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Grizzly kills woman hiker in Montana yesterday, by Yellowstone

Sad deal. But to keep it in perspective there have already been at least three fatal car crashes this year on 191 from Bozeman to Big Sky.

Had fresh griz tracks through my job site last fall and once this spring.

I’m more worried driving the road than hiking a trail.
 
While this is a bit crass, but funny and true....rule number 1 is don't hike alone. I get you can't always find someone to go hiking with though...so people go alone.
In my mind the number one rule is make noise. Number two is hike with people, but I break that all the time. But I always make my presence known. This woman was trail running according to what I read, and runners are like mountain bikers in that they are moving fast and often not making enough noise to alert a bear.

Saw eight grizzlies in Glacier last weekend while climbing Mt. Siyeh and hiking at Many Glacier.

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And I'd rather be spraying a cloud than trying to thread the needle with a bullet. I believe the research supports that. But to each his own. Guy on the summit of Siyeh had spray AND a sidearm he said held 23 rounds. lol. He was from Missouri.
 
I feel bad for this gal and her family, but it sounds like she was doing something she enjoyed and got caught in a tough situation.

As far as not hiking alone…I’ll pass on that idea. I hunt/hike alone the vast majority of the time. I go to the mountains to enjoy the solitude and a lot of the time I don’t want anyone around. To me it’s more about being prepared and taking the proper precautions. Carry bear spray, carry a pistol and be competent with both.
 
I feel bad for this gal and her family, but it sounds like she was doing something she enjoyed and got caught in a tough situation.

As far as not hiking alone…I’ll pass on that idea. I hunt/hike alone the vast majority of the time. I go to the mountains to enjoy the solitude and a lot of the time I don’t want anyone around. To me it’s more about being prepared and taking the proper precautions. Carry bear spray, carry a pistol and be competent with both.
I try to not hike/hunt alone in grizzly country, but more often than not I'm alone. When hiking I'll talk out loud to make noise, if someone ever meets me they will think I'm crazy.
Hunting alone is the worst, as you're trying to be quiet, or trying to sound like an elk. If a bull doesn't answer and comes in, it can be unnerving to hear it walking closer through the brush, not sure what animal is getting closer.
Why is it that grizzly bears usually attack individuals, not groups? Is it that groups make noise, or do grizzlies not like the odds when they are outnumbered? Surely lots of people hike in groups and don't talk all the time, yet grizzlies never attack groups of people.
 
Sad deal. But to keep it in perspective there have already been at least three fatal car crashes this year on 191 from Bozeman to Big Sky.

Had fresh griz tracks through my job site last fall and once this spring.

I’m more worried driving the road than hiking a trail.
I don’t disagree with you but want to point out that, imo, you staying in your lane and getting hit by someone else is out of your control. Going for for a run in griz country with zero defense is in your control. RIP to this gal.
 
Having been on the receiving end of a bluff charge, I think the idea that you have much control during a surprise charge is overly optimistic.
Having spray or a pistol is absolutely invaluable if you have any warning prior to a short range charge but if your first awareness of the bear is after he is running within 50 yards you’re what’s for dinner if he wants you.
 
Having been on the receiving end of a bluff charge, I think the idea that you have much control during a surprise charge is overly optimistic.
Having spray or a pistol is absolutely invaluable if you have any warning prior to a short range charge but if your first awareness of the bear is after he is running within 50 yards you’re what’s for dinner if he wants you.
Makes sense.
 
Hiked / hunted / fished solo beyond numerous occasions in the Bob, Cabinet, Selway-Bitterroot, and in general, pick your spot in NW MT - Lolo, Stillwater Natl forest.. Not to mention Frank Church, etc.
So has many people here within these and other other griz areas.
I.e. spring bear hunting Seeley, North fork, Scapegoat, Great Bear, on and on.

NW Montana has the highest population of grizzlies in the lower 48 States.
Acquaintance Forest Service LEO on his mtn bike killed by a griz.
Griz charged a party of five LEO/Biologists - put down by a shotgun @ 20 yards. In GTNP/YNP Rightfully so. No way did they - our leading outdoor symbol of professionals wait until the griz was in bear spray distance.
It comes with the beauty our NW (and other areas) present!

The key?

Being acutely aware and as best prepared of/for our surroundings is paramount when in environments that pose threats. From wildlife to city criminals.

Murphy's Law is around every corner and will test all well prepared plans. It's the nature of the literal and figurative beast.
 
Interesting, I just recently read an article about how griz is moving back into the prairie lands. Interesting times.

David
NM
 
I feel bad for her, not a good choice on her end, but no one deserves that.

I hike alone in Grizzly country often now. My dad calls me a dipshit regularly, and it makes him mad. I carry a gun and spray, and I have found a dog to be an invaluable resource often not talked about. They hear, smell, and see things that I often miss. What I have seen and experienced is that if the bear is going to come in, it is more interested in the dogs, buying you time.
 
Interesting, I just recently read an article about how griz is moving back into the prairie lands. Interesting times.

David
NM
Son sent me a video clip he filmed this spring of a grizzly sow and cubs. They were in the plains of Montana and hardly a tree in sight. I believe they were about thirty miles from mountains.
 
I’ve lived and hunted there all my life. Grizzlies are a constant part of the landscape. We see bears or bear sign every fall when we hunt there. Last fall was no different, we put up a trail camera in an elk carcass and got hundreds of pictures of at least 4 different grizzlies.

I did a photo essay for Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation magazine “Bugle” which should be published this fall…


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