Successful Grizzly hunts?

[TSW]

Well I put in a solid effort for griz this year. "6 K" and I saw a lot of bears up close and personal. :eek: I passed on one good big boar because I didn't feel good about the situation (and have been second guessing it since) but figured it wouldn't be my last chance as it was the 11th or 12th bear we saw that day--turned out it was. I have some great video footage of some bears, but don't have any pics. One of these year's I'll connect! I'd love to see some pictures (and/or hear some stories) of some g-bears that have been taken either this year or in the past.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Here's one from this spring.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=12574

SSS

[TSW]

Now that's what I'm talking about. Thanks SSS. Good to see some great pictures!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

And who'd forget this one:cool:.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=12260&highlight=Grizzly

SSS

[TSW]

Now that's a bear!

[Will]

Yes No need to stand 6 feet behind either of those fellas !:-D
Awesome Bears......! 8)
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/srupp/Timgrizzly2.jpg

[TSW]

Those are both sweet bears. I just can't believe there aren't more bears showing up? Slow year? Slow to post? No close call stories?

[BCbillies]

Those are both sweet bears. I just can't believe there aren't more bears showing up? Slow year? Slow to post? No close call stories?

Slow - between the bugs on my computer and my inability to work the photos! Looks like I've gotta hunt these bugs over the holidays.

For every successul hunt there are plenty of unsuccessful. Had a draw last spring but only managed to get out one weekend. Saw 7 grizz but nothing worthy of a stalk - the fresh air was good and at least we saw some bears. Did manage a bear in the same spot a couple years earlier. Not a big bear (6.5') but mature at 11 years old and a pretty bear and worthy of some wall space. Even my wife likes this one in the front entrance. Great hunt and great weather, 3 hour stock to within 110 yards with the first piece of lead connecting completing the job (first shot missed - deflected off the willows) ;-) Perhaps more photos to come if I don't kill the computer!:-x

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/SpringGrizz.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/SpringGrizz1.jpg

[WoodOx]

gorgeous coat on him BCBillies

[BCbillies]

gorgeous coat on him BCBillies

Thanks. Although not a monster the hides don't get much better than this one. Taken on May 8th with 4" long hair thoughout. I believe this was my 8th grizz draw and was eventually rewarded with the colour and hide I was always looking for. If I don't ever take another one I am very satisfied.:-)

[WoodOx]

no doubt
7 grizz in one weekend - you must live Coastal.

gotta love the silverbacks!

[TSW]

Youngfella--
great looking bear--i love the color and light claws--would love to hear the story behind the great hunt!! 7'4" is nothing to sneeze at--good solid bear!

BCbillies--
that bear is sweet. i don't think they get much prettier than that!! i'd be very happy with an animal like that on my wall!! i didn't see anything like that on my adventures this fall, but i would have gladly pulled the trigger!
one day i hope! (I'm getting all my unsuccessful years out of the way right at the beginning :lol:)

[BCbillies]

no doubt
7 grizz in one weekend - you must live Coastal.

gotta love the silverbacks!

Definitely live coastal, although the blondie came from slightly inland (not salmon fed). This one a little more coastal and salmon fed. Took a day to get into the "honey hole" but once we were in it was all bear. Hiked along the creek in the dark and upon arrival met a small one feeding, then 20 minutes later this one came out at 35 yards and it was all over. Lots of action all day in the bushes while we were skinning. Never really had much desire to wander about without the rifle ready to go. Bear was 7' and 6 years old with a decent hide for the end of September. Lots of romance on these hunts, would go back in a heartbeat just to be there and provide backup - just need someone with tag!:wink:


http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/Sept252003Grizzly.jpg

[Slime green cat]

Excuse the newbie question .... I am justy wondering if anyone eats Grizz ? I know Black bears are common table fair, but I never hear about eating Grizz ??? their diets should be fairly similar ? so I would think the meat would be too ???

Nice bears guys :smile: I am not a hunter (yet) but I sure enjoy reading all your stories :biggrin:

[GoatGuy]

Excuse the newbie question .... I am justy wondering if anyone eats Grizz ? I know Black bears are common table fair, but I never hear about eating Grizz ??? their diets should be fairly similar ? so I would think the meat would be too ???

Nice bears guys :smile: I am not a hunter (yet) but I sure enjoy reading all your stories :biggrin:

Yes, tastes good.

[BCbillies]

Yes, tastes good.

A little :wink: after that comment may help a newbie! I have tried it (smokies) and will only say that it's not my favourite. Grizzly hunting isn't for everyone and a person needs to adopt a more holistic approach to hunting. Those creatures a little lower down on the foodchain receive a great benefit and I'm sure if they could speak you would get a big "THANK YOU!" Don't mean to highjack the thread - more photos please!

[proguide66]

I have an 8'8" beast and an 8' bro to him I shot in the Toad River area of BC but am a little too 'challenged' to get pics on here...need Gate to do it for me......

[TSW]

Thanks. Long story short, we spotted him at about 300 yards and sat tight planning a stalk, but he spotted us not long after and started walking in. When he came into clear view at 70 yards, he broke into a dead run at us. Hammered him in the chest at ~35 yards with my 45/70 and dumped him, he tried to get up but got drilled a couple more times. It was a hell of a rush. He wasn't out of his den very long, got him on the 5th of May off the Klappan - we opened him up to see what he was feeding on and his belly was empty. He was 6 years old.

youngfella--sounds like the adrenaline would be pumpin pretty good. what grain bullet were you shooting? that is definitely an early bear--must have a great coat on him. doesn't get much better than that!!


I have an 8'8" beast and an 8' bro to him I shot in the Toad River area of BC but am a little too 'challenged' to get pics on here...need Gate to do it for me......

proguide66--you've got my attention!! i can't wait to see the pics once Gate posts them for you. (hope it happens soon!!) posting pics on this site can be trying...i'm pretty sure i fluked out the one time i did it!! until then...we're all waiting!!!!:smile:

[GoatGuy]

A little :wink: after that comment may help a newbie! I have tried it (smokies) and will only say that it's not my favourite. Grizzly hunting isn't for everyone and a person needs to adopt a more holistic approach to hunting. Those creatures a little lower down on the foodchain receive a great benefit and I'm sure if they could speak you would get a big "THANK YOU!" Don't mean to highjack the thread - more photos please!

Even had a roast that was great. No wink! Never hunted or tried coastal bears, so don't know but the mountain variety ain't bad.

Buddy was in on a whopper last spring and packed a bunch of meat out and said it's fantastic. Course that was one of them grain fed peace bears.:mrgreen:

[TSW]

Here is are a couple of proguide66's bear pics...i'll let him do the talking on them--i just post 'em!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/5100.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/12313.jpg

[TSW]

Even had a roast that was great. No wink! Never hunted or tried coastal bears, so don't know but the mountain variety ain't bad.

Buddy was in on a whopper last spring and packed a bunch of meat out and said it's fantastic. Course that was one of them grain fed peace bears.:mrgreen:

never tried grizzly, although BCbillies has threatened to get me to try some of his!! when it comes to salmon fed bears though, they can save it for Fear Factor--i'm not interested!! :) just like with other animals--what they're eating can make all the difference!!!

[proguide66]

Here is are a couple of proguide66's bear pics...i'll let him do the talking on them--i just post 'em!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/5100.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/12313.jpg

Thanks for the computor help!...funny , the top photo 'mulched' my partner and my faces , haha...we look like 'Munchkins' lol...anyway...tried for the top bear for a couple years with US hunters , didnt pan out...put in for a draw tag for myself and got one.After my last hunter was tagged out I grabbed a horse and my Ruger#1 in 300wm and headed out while my prtner was still guideing for a ram.
Well...end of my day found me about at tree line (2nd week of Oct) it was cold with light snow falling , not much on the ground...getting close to last light so I was starting my 1 1/2 hr ride back to camp. I looked up the slope I was slowly traversing , saw a large drk 'blob' I didnt recognise from the 'blobs' I was familiar with...'Blob' was actually the 'book bear' I was hoping to see !!....he was digging in a small rock side-bank ( couldnt really call it a slide)...anyway...tied my horse up , stalked a little closer ( but no cover due to him being at tree line while first spotting) and found a rest.
The bear was quartering away from me , facing to my left and as well angling up hill..probably a 45 degree angle , guessed him at 275 to 300 yrds.
I'll admit in a second when your by yourself , loosing light , and there's an animal ABOVE you that will kick your ass REAL BAD if you f#@% up your heart rate kinda gets REAL FAST......anyway...
I held on the top 1/3 of his chest depth....(high lungs) .. let her fly....he snapped his head up , looked at the bank on his right side....I re-loaded REAL fast...( talking myself through it the whole way , " stay calm , easy squeeze" , re-peatedly) held the same spot , bang , he goes nuts!!...starts spinning , bitting at his sholder , goes into a full run down hill 'kinda' towards me but more heading to my right....I'm now REAL 'challenged' at keeping my 'poop' together and reload again....held in front of his chest , dead on mid way...boom...rolls to his right a couple times as he is flying down hill ( now 200 to 175 from me)...recover's..starts running REAL FAST still down hill , hold on his nose , boom...drops like a sack of rocks....I sit till its pretty well drk...leave....lolol...came back in the morning with my partner and a vid cam...he's 8'8" nose to tail off the carcass...biologists guess late 20's for age...first 2 shots through the lungs...3rd shot broke his right shoulder...4 shot broke his neck...scored over 24"...first grizzly kill for me ( not including the ones I guided previously)...a grizzly hunting freak was instantly born!!....sheep/book bucks , step aside!!!!...nothing gets adrenaline pumping more than a MONDO grizz kill....for me anyway.( he's fully mounted staring at me at the moment)

Next yr put in for spring grizz , same area..got another tag !!!......partner and his wife came down for some halibutt/salmon fishing with me on my guide boat , I flew back up to Toad River with them for a few weeks of chasing grizzly.
The boars were rutting good , river beds turned 'love struck bear highways'. First week saw / vid taped 8 different bears ( sows and boars)..passed on a 7'+ boar but was holding out due to knowing what was REALLY running around there.. ( have an honest 9'+ boar clear on video from same area , these are montain grizzlies on the eastern slopes of the northern Rocky's).
There is a natural mineral lick near the outfitt I guide for-lots of mud , swamp and short spruce...loads of moose as well its in an intersection of 3 drianages. In the mud were the fresh tracks of 3 different boars who were periodically hunting the thick cover the past couple weeks.It was so damned thick it was just crazy to try to see anything...so...after getting impatient with the river walking , slope galssing..yadda yadda.....we set up a tree stand so I could watch the dirt road and as well watch up to 60 yrds into the lick....had to go to a wedding in Toad one night , 'escaped' the reception soon after my plate was clear...got dropped off at the stand...
The last minutes of seeing light a LARGE drk 'animal' was silently moving through the swamp...heart rate jumps ( after thinking every shadow was a grizz for 3 hrs)...bear was a no-brainer 'shooter'..his path took him to 40 yrds from me , quartering to me from left travelling right...held on the base of his neck-front of right sholder- boom....rolls forward into a slow 'somersalt' lets out a deep-slow aaaarrrrrrggghhh...doesnt move....I sent a few more in to the 'dark blob' for 'insurance' (loosing light fast)...and stay in my tree...'shitting' , hehe...seemed like hrs later my partner finally came back to get me...came back in the AM , he only has one shot in him...the rest into a stump!!...he's a fraction under 8ft..scores just under 24"...TOTAL RIOT !!....
I STRONGLY urge all who hunt to try this experience out !!!....I never thought too much about hunting grizz for myself but now its an addiction !!!

[proguide66]

Here is are a couple of proguide66's bear pics...i'll let him do the talking on them--i just post 'em!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/5100.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/12313.jpg

Thanks for the computor help!...funny , the top photo 'mulched' my partner and my faces , haha...we look like 'Munchkins' lol...anyway...tried for the top bear for a couple years with US hunters , didnt pan out...put in for a draw tag for myself and got one.After my last hunter was tagged out I grabbed a horse and my Ruger#1 in 300wm and headed out while my prtner was still guideing for a ram.
Well...end of my day found me about at tree line (2nd week of Oct) it was cold with light snow falling , not much on the ground...getting close to last light so I was starting my 1 1/2 hr ride back to camp. I looked up the slope I was slowly traversing , saw a large drk 'blob' I didnt recognise from the 'blobs' I was familiar with...'Blob' was actually the 'book bear' I was hoping to see !!....he was digging in a small rock side-bank ( couldnt really call it a slide)...anyway...tied my horse up , stalked a little closer ( but no cover due to him being at tree line while first spotting) and found a rest.
The bear was quartering away from me , facing to my left and as well angling up hill..probably a 45 degree angle , guessed him at 275 to 300 yrds.
I'll admit in a second when your by yourself , loosing light , and there's an animal ABOVE you that will kick your ass REAL BAD if you f#@% up your heart rate kinda gets REAL FAST......anyway...
I held on the top 1/3 of his chest depth....(high lungs) .. let her fly....he snapped his head up , looked at the bank on his right side....I re-loaded REAL fast...( talking myself through it the whole way , " stay calm , easy squeeze" , re-peatedly) held the same spot , bang , he goes nuts!!...starts spinning , bitting at his sholder , goes into a full run down hill 'kinda' towards me but more heading to my right....I'm now REAL 'challenged' at keeping my 'poop' together and reload again....held in front of his chest , dead on mid way...boom...rolls to his right a couple times as he is flying down hill ( now 200 to 175 from me)...recover's..starts running REAL FAST still down hill , hold on his nose , boom...drops like a sack of rocks....I sit till its pretty well drk...leave....lolol...came back in the morning with my partner and a vid cam...he's 8'8" nose to tail off the carcass...biologists guess late 20's for age...first 2 shots through the lungs...3rd shot broke his right shoulder...4 shot broke his neck...scored over 24"...first grizzly kill for me ( not including the ones I guided previously)...a grizzly hunting freak was instantly born!!....sheep/book bucks , step aside!!!!...nothing gets adrenaline pumping more than a MONDO grizz kill....for me anyway.( he's fully mounted staring at me at the moment)

Next yr put in for spring grizz , same area..got another tag !!!......partner and his wife came down for some halibutt/salmon fishing with me on my guide boat , I flew back up to Toad River with them for a few weeks of chasing grizzly.
The boars were rutting good , river beds turned 'love struck bear highways'. First week saw / vid taped 8 different bears ( sows and boars)..passed on a 7'+ boar but was holding out due to knowing what was REALLY running around there.. ( have an honest 9'+ boar clear on video from same area , these are montain grizzlies on the eastern slopes of the northern Rocky's).
There is a natural mineral lick near the outfitt I guide for-lots of mud , swamp and short spruce...loads of moose as well its in an intersection of 3 drianages. In the mud were the fresh tracks of 3 different boars who were periodically hunting the thick cover the past couple weeks.It was so damned thick it was just crazy to try to see anything...so...after getting impatient with the river walking , slope galssing..yadda yadda.....we set up a tree stand so I could watch the dirt road and as well watch up to 60 yrds into the lick....had to go to a wedding in Toad one night , 'escaped' the reception soon after my plate was clear...got dropped off at the stand...
The last minutes of seeing light a LARGE drk 'animal' was silently moving through the swamp...heart rate jumps ( after thinking every shadow was a grizz for 3 hrs)...bear was a no-brainer 'shooter'..his path took him to 40 yrds from me , quartering to me from left travelling right...held on the base of his neck-front of right sholder- boom....rolls forward into a slow 'somersalt' lets out a deep-slow aaaarrrrrrggghhh...doesnt move....I sent a few more in to the 'dark blob' for 'insurance' (loosing light fast)...and stay in my tree...'shitting' , hehe...seemed like hrs later my partner finally came back to get me...came back in the AM , he only has one shot in him...the rest into a stump!!...he's a fraction under 8ft..scores just under 24"...TOTAL RIOT !!....
I STRONGLY urge all who hunt to try this experience out !!!....I never thought too much about hunting grizz for myself but now its an addiction !!!

[BCbillies]

Proguide66 - I like your bears, great hunts and real hogs for interior grizz. I wonder how much the folks in Pemberton/Whistler appreciate them! :eek: I understand the addiction of the hunt. I initially told my wife that one bear is all I want - well I guess I lied. I said the same for sheep and goats.

Below is a coastal grizzly taken in late September. At first light we ran into this one at 15' while bedded in the brush alongside a tight side creek. With the sudden action I couldn't get a shot off but luckily for us the bear ran the other direction. Found the same bear just before dark in a much more open creek feeding on salmon. Nailed him at 35 yards and the rest was history. Cleaned up the bear in the dark with a long grueling hike out with a bum knee and 158 lb wet hide. Rate this hunt as perhaps my all time most memorable and mentally/physically challenging taking into account I've had many sheep and goat hunts. Bear was aged at 18 years and scored 24 1/16" and was very dark (almost black), had fought a few battles, and was ugly - just the way many hunters like em'. We figured him to be a solid 700 lbs. You couldn't pay me enough to eat this bear and the stench in my shop lingered far too long according to my wife. The bottom photo was taken a month later and I am standing where the bear was shot.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Grizzly_Reduced.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7316&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Grizzly_Hunt.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7317&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)

[proguide66]

Thats awesome !!.......looks like deep water !!...those hides sure are frikkin heavy eh !!!...I had to pack mine up the damned hill to get to the horses....imagine doing a long packpack hunt for grizz???...gear/hide??....I went for a 3rd grizz in the Tatshenshini for a 3rd tag in a row...never seen ebar prints that big in my life...missed a big one all on video , broadside , scope was wayy knocked out...saw 14 bears in 2 days....first 5 days was sideways rain , sleet...hell.....tough hunt up there but I suggest it to all !!
Great bear !

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Some real HAWGS there gentlemen:cool:!!!!!!

BCBillies-I thought I recognized that pic and sure enough there it was in the latest BC Record book. Great bear!!

Proguide-If you don't mind me asking.....Who did you guide for? Drinkall? Weins??

SSS

[TSW]

Great stories Proguide66 and BCbillies! Those are some hogs. A friend of mine told me he read that grizzly hunting is 95% boredom and 5% sheer terror. On those tight creeks...i think the ratio is a little different!

[proguide66]

Terror is right !...like Bcbilles story , It would take some MONSTER 'cahonies' to pull the trigger on a huge bear like his less than 10yrds when he is looking at you !!!....after seeing a large bear suck up lots of lead in the 'bullseye' and STILL runn 200yrds...hmmm.....it makes a difference as well if you have already seen a few attack 'trees' after being shot..and what the 'trees' look like after they die..yuck....guess a head shot would solve any worries at close range , but who wants to blow their grizz's head apart ??