Endangered Grizzly Bear Photo Thread

[shines@times]

It seems killing it was the goal. Hit me up on PM sometime. Hope you're doing well.

Can't say that I've been doing particularly well; but, I'm still not planted, roasted, or converted to predator or scavenger scat!

I will shoot you a PM when I can muster the energy.

In the meantime, if you don't mind sending me same with some updates on how you and your buddies have done over the past two or three seasons I would be quite appreciative.*

While I'm at the keyboard and thinking about such things (even though a bit premature): Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Inauguration Day, et cetera!

* Health issues and other circumstances have put the kibosh on my own hunting, fishing, backpacking, game scouting, and similar plans pretty much since late 2019, though I still harbor hope. I made a friend, Kyle, online by commenting on one of his Wilderness Enthusiast channel YouTube videos, which kindled a continuing conversation. I wanted to begin scouting my old Roosevelt Elk hunting grounds for him last January after he indicated that he'd be interested in chasing the beasts with bow and arrows based on what I told him of the prospects. (For track and stalk hunting, which I like the most, the country has improved ever since timber harvesting moratoriums were instituted in the region as part of Spotted Owl recovery measures.) Long story truncated, by season's opener, I still hadn't gotten out at all!

Nevertheless, Kyle and a hunting partner, Derek, did come out to Washington's Olympic Peninsula in September and he says they were pleased with the adventure! If you'd like to get a sense of the country this old fart hunted when his legs, lungs, and energy were more cooperative, check out Kyle's video of the hunt that he produced:

If you agree with me that it's an entertaining and worthy production, I'd consider it a favor if you post a thumbs up and perhaps leave a favorable comment to help Kyle's fledgling YT channel grow.

 

[winmag]

Some good news for the unlimited bighorn world.

Yesterday the Montana FWP Commission voted to shorten the harvest reporting window from 48 hours to 24 hours and the unit closure notification from 48 hours to 24 hours to address the recent over-quota harvests that have been taking place when units are pending closure. The head/cape inspection period has been increased from 48 hours to 72 hours so successful hunters have the same amount of time to get it out of the field and in front of FWP as they did before this change. Hopefully this helps the rat race that has become of certain units where people harvest rams then go out to get their buddies on the remaining ones while the unit is pending closure.

Commissioner Tabor also proposed a mandatory online sheep hunter orientation course to educate tagholders on ram legality requirements, ie. what is a 3/4 curl ram. This wasn't yet voted on, but it would educate tagholders on what a legal ram is and the consequences of harvesting a sub-legal ram. This would help address the other growing problem of hunters taking sub-legal (too short) rams in the unlimiteds.

 

[shines@times]

Some good news for the unlimited bighorn world.

Yesterday the Montana FWP Commission voted to shorten the harvest reporting window from 48 hours to 24 hours and the unit closure notification from 48 hours to 24 hours to address the recent over-quota harvests that have been taking place when units are pending closure. The head/cape inspection period has been increased from 48 hours to 72 hours so successful hunters have the same amount of time to get it out of the field and in front of FWP as they did before this change. Hopefully this helps the rat race that has become of certain units where people harvest rams then go out to get their buddies on the remaining ones while the unit is pending closure.

Commissioner Tabor also proposed a mandatory online sheep hunter orientation course to educate tagholders on ram legality requirements, ie. what is a 3/4 curl ram. This wasn't yet voted on, but it would educate tagholders on what a legal ram is and the consequences of harvesting a sub-legal ram. This would help address the other growing problem of hunters taking sub-legal (too short) rams in the unlimiteds.

Thanks for posting that information winmag!

 

[shines@times]

So, have you all abandoned sharing any and all information on the unique opportunity that FWP of Montana provided to Bighorn Sheep hunters of limited means?

Or, is the discussion relocated?

 

[MTLabrador]

As someone who enjoys hunting there, I hope so.

 

[rogerthat]

So, have you all abandoned sharing any and all information on the unique opportunity that FWP of Montana provided to Bighorn Sheep hunters of limited means?

Or, is the discussion relocated?

There isn’t a relocated discussion

 

[thusby]

Overregulated type 2 fun, where do I sign up?

 

[Labman]

The 5 or 6 pics of rams from those areas I saw this year were all the equivalent of a 190” bull elk or 85” mule deer. The author of that book “Montana - Land of Giant Rams” is coming out with a sequel focused on those areas: “Montana - Land of the 3 Year Old Legal Ram”.
Foreword by Donna Boddington. Maybe a good one got taken, but that’s doubtful.

 

[BradA]

still sad to see this die but i understand.

 

[Snowhunter11]

It could be revived.. its incognito now
P.S. I hear there are bears around every corner.

 

[Labman]

It could be revived.. its incognito now
P.S. I hear there is bears around every corner.

I spent 7 days in there this fall and only saw 21 of the endangered bears. I didn’t count how many corners I came across but feel like there was at least that many. Only saw 1 non-endangered bear.

 

[Snowhunter11]

If people on here didn’t glorify it and spot burn I believe this could continue under new guidelines.

From my three years (~27 days and a few thousand hrs researching) I have experienced little to no sheep. Little to no wildlife at times. Harsh weather and hiking(when you get off a trail). And when you do finally find sheep country they are ghosts. If everyone reported their harsh experiences, time lost , and lack of success I believe it would help keep people home. Most people I bump into on the way in are less than a days walk in and basically camping anyways.

In saying that I will hunt this country till I physically cannot. The people who glorified the beartooths with pictures of mountain lakes and sheep are the reason I started. So thank you!

See you out there! Andy

 

[MTGomer]

Same day not too far from each other.

 

[Hams42]

If people on here didn’t glorify it and spot burn I believe this could continue under new guidelines.

From my three years (~27 days and a few thousand hrs researching) I have experienced little to no sheep. Little to no wildlife at times. Harsh weather and hiking(when you get off a trail). And when you do finally find sheep country they are ghosts. If everyone reported their harsh experiences, time lost , and lack of success I believe it would help keep people home. Most people I bump into on the way in are less than a days walk in and basically camping anyways.

In saying that I will hunt this country till I physically cannot. The people who glorified the beartooths with pictures of mountain lakes and sheep are the reason I started. So thank you!

See you out there! Andy

Ah I see we have the same experience each year. TBH at this point I'm going Mnt Goat hunting without the tag.

 

[shines@times]

Whatever happened to that smartass who was giving out awards a while back? I'm sure someone losing their phone, killing a ram, and not having a single field photo would be worthy of something.

Did you ever go back and find your phone?

 

[shines@times]

Post all your grizzly pics here.

Does this posting mean that the super fund site has been cleaned up and is now only hazardous due to the presence of hungry bears?

 

[BigHornRam]

Does this posting mean that the super fund site has been cleaned up and is now only hazardous due to the presence of hungry bears?

Google bots are never going away. They are slow, however, so we just need to be able to out run them.

 

[Point Creep]

A friend of mine sent me a pic today of his unlimited ram taken by arrow - he’s wearing converse all stars, jeans and a button up shirt. I’m not joking.

 

[BigHornRam]

A friend of mine sent me a pic today of his unlimited ram taken by arrow - he’s wearing converse all stars, jeans and a button up shirt. I’m not joking.

Is this the same goofy friend that used to take trophy photos in the buff? Congrats to whoever the goofy friend is. That is a rare accomplishment.

 

[MTTW]

I knew a guy years ago that used to pack into the Hellroaring every fall to hunt elk in the early season. He had killed bulls in there half a dozen years in a row. He said he loved that early season because he could wear his tennis shoes.

We used to backpack into some mountain lakes in there when I was in my teens and would wear tennis shoes because they would grip the rock so much better. They were probably Converse because that is what everyone wore then.