Recent grizzly attacks on Montana elk hunters

[memtb]

We have a hunting camp rite in the heart of where these attacks have taken place on the upper ruby since the late 50's . I have personally been hunting there for the past 30yrs . We see the grizzlies during the spring and summer but not during the hunting season . General season starts around the 20th of October but we normally hunt around the 7th of November till thanksgiving . Those of you that hunt this area , when do you think the bears start to den up? We don't hunt archery season and I would expect there would be more bears out during this time because we rarely see them during our hunting time!

While we're a bit south (south of Cody, Wy.) of you.....last year we were still seeing bears into December! memtb

 

[West Calamus]

The message to be safe in bear country is well worth the reminder.

As far as it being a bear population problem, it is arguable to say that it is more of a human population problem, when you look at data and leave out emotion.

 

[26Reload]

My deer season starts Thursday with the morning sun....
Out scouting for a couple days....talked to a FS guy today for quite some time...things here and there....threw in the hat that I saw some wolf tracks a few years ago....just right up over top of this here mountain...back then they said no wolves there.......this guy must be an outcast....he said there's plenty of wolves here....taking a toll on the deer and elk....wiping out the few moose in the area.......
Doesn't take long.....i am sure some elk have moved off for migration and just never came back....simular to the elk herds growing exponentially south of Jackson into SW Wyoming.........
Have seen what i think are some pretty big bear tracks here as well.....but i think they were both just really big blacks...havent heard of grizz down this far.....but who knows........

 

[remingtonman]

Remingtonman I did not shoot.
I shot an elk up a mountain side and took one there the year before on the exact trail and getting up that hill side was tough so I put my rifle and backpack with my S&W 29 in it against a tree so I could get the elk and start back down.I was going to bring the elk down the hill(Almost straight up)and gut him on flat land next to a creek and thought I may need to gut him up there as he was big so just took my knife and when I got within 20 feet from my downed elk a grizz jumped out from some brush rock and attacked my elk.He bit it and peed all over it.I yelled at him and he ran down the hill and stopped about 3 to 4 feet from me and he yelled!I could smell his breath as he slowly got closer to me still growling and chattering with his teeth.Slowly coming closer to about 2 feet I slowly backed down the hill and let him have my elk.
I can still smell his breath!He was dirty and the whole area began to smell like bad bacon as he sprinkled all around the area.That musky smell is ingrained in my nose.
I smelled that same smell at Glacier Park a few years ago on a hike and told others that Grizz was close by.
The other incidence was a false charge where the female Grizz ran at me and veered off at the last minute.The whole false charge was 3-5 seconds it seemed.It took me longer than that to pull my S&W 29 out of the holster and raise it.I never would have had time to point and shoot!
She had cubs so I left the area.I have found great sheds there but will never go back.
Old Rooster

That would be quite the scare. I couldn't imagine it

 

[MTBMaine]

They're quickly spreading into north Idaho, there's been multiple sightings in the Lochsa drainage.

 

[TangoOscarMike]

What Bullet/load combo do you guys carry when archery hunting in grizzly territory? I usually carry a glock 20 10mm with 200gr wfn hardcast when I'm bow hunting in the back woods here in NH. But have been thinking lately about getting a BFR 500jrh with 5.5" barrel.

That 10mm Auto is plenty of great medicine. You're not going to find anything with more balls than that unless you start getting up into the real hand cannon wheel guns.

 

[bigngreen]

That 10mm Auto is plenty of great medicine. You're not going to find anything with more balls than that unless you start getting up into the real hand cannon wheel guns.

Lotta guys go buy more HP and leave the 10mm at home after their first run in.

 

[VALKYRIETP]

Dan Coonan has his line of 357 MAG 1911's for auto fire power.
T.P.

 

[TangoOscarMike]

Lotta guys go buy more HP and leave the 10mm at home after their first run in.

That certainly is a possibility. I know for a fact that I can empty the magazine in my 10mm into that bear in less than three seconds. I would rather hit him with 15 rounds of 10mm than maybe one or two 600 mega wega express magnums in the same time frame.

The 10mm is about 200fps faster and the 44mag has about 200 more pounds of energy. To me rounds on target are what I feel comfortable with. I'm not counting on one round stopping a charging bear from any handgun. You could get lucky and get him in the gray matter, but that is pretty tough.

I'd much rather have a shorty AR10 carbine in 308 than either handgun.

And again, I have never had to stop a charging grizzly. So, you might be right. I might poop my pants when my 10mm rounds bounce off the bear and he mauls me. I might be running to the store the next day to get one of those 45-70 revolvers. Who knows?

 

[Flatbow]

They trapped one 1/2 mile from my house in N. Idaho last fall. Just a 3 year old yungen but was pretty hungry trying to get into people's livestock.

 

[CoachChris]

Lotta guys go buy more HP and leave the 10mm at home after their first run in.

I've had more than 1 and still carry my 10mm
Controversial video

 

[TangoOscarMike]

I've had more than 1 and still carry my 10mm
Controversial video

That guy in the video said it all. 15 rounds is what I want. 15 hard hitting rounds that I know I can put on target in a matter of seconds. Like he said, every bear is different. Some bears roll over and die. Some will keep going even if you make a direct heart shot. I like the idea that I can keep putting rounds in the front end of that bear that can break the shoulder down, hit big arteries, etc. I want to make as many wound channels as I can. Your mileage may vary.

 

[bigngreen]

I think people have a lot of good ideas till they see just how fast it all goes down, the 10mm was my first choice till I ran into guys who have had to shoot bears, not a single one packed a 10mm, the one explained it pretty clear, he pulled out a 10mm and then put a 454 casual next to it and said you only get one shot. The one has been in several legit charges and he's never gotten his rifle up nor got a shot of it happens so fast. A couple guys on here have stories of stories of shooting bears with the pistols still holster, good luck with a semi doing that.

 

[memtb]

Yep! Many do not even get one shot. Even with a semi-auto, you will likely not get many....and then probably in a "spray and pray" scenario! I would prefer one, better placed round, of substantial diameter and "horsepower"! If you only get one shot....make it a good one! memtb