Van Island Blackies

[SeaScene]

It is my understanding that blackie attacks on VI are rare despite being abundant here. A farm I hunted last year frequently has perhaps the biggest black bear I have ever seen easily over 600 lbs and I actually came close to it last year while hunting blacktail. We surprised each other within 50 yards. I felt most relieved carrying 30-06. When the bear saw me it's eyes widened in surprise...it took off crapping it's drawers at the same time. My home province of Ontario has had many maulings and deaths by blackies as does mainland BC. Just wondering why the same is not happening here on bear abundant VI ??

[Pioneerman]

It does happen on the island. Gary Sheilton has talked about it in his books and it was just a couple years ago some campers had bear attack them in camp at night on Taylor river. We have cougar attacks also, don't know if more or less. Maybe more people wonder around in the bush here with weapons or bear aware ?

[steel_ram]

Possibly because Island bears don't have to hunt larger, therefore attacking larger animals is something they are not accustomed to? In my bowhunting days I had dozens of close encounters with bears. I only recall one actually being aggressive. It was stalking the same group of buck I was. I'm not including times I've inadvertently got between sow and cubs or when I was carrying salmon or game meat. They just wanted it but were not willing to cross the line for it.

[Ozone]

Maybe because all the weed they have eaten has made them mellow.

[Big Lew]

It's wise not to fully rely on what you've been told, vague information, or assumptions.
I know some in the logging business that would tell you otherwise. When I bicycled up
the Island, staying overnight by Sayward, I was advised not to camp in the bush because
there had been some incidents with large aggressive bears in the area. The only other
place in BC I was similarly warned while bicycle touring was in Laird Hotsprings along the
Alaskan Hwy.

[Liptugger]

It happens, I had a black bear sneek up with in 20 yds of me when I was deer hunting. It got a little tense as he was reluctant to give up his hunt, If it was not 3 klm back to the truck, he would have died.

[Jim Prawn]

Last season we had 2 bucks half eaten by bears before we could retrieve them. My dad shot the first one at first light so I sent him and my son down to gut it and I carried on hunting. As they approached the buck a bear appeared and dragged his buck into thick cover before they realized what was happening. They could hear the bear eating the deer but could not see it. I ended up shooting another buck a mile or so away and left it to go help dad and Riley drag dads buck up the hill. Took a few hours to scare the bear off the kill and retrieve the chewed up buck. At one point I was within 7 or 8 yards of the bear but could not see it. By the time I got to my buck, about 4 hours after I had shot it, it had also been dragged off by a bear. I had left my rifle at the quad 400 yards away so very nervously tracked my buck down in the thick cover. It was half eaten and I quickly tore the rest of the guts out and began dragging it as quickly as possible thru the steep slash towards my quad. As I crested a small rise I came nearly face to face with a small bear, which fortunately spooked and ran off. Then I looked down the hill and saw another bear, 3-400 lbs, about 100 yards downhill, staring me down. I figure this was the one that had eaten my deer. Exhausted, I quickened my pace and made it back to the quad. Later in the season, Riley shot another buck in a totally different area, and as he was gutting it I heard something moving in the bush only 20 or 30 yards away. I yelled at Riley to grab his gun and get up the hill onto an open rock bluff and the bear spun around and took off down the hill. Although these bears didn't attack us, I felt that this was very aggressive behavior and I was quite happy I didn't stumble into that big one while he was still chewing on my buck or I may have been in serious trouble. I will always be packing my rifle with me when retrieving downed game from now on, and Riley and I each have bear tags this year. Shoot 'em up boys...
JP

[Ohwildwon]

Last season we had 2 bucks half eaten by bears before we could retrieve them. My dad shot the first one at first light so I sent him and my son down to gut it and I carried on hunting. As they approached the buck a bear appeared and dragged his buck into thick cover before they realized what was happening. They could hear the bear eating the deer but could not see it. I ended up shooting another buck a mile or so away and left it to go help dad and Riley drag dads buck up the hill. Took a few hours to scare the bear off the kill and retrieve the chewed up buck. At one point I was within 7 or 8 yards of the bear but could not see it. By the time I got to my buck, about 4 hours after I had shot it, it had also been dragged off by a bear. I had left my rifle at the quad 400 yards away so very nervously tracked my buck down in the thick cover. It was half eaten and I quickly tore the rest of the guts out and began dragging it as quickly as possible thru the steep slash towards my quad. As I crested a small rise I came nearly face to face with a small bear, which fortunately spooked and ran off. Then I looked down the hill and saw another bear, 3-400 lbs, about 100 yards downhill, staring me down. I figure this was the one that had eaten my deer. Exhausted, I quickened my pace and made it back to the quad. Later in the season, Riley shot another buck in a totally different area, and as he was gutting it I heard something moving in the bush only 20 or 30 yards away. I yelled at Riley to grab his gun and get up the hill onto an open rock bluff and the bear spun around and took off down the hill. Although these bears didn't attack us, I felt that this was very aggressive behavior and I was quite happy I didn't stumble into that big one while he was still chewing on my buck or I may have been in serious trouble. I will always be packing my rifle with me when retrieving downed game from now on, and Riley and I each have bear tags this year. Shoot 'em up boys...
JP

Sounds like a classic case of "gun fire equals a free lunch"!

[russm86]

Wasn't there an incident in Port Alberni or somewhere there a few years back where the black bear swam across the inlet/river and climbed into a guys boat and started mauling him?

[Upearly]

Yes, that did happen and there have been several other incidents. I think VI black bears tend to be well fed as a rule, and I agree that maybe they are not used to killing larger prey. That being said, I have spent a great deal of time in these woods for 40 years and I have had about 8 very serious close encounters with aggressive bears ... usually around their fishing holes, but also one very close stalking episode that I narrowly escaped from.

[Jim Prawn]

Wasn't there an incident in Port Alberni or somewhere there a few years back where the black bear swam across the inlet/river and climbed into a guys boat and started mauling him?

Yes, it was in Port Renfrew, right at the docks. Must have been quite a scene. They ended up killing it with a gaff and/or fillet knife. That place is like a fish plant in the summer and at low tide there are carcasses all over the place. The bear was apparently very old and not in great condition; missing teeth etc. Just that desparate I guess. Still put a good chewing on the guy though! I also was charged by a black bear sow years ago but in KNight Inlet not on the island. I was working on a water line and didn't hear the cub approach. I turned and saw a very small cub sitting on the beach watching me only feet away. Just as it started to register that mom wouldn't be far away, she crested the hill behind the cub and we locked eyes. Then she charged. Don't run they say? Ya right. I high tailed it up that mountain side as fast as I could and climbed out on a tree overhanging a rock bluff with nothing but a screwdriver in my hand. My speculation is that the cub was so small that the sow didn't want to leave it far behind so once she saw I was getting out of there she stopped charging. Took the 303 the next time I had to work on the water line!
JP

[ACB]

Gun fire equals the dinner bell going off, must be a learned response. Like the Kootenay Grizz.