Grizzly bear

[slyfox]

This will be my first grizz hunt this year.The area that i will be hunting is 6-19 around dease lake just wondering if any one has hunted the area and what time of the spring is the best time to head up after grizzlys i am thinking around may long weekend any help would be much aprecited.

[jackson13]

I used to live there. spring takes a lot longer to arrive up there, so May would be good. Enjoy the drive.

[derek p]

have hunted dease in the past for moose, lots of nice areas for moose, caribou, and bears,,, do you have quads or jet boats to use, saw just as many grizz in fall of 04 moose hunting as I did moose, running the river between cottonwood creek and eagle river. this is about 85 kms noth of dease lake town.
closer to dease lake is the jade road which you can get back a fair ways, need a good 4 x4 or quad for wimpy 's crossing but if you can get past this lots of superb hunting to be had.

[derek p]

slyfox, just checked the rec atlas for 6-19 boundries, this is a tough area to access, it appears the boundry is the highway and the stikine river presumably the north side should be open. the jade road and the turnagan will be to far noth, it's a ways to go but the Pitman has nice grizz, water level should allow a jet boat access, however I don't know if there are any fuel dumps available as is the case during moose season. float plane perhaps?? good luck, Ill talk to some of the iskut and dease locals and see what I can find out.:wink:

[youngfellla]

Slyfox, I'll be hunting just south of you in 6-20 Spatsizi. The snow stays pretty late in that area. The May long weekend would probably be good time to go. Check the south-facing slopes that have fresh green sprouts coming up, as the bears will frequent them in the springtime. Also check avalanche slides, as sometimes grizz will find & feed on carcasses of sheep or goat that were buried in a winter avalanche. I plan on going up the first week of May and hunting for two weeks, maybe three if that's what it takes.

I know a few Outfitters in the area and know some guys who have hunted in your area. I'll try and pick their brains, hopefully I can find something out for you.:)

[derek p]

This is a easier to access area, the Klappan rail grade will give you access to the majority of the M U, be aware that there is a no hunting zone aound cold lake.
the small kettle lakes past the bob quinn airstrip on the east of the hiway will green up first, reasonable moose hunting in there, have come across grizz in the fall.
used to live in terrace, worked as a truck driver, this was my route for 5 yrs, Terrace to Dease, 2x /week,:smile:

[slyfox]

Thanks for all the info guys.Derek is there a map or a atlas book that i can buy for the areas that your talking about to access the area is new to me i do have a quad.

[derek p]

probably the best atlas would be the updated rec atlas,the pittman river is actually a provincial park, with very difficult access, float plane or horses with government permission only. i suppose the only good news is that this stretch of road is not restricted by the 400m single projectile. there are severe vehicle restrictions for both the moose and spring bear seasons. there are not to many access points to this M.U. from highway 37, it appears that the lower portion of the Jade road is open. problem is quads are restricted to road or trail plus 400m. no more ... this is to preserve to landscape and to make people work for their game. I think?
Gnat pass and the area to the south of the pass may be interesting to explore, few small lakes before the pass.
if memory serves me correct there are a few access points to the east just after the highway 37 bridge on the stikine,.never drove onto any of them don't know how far they go. you climb out of the stikine valley and there are some nice slides here.
this is a very tough area to economically gain access.:smile:

[slyfox]

Thanks derek ill go pick up an atlas.I have a friend that shot a bear in the area about 4 years a go he also side that gnat pass could be good.I have a small pathfinder that goes in a lot of small roads are you allowed to hunt with a truck of the Jade road or is it the same rule as the quads.I got the draw in the mail it was1.2 to 1

[derek p]

the jade road starts about 5kms south of dease lake town, cross the tanzilla river and next turn on the east.. goes up to a landing area, fairly large area where the trucks would unload the jade and ore coming out of the mine buried deep in region 7-52, this is where alot of people will camp.
some people will trailer in on quads there camp to create little spike camps on the jade road. at times this can be dangerous to vehicles left in parking area. heard some horror stories of trucks shot up and stolen,,,, not often but it only takes once to wreck your trip.
jade road itself is very rough, remember and creeks and lakes will be running at full tilt, this is durning the peak of spring floods. I think you cn go about 5-6 hours deep on the quad before you hit 7-52,,, this is where the moose and caribou hunting start to get goood....
motor vehicle restrictions in affrect for may 1 until nov 15
depending on exactly where the boundry for 6-19 is, you could rent canoes and drift the stikine river and hunt the north side, this would take about 6-8 days depending on water conditions.
if you can locate the klappan rAIL grade on the north of the stikine, this is a railway that runs from Prince george to dease and is 90% intact but I believe is stops about 5kms shy of dease and is missing the odd bridge,
I'll talk to the boys back home and see what else I can find out.
vancouver to PG 800km, PG to kitwanga Junction 500 kms, Kitwanga to Stikine River bridge 460 kms
long trip but absolutely beautiful country.

[slyfox]

Just cant wait for may i did hear from some hunter that the grizz up north stay close to the highway in early spring but will have to see when im up there.

[boxhitch]

Derek - thats a shite load of good info. Good to see it here. What are chances the lakes will still be froze in May ? (tough on floats :) . There is contact info in The Regs for a boat that works the Stikine, which probably is an EXCELLENT idea ;)

[derek p]

by late May almost all the snow is gone from the landscape, only those shaded areas and protected from sun will remain. Remember this area starts to become less of the lush green forest that we come to expect in B.C. and more of the open muskeg with naked bare mountains, with only a handful of trees. Not uncommon to see bears pounding the ground to spook the marmots and voles out of rocks.
I'll post a pic in the gallery of the landscape of the stikine and dease area, I don't know how to attch to this post.:lol:
During moose season, there are quite a few who jet boat the upper stikine and pittman for moose. In the fall there are guys who just run the river selling fuel, very expensive. I dont know if this option is available in the spring.
The stikine below the higfhway 37 bridge is called the GRAND CANYON of the north. Needs to be seen to be appreciated. The water is unnegotiable for any water craft.:eek:

[moose hunter]

wat caliber will you be using?

[slyfox]

I,ll be using a 300 win mag 190 gr.

[3kills]

nah slyfox u should use an old 303 with a 180gr ;)

[slyfox]

Do you have one i could use and a needle to poce him in the eye with first.

[jackson13]

Sly fox
the area around gnat pass (if it is open) is good. On both sides of Hwy 37 there are access roads that will take you up above tree line really quickly. Travelling north on Hwy 37, just past (north) of the second lake, there are turn offs on both sides of the road. The one to right goes across a small (sometimes) creek that can be deep---check out my gallery and see the small red Ford Ranger that died in the middle of the creek. This road stops and a quad trail will take you up into the alpine. You can walk up the trail too, only takes 30 minutes or so. Once you are above the trees, the area is closed to vehicles anyways. Lots of open area/small trees and basins up there.
On the left side of Hwy 37, around the same area, there is another road that goes back into a HUGE basin. You might have to cross a small beaver dam (if it is still there) but the road isn't bad. I'm not sure if this area is open for you, but it good be good.
South of these two spots (closer to the Stikine bridge) there are two other roads on either side which good be good. Travelling north, the road to the right follows the rail grade. It goes in both directions, but stops as you get closer to Gnat pass. The road going back towards the Stikine river is good and I have big bears in that area. The road on the left side of the road goes up the mountain very quickly. Near the top of the mountain, park and hike up to the top and you will see all the country you can hunt from there. There might be a lot of snow there, but knows.
If you have any questions about access in the Gnat pass area , let me know...I spent a lot of time driving/walking around there.

ps...Once I saw a HUGE grizz just running in between the two lakes at Gnat pass when fishing there in the spring, so heads up!

[sniperontheridge]

i have a question here.when you shoot the grizzly .you must take it in for inspection.who actually does this .so you get the proper paper work for mounting or rugging it .thanks

[slyfox]

I take my animals to frank gilbert in north delta he does the inspections.

[sniperontheridge]

who does the inspections here in the ok valley.?.thanks

[boxhitch]

Call the CO's office for a current list. It changes.

[3kills]

Do you have one i could use and a needle to poce him in the eye with first.

i do...i will even give ya my sling shot so u can shoot the pins at him so u dont have to get to close