Do you wait for daylight in grizzly country?

[johnnybow]

When your hunting from a base camp, Do you wait for daylight before heading in so you can see? Or do you start up the trail in the dark?

 

[SAJ-99]

What fun would that be?

 

[TheTone]

When I hunted grizzly country for some reason I was way more comfortable walking in in the dark than I was walking out in the dark

 

[crock239]

Dark. But I did get a brighter headlamp.

 

[Kiwi]

I headed out and back in the dark, also with a good headlamp.

 

[Nuts]

I headed out and back in the dark, also with a good headlamp.

Same. Also depends on the terrain. And where I am headed. Most places we are camping low and hiking up. Up gets us out of the trees most of the time as well. So no problem in the dark. I wouldn't do a walk thru the alders for very far in the dark.

 

[LopeHunter]

No. Needed to get up onto the ridge to glass at first light. I may, however, have sang a bit while jiggling a bear bell or two with a bright headlamp blazing away into the darkness as I repeatedly touched the can of bear spray lashed at my chest.

 

[INMT]

No. Hike in the dark. AM and PM.

 

[2rocky]

I've bumped a bear moving in on elk in the early morning twillight and heard him grumbling in the Dark Timber.... I'll never know how close I came to being a news story. It could have been a moose, or even a mouse, but I killed my first Wyoming bull elk 15 minutes later and not much else mattered.

One nice thing about riding horses is they smell bears and point them out when they are close...But if you are afoot and there has been a kill in the draw you are going into....better wait for daylight. Listen for crows and ravens. if you see them circling...could be old Ephriam is there and they are waiting to see what he finds.

 

[rjthehunter]

Hike in the dark for me. If the bear wants to eat me, it'll do it in the daylight too. Might as well get to the elk!

 

[Gulf of America]

If you’re not getting where you need to be in the dark or waiting at your spot til last light and therefore hiking out in the dark, might as well not hunt at all because you’re missing the most important times (unless you can effectively glass from camp).

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

Same as most, I pretty much never see my route in or out in daylight hours

 

[tkhuntsman]

When your hunting from a base camp, Do you wait for daylight before heading in so you can see? Or do you start up the trail in the dark?

Honestly I start as early as it takes to get to my hunt area by shooting light or earlier if needed. If you wait for daylight to make a 2 hour hike, then come out 2 hours before dark, because your worried about bears you will probably not harvest an elk in that spot. I hunt heavy grizz country very often if I'm overly concerned I may scout the trail in before my hunt and look for bear sign and any spots that might attract or hold a bear (carcass, berries, ect.), and mark them as spots to avoid or work around. Learning to be comfortable in the dark is just part of the game. There's no more bears out there in the dark than there is in daylight and in the fall they are just as active any time of day. You won't have anymore time to defend yourself in the daylight than you do in the dark.

 

[MTLabrador]

It all depends on the area. Fairly open country or trails with good visibility is one thing, off trail through the timber in the dark in places with a ton of bears is different and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Obviously there’s times it isn’t possible.

Hike through Soda Butte Creek, Tom Miner, Beaver Creek, Sunlight Basin, or plenty of other grizzly hot spots in the dark and the daylight and tell me with a straight face there’s no difference…

 

[Pucky Freak]

Dark/light isn’t as important as having an idea of where on the terrain griz are likely to be in the first place. In the spring hiking to glass on the shaded/brown side of the mountain where the forage is suboptimal, and elk are not calving, I’m less likely to bump into one to begin with.

Also, depends on the location and time of year, but oftentimes bears are more active during the day. If it’s pitch black the bear is really not going to be sleeping/loafing right on a trail where they’re more vulnerable to threats.

If you’re still not comfortable hiking in the dark, consider spike camp.

 

[D4570]

Dark in dark out. The head lamp does not need to be bright, in fact, it's better as dim as you can your eyes will adjust, and you will be able to see BETTER. Just go into a big choke cherry patch or very thick brush, that's just asking for issues.
BUT just in case, make sure your 44 mag or 10mm is on the outside of your close and easy to get to, PS put a lanyard on it tied to you somehow, sucks trying to find it on the ground when you need to be shooting it. FYI.

 

[Bighorner]

I think open vs heavy brush, calm vs windy, alone or in pairs, familiar vs new will determine the morning plan. I will always head out before light, buy where I go will take into consideration of precieved rish. I say preciseved because it's pretty much impossible to really predict.

 

[WyomingHunter333]

Usually hike in the dark, especially if its 2 or more of us. In the real high-density areas this can be VERY exciting haha! Just wait until you bump your first grouse.... I do carry a chest mounted .44 mag and my brother has a 10mm.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Just make sure you got a flash light attachment on your 10mm and you’re golden

 

[2rocky]

Just make sure you got a flash light attachment on your 10mm and you’re golden

At risk of this devolving into a Gun vs. spray argument I would encourage anyone who is counting on firearm protection in the event of a bear attack to do some dark training prior to determine the effect of muzzle flash on subsequent follow up action and ability. I have not myself and it is a concern of mine.

I do remember riding up on horseback behind an out of state elk hunter in the dark as he was trying to get his headlamp to work. His scream and whimper when we "surprised him" is something I remember to this day. Thinking back, I'm glad he didn't shoot first and ask questions later.