Grizzly Bears

Two recent articles about grizzly encounters. The second article has video.



I've base canoe camped in grizzly country but never saw one. Thank goodness!

I have travelled about the west a bit, but only 1 time backpacking in griz country in Yellowstone. I don't recall the year, but some dude named Moses had signed in just before me.

Anyway, I was only there on a three nite trip but I was never able to feel comfortable. Around ever corner, over every rock I had to peer, knowing statistically I was not going to be attacked. Plus I had read about two people who died due to keeping the old Hersey bars in the tent. Like many here, cruising around solo is no big deal, and my hatred of heat had made me an over-nite solo hiker years ago. Ran into a handful of black bears over the years but they had no interest in me, so being out there is not an issue. I suppose if I was able to spend more time I would get used to it, but it cast a shadow over this trip in spite of the fantastic scenery. Always a bit nervous, but not in the good way that keeps you safe. Just nervous.

I don't know what I would do if I actually came across a griz. (I'll be fishing in Alaska soon so maybe I'll find out) I would like to think I could follow procedure, and that playing dead thing might be very lifelike, most likely due to my fainting, but at this point in life I'll stick with the black bears.

Like Keeled Over mentioned I'm always a little uncomfortable hiking and camping in grizzly territory even though I know a bad encounter is incredibly rare.

I can also remember feeling the same way the first few times I camped and hiked in black bear territory. But after not even seeing any for years and then seeing them flee from me in horror I pretty much got over that. I'm sure the same would happen for grizzlies but it's not very often I get a chance to spend time where they are.

Alan

Keeled Over said:

Around ever corner, over every rock I had to peer

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Alan Gage said:

after not even seeing any

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Yeah, but did you guys look underwater?

Must be a popular swimming hole.

At the very end, one can see an otter and a beaver.

That ranger is made of some pretty stern stuff!

I've spent ten days per year for 43 years at the same remote fishing hole and I've had three black bear encounters and one grizzly encounter.

Despite the story below, I would not want to rely on my boxing skills to thwart a grizzly attack.

I worked around them for part of 2 years in Alaska. Stay safe by understanding how they think and avoiding them. Make noise when you travel and let them know you are coming. Carry bear spray in a holster on your belt and practice using it. Firearms are a last resort. I like a large caliber rifle just in case. Never fired a warning shot in 2 years.

Like ppine, I prefer a robust rifle cartridge if needed but the 12 ga Brenneke slug has also proven very effective. Alaska currently seems to have an abundance of bears causing ADFG to reduce bear numbers in some areas.

My first encounter with a grizzly back in the spring of 92' had a profound effect on me. It was at less than 20' away. We were in the boat on the narrow (20' wide) Swanson River. It stared both of us in the eye, stood up on his hind legs, then turned and slipped into the woods. My first thought before he turned and left was "I might die, but at least I got to see a bear." My wife was horrified, (she was even closer being in the bow) and after the initial shock started paddling like a nut. I thought this was going to end her tripping career, but luckily it didn't.

The profound effect was that for the first time in my life I felt true wilderness. I loved the feeling and wanted to seek it out at every opportunity. Up until this point I didn't know where my outdoor pursuits in Ak. would take me. Without this experience I could have set my sights on a combination of chasing salmon on the road system, mountain biking, backpacking and some canoe tripping. But the canoe was the best and easiest way to find wilderness, so that's almost exclusively what I did.

That trip was the last time I went out in bear country unarmed. I always carried bear spray and a 12 gage after that. On solo trips I started leaving the shot gun at home, taking just the bear spray and a sidearm until I stupidly sold it. After that I would take two bear sprays, one on my belt and one on my pack.

Bears are something we have to live with when out in the woods. Just about every night before bed the thought that I could die that night would go through my head. It was a lot stronger in the early days then it is now, and that was before I met my good friend Helmuth Port, who was attacked in his tent. I think the reason I don't dwell on it as much now is that being older I don't have as much to loose.

As for boxing with a bear, Gene Moe, my first employer after joining the cement masons union had to box a grizzly with a knife in one hand. a It jumped on him when field dressing a deer. He killed it, but suffered severe injuries in the process and was lucky to survive. You can probably google it to read the account.

A cousin on my wife's side was severely injured by a grizzly bear. I take them very seriously. But I put moose right up there close to the same threat level.

Some interesting reading....


I don't know if there's a comparable study of defensive uses of bear spray, but maybe someone could post that?

Steve in Idaho said:

I don't know if there's a comparable study of defensive uses of bear spray, but maybe someone could post that?

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Tom Smith has published a number of articles on pepper spray. Here are a couple of links to discussions:



Also: Smith TS, Herrero S, DeBruyn TD, Wilder J. 2008. Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 72:640-645.

Steve in Idaho said:

A cousin on my wife's side was severely injured by a grizzly bear. I take them very seriously. But I put moose right up there close to the same threat level.

Some interesting reading....

Handgun or Pistol Against Bear Attacks 104 cases, 97% Effective

In the latest update on how effective pistols and handguns are when used to defend against bears, 104 documented cases show a success rate of 97%.

www.ammoland.com

I don't know if there's a comparable study of defensive uses of bear spray, but maybe someone could post that?

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Having read all 97+ incidents of bear attacks which were “successfully” repelled by pistols, I was frightened by the incidence and description of maulings, some of which were quite detailed. This leads me to ask readers, “and you guys are scared of gators?”

Seriously, I had always taken at face value the apparent myth that one cannot stop a bear attack with a pistol.

One advantage of firearms over bear spray, which did not occur to me until reading this article, is the opportunity for repeated shots. A lot of these reported attacks included ones in which the bears came back and attacked two or more times. Hmmm.

12 gauge pump with the shorter defense barrel, first 2 rounds are slugs, next 3 are buckshot. Never had to reach for it.

While it’s probably a good idea to read those bear attack books I wouldn’t recommend taking one on a trip.

I do have a bear attack story. Sort of. But not grizzly. It's one of my favorite memories.

I was camped up the South Fork of the Payette in the Sawtooth Wilderness on a solo trip. Lying in my tent, I suddenly became aware of and bear sniffing around the outside. I listened intently for a while, and then...it bit me through the tent...... and....i woke up from the dream.

Realized it was almost sunrise, so I got up and made coffee. While sitting there having a cup, I heard a wolf howling mournfully. Soon, it was in sight, across the river from me and a little downstream. I watched as it moved up the canyon, stopping about every hundred feet to let out a call. Watched it from my seat until it disappeared around the upstream bend.

If it hadn't been for that "bear", I probably wouldn't have woken up in time to catch that scene. My first wolf encounter in the wild.

My cousin killed a grizz in Alaska while walking his dog within the Anchorage city limits. He used a large caliber handgun and the bear died within about 20 yards of his position.

Avoid these situations by avoiding bears.