Requesting help with DIY spring bear hunt in Montana or Idaho

[5shot]

I live in Spokane and have family in Old Town. I also frequent North Idaho regularly.

 

[Sabre]

I think you are right to be concerned about grizzlies, especially having your son with you. I'm not saying you should never go into areas with grizzlies, but the advice that they aren't dangerous is patently ridiculous.

If I had a young person with me, I would maybe consider somewhere where the average slope wasn't so aggressive as Idaho tends to be.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I think you are right to be concerned about grizzlies, especially having your son with you. I'm not saying you should never go into areas with grizzlies, but the advice that they aren't dangerous is patently ridiculous.

If I had a young person with me, I would maybe consider somewhere where the average slope wasn't so aggressive as Idaho tends to be.

Never said grizzlies aren't dangerous. But statistics show that the black bears the OP and his son intend to hunt are more dangerous. They are more likely to stalk and kill you. Rarely will grizzlies do that. They are more dangerous in surprise confrontations. And grizzlies are certainly much less dangerous than driving to the grocery store ... or the cemetery. In fact, this afternoon I was nearly creamed coming back from the grocery store when some nut blew a red light at the intersection crossing Trans Canada freeway. I'm much safer living with grizzlies than a city full of humans!

For over five months every day I worked in Alaska around scores of brown/grizzly bears. Sometimes within six feet of them. On average probably no more than fifty yards. I had only five incidents that I can recall offhand. Never deployed my bear spray. Those were pretty much all "habituated" bears ... which I think are the most dangerous. Too unpredictable. Real wild grizzlies do not cause me anxiety ... if the encounter is mutually without surprise. Incidents of wild grizzlies attacking more than one person together are pretty much unheard of. Bluff charges are not unheard of but a grizzly actually tearing into a group of people ... no.

I'm in pretty good shape for my age but I'm not playing basketball with fifteen year-olds. They'll kick my arse. I'm sure they could also handle the hills of central Idaho better than most of us.

 

[Sabre]

Never said grizzlies aren't dangerous. But statistics show that the black bears the OP and his son intend to hunt are more dangerous. They are more likely to stalk and kill you. Rarely will grizzlies do that. They are more dangerous in surprise confrontations. And grizzlies are certainly much less dangerous than driving to the grocery store ... or the cemetery. In fact, this afternoon I was nearly creamed coming back from the grocery store when some nut blew a red light at the intersection crossing Trans Canada freeway. I'm much safer living with grizzlies than a city full of humans!

For over five months every day I worked in Alaska around scores of brown/grizzly bears. Sometimes within six feet of them. On average probably no more than fifty yards. I had only five incidents that I can recall offhand. Never deployed my bear spray. Those were pretty much all "habituated" bears ... which I think are the most dangerous. Too unpredictable. Real wild grizzlies do not cause me anxiety ... if the encounter is mutually without surprise. Incidents of wild grizzlies attacking more than one person together are pretty much unheard of. Bluff charges are not unheard of but a grizzly actually tearing into a group of people ... no.

I'm in pretty good shape for my age but I'm not playing basketball with fifteen year-olds. They'll kick my arse. I'm sure they could also handle the hills of central Idaho better than most of us.

I disagree with the vast majority of what you said and there is evidence out there that disproves much of it. But I already know that you won't change your mind, so it isn't worth discussing it with you. We can just disagree and that's fine.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I disagree with the vast majority of what you said and there is evidence out there that disproves much of it. But I already know that you won't change your mind, so it isn't worth discussing it with you. We can just disagree and that's fine.

Right. Have you ever encountered a grizzly bear ... outside of a zoo or your car window? I didn't think so. Spokane doesn't have many walking the streets.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I disagree with the vast majority of what you said and there is evidence out there that disproves much of it. But I already know that you won't change your mind, so it isn't worth discussing it with you. We can just disagree and that's fine.

After reading his posts for awhile I can understand why he has first hand experience being bear sprayed.

 

[Sabre]

Right. Have you ever encountered a grizzly bear ... outside of a zoo or your car window? I didn't think so. Spokane doesn't have many walking the streets.

Yes, I have. This might shock you, but other people on this forum also have outdoors experience.

 

[5shot]

Right. Have you ever encountered a grizzly bear ... outside of a zoo or your car window? I didn't think so. Spokane doesn't have many walking the streets.

Nice dig, but he never said he lived in Spokane, I did. Not sure why you have a stick up your butt about trying to insult me. You seem like you’d be real fun at parties.

 

[MontanaPat]

Having lived in the mountains of rural SW Montana for the past twenty years we have a half dozen people (mostly archery elk hunters) have run ins and are mauled to some degree by grizzlies every year. I know, I work at the hospital and see them when they come into our ER. In that twenty years we have never had a single person (camper, hunter, hiker) mauled or attacked by a black bear so I think your statistics are a little off at least when it comes to Montana black bears in this day and age

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Having lived in the mountains of rural SW Montana for the past twenty years we have a half dozen people (mostly archery elk hunters) have run ins and are mauled to some degree by grizzlies every year. I know, I work at the hospital and see them when they come into our ER. In that twenty years we have never had a single person (camper, hunter, hiker) mauled or attacked by a black bear so I think your statistics are a little off at least when it comes to Montana black bears in this day and age

My neighbor across the street saved a female co-worker biologist who was stalked and nearly killed by a black bear. Dan got to her in time to hold the bear off with a folding knife until the helicopter arrived after emergency beacon sent. He said it was focused on getting around him to finish the gal. Totally uninterested in him even after he slashed its nose. She survived but barely. Bear was shot the next day. Full grown but not a big one. She is still in physio years later. And no, she was not on her cycle either. Dan received a medal and the city fire department hired him. A very quiet unassuming almost shy fella. Lives across the street and I barely know him. We have lost two Canadian women cottagers to black bears in the north the last couple of years. One outside on the cell phone to her dad and one taken walking to the lake. Both killed and eaten. Grizzly bears were my business when I was with the US Park Service. According to their statistics black bear attacks after being stalked were much more common than grizzly maulings. As I said, grizzly "attacks" are more likely to be the result of surprise altercations. Who is doing the attacking? Any bear stalks you, shoot it! Not to say that grizzlies don't stalk and kill. I was raised outside Glacier Park and I can recall four unprovoked fatalities, two the same night (Actually, two the same night twice. First incident the two women were on opposite sides of the park and second incident involved a young couple camped next to Many Glacier garbage dump). But those were habituated bears. It's why I avoided the Park even though I lived right there. However, I had no qualms taking my horses into the Bob Marshall or Great Bear Wildernesses and camping solo for a couple of weeks. Yeah, I saw grizzlies just a couple of times, though they were around (lots of tracks). The only "problem bears" were a subadult grizzly and a huge black bear. The subadult just didn't know his place in the world yet. They commonly act out of character but usially nothing to worry about. It wouldn't get off the trail and let me by. I was on a new horse that I was trying out. She handled it perfectly and I subsequently bought her. Bear finally gave way when I slid out of the saddle and pulled the Hwy Patrolman from saddlebag. It was close to dark so I walked the horse the last couple of miles to the trailhead. That bear was shot a few weeks later messing with a USFS cabin. The black bear was a professional camp robber. Tore my stash down and ate everything edible. A gentleman though. He would bite a hole in everything and if it tasted good, he ate it. If not he left it alone. I still have the travel alarm with one hole clean through the center. Bit one hole in the sleeping bag and left it rolled up. He tried to bite a hole in the lantern but unsuccessful (in Alaska I watched grizzlies drink boat gas like it was soda pop!). All the food was gone, of course. Except two cans of peas, each with one hole punched in the lid. I don't blame him. I hate peas too. That bear was a terrible nuisance for a couple of years. But no one ever saw him, just his tracks big as a grizzly's. Finally, one of the Desert Mountain dudes laid an ambush at their empty camp and got him. Everyone, including horses, had to be gone or he wouldn't come in. Smart bastard. Geiger Creek Grizzly was like that too. I saw his handiwork raiding camps and cabins in the same area. Very elusive. You can Google him I think.

I seem to recall a woman bicyclist dragged from her tent by a grizzly and killed last year near Ovando (or 2023?). But again, that was a habituated bear. When they lose their natural respect for humans, anything can happen. I don't worry much about wild grizzlies. Black bears I pay more attention. They can climb trees and more inclined to come into camp (but less likely to survive if they do!).

 

[Ontario Hunter]

That should read Geifer Creek Grizzly. Damn fat fingers!