Hunting in or near grizzly country

[Greybeard]

In the big picture, I'd rather go out by duking it out with a bear than laying in a hospital bed.

Ain't that the truth. My mother is currently in hospice with COPD along with a host of other issues. She is in agony. I would take being torn apart by a bear any day of the week over the slow torture and sure death she is now enduring.

 

[daltrix99]

I hunt in thick MT Griz country every year both solo and with buddies. Just be smart and have the gear you need - bear spray, proper food storage, first aid and communication capabilities. I carry a sidearm.

If you’re unfamiliar with griz and their country, I encourage you to hunt with a buddy if possible. It’s a huge morale boost and should help deter curious predators.

My final bit of advice is to be smart and alert if/when you actually kill something, and especially if it is in the evening. I realize there are always a million variables, but for starters I’d recommend doing your field dressing in an area where you have some visibility, I.e. not a thicket. Consider your options to leave an animal overnight and finish in the morning, depending on weather, hanging, etc. If you do return to an animal, even just on multiple pack trips, be cautious on your return approach(es). Hang meat a good ways away from the gut pile.

Don’t let it freak you out! Have fun, be safe, be smart.

 

[Addicting]

I did it and don’t care to do it again any time soon. To each there own, one scare and that was enough for me. I found myself thinking more about bears on the way in and out than enjoying the mountains. I then hunted Eastern Wyoming and had no concerns of bears. Much more enjoyable.

 

[Europe]

Or accepted the risk, and knew it was a possibility. Life is a long series of decisions on risk management. We all accept the risk of fatal car crashes, but get in cars anyways.

I spent probably 60-80 days in grizzly country last year. I knew that the chances of me getting dusted by a bear were not zero, but accepted that risk and went anyways. If you make smart decisions while you're out there, that risk goes down.

In the big picture, I'd rather go out by duking it out with a bear than laying in a hospital bed. That might be different if I had kids.

AMEN and pass the peas

We flew from the United States to Africa to specifically hunt several animals that could and would kill us, and I am glad we did.

I have lived my life to the fullest and have no regrets. When each of you get to that point in your life where "you can't", you will wish "you did"

bkloththor-----GO ! Prepare intelligently, but go!

BUT, as Addicting said "To each their own".

 

[MTGomer]

I’m somewhere between not worried that much about it, and I’m not packing a bull out of Tom Miner Basin solo at night.

 

[520 Road Sow]

I’m somewhere between not worried that much about it, and I’m not packing a bull out of Tom Miner Basin solo at night.

But, you'll pack a ram out in the middle of the night ........... I would too.

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Bears are just one of the things that make hunting in our wild places a true adventure.

As others have wrote above, just be "Bear Aware" and expect that there may be a bear behind every tree, bush or rock.

Several years ago, a buddy from my youth came back to hunt our childhood haunts of NW MT. During that two week period we laid eyes on around a half dozen G-Bears and crossed their tracks every single day. At the end of the hunt, my buddy made the remark that he had seen more G-bear sign in that two weeks than he'd see all fall in his home state..... and he lives in Alaska!

 

[MTGomer]

But, you'll pack a ram out in the middle of the night ........... I would too.

 

[520 Road Sow]

Love it!

 

[devon deer]

Your mind is your worst enemy. You should be more scared of a car wreck on ur way to Montana.

Especially when I visit as I drive on the wrong side of the road

To the OP, look, if someone like me, who comes from a country where there is nothing in the animal world that can hunt you, can get over the thought of Grizzly's I guess you can, I just took all the advice from 'locals' and I've been fine, even when camping on my own in grizzly country.
Christ we have to die of something, I expect something like the most common killer of men, prostate cancer could get me before a bear!
Live for today I say.

Cheers

Richard

 

[dgc1963]

Ive hunted out west but never in Griz country but do a lot of Pa black bear hunting, always archery and have been stuck in a tree stand several times waiting for a friend to come get me with a quad with a bear poping its jaws and walking back an forth
bluff charged at 15 yrds and had bears just acting down right pissy with me many times. I know all the books say they dont do this I guess I keep running into bears that never read the books

 

[MNElkNut]

There is grizzly country and there is GRIZZLY country! I have no problem hunting where there are griz. GRIZZLY country like what happened in the Gravellys is something else though. at some point, and each person has there own breaking point, there is a concentration of grizzlies that just make the hunt not enjoyable.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Ive hunted out west but never in Griz country but do a lot of Pa black bear hunting, always archery and have been stuck in a tree stand several times waiting for a friend to come get me with a quad with a bear poping its jaws and walking back an forth
bluff charged at 15 yrds and had bears just acting down right pissy with me many times. I know all the books say they dont do this I guess I keep running into bears that never read the books

In PA years ago I was stuck in my deer stand until almost 10pm by a bear that just wouldnt leave. No cell service I'd still be in that tree if my grandpa and cousin didnt come to see why I wasn't back to the house yet. Another time I had a big boar shake the crap out of my ladder stand and then wandered off. Another time I used acorn cover scent on my boots it smells alot like vanilla extract. I traipsed all over the place trying to find a good log to sit on and be hidden. A bear came in picked up my tracks and sniffed every track until I yelled at him at 20 yards. There was a stareing contest that felt like 10 minutes and then he slowly walked away stopping and looking back at me often until he was out of sight. Then i ran my ass back to my truck! Lol. All these were bow season encounters in PA.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Cheyenne asked me to weigh in, lots of good information here. Situational awareness is key. I have taught bear safety classes but it’s been awhile my numbers may be off by a few. Since 2010 there have been about 20 people killed by grizz in all of North America. Interesting that Wyoming had a slight edge over Montana, probably explained by Yellowstone but the distinction is not important.
About 50 people a year are killed by lightning every year. I don’t remember how many people die every year from heart attacks while hunting but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than 20 in the last ten years just in Montana.
Take reasonable precautions, exercise good common sense and have a great hunt.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Cheyenne asked me to weigh in, lots of good information here. Situational awareness is key. I have taught bear safety classes but it’s been awhile my numbers may be off by a few. Since 2010 there have been about 20 people killed by grizz in all of North America. Interesting that Wyoming had a slight edge over Montana, probably explained by Yellowstone but the distinction is not important.
About 50 people a year are killed by lightning every year. I don’t remember how many people die every year from heart attacks while hunting but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than 20 in the last ten years just in Montana.
Take reasonable precautions, exercise good common sense and have a great hunt.

I have no opinion on the risk/reward of hunting in grizz country, but did find your numbers a bit misleading (not suggesting you intended that) for those who wish to weigh the risks. A more interesting comparison than all people in NA killed by lightening (a risk shared by 300+million people half of the year) and those killed by grizz (a risk shared by maybe 100,000+ people for a few weeks a year), would be the numbers of hunters killed by bears in grizz country while hunting vs hunters killed by other hazards while hunting. I am not trying to overstate bear risk, but your numbers will certainly understate it.

 

[rustneversleeps]

A lot of people like to compare the chance of getting attacked/killed by a grizzly to getting struck by lightning or getting killed in a car crash. Those numbers don't add up if you got Joe Schmoe that spends 50-80 days a year in dense grizzly habitat and Jimbob Johnson that lives in Iowa and comes out for a yearly Yellowstone vacation. If you spend a lot of time around bears the chance of an encounter is obviously way higher.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Jimbob Johnson that lives in Iowa

Wouldn't a guy named Jimbob be from Louisiana or Mississippi?

 

[rustneversleeps]

Wouldn't a guy named Jimbob be from Louisiana or Mississippi?

You're right - lets use Ernie Walters

 

[VikingsGuy]

You're right - lets use Ernie Walters

Now that is a name any Iowa pig farmer can be proud of!

 

[Salmonchaser]

Your point is well taken and explains why I struggled with statistics in college. I Appreciate the manner in which you offer the correction. I am curious what might be an even better comparison, Heart attack while hunting for example. Perhaps it is simply an assumed risk that can be mitigated to some extent by reasonable precautions and the comparative statistics don’t really matter that much. Certainly an awful lot of us hunt Montana every year and never or rarely see a bear.