The bear would live I have already had this happen with a deer.I just walked away and let him have it.
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The bear would live I have already had this happen with a deer.I just walked away and let him have it.
I'd make sure I had a bear tag in my pocket:wink:
Actually, I think somewhere i the regs there is discussion about this, and you aren't supposed to fight bears over kills, you are supposed to leave it.
That may be for only if a bear has "claimed" it, not if he approaches whiel you are working on it..It's a risky situation, arguing over a dead moose.:biggrin:
Wow, I'm new to hunting and had no idea that the law was open to interpretation. I thought "leave the kill" meant "leave the kill" not "taunt the bear until it leaves and if it doesn't, shoot it". We are in "their" territory, not the other way around.
Shooting a bear from behind can hardly kill it anyways...unless the thing snatches your dog or kid and run away.
It's an offence not to report the killing of the bear. So, shoot/shovel/shut up is illegal, and is poaching. IF you feel threatened and decide you must kill the bear, you must report it. My conversations with the COs on this generally centre around the fact that every situation is different, will be judged on its own merits, and really the only one who knows how threatened they were is the shooter. The best CO advice on this subject: Don't shoot the bear in the ass!
I will not let a bear just have my animal, different story if I have to leave it over night and return to find a bear on it, then it is his (possession is 9/10ths!!) However if I am gutting the animal out it is mine and I intend to keep it. We have had this situation with 3 grizz while elk hunting, three of us , three griz. Was a standoff at 30 yards for 20 seconds or so til they deceided to leave, however a few more steps and......
There apparently are no "legalities" - just "illegalities". You will be charged. Check out the Joe Lucas story (Calgary area). A neighbor of mine shot 2 young grizzlies off the roof of his chicken coop, less than 50 ft from where his kids were sleeping many years ago. It was a nightmare for him...
The exact thing happened to me and I wasn't fined. I even tried to apply to keep the hide but was denied after 14 months of back and forth debate between me and the CO with Victoria as the "Kangaroo Court". The cat was shot at 15ft, on my track, up a trail I was hiking after deer. Without a word of a lie I pulled up on him and looked through the scope and saw nothing but hide. I had the presence of mind to pull to my right until I saw daylight and squeezed. I caught the cat of guard because as I turned on him he turned slightly to my right not knowing quite what to do, but was crouching, with every muscle tensed ready to pounce. What would you do???
I think a lot depends on what animal you end up shooting in self defence. A reasonable story backed by the some physical evidence about a blackie stalking/attacking you may be more readily be accepted by a CO but you should expect them to do very detailed investigation of a grizz incident.
Shooting a bear that is after your meat...whether in camp or out in the field may not be justified...however, shooting a bear that is a real threat to you while you are in camp or dressing/packing out the meat is legal.
A note to the wise...its not just what you say but how you say it. You need to convey truthful information that supports your honest belief of a real and reasonably imminent threat. Think long a hard about how best to articulate that. Pretty well everyone carries a digital camera these days. Take pixs of where you were, where the animal was, tracks, shell casings etc...anything that corrobrates your view of the events. Even consider pacing out measurements and making notes.
Not reporting an incident ASAP is poaching, no matter how justified or legal the shooting was. Don't be a poacher...report it. Cover yourself by getting a bear tag before you go hunting. Obviously that won't cover grizzlies as you have to get an LEH.
Every CO is different...some will be more experienced and understanding while others will be eager to charge. However, expect no sympathy if you lie or withhold info. If you do get charged, your best defence will be your notes and pix. You only need to create a reasonable doubt.