Trouble with Grizzlies

[msawyer]

Hello all...

I am planning a hunt into northern BC this fall for caribou and moose and am planning to go into an area known for its grizzly bears with surly attitudes. I have been researching various strategies for dealing with problem bears and in the process I have been asking myself how widespread the problem is. Therefore I am conducting the following straw poll:

Have you had problems with aggressive grizzly bears while hunting or otherwise recreating, and if so, did you or another person in your party need to kill the bear in order to protect human life?

To the extent you can provide details would be helpful.

Finally, has anyone had actual first hand experience with using electric fences to protect camps, meat caches or hunters for aggressive grizzly bears and if so, how did the electric fences perform?

Many thanks

Mike Sawyer
________
Ferrari FX specifications (http://www.ferrari-wiki.com/wiki/Ferrari_FX)

[Orangethunder]

We had them walk by camp but none that got brave enough to join us. We always keep meat away from camp until fly day and that seems to work.

[shotgunjohn]

We went caribou hunting in the North West Territories and they had a five strand electric fence around the meat cache. The camp owner said the barren ground grizzlies which were very aggressive had not been a problem since they put up this fence.

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

Two buddies and I were treed by two sub-adult grizzlies in 95' up in the East Kootenays. For me, not knowing what to do in a bear encounter was as bad or worse than having the living-sh*t scared out of me.

I resolved that I would never again have to look to anyone else for advise in order to save myself in a bear encounter. So, when I got home I began to read and research all I could on bear-human conflict and bear behavior.
In the following year I wrote an essay on Bear Human Conflict in school and during my research I had the great pleasure of corresponding with some of the authors of important books and scientific papers on the topic.

I would heartily suggest you - and all of us who frequent the back-country - read what you can on the subject.

Following are a few good books on the subject:
(Forgive me if I misspell any titles/authors)

Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance - Stephen Herrero
(I consider Herrero - the Godfather of Bear-Human conflict)

The Bear Encounter Survival Guide: James (Gary) Shelton
(Shelton has three or four books out now and the three that I have read - although much of the contents not for the weak-of-heart - were all well worth reading and I learned a lot.)

Grizzly Country: Andy Russel

Grizzlies and White Guy's: Clayton Mack

Once you have learned the truth about what horrors bears are capable of, what signs to look for, and what sort of situations to avoid - as well as how to deal with them when they are suddenly in your face - you will increase yours and your loved-ones chances of surviving a bear-encounter 100-fold.

One thing that has changed with me since I've learned what I have is:
My good-buddy 'Mr. Ithica' now goes camping with our family.

Good Luck!
Terry

[Monashee]

Carry bear spray , said by Stephen Herrero to be more effective than a gun. One thing is that it is lighter to carry , fast to deploy , you don't need to be super accurate as with a rifle. Nobody knows it all not me or you or Stephen Herrero but when it comes to bears I'll listen closely to Herrero.

I've only been charged by a black bear Momma once but have been close to black bears 30 yards to 10 yards several times.

Had a grizzly walk around our camp at night . Another time came upon a grizzly eating on a dead elk about 60 yards away, that got my attention as I carefully cleared out.

[boonerbuck]

We went caribou hunting in the North West Territories and they had a five strand electric fence around the meat cache. The camp owner said the barren ground grizzlies which were very aggressive had not been a problem since they put up this fence.

Do you know if their fence was available through a supplier or was it their own creation?

I'd like to look into a portable solar set up. This could save my meat, my hide and realisticly the bear himself from harm.

______

Good post Little Hawk. Thanks for sharing.

[Wolfman]

Hey Mike

I've had LOTS of run-ins with bears - mostly Blackies but a few Grizzlies. Never had to put one down though, but have scared off more than one with a rifle or shotgun shot. Most bears just need to be reminded (preferably with a loud noise ;-) that they are too close and most will split.


Wolfman

[Avalanche123]

The only time I have had problems with grizzly was when I was working in the forestry industy and it involved a surprise with cubs.....the outcome was favourable for everyone.

For the most part, I have found black bears to be much more of a problem.

As a bow hunter I always carry bear spray. Last year I purchased a 45-70 for the time I am dealing with meat and it was meant for a black bear deterrent not so much for grizzly.

[Gateholio]

From my personal experience-

Read gary Shelton's books

Keep a clean camp

Keep your head up- Ravens= dead animal= bypass area

Bears don't generally claim hunter kills ASAP- Meaning that you usually have a day to remove meat before a bear claims carcass. But that is a "general" rule and not in stone.

Pissing around/leaving articles of sweaty human clothing on kills have disencouraged bears.

Keep your meat a little ways form your camp

A bear acting ornery isn't worth your life

[hunter1947]

My exsperences that I have had with bears are to try and camp in an area where you have seen the less sign of bear movement if you can.

Take all precautions around your camp you can.
When making a meal keep a look out for bears and keep your guns beside you.

Clean up all food and empty your dish water a feew hundread feet from your camp and try an berry it under some earth or other.

Keep all food about 200 yards from your camp at night put it in a bag or other and lift it up 20 feet in a tree then tie it to the tree as hi as you can reach.

When you do make a kill on an animal make sure you are miles away when you set up your huntimg camp also make sure your meat is miles away from your kill as well ,the further the better ,like 10 miles.

At night keep all guns semie loaded with flashlights and guns buy your sides.

If you have camp set up and do have an agressive bear coming in move camp to a nother area ,don't play around ones this has happened ,in most casses the bear will not go away.

If you have meat hanging up near buy and there is a bear proublum you have a big proublum on your hands.
I have never had yo shoot a bear befor because of it taking my meat or in self defence.

If I did have a bear trying to get to my meat or it had taken a portion of the animal I would get the meat out of your hunting area pronto.
This is risky bisness and when packing out you animal have your partners gun loaded and yours and try to keep in open area if you can when packing out your meat ..Keep your eyes pealed and take bear spray with both of you.
A semie auto shot gun would be the best to have with you for back when packing meat out of the bush.

Don't pack meat out of the bush during night time when in bear country if you can avod it.

Good luck on your hunt and always be on gard when in bear country :wink:.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/100_0828.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5151&ppuser=941)

[Nalidixic]

What kinda gun? Is that your bear deterant?

Nalid


My exsperences that I have had with bears are to try and camp in an area where you have seen the less sign of bear movement if you can.

Take all precautions around your camp you can.
When making a meal keep a look out for bears and keep your guns beside you.

Clean up all food and empty your dish water a feew hundread feet from your camp and try an berry it under some earth or other.

Keep all food about 200 yards from your camp at night put it in a bag or other and lift it up 20 feet in a tree then tie it to the tree as hi as you can reach.

When you do make a kill on an animal make sure you are miles away when you set up your huntimg camp also make sure your meat is miles away from your kill as well ,the further the better ,like 10 miles.

At night keep all guns semie loaded with flashlights and guns buy your sides.

If you have camp set up and do have an agressive bear coming in move camp to a nother area ,don't play around ones this has happened ,in most casses the bear will not go away.

If you have meat hanging up near buy and there is a bear proublum you have a big proublum on your hands.
I have never had yo shoot a bear befor because of it taking my meat or in self defence.

If I did have a bear trying to get to my meat or it had taken a portion of the animal I would get the meat out of your hunting area pronto.
This is risky bisness and when packing out you animal have your partners gun loaded and yours and try to keep in open area if you can when packing out your meat ..Keep your eyes pealed and take bear spray with both of you.
A semie auto shot gun would be the best to have with you for back when packing meat out of the bush.

Don't pack meat out of the bush during night time when in bear country if you can avod it.

Good luck on your hunt and always be on gard when in bear country :wink:.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/100_0828.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5151&ppuser=941)

[Dirty]

The most problems I have heard of with Grizzlies has been hanging meat in camp. I have heard of them sneaking in during the night to claim hanging meat. In addition, I also heard a story of guys coming back to camp and a boar had claimed their deer that was hanging. The bear was really aggressive and basically chased them off almost skinning their hides. If you have meat in camp always be aware, especially if hiking back to camp in the dark after hunting.

[Ron.C]

I'll be hunting by myself several miles in this fall for Mule deer/goat in Grizzly country for several days. My plan is to keep my eyes open for bear sign, keep my camp 100% food free, I'll store and eat my meals well away from camp, I'll have my bear spray with me at all times as well as a rifle 24/7, no exceptions. If I see a G bear and it appears the slightest bit aggressive, the bear wins, he can have the hunting spot, I'll go and find another.

[behemoth]

Years age, we came back to camp well after dark and a long hike to find the whole place in shambles. A full 24 of beer had been opened and every can was empty, but the cans had been opened with teeth. As I was looking at the teeth marks with a flashlight, I caught a glimpse of eyes shining at me about 10 feet away. Huge drunk black boar! After a shotgun blast in the air, it took off. We threw what was left into the back of the truck, he circled us the whole time. Buddy wanted to shoot it, but I wouldn't let him. I had realized while we were packing that he had taken a cooler with fresh grouse breasts out of the truck and pulled the drain plug before we left for the hunt. The blood from the cooler dripped into a small creek running through our camp and dispersed the smell downcreek to this bear. I couldn't beleive he did something so stupid, haven't hunted with him since.

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

Good call on your x-hunting partner. Maybe could have given him another chance though. However, some just don't learn.

Good on you for not whackin' the bear. I often wonder how many bears died because we (humans) are sometimes so stupid. And yes, I have been guilty in the past of leaving attractants around camp... but not any more.

Cheers
Terry

[5 O'Clock charlie]

Do you know if their fence was available through a supplier or was it their own creation?

I'd like to look into a portable solar set up. This could save my meat, my hide and realisticly the bear himself from harm.

______

Good post Little Hawk. Thanks for sharing.

I checked the Princess Auto website, and everything listed in their kit is available from Princess. However, a price comparison for all the items in the basic kit has Princess Auto coming in at about $20 bucks more than the electrobearguard.com website.

:eek:

[mark4]

I have a 3 pound portable bear shock fence that I use when there are a lot of grizzlies in the immediate area. Google" bear shock fence" and it will show you videos of bears touching it- the thing does work. I still store food away from camp and sleep with a gun. Gary Sheltons books are good.

[Fisher-Dude]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/100_0828.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5151&ppuser=941)

H47, do you use those oil wipes to clean yerself up after a close g-bear encounter? :mrgreen:

[GoatGuy]

Have you had problems with aggressive grizzly bears while hunting or otherwise recreating, and if so, did you or another person in your party need to kill the bear in order to protect human life?

Had problems a couple of times. Not too many problems with dead meat as the dog's always around. Seems most of the 'camp bears' have been black bears. Usually problems running into grizzly bears or having them follow me around.

One time a bear tried to eat me and my dog so I shot it. I was bear hunting at the time.



Finally, has anyone had actual first hand experience with using electric fences to protect camps, meat caches or hunters for aggressive grizzly bears and if so, how did the electric fences perform?


No.

[happygilmore]

Always keep you rifle with you and your eyes peeled. Up north we were headed up into a basin and I guess there was a crew that woke up 20min before us because as soon as we broke out of the tree line there they were with their moose already down, we carried on up in the basin after congradulating them and less than 500yrds later we spotted a big boar roaring down from one of the saddles heading right twards those guys. He walked down the trail not 100yrd infront of us, I wanted to dust off infront of him to maybe scare him off but my friends father felt otherwise. I don't know if the guys down the draw had any problems with him but there was no dbout what he wanted, he heard the shot and was going for dinner. When we came back down he was on the carcas and we gave him lots of room.