Alberta big bear 1949

[snowman160]

glad I saw this thread.i have a cabin west of caroline An just a few weeks ago I was out bowhunting,and I happen to hunt on John bugbees home quarter,the son of George bugbee.had coffee with them on the Saturday morning and we chatted about the story for a while as they have the picture in their kitchen.very cool stuff.as far as they know nobody knows where the skull An hide are now but most of what these past posts say are true as they were in a sask museum and now has gone MIA.john An his wife said they took a trip to Alaska a few yrs back An somewhere up there they saw a mount of a large Alaska brown bear An John said to me,geeze that sure looks like dads bear.so who will really ever know I guess as to what species it really was.kinda keeps the mystery alive!!regardless a very cool story An i feel fortunate to know John An hear the story from the son of the man who killed it!very neat stuff!

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by Rocagee

I Hope the following link works, my Grandfather had this picture of George with his Bear.

http://oi65.tinypic.com/w6pdt5.jpg

Top right tooth does not look like it was hit with a bullet

[Don_Parsons]

I've seen alot of Grizzly, but the largest one I've seen todate in Alberta was around that area a few years ago.

It was the thickest Grizzly I've seen in those parts.

Very lucky it didn't cross onto our side of the creek, it checked us out from 40 yards, then wandered down stream.

Don

[Nayr]

Thanks for the pic and cool story,

[Sask Bearman]

Great story. Keep the posts coming. Supposedly was a Plains Grizzly shot in the 1950's (could be off on date) in the Porcupine Hills region of Saskatchewan.

[3blade]

Interesting old thread/story. I'm not entirely sure why people believe that grizzlys can't cross the mountains, or an Alberta bear couldn't top 1000 lbs...sure it's unusual in both cases, but we have some pretty well recorded evidence that says both have happened several times in the past.

As far as subspecies of grizzlys...absolute garbage. They are genetically the same from Montana to Alaska, and they travel and interbreed enough that differentiation is not possible. the difference is ecotypes. The get as big as the environment allows.

[cacty]

Originally Posted by Sask Bearman

Great story. Keep the posts coming. Supposedly was a Plains Grizzly shot in the 1950's (could be off on date) in the Porcupine Hills region of Saskatchewan.

...60's I believe. Lots of really cool stories of the last remaining plains grizz from that neck of the woods

[Unregistered user]

The biggest grizzlies lived on the prairies as reported by a Hudson Bay explorer.

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by silver

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but it does raise a couple of questions. There was a post mentioning Slave hills and prairie grizzly, so my question is Are the Slave hills bears the last of the prairie grizzlys?
I remember hearing a story about a native woman shooting a record bear from her doorstep with a 22. This was supposed to have taken place in the late 60s. Anybody else hear this one?

there is or used to be a museum in fort Assiniboine that had the hide and skull and the 22 on the wall as well as the news write up and picture of thr cree woman that shot that bear

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

there is or used to be a museum in fort Assiniboine that had the hide and skull and the 22 on the wall as well as the news write up and picture of thr cree woman that shot that bear

I might have to look into that!

[IR_mike]

http://gunwatch.blogspot.ca/2017/06/...ittle-gun.html

[nast70]

Originally Posted by IR_mike

http://gunwatch.blogspot.ca/2017/06/...ittle-gun.html

That's a neat read. Thanks for posting the article!
Right on the northern edge of the Swan Hills. I sure wish I get to see a Swan Grizz one day!
From a distance though!

[EZM]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Interesting old thread/story. I'm not entirely sure why people believe that grizzlys can't cross the mountains, or an Alberta bear couldn't top 1000 lbs...sure it's unusual in both cases, but we have some pretty well recorded evidence that says both have happened several times in the past.

As far as subspecies of grizzlys...absolute garbage. They are genetically the same from Montana to Alaska, and they travel and interbreed enough that differentiation is not possible. the difference is ecotypes. The get as big as the environment allows.

100% correct - with recent advancements in genetics, haplotype studies and other science we know far more about species, evolution and can trace animals back to geography.

What they found, in the case of the "Alaskan Brown Bear" that it is, in fact, the exact same species found here inland that we call "grizzlies". There is no differentiation whatsoever and, contrary to popular belief, no scientist can tell the difference based on genetics alone***.

***The only way you may see a difference is in traces of iron, and other minerals at concentrations and levels that are more prevalent in one geography versus the other which is based purely on what diet that animal ate. Inland bears will not have high levels of certain trace minerals if they are not eating the same foods (like the minerals present at higher concentrations) that are found in coastal bears.

The difference in average and maximum size is simply attributed to the availability of food. The coastal bears get far more fatty salmon compared to their inland brothers and sisters and simply grow bigger.

Bears also will migrate.

[Diesel_wiesel]

Bella Twin
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/bel...#axzz54gcojpbq
I believe this is the bear rug and 22 in the Fort Assiniboine museum
the bear was shot in 1953

[parfleche]

Soooo Lets add more mystery to the stories ! What about the huge Grizzly bear hide AND .22 rifle that use to be displayed in the Reynolds museum in Wetaskiwin AB ? I may be mistaken but I seem to remember THAT one being the Bella Twin grizzly. As far as having trouble believing that these bears would travel very far what about the Grizzlies found on the north shore of Labrador? and even in the territories north of Manitoba .In fact one was shot in the inter lake area of Manitoba not so many years ago . could it have been a grizzly that got away from a zoo?

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Soooo Lets add more mystery to the stories ! What about the huge Grizzly bear hide AND .22 rifle that use to be displayed in the Reynolds museum in Wetaskiwin AB ? I may be mistaken but I seem to remember THAT one being the Bella Twin grizzly. As far as having trouble believing that these bears would travel very far what about the Grizzlies found on the north shore of Labrador? and even in the territories north of Manitoba .In fact one was shot in the inter lake area of Manitoba not so many years ago . could it have been a grizzly that got away from a zoo?

Look up the historical range of grizzlies prior to European settlement.

They are not like lynx that catch rides into Edmonton on trucks.

Thats ^^^ not directed at you parfleche....its a reference to a older thread involving a lynx that wondered into the city and the accompanying news article.

[Red Bullets]

In 1958 another big grizz was shot near Goose Lake by Ft. Assiniboine. The bear haunted the oil workers in the area until it was shot.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Red what is the story around the Goose grizzly?

[bessiedog]

Meh......... now if it was a 22short... I’d be impressed .

[TheIceTitan]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Soooo Lets add more mystery to the stories ! What about the huge Grizzly bear hide AND .22 rifle that use to be displayed in the Reynolds museum in Wetaskiwin AB ? I may be mistaken but I seem to remember THAT one being the Bella Twin grizzly. As far as having trouble believing that these bears would travel very far what about the Grizzlies found on the north shore of Labrador? and even in the territories north of Manitoba .In fact one was shot in the inter lake area of Manitoba not so many years ago . could it have been a grizzly that got away from a zoo?

Grizzlies off the tundra are being seen with increasing frequency in northern Manitoba:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...hows-1.3118936

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Red what is the story around the Goose grizzly?

***I need to clarify that this was bear not by Goose Lake near Ft. Assiniboine but but Goose Mountain which is NW of Swan Hills. I was off by a hundred and some kilometers. Sorry for the misinformation.

I Got the pic from a history book a while back. I can't remember which book though. Most likely a Swan Hills and district history book. Lots of these books are online but you have to know the books name to find it.

The story was that the bear was known as the King of Goose Mountain. Goose Mountain is NW of Swan Hills. In 1958 this bear was coming into oilfield camps and became a nuisance or menace bear. There was more to the story but I can't say with accuracy. It was around 9 feet tall.

When I look at the picture closer it looks like an arrow sticking out of the bear's ear. I'd like to know that story if it is an arrow.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Red, thanks for extra details, thought it might be Goose River/Mtn country near Swanhills. Gene Walter shot quite a few large grizzly on his 10 township trapline south of High Prairie.

[farmer60]

Getting back to the Geo Bugbee Grizzly - I remember well the photo on the front wall at old MountainAir Lodge SW of Sundre. The story told was more like a rumor and much different than facts.

I have a history book called "In the shade of the Mountains" that has a 3 page account of Bugbee family (big family) from N Dakota to life at Boundary Service, Ricinus, until car accident in 1970. It was written by Sally Bugbee, Georges wife. George was actually George Jr., 2yrs old when his dad George and relatives came from N & S Dakota. Many current names in the Caroline area, are relatives.

Only one short blurb of the 1949 Grizzly: Click on this link and the text and a photo might show:

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...da&oe=5B2268C0

I tried to attach it as well. Photo is different than above, and different than the on at MountainAir Lodge.

Ranger Jack Walker, is in this photo. His deputy was Lyle.

[JD848]

Today guy fuss over bullet and cartridges to kill a deer or moose,or there over gunned or maybe under gunned,3030 is piece of junk to most hunter,3006 which bullet,7mm rm has to much recoil,300 win is over kill,they all do a good job in killing with the right guy behind the trigger,lotsa bench shooters foil when in a tight spot or get buck fever which is easy to get from sitting like a dog humpen a foot ball on wooden seat.

I like certain rifles and cartriges,but never had a rifle that I though that wasn't capable to kill anything in my path.

To be stuck in some bush pile with only that 22lr,she waited till he was breathing on her and she kept her cool and planted him one in the peeper,no greater hunter could have done this and for not panicking proves she was well accustom to bad situations better then 99 percent of most hunters,which puts her at the top of all time hunters with excellent knowledge of how to make good sound decisions without losing her concentration and stayed very focused.

I guided with eskimo guides and one was telling me he loved his 22 250 for hunting seal,but had some bad run in with polar bears all his life and took down more than few with this cartridge.Like he was telling me hulling around 2 rifles is hard to do when your on the move,so he shot them just as they turned to look away and cranked one right behind the ear a bit lower from 50 t0 100 yrds and he said they don't even move and drop right now,i was very impressed by some pics he showed me.