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Recent grizzly attacks on Montana elk hunters
- Thread starter remingtonman
- Start date
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If I have to hike through heavy brush or small growth trees where the branches are thick as dog hair, I unholster my sidearm and have it in hand, ready to go in a instant. Those grizzly bears can be on you so fast that sometimes you wont have time to draw from a holster.
remingtonman
Well-Known Member
What caliber do you carry?
I have an Alaskan in 454 Casull that i can also carry the 45 Colt HSM 325 grain Bear Loads in, and I have a 7 1/2 inch Barreled Redhawks in 44 Mag. Both fit nicely in my Kenai chest rig. I carry one or the other with me in the mountains.
Mallardhammer
Well-Known Member
Spot on. You release the orange army in Montana opening day and there are multiple bear sightings, and all the sudden there is a "bear problem." This is "bear country" not, "I hope you enjoy your vacation" country. Your going into THEIR home. Be prepared, or be buried and urinated on. Hunting is fun, but hunting with grizzlies is funner. Don't be a nance and blame the government because your scared. We ALL already know they suck.
Last edited:
Joe Hooker
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2017
- Messages
- 43
Bigngreen, any proof of your statistics?
Maybe you're just listening to the
Fraidie cats. Afraid of anything different. I spend a lot of time in MT,WY,ID. and UT. Hunting and fishing.
I go watch grizzlies and wolves in Yellowstone.
Maybe we should kill all 4 legged critters like our ancestors did with the
Bison.
Maybe you're just listening to the
Fraidie cats. Afraid of anything different. I spend a lot of time in MT,WY,ID. and UT. Hunting and fishing.
I go watch grizzlies and wolves in Yellowstone.
Maybe we should kill all 4 legged critters like our ancestors did with the
Bison.
I have lived and hunted in Montana my entire life. Almost always in bear country. I have seen grizzlies on a handful of occasions over the years, but only had ONE close encounter with a grizzly (25 yards) and luckily it left away from me peacefully without incident. The population is growing, but it most certainly is not "out of control".
How many grizzly encounters have you had? If you think the population is out of control, then you dont hike out in the mountains much. It's still a rare occasion for me to see one out hiking.
Mallardhammer
Well-Known Member
The ONLY THING? I hiked with friends who were hunting in the centennial valley, black tail mountain, and Lima peaks area for three weeks last year (went to college in beaverhead county also). Photographed over 1500 elk and saw only 1 grizzly bear, a big boar that wanted nothing to do with us. You should try hunting the eastern front. Then you'd have a different story than "friend of yours" your not in bear country friend.
I've talked to Biologists and Game Wardens in both Wyoming and Montana who have all said that it's past time to get a season going.
When the professionals who work in the woods every day tell me that, I don't need statistics.
Besides, 84% of statistics are made up, anyway, and 100% of the time they are tilted in favor of those using said statistic.
I agree that a season should be in place, id put in for a tag every year, but bigngreen's words were the Grizzly populations are "out of control" while going off of stories his "buddy" told him. That's just completely inaccurate.
Took my dad 37 years to finally draw a moose tag in Montana and I usually see moose every year on multiple occasions. I dont see a Grizzly every year. See tracks and sign, but not the bears. Sometimes go 2 years or more in between sightings. I wonder how many years it would take me to draw a Grizzly tag???
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Most people are completely ignorant of the numbers, I do not live in big time country for grizz that's the point!! In that sweep of are you should have seen thousands of elk but you won't any more. There are 23 grizz that den in the step canyon just past Lakeview, I've had three grizz fish with us at the bridge on the upper end in the spring when they come down. I spend quite a little time in Orvando area, I had 4 this year walk past me as I was banging away on a tractor. The hair study at the upper end of that drainage yielded 59 different grizz bears in one month. I hunt bear in the spring west of Whitefish, one weekend had several encounters with 4 being jaw popping and throwing dirt kind, good friend of mine lives on the lake and they were watching 13 bears in that area, they trapped 6 in his yard. The numbers of grizz in the bighole is taking of too, never heard of one till recently. Horse Prairie only ever had one grizz as far as I can remember last year I ran into two in a place I've never seen bears. Go to Antone in the blacktail and work your way to the wall you'll run into grizz.
Those numbers are from the guys doing the flying for predators for the FWP and USDA, this time of year when the bears are bulking up on their way to den is when all this happens most of the time they are at higher more remote areas and in the park.
Part of the problem is, predators largely live in the shadows away from prying eyes.
I'm relatively new to the West, but I have 50+ year old friends who grew up in wolf and grizz country and spend a LOT of time in the woods. They've all told me that in their experience predators do a much better job of hiding their presence.
One has lived a stones throw from the Bob his whole life. Hunts and fishes those hills A LOT, and says that he very seldom SEES the predators but his horses alert him to their presence.
My point is, just because you don't see them from the road doesn't mean they are not there.
I'm relatively new to the West, but I have 50+ year old friends who grew up in wolf and grizz country and spend a LOT of time in the woods. They've all told me that in their experience predators do a much better job of hiding their presence.
One has lived a stones throw from the Bob his whole life. Hunts and fishes those hills A LOT, and says that he very seldom SEES the predators but his horses alert him to their presence.
My point is, just because you don't see them from the road doesn't mean they are not there.
Drilldog I had a extremely close encounter once and a false charge once and believe me when I say it's a life changing event.
Its been several years and I still have dreams about it.In some dreams I don't make it.
I carry a 44 mag with 310 gr hard cast bullets with enough W296 to shoot through a Grizz from front to back and I still feel its not enough.Just re-telling the event makes me shake and at times I can still smell his breath!
A close friend was bull rushed by a grizz and was knocked down the side of a hill into a dry creek bed.A few broken ribs and a dozen stiches later We left the hospital in Helena.
Even one close encounter is too much and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Just my 2 cents
Old Rooster
Its been several years and I still have dreams about it.In some dreams I don't make it.
I carry a 44 mag with 310 gr hard cast bullets with enough W296 to shoot through a Grizz from front to back and I still feel its not enough.Just re-telling the event makes me shake and at times I can still smell his breath!
A close friend was bull rushed by a grizz and was knocked down the side of a hill into a dry creek bed.A few broken ribs and a dozen stiches later We left the hospital in Helena.
Even one close encounter is too much and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Just my 2 cents
Old Rooster
Mallardhammer
Well-Known Member
Yep I believe every bit of it, I grew up in the sticks 30 miles west of kalispell, and there have been grizzly bears there for all of my 27 years. Good luck getting FWP admitting it! But I love the bears, love watching them, and being around them. But when (hopefully not if) they open a season, I won't be able to apply fast enough.
