Grizzly

mntmanpick · #1 10-30-2007, 10:44 AM

Is anyone else running into a lot of grizzly bears while hunting sheep. I have see 7 different bears this fall while hunting sheep, but only 3 legal rams. Every basin I walk into is all dug up and there is sign everywhere.

PackNIron · #2 10-30-2007, 11:48 AM

Cadomin area has plenty saw 6 different bears in 24 hours.

Sow with 2 two year olds, 2 x three or four year olds playing together and then a huge boar laying in a creek.

Donny Bear · #3 10-30-2007, 12:35 PM

Can't be; It is evident we are all seeing things. I hunted 416,418,420 as well as other areas never saw a griz in years saw the rare track that was in the 90's
"Now that they are so few?" In the past 5 years I have seen griz on a regular basis including down in 302 around Rob every where. I saw a sow with 4 in tow a few years back, up by Rob, called F&W to tell them the new's so excited! I thought they would say I was full of it but they just said yea we know about her and we are watching. First and last time I saw a herd of Griz

I think the big bears are doing well. IMO

mntmanpick · #4 10-30-2007, 12:55 PM

I would like to see the study results when they come out to see where and how they counted them. Hopefully they don't do some arial counts in December...

#5 10-30-2007, 04:41 PM

Yup...lots of bears in K-Country as usual. Highest count in a single day is 5 but usually see one or two or at least fresh evidence of one every time out. Saw a couple in the Willmore as well.

LongDraw · #6 10-30-2007, 05:33 PM

Talking to the "parks" bear guy in K-Country he says they know of the vast majority of the bears in the area through radio and GPS colars and ear tags. They say that the bears in K-Country are in great peril and the population does not sustain itself..... They have been studying this for years. Sounds like job protection to me.

#7 10-30-2007, 05:38 PM

Most of the bears are collared or ear tagged for sure although I still see a few each year that aren't. Not sure about the real numbers but there does seem to be a lot. I've been hunting there for 20 years and I definitely haven't seen a decrease but science trumps anecdotal evidence every time.

LongDraw · #8 10-30-2007, 06:04 PM

The Parks fellow I had the discussion with mentioned that one of the only (maybe the only?) place that the natural recruitment of bears was sustainable was Peter Lougheed Park, other than this area the numbers were dwindling. I told him of all my sightings of bears throughout the area, especially in the area south of the Highwood pass and he really did not have much to say about that, except reiterating that there are not many bears. I have hunted the area every year for 20 years and I see numerous bears every year, I would say half with no colar or tags. I saw 3 different grizzlies EAST of hwy 22 towards Nanton this year, again no colar or tags- one a giant boar. When you talk to the ranchers in this country they see more grizzly bears out in this country than ever before, just rolling hills and willow!

I don't buy into conspiricy theories but there sure does seem to be more of these big predators than they want the public to believe.

Grizzly Adams · #9 10-30-2007, 09:52 PM

Talked to Bobby Turner yestrday. He claims there are 11 on the North Burnt Timber and that he has never seen so many bears in all his years outfitting. Now, what percentage would that be of the 500 bears, we supposedly have.

Grizz

#10 10-30-2007, 09:58 PM

Ya, I figure I've seen close to 5% myself this year...not sure that's possible.

clyde · #11 10-31-2007, 10:27 AM

Saw 7 griz this year all different bears and no collars. Relatively small area too

#12 10-31-2007, 10:58 AM

.

mntmanpick · #13 10-31-2007, 11:19 AM

I agree, everyone has their own mandate, and money talks. Its is strange that the people involved in the studies do not take advantage of the thousands of hunters in the field. Does anyone know who has been contracted to do the population studies...

#14 10-31-2007, 03:42 PM

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mntmanpick · #15 11-02-2007, 10:29 AM

Thanks for the info here is 2 pictures of some of the bears that the did not tag

BrianWiley · #16 11-02-2007, 11:08 AM

I live south of Black Diamond and on the east side of hwy 22 ,and we had 6 grizzlies with in5 miles or minites of my house this year .2 where relocated to the upper Old Man drainage ,1 still here actually north a bit farther and I haven't heard or seen again the other 3 .2 sows with 2 cubs each 1 set was a quite older set ,the other where yearlings .