Black Bear population in Bighorn National Forest

[Yooper906]

I've tried finding a population estimate of black bears in the Bighorn National Forest. However, I have been unsuccessful. It looks like Wyoming Fish and Game is starting to track black bears better than years past with collaring several bears in 2019. Just seeing if anyone has any experience in this area and if you'd recommend someone try this area for a spring bear hunt. Thanks!

 

[WyoDoug]

Big Horn has a healthy black bear population along with a few stray grizzlies. Last time I hunted up there the locals all told me to buy a bear permit. My truck broke down that year right before hunting so I was SOL on that hunt, but they are there and when I did a records transfer trip for the State going through Sheridan, I saw several bears along the highway as we headed west. The good areas and much of the public land is rough country though. You will also find a healthy bear population on the western slope of Wyoming south of Yellowstone and north of Kemmerer.

 

[Yooper906]

Big Horn has a healthy black bear population along with a few stray grizzlies. Last time I hunted up there the locals all told me to buy a bear permit. My truck broke down that year right before hunting so I was SOL on that hunt, but they are there and when I did a records transfer trip for the State going through Sheridan, I saw several bears along the highway as we headed west. The good areas and much of the public land is rough country though. You will also find a healthy bear population on the western slope of Wyoming south of Yellowstone and north of Kemmerer.

Thanks! The bighorn NF is the first big chunk of land I'd come to, so I was hoping to just hunt there and save some travel time. I'm also considering NW Montana, either way I'm headed out for spring bear.

 

[MTGomer]

There are a lot on the Crow side. More than anywhere I’ve ever seen.

 

[ClearCreek]

Big Horn has a healthy black bear population along with a few stray grizzlies. Last time I hunted up there the locals all told me to buy a bear permit. My truck broke down that year right before hunting so I was SOL on that hunt, but they are there and when I did a records transfer trip for the State going through Sheridan, I saw several bears along the highway as we headed west. The good areas and much of the public land is rough country though. You will also find a healthy bear population on the western slope of Wyoming south of Yellowstone and north of Kemmerer.

Have you seen the "stray grizzlies" that you mention in the Bighorns?

ClearCreek

 

[Fsmith]

I've tried finding a population estimate of black bears in the Bighorn National Forest. However, I have been unsuccessful. It looks like Wyoming Fish and Game is starting to track black bears better than years past with collaring several bears in 2019. Just seeing if anyone has any experience in this area and if you'd recommend someone try this area for a spring bear hunt. Thanks!

Keep I mind as a non resident the Wyoming wilderness law applies to a large portion of the bighorns.

 

[WyoDoug]

Have you seen the "stray grizzlies" that you mention in the Bighorns?

ClearCreek

I haven't personally, but I have seen grizzlies just west of Lovell. There is no documented sighting of grizzlies in the Big Horns that I know of but they are not far from there and it's better to be prepared for them than not. Big Horns is outside the edge of known grizzly territory. When I talk to biologists at the game and fish they tell me to be prepared for them but they don't think any are in the Big Horns yet.

 

[Yooper906]

Keep I mind as a non resident the Wyoming wilderness law applies to a large portion of the bighorns.

Yep, I noticed there is wilderness in that section. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Dsnow9]

I haven't personally, but I have seen grizzlies just west of Lovell. There is no documented sighting of grizzlies in the Big Horns that I know of but they are not far from there and it's better to be prepared for them than not. Big Horns is outside the edge of known grizzly territory. When I talk to biologists at the game and fish they tell me to be prepared for them but they don't think any are in the Big Horns yet.

I have knowledge of a grizzly that was in the medicine bow national forest so I would be bear aware anywhere in wyoming.

 

[WildWill]

I have knowledge of a grizzly that was in the medicine bow national forest so I would be bear aware anywhere in wyoming.

Cmon!!! Dont leave us hanging what knowledge? Was in the Medicine Bows last year.

 

[Dsnow9]

It was almost ten years ago, it killed some cattle. So that being ten years ago I’m sure there have been a bear or two since that have made similar distance journeys from known* populations.

 

[WyoDoug]

It was almost ten years ago, it killed some cattle. So that being ten years ago I’m sure there have been a bear or two since that have made similar distance journeys from known* populations.

A biologist I talked to thinks there is a small grizzly population in the Medicine Bow National Forest area. The Greater Yellowstone National Park area is overcrowded and males especially are pushed out when food or ladies become more scarce as they fight for territory, food and ladies. This is exactly why we need to get game management out of the courts and back where it belongs. Wyoming had a season started on grizzlies not two long ago and a federal court judge rendered an injunction against it after an environmentalist group filed lawsuit. They are culling roughly 36 grizzlies a year when the plan was to open upto 34 hunt tags (I believe that was in 2015). So where are the environmentalists on that?

 

[ClearCreek]

They are culling roughly 36 grizzlies a year.........

Your statement is generally correct in that grizzlies are culled or trapped and transplanted annually. This indicates that grizzlies, where they are actually located, tend to "get into trouble" when there are people in close proximity. So, if there are grizzlies in the Medicine Bow mountains or the Bighorn mountains (areas where there are a lot of people recreating or that have cabins, etc.) why don't we hear about grizzlies causing issues in those areas. We hear a lot about black bears causing problems, especially in some areas of the Bighorns, but not grizzlies.

ClearCreek

 

[justinch]

I see black bears every fall in the Bighorns. Never been there in the spring though.

 

[WyoDoug]

Your statement is generally correct in that grizzlies are culled or trapped and transplanted annually. This indicates that grizzlies, where they are actually located, tend to "get into trouble" when there are people in close proximity. So, if there are grizzlies in the Medicine Bow mountains or the Bighorn mountains (areas where there are a lot of people recreating or that have cabins, etc.) why don't we hear about grizzlies causing issues in those areas. We hear a lot about black bears causing problems, especially in some areas of the Bighorns, but not grizzlies.

ClearCreek

I think it's a matter of time we will. They had an incident with an outfiter getting killed over by Cody last year I believe. It's just a matter of when not if that human-grizzly encounters happen outside the greater Yellowstone NP area.

 

[algernon]

It is likely there are stray boars grizz in the bighorns. Most grizzlies dont end up getting in trouble or if they do it isnt reported. For some reason people in tourism are adamant about denying the possibility of wandering grizzlies in the bighorns. This could endanger people do to them having a false sense of security thus not taking the necessary precautions. I have heard of sightings of griz in the bighorns from people i trust 100 percent. When i was a kid in sw wyoming we had a grizz for 2 years by our house. Biologists and game and fish said we were crazy until it was trapped. Game and fish and biologists have to be conservative in where they estimate animals are. However it seems they are always behind the curve in the reality of where animals are. It just a matter of time before people have conflicts with grizz in the bighorns and any other mtn range in the state. Telling people otherwise is telling people a lie to comfort them and lull them into a false sense of security.

 

[WyoDoug]

The thing about grizzlies is you also have to take unverified sightings with a grain of salt. More than once I had someone in one of my hunting ventures call a black bear a grizzly. Many of the sightings that remain unverified, my bet are actually black bear. We have had black bear situations near Cheyenne and one in town a couple years ago.