Another Grizz attack....

[thepitchedlink]

wow, this is crazy, what a way to start the season...CBC reporting 2 hunters seriously hurt south of Ft Nelson (might be Ft St John) .....please move this mods if there is already a thread, but I didn't see one yet
Play safe guys

[2chodi]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grizzly-bear-attack-1.3217972?cmp=rss

[SR80]

Crazy , we saw 5 grizzlies in the one valley we were hunting sheep in two weeks ago.

[hawk-i]

Not surprising....if people don't hunt grizzly bears, grizzly bears will hunt people!

[REMINGTON JIM]

Holy Crap - Jezz i HOPE there gonna be OK - a Bear mauling is a TERRIBLE thing to have happen to you to ! RJ

[Amphibious]

Flown quite a bit in the Buckinghorse area. No shortage of bears. Hope the lads are alright.

[thepitchedlink]

Ya, sounds like Bucking Horse River area...came upon 3 bears......I'll guess Mom and the Kids...but I've not actually heard that....just nutts

[leadpillproductions]

That sucks hope there going to be ok , mayne they should give out more leh na 1 good enough what a joke

[Jagermeister]

Blame the GOABC. They're just not selling grizz hunts like they should be so the bears are losing their fear.:shock:
Sorry Mike, I just couldn't help it

[Brno22F]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grizzly-bear-attack-1.3217972?cmp=rss

The usual on line debate follows the CBC article. Some there question why the SAR helicopter was dispatched from CFB Comox to get these guys. Looking at the map link attached to the article, it looks very much like the SPOT messages I receive/send home when I am out hunting. If they used a SPOT device and hit the SOS button, the cavalry comes on the gallop.
I really hope these guys are going to be OK. Glad they got rescued.

[Fred1]

Ya it can be dangerous out there... I had a nerve racking experience in July with a grizz, He stood up 6 feet away. I looked right up his nostrils. He woofed and ran. I went home... I was lucky - again. Be careful out there!

[ruger#1]

Ya it can be dangerous out there... I had a nerve racking experience in July with a grizz, He stood up 6 feet away. I looked right up his nostrils. He woofed and ran. I went home... I was lucky - again. Be careful out there!

But your shorts weren't so lucky.

[bearvalley]

Blame the GOABC. They're just not selling grizz hunts like they should be so the bears are losing their fear.:shock:
Sorry Mike, I just couldn't help it
Haha. Blame the government. We can blame GOABC in seriousness or in jest but if not for their stance on the grizzly hunt even less bears would be hunted. Grizzly hunts are under prescribed due to all the BS generated by the Anti hunting - bear hugger groups. Some outfitters have clients that fill bear tags. But then they're the ones that are also taking the flack for being "Trophy Hunters" when in reality the harvest of a G bear is an integral part of game management.
You cannot have seasons on ungulates and pretend to sustainably manage wildlife without managing predator populations.
I hope the guys that were mauled recover.

[Salty]

Two seriously hurt by up to 3 bears that's crazy! Agreed must be sow and last years cubs. Hoping the best for the injured sounds like someone's SPOT sure earned its keep..

[RackStar]

for the small price of a spot.. seems like a good investment I must buy, considering I hunt solo 90% of the time.
would sure suck to be out in the woods all effed up and wishing you were not so cheap and bought the thing.
I wish for a full recovery for these hunters.

[Bugle M In]

Doesn't surprise me.
Again, I will state that there really should be a Fall Grizzly Hunt, even if it were to be LEH.

I really do believe the G-Bears have lost some fear of us....
Not saying that if you run into a sow with cubs, that she won't attack, as that is just the norm under that circumstance.
But gun shots are becoming a dinner bell.
One outfitter I know, told me directly, he hasn't hunted G-Bear for 6 years, waiting for them to become "trophy sized"......
yet than complains there re no more Elk around????!!!
Ironically, the Grizz I an seeing, are wide openly present to spot, and they are roaming the same area the Elk drop their calves.
I wish these guys the best, but I am fairly confident this sort of thing will be occurring more, due to the management practices over the last coupe of decades.
I wish these guys well.

[two-feet]

I have been waffling on rifle choice for my fly in moose hunt but with all the gbear action it will have to be the model 99 .300 savage for its capacity of 6 and quick cycling action. Not as good as the .270 for moose but that can not be my only reasoning when trying to sound like a moose in thick bear country.

[Bugle M In]

I have been waffling on rifle choice for my fly in moose hunt but with all the gbear action it will have to be the model 99 .300 savage for its capacity of 6 and quick cycling action. Not as good as the .270 for moose but that can not be my only reasoning when trying to sound like a moose in thick bear country.

I know a fellow hunter, who is an avid elk hunter.
He purchased himself a Marlin 45-70.
For the same reasons.
His one point was, he generally did not need to be further than 100 yrds from a Bull when elk hunting.
That, for most species while hunting in GBear country, you are able to close down the distance for many species.
Sheep, Goat, would be different.
Jack O'Connors took many Grizz with a .270, but I doubt he was on his own, and had other people around him during those times.
If I was to hunt alone, that Marlin would be a serious consideration for me.

[M.Dean]

Well, my guns just went on Kijiji, sold my quads for 300 bucks, and now I'm going to spend my days laying on the couch watch'in Oprah and Doctor Phil! So now I'll be safe and sound eating donuts and slurp'in down diet pop by the gallon! First 2 storys I clicked onto are Grizz Attacks! And they eat meat! And I've got some meat left on my frail bones still! Sure wish we had more than two TV channels up here tho! Sure hope there's a good ending to the two guys from the Ft. Nelson area, our prayers are with you fellow Hunters!

[Murder]

Two seriously hurt by up to 3 bears that's crazy! Agreed must be sow and last years cubs. Hoping the best for the injured sounds like someone's SPOT sure earned its keep..

2 way comms on an ireach would have been much better imo

[Murder]

I know a fellow hunter, who is an avid elk hunter.
He purchased himself a Marlin 45-70.
For the same reasons.
His one point was, he generally did not need to be further than 100 yrds from a Bull when elk hunting.
That, for most species while hunting in GBear country, you are able to close down the distance for many species.
Sheep, Goat, would be different.
Jack O'Connors took many Grizz with a .270, but I doubt he was on his own, and had other people around him during those times.
If I was to hunt alone, that Marlin would be a serious consideration for me.

Loaded down with heavy solids moving slow. Could level a bunker with that!

[Brno22F]

Well, my guns just went on Kijiji, sold my quads for 300 bucks, and now I'm going to spend my days laying on the couch watch'in Oprah and Doctor Phil! So now I'll be safe and sound eating donuts and slurp'in down diet pop by the gallon! First 2 storys I clicked onto are Grizz Attacks! And they eat meat! And I've got some meat left on my frail bones still! Sure wish we had more than two TV channels up here tho! Sure hope there's a good ending to the two guys from the Ft. Nelson area, our prayers are with you fellow Hunters!

Global news just did a story on the Grizz attack. Looks like these 2 fellows spent the night in the bush after being attacked. It was apparently to late to send rescue when the SPOT message was first received. It must have been a horrible ordeal. SAR helicopter left Comox at 3am to get to the site at daybreak for the rescue/evacuation.
Hats off to the SAR techs at Comox. Good to know they have our backs.

[two-feet]

So how many maulings this year in BC? Bella coola, cranbrook, ft st john....its a bit of a rash...mostly momma bear but there was that blackie in mackenzie....

[Ratso]

I've hunted a lot in Grizzly country but been lucky enough to avoid any direct contact...I'm curious whether the weather (early berry harvests) are having an effect on the increase in bear conflicts...or is this just a lot of bad luck and media interest all at once? I'm heading to the same area soon and will be a little jumpier if I hear any snapping branches.

[HarryToolips]

wow another one, hope they're OK...Ya they really gotta give out more LEH's for griz in some areas...

[Salty]

I've hunted a lot in Grizzly country but been lucky enough to avoid any direct contact...I'm curious whether the weather (early berry harvests) are having an effect on the increase in bear conflicts...or is this just a lot of bad luck and media interest all at once? I'm heading to the same area soon and will be a little jumpier if I hear any snapping branches.

I think its mainly that grizzly populations are thriving in BC there's more stories of confrontations than there was a decade or two ago. 15 years ago a grizzly encounter was pretty big news now all of the sudden its like oh, another one eh? Just my observations and feelings I don't have hard numbers to back it up. I saw a grizz in the Okanagan last year for pete sakes.

[Bear Chaser]

General open season with mandatory reporting and daily check in of government website or call centre is the only way to go IMO. When the limit is reached in an MU that's it the season for grizzly in that MU would be closed.
That way guys who truly want to hunt grizzly and don't just put in for the draw because they also put in for bison, moose, etc would still be able to hunt.
If we lose the LEH there will be a lot fewer Grizzlies guaranteed.

[britman101]

Hope the hunters make a full recovery from this. Earlier on in this thread a question was raised as to why the Air Ambulance was dispatched from Comox. To my knowledge that is because there is no Air Ambulance service for the Northern communities. The provincial government has talked about it, and it would make sense to base it out of Prince George, but at this point nothing has come of it.

[Bear Chaser]

BTW we saw 11 different Grizzlies from horseback in one day last year in 7-57. They were different bears because they were all in different drainages.
Moose sighted for the trip was two. Sheep was seven. Caribou approx. thirty. Goats three. Wolf one. It died. Black bears three. Elk was eight.
Grizzly sightings were greater than twenty five.

[bridger]

General open season with mandatory reporting and daily check in of government website or call centre is the only way to go IMO. When the limit is reached in an MU that's it the season for grizzly in that MU would be closed.
That way guys who truly want to hunt grizzly and don't just put in for the draw because they also put in for bison, moose, etc would still be able to hunt.
If we lose the LEH there will be a lot fewer Grizzlies guaranteed.

good idea. Makes sense. Present system not working that is for sure. Under present conditions outfitters are having a hard time selling grizz hunts in many parts of the province for a variety of reasons. Resident LEH not great either This system would increase the number of bears taken.

[Billy52]

Apparently grizz are rare…..so I've been told……I have seen more grizz in the last 3 years than the previous 20 years all together
……glad these guys are ok.

[TreeStandMan]

My first year hunting up there, somewhere South of Fort Nelson, my dad and I ran into a griz sow and three cubs. It wasn't a close encounter or anything, but after watching the cubs push a black bear off a gut-pile, not to mention the size of that sow, I decided to leave the .270 at home and get a .300 magnum.

Almost every year since then we've ether seen fresh sign or bears... We've all gotta be careful out there, guys.

[2chodi]

Earlier on in this thread a question was raised as to why the Air Ambulance was dispatched from Comox. To my knowledge that is because there is no Air Ambulance service for the Northern communities. The provincial government has talked about it, and it would make sense to base it out of Prince George, but at this point nothing has come of it.

Earlier today I read that some local choppers did respond ( no doubt we have lots up here), but when it got dark, it caused issues for the locals - most are not able to fly in the dark. It was at that point that the chopper from Comox was dispatched and the article said they had to use a "long line" to get the injured fellows out.

[Amphibious]

Earlier today I read that some local choppers did respond ( no doubt we have lots up here), but when it got dark, it caused issues for the locals - most are not able to fly in the dark. It was at that point that the chopper from Comox was dispatched and the article said they had to use a "long line" to get the injured fellows out.

Very few operators in Canada have the equipment and government licensing to fly at night. Landing in a spot like Buckinghorse at night without extensive training and NVG support is suicide at best. The comix SAR team would use a winch, not a longline.

[wrenchhead]

Thoughts and prayers for them both and their families, going to be a long road to recovery for the one at least. I know them both, both expirenced hunters- one even guilded for several years.

[lostmind]

My worst nightmare in these articles right here.

[Boner]

Came across fresh grizz tracks in the snow on Saturday in 7-43.

[Kami]

So you are walking, with a hot chamber, and 3 in the clip with your 300 mag. You hear a branch snap behind you. You turn to look and momma bear is full speed charging at you from 20 ft. Good luck getting one round off. Good luck with bear spray. Good luck to your buddy beside you who tries to shoot. Full open warfare ensues, and time slows down. Both these unlucky guys are down and out. Both had guns and shots were fired. Realistically how many shots are you going to get off with a bolt action rifle, in the time it takes for a bear to knock you down? If not for the Spot, the outcome most likely would have been very different. There is no easy solution here. Increased bear hunting may help knock down the stats. Being prepared, and ready to react to a mauling is effective. Apparently having a spot is also going to let you see the sun set another day. Be prepared out there guys. A spot is about $120 plus $200 or so a year to keep it activated, worth every penny. Carry a good first aid kit and never hunt in griz country alone. Best wishes to the mauled boys. I hope they recover quickly.

[hunter1947]

This is terrible news I pray that they will make it through this terrible ordeal..

[Dog_River]

Any update of these boys ? A friend of mine who just built me a custom wade saddle built one of these guys one as well.

I hope they are ok ?

Dog_River

[Kami]

I suspect they are in recovery, learning how to use limbs and joints that had to be reattached. I hear there was nerve damage, muscle & tissue to heal. Rehab can take a while.

[Dhegg]

has anyone told Miley about this yet? she should have gotten off the boat when she was in Klemtu and interviewed the bears for their opinion. Maybe she can now talk with ethical hunters to get their spin in events?

[randymac]

My son and I were on our quads on a small logging spur in 5-2 on Sept 21 around 4:30 pm and came around a corner and their was mamma grizzly and 2 large cubs about 50 feet in front of us. We backed up a bit and after standing up and taking a good look at us they took off into the bush. Later that evening at last light we were back on the main logging road about 2 km from camp when we spotted them walking right down the middle of the road in front of us. We stopped at least a 100 yards back from them and they took a look at us and just kept walking down the middle of the road. We idled along at that distance for at least a kilometer with them looking over their shoulder at us quite often but they wouldn't get off the road. I even took a shot in the air but they didn't even flinch. The wind was in our face so maybe if it had been going the other way they would have taken off. By this time it was quite dark and then they dissappeared around a sharp corner. We waited about 5 minutes and then moved slowly around the corner and didn't see them again. I assume they were the same bears but this was about 6 miles by road and about 4 miles as the crow flies from where we spotted them 3 hour earlier.
We've hunted this area before but have never seen Grizzly there before. Sure makes shooting a moose late in the day a bit more uncomfortable.