Another Griz Attack over the weekend

Hunt around there a fair amount. It can be western, to be sure. A few years ago I had a sub-adult follow me around for about a mile waiting for me to shoot something. Lucky for me, I'm not that good of a hunter. :)
 
Yesterday I talked with a biologist studying the GYE population.

He said of their collared ones, most are denning up, some are still wandering, however.
 
I talked to a local from Thermopolis, Wyoming, last year and he said it is not unusual for the bears to leave the den in December and wander around, if the weather is nice. The don't lock down like black bears do.
 
Tough situation, hope he recovers fully. I was wolf hunting about 2 weeks ago and called in a sow with 2yr old cub. Saw them coming across a dry lake bed at about 150yds and I instantly stopped calling, they continued my way to about 80yds and fortunately they drifted around the edge of the lake and AWAY from me. I got about 4 minutes of cell phone video and an awesome experience. Even in the dead of winter I have learned that you can bump into a grizzly. There are several older collared males (8+ years old) in the GYE that do NOT den over the winter. If conditions are such that they have a reliable food source like winter kill bison/elk, they will continue to scavenge throughout the winter. Obviously the sows are denning up now but the males that do den can wander on into mid December or later.
 
I was hunting north of where this hunter was mauled over the weekend and had at least one grizzly in the immediate vicinity of where we were. His tracks were everywhere and crossed ours a couple times. It is spooky because as a hunter you are trying to be quiet and stealth in the woods but at the same time want the bears to know you are there so as to avoid surprise confrontations. We had opportunities to shoot deer but passed them up so as to avoid a bear hearing the dinner bell. Conditions are so mild up on the east front right now - no surprise the bears aren't denned up. Stay safe everyone!
 
I was shed hunting in this general area last year and had a grizzly give me a standoff for quite a while. It was one of the more intense moments I've had. Hopefully the guy heals up!
 
I live in the Swan Valley and we are still seeing Griz tracks. I have seen em out all the way to Jan 1st when I have been out calling coyotes.
 
FWIW, buddy hunting cats in the Big Hole saw griz tracks last weekend as well.
 
hopefully the cold weather over the next few days will kick the bears in gear to start denning up.
 
" If conditions are such that they have a reliable food source like winter kill bison/elk, they will continue to scavenge throughout the winter."

Gary Alt did a documentary some years ago about PA black bears. I remember a statement he made about bears hibernate mostly in response to lack of food, not so much weather. His example was that bears hibernate in the everglades once calories out exceed calories in even though the weather never gets below freezing. Even in the dead of winter I've found tracks where bears have left the den to take short excursions.
 
We had one follow us in the last week of rifle season a couple of years ago down the Swan. We were in about 14" of snow and he made a bluff charge to about 10 yards and then went on past us. I wanted to shoot, but my brother who was closer than me said to hold off. He was right, but it was close enough it probably would have been too late if we needed to shoot. And all because of the fear of going through a big investigation like they do. Snow and cold don't mean anything to grizzlies. I know guys that have seen them way up high in the Whitefish range in 20 feet of crusted snow. Who the hell knows what they were doing, but they were out and moving.
 
sra61 said:
I wanted to shoot, but my brother who was closer than me said to hold off. He was right, but it was close enough it probably would have been too late if we needed to shoot. And all because of the fear of going through a big investigation like they do.
Click to expand...
The only reason you didn't shoot is because of fear of an investigation? Seems to me that more bears die because folks get scared and panic. If you go into the griz woods with a bunch of fear and apprehension, maybe you shouldn't go.
 
"We were in about 14" of snow and he made a bluff charge to about 10 yards.."

Yea, lead is gonna be flying long before one gets that close to me.
 
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