Grizzly Attack

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InstinctiveArcher
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Grizzly Attack

Post by InstinctiveArcher »

Don't know if you guys saw this or not, but a guide and a bowhunter were attacked by a grizzly out in Wyoming a few days ago. The guide ended up being killed. Really sad for the guides family. It really renews my faith in humanity when I read all of the comments cheering on the bear for killing this church going father of five. Absolutely sickening. Hopefully the grizzly hunt this fall will be a step in the right direction, but this is just one of those things you can't predict. I think it could have been handled a little bit better, but until I've been in that situation, which I hope I never am, I can't judge that.

https://www.newsweek.com/group-grizzly- ... ge-1123452
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SoftShoe
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by SoftShoe »

I had not heard about this, a real tragedy.

The comments of the Leftists do not surprise me in the least.


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Tanngnjostr
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by Tanngnjostr »

Sad to hear this story.
SoftShoe wrote:The comments of the Leftists do not surprise me in the least.
I know that "partisanship" is the flavor of our times, but... can you imagine that there are people in here that consider themselves liberals, but still don't hate hunters and do actually detest the cynical comments under the article that was linked? Tolerance goes both ways!
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SoftShoe
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by SoftShoe »

Tanngnjostr wrote:can you imagine that there are people in here that consider themselves liberals, but still don't hate hunters and do actually detest the cynical comments under the article that was linked? Tolerance goes both ways!
No I wouldnt be surprised in the least. Better hold onto your knickers but I am social liberal as well. I was card carrying Republican for better than 30 years but IMO they have lost their way. About 10 years ago I had an epiphany of sorts. While I may find some peoples lifestyle choices unsavory who am I to tell them how to live their lives?
Take away the social aspect & divide between Republicans & Democrats becomes much narrower.

The problem with Liberals isnt the Liberals but the Leftists that have subverted them. Because of them I am now a card carrying Libertarian.

I know we are tiptoeing all over the admonishment against politics but I will leave the following for educational purposes only.


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TheSheWolf
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by TheSheWolf »

Shame, and a shame they had to shoot a mother bear + cub. I was reading about a pair of recent (ish) grizzly attacks, and both were the same situation: hunters who left a kill, and came back to claim it. This guide should have known better. Then a mother bear and her cub come to eat what's apparently free food, and a human comes over to the cub... Not a good situation.

When hunting in bear territory, don't leave the kill alone.* I've no guarantee that's what happened here but I can't see a bear approaching a kill knowing there's two men moving around working there. Tragedy all around.

* After reading up, it looks like they shot the elk, "couldn't retrieve it before nightfall" and came back the next day. Is this common behavior among hunters, especially in regions with grizzlies??
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SoftShoe
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by SoftShoe »

TheSheWolf wrote:
When hunting in bear territory, don't leave the kill alone.* I've no guarantee that's what happened here but I can't see a bear approaching a kill knowing there's two men moving around working there. Tragedy all around.
Agreed, bears wont approach if there are humans about. Even when hungry & have the scent of blood.
TheSheWolf wrote: * After reading up, it looks like they shot the elk, "couldn't retrieve it before nightfall" and came back the next day. Is this common behavior among hunters, especially in regions with grizzlies??
Common no but its not uncommon either. I didnt see on the map where it happened but if it was mountainous terrain the risk of injury moving about in the dark then being faced with the hours of work to quarter & cape the carcass in the dead of night its often better to wait until morning. The bear arent so thick that having one stumble upon your kill is very likely. It would have been reasonable to expect the carcass to be undisturbed come morning.

I think it was probably a series of bad decisions & bad luck. Strike 1) The had to leave the carcass overnight. Strike 2) Said carcass was found by a Grizz. Strike 3) Grizz had a cub. Strike 4) They didnt sufficiently spook the bear/the bear decided it was hers & was willing to fight for it. Strike 5) Both men werent sufficiently armed (gun on or about their person).
Remove any one of those 5 strikes & there would most likely have been a very different outcome.

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InstinctiveArcher
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by InstinctiveArcher »

I heard that he gut shot the elk and they let it lay until the next morning. I also think that they were already working on butchering the carcass when the bears showed up and things got going the way that they did. Hopefully a freak experience. My condolences to the guides family, and I hope the hunter recovers.

That's what happens when bears hunted. They start to lose their fear of humans. It's starting to happen around where I live. Tags are extremely hard to get, and I've heard of seven different people within a 2 mile radius of where I hunt that had bad encounters with bears last year. Always wanted to go grizzly hunting. I'll make sure that somebody has a backup gun when I do it though.
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TheSheWolf
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by TheSheWolf »

Yeah, that's a really good rundown and I think everything you said is very likely to be quite true. Thanks for the clear explanations. I don't actually hunt IRL so I've no idea what's common practice and what's not, and so on.
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officialwafflez
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by officialwafflez »

Cameron Hanes has a great commentary on this
Spoiler:
*All guides/hunters/hikers out there in grizzly country please be careful.
I feel like this recent tragedy illustrates why grizzly bear need to be hunted in certain areas of the Lower-48.
This guide and his client where attacked by a grizzly in country that is “full of bears”, where science says numbers are high enough to allow a handful of hunters the chance to kill a grizzly, yet a federal judge from Montana has put a hold on the hunt, which was slated to begin September 1st.
I’ve hunted grizzly in Alaska and been in grizzly country many times in the Lower-48, and it’s common knowledge that grizzly in the Lower-48 are more aggressive than bear in Alaska. I believe one reason why is because they aren’t hunted down here so they are less fearful of man.
I talked about this issue last week on @nratv with @dloesch and while I don’t know if this heartbreaking tragedy could have been avoided if the grizzly hunt would have started as planned, what I do know is emotion (sadness a handful of bears need to be killed in certain regions of the wild to keep order) should NEVER trump sound decisions state fish and game departments make based on carrying capacity, herd health, predator vs prey numbers, etc.. I hope the judge in Montana can let the grizzly hunt move forward as science says it should before anything else bad happens. I’m hearing about more bear/human conflicts daily it seems.
I pray that grief passes gently for the family. So sad. And, yes I know there are risks associated with being in grizzly country.
For those interested I’ve read there is a Go Fund Me account set up for his wife and five kids.
ingame name is BryanTheHunter
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gas56
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Re: Grizzly Attack

Post by gas56 »

If in Bear country, remember you're in Bear country and follow every precaution to avoid bear & people conflicts.
When you don't follow precautions that's when bears remind us that we should have as hunters, hikers, campers, game wardens, outdoors people,..
which really they shouldn't be the ones to remind us, because their way can be hazardously life threatening.
Be prepared and never let your guard down and that will help prevent most encounters with bears.
Even though it is not 100% full proof a bear won't attack you, it sure can help put you on the edge of the right way in handling most run in's with bears.
Always have that sidearm or Bear spray readily available just in case to deter bears, they may save your life.
On Kodiak Island in Alaska, deer hunters are very cautious even field dressing Sitka's after they get one.
When a bear hears a gun-shot it is like ringing a dinner bell for them to come eat a dead animal, and not also that a bears sense of smell is extraordinarily great at long distances
when down wind of a fresh kill. It doesn't take them long to find the remains left by hunters.
It doesn't really matter where you are when you're in Bear Country.....
Always be cautious and alert for bears, when packing out the meat you've just acquired or just even yourself or your hunting party when in bear country.
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