Grizzlies

[WinefredCommander]

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...y-bear-alberta

John Clarke what a joke you’ve become.. peddle your bear spray training courses for your own gain. Your old colleagues are laughing at you!

[huntinstuff]

In my experience, meeting a lethal threat with a non lethal threat is poor judgement. You cant negotiate with a non-human apex predator....sometimes you cant negotiate with a human apex predator either

I dont believe any animal has greater value than a human. Like Ive said before, Id shoot and kill and eat the last panda bear if I had to.

[traderal]

Training course isn't as effective if real grizzs aren't part of the training.

[trailraat]

Originally Posted by WinefredCommander

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...y-bear-alberta

John Clarke what a joke you’ve become.. peddle your bear spray training courses for your own gain. Your old colleagues are laughing at you!

I think we are heading for a loss of access to the backcountry, especially in the National Parks.

It will be to "save the bears", but the cause will be because the bears will have lost their fear of people and a population explosion due to lack of hunting managing populations.

In my mind bear spray is most effective for chance encounters with surprised bears, a firearm is for the bears that won't go away like the one that killed those people in Banff last fall.

[Albertadiver]

I read that article as well, and contemplated putting up a thread here too.

Lots of 'experts' throwing around opinions in that article. I'm no expert, but, having spent a few hours in the bush myself, I just see this as a lot of Y2Y type propaganda. Sad thing is that the uninformed just eat that crap up....

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Why not reduce the bear population, seems pretty simple…problem solved, less dangerous run-ins.

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by trailraat

I think we are heading for a loss of access to the backcountry, especially in the National Parks.

Already happening, but it's due to people who have more claim to access than others....

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-s-joffre-l...tion-1.6861946

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Like I've said before, Id shoot and kill and eat the last panda bear if I had to.

And *that* is why you are an AO legend.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

In my experience, meeting a lethal threat with a non lethal threat is poor judgement. You cant negotiate with a non-human apex predator....sometimes you cant negotiate with a human apex predator either

I dont believe any animal has greater value than a human. Like Ive said before, Id shoot and kill and eat the last panda bear if I had to.

I don’t know , if it was Mr Grizzly and Mr Socks meeting up I think I’d be. “Go Grizz” 😈

[Stinky Buffalo]

Yep, Jungleboy, I think you're onto something there!

I think the solution is that we just need to ship our excess grizzlies to Ottawa.

Parliament Hill, to be exact.

[Bigwoodsman]

The politician should have a conference in a luxury tent camp in prime Grizzly country, to discuss the Grizzly population in Alberta.

They can cook a pig in the ground, a side of beef on a spit and enjoy the open air. Put some salmon on a rack to smoke, make it a nice experience.

No electric fences, night watchmen etc. Set up a few porta potties.

Maybe just maybe the politicians views on Grizzly number will be changed.

BW

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

I don’t know , if it was Mr Grizzly and Mr Socks meeting up I think I’d be. “Go Grizz” 😈

You and millions of other Canadians. The bear would probably have terrible indigestion, but would likely survive.

[Glas Ó Cairealláin]

Guy messed up. Period. Looks like he wasn't making himself known when he went into the gully. I carry my spray on the ready in a special holster so I can grab it in a second, and I try to not put myself out there in areas like that

Husband does bear control in the oilfields for BEARSCARE and is surrounded by people that are former fish and wildlife officers, trappers, and guides. The knowledge all these guys have is incredible.

[Pathfinder76]

I’ve had grizzlies come at me twice. One pulled up within 10 yards. Both times they knew I was there and exactly what I was.

[Pekan]

Originally Posted by WinefredCommander

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...y-bear-alberta

John Clarke what a joke you’ve become.. peddle your bear spray training courses for your own gain. Your old colleagues are laughing at you!

I bet you wouldn't say this to John's face would you? You god damm troll.

[32-40win]

General public's knowledge of the ways of nature and the predators, is pretty sad, see it all the time on one page I watch on FB. Many won't watch what is real, live in some fantasy world, if they see it, they recoil in horror at what goes on. I find it sad and comical at the same time, but, it is what it is.

[MK2750]

I don't think there is ever a time when a government official or "expert" should have the authority to decide how someone should defend themselves when their life is in danger.

This article reeks of Liberal propaganda that only professionals should be armed as only they have the training and state of mind to be cool under pressure.

Having witnessed many "professionals" fold under pressure I believe this to be far from the truth. On the contrary, two world wars have proven that ordinary civilians given the tools to succeed can and will.

The two campers we able to send a message presumably between attacks. How many would refuse a rifle if offered in that situation for fear of maybe harming your companion of wounding the bear as the article suggests. An empty can of bear spray and a radio must have been really comforting.

[bezzola]

Im at forthills mine and have bear scare team up there.
When i was at coldlake base with cenovus there was a team up there that had bear dogs that was impressive to see 2 or 3 dogs work a bear out of the plant and gone.

[landowner]

Originally Posted by Pekan

I bet you wouldn't say this to John's face would you? You god damm troll.

I know ranchers who have said worse to him imSW AB . He was not a popular officer down here.

[Lornce]

This is where a large caliber handgun would certainly help in the backcountry. There was a time I used a starter pistol to scare bears when we had the farm back in the day. Stupid regulations removed that. I fly fish in isolated areas a lot and am in my mid 70's. Carrying a rifle is a bit much to juggle with the rest of the goodies I need to pack. So I carry spray. I had a few bear encounters but not enough to ever deploy as yet. The only time was when two Rottweilers attacked my fishing partner. Stopped it quickly.

[FlyTheory]

Select hunting for residents only should be allowed on select units (make bear management units like for cougars) and study it very closely. It could be a great way for science to advance and control high population numbers. See if grizz would be more afraid of humans again if we started hunting them again. Could be a win for everyone.

[Sundog57]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

I think the solution is that we just need to ship our excess grizzlies to Ottawa.

and Vancouver...
Similar to Botswana offering to ship 20,000 elephants to Germany
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-68715164

[bezzola]

I stream/river fish in between edson and whitecourt i never packed my 12 until a few years ago now we see grizz every year

[huntinstuff]

Hes on 630 Ched now....

[walking buffalo]

Just stay in your truck....

Mama bear charges vehicle in Canada
(West of Cardston)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFnRyIcGDgI

[urban rednek]

This was a valuable learning experience. Hopefully others will take heed.

https://calgarysun.com/news/local-ne...8-110c6182dce7

Dog saves hiker from charging grizzly near Cochrane

"I truly thought, 'I'm going to die'," said Craig Campbell
Author of the article: Bill Kaufmann
Published May 07, 2024 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 4 minute read

Craig Campbell says he’s always wanted to see a grizzly bear with his own eyes.

Dog saves hiker from charging grizzly near Cochrane

He’d even tracked down Banff National Park’s most famous grizzly — known as The Boss — last month on the Bow Valley Parkway as Parks Canada officials monitored the bear.

But Campbell said an unintended encounter last week just outside Cochrane has convinced him he’s seen enough of the bruins and that if not for his Doberman Night, he might not be alive to tell the tale.

The Cochrane resident said he was hiking a trail he walks daily, seven kilometres from his home up Horse Creek Rd. just northwest of the town last Thursday, when he came upon a grizzly sow and two large cubs.

They were in a wooded area along a fence line bordered by farmers’ fields, he said.

“I could see the bears creeping and they circled around until they were downwind (of me),” said Campbell, 70.

“Then the (mother) bear exploded out of the bush.”

Campbell said he was carrying bear spray but it was lodged under a heavy canvas jacket that he was slow to access with so little time to spare.

“I had my hiking stick and gloves on, trying to lift my coat and I realized I didn’t have time and the bear was too close,” he said.

“I truly thought ‘I’m going to die.'”

But at that moment, as the grizzly sow was about seven metres from him, 10-year-old Doberman Night sprang into action, silently charging the bear and getting within inches of it.

Standing nearly 7 feet tall on its hind legs while flashing its teeth in anger, time seemed to stand still until the grizzly backed down and left to collect its two cubs nearby, said Campbell.

He didn’t deploy his bear spray.

“There’s no question in my mind the Doberman gave the bear pause, the bear figured ‘this is not a good situation,'” he said.

‘A very brave dog’

Campbell said Night has been intensively trained in obedience, tracking and protecting and had shown signs a week before that he knew there were bears in the area.

And he commended his dog for his quick actions.

“Most dogs will flee from a bear, my dog runs at them … he is a very brave dog,” said Campbell.

Said his daughter Tess: “Not all heroes wear capes.”

Night, said Campbell, has been rewarded for his heroics with an extra raw chicken leg.

In the meantime, a badly shaken Campbell said the encounter left him with a delayed bout of nerves.

“I panicked later — I didn’t sleep for two nights,” he said.

After reporting the incident to provincial fish and wildlife officials, he was told the bears were known to them and were the only grizzlies in the area, but that their last determined location had been 10 km to the northwest.

“They (provincial officials are) not going after it,” said Campbell, who told the officials he’s convinced the grizzly was acting in defence of her cubs.

Signage warning of the bears’ presence has been erected at the trail.

Grizzlies in Cochrane area possible as population increases: expert

Bear safety expert John Clarke said keeping bear spray readily at hand and being trained and practised in its use are important.

And he wonders if the grizzlies in this case were attracted to the site by an animal carcass.

As for the grizzlies’ close proximity to Cochrane, it’s a scenario hardly unheard of in recent years as the animals’ numbers increase. Clarke recalled dealing with a young grizzly that had wandered into the Bearspaw area on Calgary’s northwest edge about eight years ago.

“I shot it with a tranquilizer and it went into a pond and began drowning, so I went into the water with my uniform to get it out,” said Clarke, a one-time Alberta fish and wildlife officer who now operates Canadian Bear Safety Authority in the Crowsnest Pass.

“That was when people began noticing bears around the city.”

That bear, he said, was relocated to the Nordegg area northwest of Calgary.

Dogs have also helped him fend off grizzlies but their effectiveness is unpredictable, he said.

“You can let a dog (confront the bear) and leave, or the dog can bring the bear back to you,” said Clarke.

Grizzly-human interactions increasing: officials

In 2021, a man and a woman were killed by grizzlies in the foothills northwest of Cochrane in separate incidents and it was determined different sows, both with cubs, were involved in those attacks.

Last September, two seasoned outdoor enthusiasts and their dog were killed in what experts say was likely a predatory grizzly attack in a remote eastern corner of Banff National Park, also northwest of Cochrane.

That bear was shot by a rescue team when it also charged them.

Provincial government officials and wildlife experts say an Alberta moratorium on grizzly hunting dating back to 2006 has helped the species’ population grow from between 700 and 800 in 2010 to between 900 and 1,150 now, including those in the national parks.

They say that has led to increased grizzly-human interaction in areas further from the mountains.

The hunting moratorium is part of a grizzly recovery strategy that’s now under review, though provincial officials say there are no plans for now to lift the ban.

Campbell said the experience won’t stop him from his regular hikes but added he’ll embark on them better prepared.

“I should have had the bear spray on a sling — I’ve ordered a sling so it’s right on my chest,” he said, adding his enthusiasm for encountering the bears has soured.

“A dream of mine was to see a grizzly … I’m not excited about seeing grizzlies anymore.”

[Ruger.308]

I don't know one person that actively wants to go out and find Grizzly Bears in the bush. That article reminds me of that saying, "Play stupid games..."

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by Sundog57

and Vancouver...
Similar to Botswana offering to ship 20,000 elephants to Germany
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-68715164

Can we send them some grizzlies too? Could be interesting to watch the elephants and grizzlies romping around German.

ARG