School Me on Hunting In Grizz Country

[Rie Bread]

Use the sidearm you are GOOD with. Six shots from a short barrel 44/454 etc does no good in the in the air/hair or dirt. A Glock 9mm with 15/17 rounds of 147 grain buffalo bore hard cast going where you want them is far more effective.

Yeah don’t be afraid to get Compton with it.

 

[Tradewind]

Aaaaand this thread is descending into the gun vs bear spray big dick contest.
Bear spray, pistol, carry whatever you want to. My only suggestion would be to practice pulling and using whatever you choose

and you expected something different...

 

[Flynarrow]

This fall is my first time in WY Grizz country too. We are getting four (4) llamas, bear spray and one guy is bringing a large caliber pistol.

I've read that the llamas are great at sensing predators and sound off an alarm when they smell or hear them. So far, I'm going on this until I learn I need something else.

Having had llamas in bear country I can attest that they are indeed good bear sensors.....they begin their alarm chatter as soon as they see or sense one.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Clean camp......no snacks in tent, no food cooked in camp, no food stored in camp. Hang your food 10 feet up away from camp. Camp in open areas.

Bear spray....fresh and readily available...not tucked in your pack or under clothes. A spray isn't infallible but better odds than instantly killing a fast charging bear with a pistol IMO.

Think twice about hunting evenings. Don't leave a killed animal overnight. Good chance a griz will be on it in the morning and you have a good chance of killing a griz or getting injured/killed if you try to retrieve it in the morning.

Hang meat at least 10 feet up and in a spot you can glass before approaching it.

If you see fresh griz activity just leave.

Make some noise if you cant see well ahead or at night.

Flynarrow offers great advice as described above.
Griz usually want to avoid people, so unless the smell of available food is prominent you won't see the bear. Bear Aware is an important phrase/practice.
Recent concerns about "self defense" griz mortalities situations has prompted increased scrutiny and investigation of griz shootings. 'Just sayin'.

 

[northernmaineguide]

Alaska Forest Service uses 12ga pumps with 3" chambers. Lots of folks Luv 45/70. But infact a 30/06 with 180gr bullets will shoot right straight thru an 7/800 lb Bear.........

 

[Bigjay73]

12ga and 000 buck would be my choice

 

[atlas]

Grizzly attack victim doesn't blame bear, describes the 'most violent thing' he's ever experienced

 

[MarvB]

...going to look into a fence like @FREAK recommended. I believe @deletedmemberavidindoorsman is bringing one but coming a couple days after me

He's just hedging that the bear will be full by then...

 

[npaden]

I didn't read through all of the posts but having hunted off and on in some pretty thick grizzly country I just try to go on with life and not worry about it too much. With that said, I carry bear spray and try to keep a clean camp and all that fun stuff, but when I'm hunting, I'm hunting and not out there blowing a whistle and making noise. I've always rifle hunted and do carry spray but not a sidearm in addition to the rifle.

Been in on 7 elk kills in grizzly territory and never had an issue but a close friend had one huffing while he was finishing field dressing an elk with his son one time when I wasn't with them. It didn't come in on them but it was after dark and they were making lots of noise for sure.

Stupidly I've gone back to some of the kill sites to see what was up the next day(s) and had some untouched and others look like someone had come in there with an excavator and covered the entire carcass up. Saw one medium grizzly actually on a carcass one time and it ran away like it's pants were on fire hauling the entire liver out with it as it ran across chest and waist high dead fall that was near impassable for us. Always wondered if it was us that caused him to take off or if there was a bigger bear coming in that made him run off. We didn't stick around.