A Grizzly to remember.

[safarichris]

In 1966, I was camped in Beaver Valley. It is situated about fifty –five miles in behind the Gang Ranch. I was working for a man called Chilco Choate at the time. Beaver Valley was the home of the BIG G. Bears back then. My Hunter was an accountant who had only one thing in mind. That was, to try for a Monster Mulley. I knew every inch of that country, and swung up into a high basin above Relay. There was our Buck. I believe he was the heaviest deer I have ever had to load on a pack horse. We struggled for half an hour getting him up in place. The horse weighed about 1300 lbs, and even he, groaned and did not like that heavy a load. The Buck had to weigh well into the 300 lbs cleaned out. There were many large Bucks in that area back in the sixties. Anyway, we got him loaded and started up by Prentice Lake and then on into Beaver Valley. I told the accountant that we were going to have to make a camp because the horses could not make it through to our other camp that night. I set up a small two man tent and staked the horses out for the night. All horses were raised in that country and very wise to the elements. They always told me when something was up. That night it snowed about two inches and we hunkered down in our bedrolls. We had earlier hung the Big Buck in a tree with a pulley. Late that night I felt the snow sliding off our pup tent and thought nothing of it. I went to sleep. The next morning, I woke and opened the tent to see 14 inch Grizzly Tracks all around our tent and through camp. He actually was sniffing my head only inches away through the light nylon material. I was shocked that the horses had let me down as watchdogs. Whenever that bell rang, I woke up immediately. The bell never rang. To make things worse, our Buck was missing from the tree. I tracked the skid marks through the snow and came across our Buck that had both hind quarters totally gone from the Deer. The front end, cape and horns were intact. The bear ate half the deer and had drug him about five hundred yards away from camp.
I told the accountant, that the Bear would come back again at night and that we could have about an eight hundred pound Bear if we stayed. He looked at his watch and replied, ‘’In less than two hours, I expect to be at least five miles down the trail riding at a decent rate of speed,’’ and that unfortunately is how it ended.

[hardnocks]

good story....sure glad you are back chris

[KB90]

Awesome story!

and I must say that the accountant is a fool to pass up an opportunity like that!

[frenchbar]

Love the storys of that country Chris ..keep em coming:cool: seen a few nice grizz in that neck of the woods the past 15 yrs. The big bucks up their arent quite as plentiful as they were in the 60s tho..hard to find a bruiser theese days up there.

[2slow]

Not the first Relay buck i have heard of that was claimed by a bear great story

[bruin]

Good story Chris, I've always wanted to explore that country. Looks beautiful by all accounts. A friend of mine had the same thing happen to him this year except he wasn't asleep!

[frenchbar]

Still a few grizz kickin around up there .sow and a youngun.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x158/05muleycrazy/P9090108.jpg

[wolverine]

:-DGreat story. Welcome back Chris.

[yama49]

thx for posting

[thatskindafunny]

My wife and I had coffee with his wife and his client's wife one day many a year ago. Miss that country.

[Dream Catcher]

Enjoy your posts

[Big Lew]

Great story, "safarichris", during the late 60's, I ventured into the churn creek area a couple of times, including up into the alpine, but didn't really know any of the local names for the meadows, ridges and ponds. Ten years ago, about the first week of march, I was in Mission hospital recovering from a broken hip and multi-fractured elbow, sharing a room with three other men, including a man from Ruskin (he had a large house, barns, horses, and acreage north above the old hall and school). He told me many stories of guiding people and riding all around your area. Don't remember his name, but did recognize some of the places he talked about. Does this ring a bell? Would you know of him?

[chainsaw]

Grate story I enjoyed that.

[ghost]

It is great to hear stories of that country. It must have been awsome back in those days,I go up there every season hoping to get something big.Has not happened yet,I wonder if that area will ever produce real big deer again?

[300win]

Cheers, great story!!!!!

[doubled]

Welcome back pardner!!!!

As usual, good story. Thanks, keeps us going this time of year.

[gutpile]

so what happened with the big mules up there? is that area being over hunted up there?

[hunter1947]

Great story and welcome back..

[flyhigh_206]

Awesome story, glad to have you back your stories would've been missed.

[Hombre]

Great story Chris.I believe it's the same one from your book,Bighorns&Stone Sheep,that I have read many times over,and still enjoy.There are still large Grizzlys in that country.The largest I've seen was in spring of 2001.This guy looked like a coastal Bear,he was huge.

[xcaribooer]

Was that bears name "old Nero"?:wink:

[safarichris]

Was that bears name "old Nero"?:wink:
No, maybe one of his offspring. Nero was a bear few people saw. He had a track that measured 16" and was jet black. I never got to see the Bear in Beaver Valley, he only had a 14'' track. I was one of the very few who did see Nero in his thirty+ long years he roamed the back country. he seldom moved around in the daylight.

[abolt]

not enough of those type of stories nowaday's.

[guest]

I enjoy your stories Chris.

Just wondering, was there a time that choppers could be used for any form of transporting of hunting camp, transport, hunters guides etc .or any thing to do with hunting in BC. I don't recall, but I have not been hunting as long as you.

Sure wish I could be dropped from one of those in places planes and jet boats don't go.

CT

[safarichris]

I enjoy your stories Chris.

Just wondering, was there a time that choppers could be used for any form of transporting of hunting camp, transport, hunters guides etc .or any thing to do with hunting in BC. I don't recall, but I have not been hunting as long as you.

Sure wish I could be dropped from one of those in places planes and jet boats don't go.

CT
I do not know what the Act reads now, But way back then, you could only use a chopper before the season opened. You COULD NOT transport any hunter or fire arm in Chopper even before season opened. The opening day of season, ALL chopper activity had to cease. It could not be linked with hunters or firearms in any way.

[Allen50]

that was a great story, one of many out of that area, i have meet chilco choate, we hunted the gang ranch many times, a group of us, the last time we hunter the gang in 2002 we came out of the area with to nice 5x5 muledeer, over the years we had many chats with choate, and my one friend had spent time renting a cabian from choate for a summer trip, i have singed books that choate wrote, and pic of his unimog that he brought into the gang ranch to use as the gang had cut his horse range to nothing, so choate need something to take his moose hunters out to the back country to hunt, chilco choate was a hunting guide on the gang ranch, and still lives there to this date, you can still go to the gang and rent a cabian from choate, for a trip into the gang country, cool place to see even if your not hunting. we may be going back into the area this summer for a trip if all goes ok with work, choates best book was (unfrendley neighbor's) now out of print, tell about his life liveing on the gang ranch and when he started his guiding outfit there, the unfrendley neighbor was the gang ranch,, if you find a copy pick it up, you will never put it down till your done,, i still pick up mine and just open it, and start reading from any page it's that good, all about hunting and just liveing on the gang.

[waistdeep]

You could tell us stories all day long :)

[BiG Boar]

You'd be welcome at my campfire anyday! Great story!