gets back can fire up the truck if need be.

[M.Dean]

Glad you made it.
Here is another lesson....ALWAYS have a spare set of keys hidden on or near your truck.A magnet box up in the frame hidden.When I go out still hunting with my buddy and we are going different directions we hide the keys under a certain rock or log so whoever gets back can fire up the truck if need be. We've also hidden a key many times just incase one guy comes back to the truck soak'in wet, or maybe wounded, cost nothing to do it, and it could save someones life! I also keep a key in my wallet, I put two sided tape on the top part so it doesn't fall out if I open my wallet up side down, and believe me, as I get older I've been using it quite a few times when I've locked my keys in the car or truck!

[Rusty]

good story, glad your safe, look forward to chapter 2

[BRvalley]

crazy story, glad no injuries, we had a run in 3 weeks ago, lesson learned to never leave gun leaning on the moose, always on your body

another very important lesson - magnet boxes will fall off, WIRE a spare key to the truck

[Tenacious Billy]

Nice to hear you made it out Ok....I'm not sure what's scarier - the Grizz encounter or the thought of carrying a 150lb pack.....they both make me want to puke.

[.330 Dakota]

Another tip,,ALWAYS carry bear spray on your hip....and never on your pack. This Will turn a griz,,seen it work myself. In your case the griz probably wouldnt vacate the area, as he wanted something of yours and had claimed it already,,however in a defensive attack it could save your bacon...tip 2,,carry a bigger rifle in griz country,,,I always carry a 338 as minimum,,a 375 sometimes...just trying to help with some idea's....most people underestimate the usefullness of bear spray

[geoskier]

Well we went back yesterday. We couldn't find any 45-70 ammo in Dease so we went with just a .270 and a can of bear spray. No airhorns either.

It was a little tense getting to the site and then things got pretty weird. Nothing had been touched. Nothing! Not even the meat.

Great end to a crazy hunt.

[two-feet]

Meat still good?

[Kami]

Holy crap. You went back in to the carcass, after a grizzly attack with a .270? WIN or WSM? Bear spray can be like tabasco sauce. Some Grizz like spicy food! Good for you.

[geoskier]

The carcass was several KM away. The meat was next to my rifle (and ~3000 of ultralight hunting gear).

Meat was great. It was around 1400m in the Cassiars where it has been topping out at ~4 degrees earlier in the week.

.270 win. Same as what I shoot. A bigger gun would be preferred but ultimately shot placement it all that matters. You could hit a grizz all day in the foot with an elephant gun and it wouldn't do you much good. My .270 has already dropped two black bears instantly with 1 shot each.

[boxhitch]

3 days waiting in Dease ? That should be a story in itself :)
Glad it all worked out
Would be interested in the Sharktooth story too.

[Thatguy]

The carcass was several KM away. The meat was next to my rifle (and ~3000 of ultralight hunting gear).

Meat was great. It was around 1400m in the Cassiars where it has been topping out at ~4 degrees earlier in the week.

.270 win. Same as what I shoot. A bigger gun would be preferred but ultimately shot placement it all that matters. You could hit a grizz all day in the foot with an elephant gun and it wouldn't do you much good. My .270 has already dropped two black bears instantly with 1 shot each.

I agree with you entirely. I think people put way too much emphasis on the "bigger is better" mindset. Being confident in what you have is the biggest factor, but open sites make for more efficient target locating when in a panic situation. I've actually seen a few misses and once a pathetic wounding, suffering, and eventual kill because of clients choosing overkill over markmanship and comfort.

Disclaimer: I'm not bashing anybody on here that shoots a cannon, and shoots it effectively.

[44inchStone]

There have been some real close calls this year. Some real drawer fillers!
I've hunted in griz country for many years. Never do it solo because of many close calls even with my buddy close by.
And I have my ultra mag glued to my ass when dealing with critters. Ya never know in the mountains. You may be ok for years and the one time your guard is down.... Well we know the rest
great you made it out ok. Careful going back in

[BChunter]

Last year we downed a nice elk in the Kechika in an Aspen grove full of fresh pink griz turds full of rose hips.
FIRST thing, made a good fire!!!! Left a loaded rifle at three perimeter trees while we de-boned. Loaded on more wood, then came back for a second load of meat 3 hrs later with no encounter. Worked for us!

[tigrr]

Happy Ending. That meat will have very sweet taste I'll bet.
Bears are strange. One time they will eat your gas cans and rub in the spilled diesel spreading it out for a 15 foot area and the next they walk around and touch nothing. I have seen fire pits that have been dug down 20 inches from a bear looking for something, possibly bacon grease or fuel oil used to start a fire.
All I carry is 270 as well. It is cool to put your size 10 boot beside a grizzly paw print and from pad to claw they are equal in length. A pile of grizz crap that would fill a 2.5 gallon pail. A high 5 special.
I need to pack camera.

[Ranger95]

I always carry a 338 as minimum,,a 375 sometimes...just trying to help with some idea's....most people underestimate the usefullness of bear spray

I'm willing to bet that more Grizzly bears have been killed with the venerable 30.06 than any other calibre in North America.

Place the 270 bullet I the right place and the grizzly will land on its arse every time - they are not T Rex.