Grizzly Encounter

[nelsonob1]

I am from Nelson, BC and decided to take a little drive out of town up a local mountain and sit and watch a nice open area I scouted for elk earlier in the summer. I took my 12 year old son.

We position on the edge of a gently sloped open area about 400 yards across and 150 yards deep. Wind was not in our favor pushing our scent across the middle of the open area but we did not have time to relocate. I figured the elk were most likely in the slope above and we would likely have time if they came out of the tree line. I had seen some bear scat on the way in so decided to keep quiet and just see if anything popped out as the sun dropped. It was a beautiful look out.

About twenty minutes in something does pop out - the biggest goddam grizzly I have seen and they come big in this area. He's about 250 yards in front of us, the size of a car and walking parallel to our position down the slope. A real beauty but I am thinking he's going to drop into or scent line. I watch him through the scope and can see the response as soon as he hits our scent. He spins and sticks his nose in the air, lifting slightly on the back legs. He drops down and looks right at us. He starts to trot in our direction.

Now I'm thinking fast. Shoot, run, shoot in the air. I look through the scope again. He's too big to shoot with a 7mm08. I don't like the odds. He stops and sniffs the air again. I decide the truck 400 yards away is better odds. We slide out of the makeshift hide, keeping our elevation low and get below the rise so he can't see us then run.

400 yards seems like a mile.

As we get to the truck he comes running over the brow of the hill, stops and just stares. We get in, look back and he is gone.

All the time I am running I am thing man that would make a hell of a rug.

[Scouter]

Wow! That sure sounds exciting! Glad you made it to the truck. Your son will never forget this moment with dad.

[stickflicker]

Yikes! Good thing you got out of there before he got too close.

[freeride]

Sounds like he didnt realize that you were humans. As soon as he saw you by the truck he left. Maybe getting out of the blind and showing yourself as a human may have changed his mind about trotting your way. Seeing something low and running may insight a predatory response.

Ofcourse i wasnt there and am armchair QB here.

Definatly a pucker factor non the less.

[pickrel pat]

Originally Posted by freeride

Sounds like he didnt realize that you were humans. As soon as he saw you by the truck he left. Maybe getting out of the blind and showing yourself as a human may have changed his mind about trotting your way. Seeing something low and running may insight a predatory response.

Ofcourse i wasnt there and am armchair QB here.

Definatly a pucker factor non the less.

I think a big old bear knew exactly what a human smell is.....

[robson3954]

Best thing you can do is stand up so you're visible and start yelling. I'm sure he just wanted to confirm his nose. At that distance they won't consider you a threat, so let them know you're there and back out of the area calmly all the while giving some yells so he knows what you are.
I've spent thousands of hrs in grizz country, hiking, climbing, fly fishing and our modus operandi is shout every few mins and especially when entering 'prime' areas like avi paths and meadows. Have had 2 close encounters but no aggressive ones in all those years. Now, in considerably less time spent hunting in grizz country going quiet, I've had 5.
It's well established that making human noise is your best chance at decreasing your number of encounters.

[nelsonob1]

I hear you guys - shout, make yourself visible. By no means would I consider myself expert but I've hunted 30 years, the last twelve in grizzly territory and I have had my share of encounters. This boar was BIG. He knew exactly what we were, pursued us immediately on taking our scent. No hesitation.

I have been around bears. They usually stop and think. Normally I would have stayed put. Done the usual things. Shot it if it got within fifty yards -even with a lighter rifle.

I reckon the only reason I am back typing at the keyboard is because I saw it before it smelled me. Simple as that.

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by nelsonob1

I hear you guys - shout, make yourself visible. By no means would I consider myself expert but I've hunted 30 years, the last twelve in grizzly territory and I have had my share of encounters. This boar was BIG. He knew exactly what we were, pursued us immediately on taking our scent. No hesitation.

I have been around bears. They usually stop and think. Normally I would have stayed put. Done the usual things. Shot it if it got within fifty yards -even with a lighter rifle.

I reckon the only reason I am back typing at the keyboard is because I saw it before it smelled me. Simple as that.

Yup, some bears are bad bears...

[waterninja]

Sounds to me like you did the right thing. Lots of options but we've had enough bad grizzly news this season.
However, would have been nice if you had a bigger gun.

[Hercster]

I was just down in 400 camped along linx creek and had a big sow grizz with 2 cubs almost same size as her come walking into our camp right before dark! They could have cared less about us and had absolutely no fear of us! I think it took about 10 bullets fired in the air to finally scare them off! That was a sleepless night I'll tell you! Never saw em again. Talked to other people who saw lots of grizz there too! It's sad I go hunting now and have to worry so much about grizz out there, never felt this way before! It's time these bears get some fear put back in em!!!

[pdfish]

Originally Posted by Hercster

I was just down in 400 camped along linx creek and had a big sow grizz with 2 cubs almost same size as her come walking into our camp right before dark! They could have cared less about us and had absolutely no fear of us! I think it took about 10 bullets fired in the air to finally scare them off! That was a sleepless night I'll tell you! Never saw em again. Talked to other people who saw lots of grizz there too! It's sad I go hunting now and have to worry so much about grizz out there, never felt this way before! It's time these bears get some fear put back in em!!!

If you had peppered spray them, that likely would have put enough fear in them.

[pickrel pat]

Originally Posted by pdfish

If you had peppered spray them, that likely would have put enough fear in them.

That would of just been silly. To approach within spray distance when it isn't neccesary. Especially a sow with cubs in tow.

[pdfish]

Originally Posted by pickrel pat

That would of just been silly. To approach within spray distance when it isn't neccesary. Especially a sow with cubs in tow.

He said it walked into their camp, sounds close enough to me.

[elkhunter11]

I reckon the only reason I am back typing at the keyboard is because I saw it before it smelled me. Simple as that.

It's not as simple as that .I have hunted grizzly, and once a grizzly smelled us, it usually left the area ASAP.

There were a couple of bears that became curious and came closer, but none actually charged us, once they had smelled us.

The one grizzly that did charge us, was directly upwind of us, and could not smell us. He made a beautiful rug.

[Hercster]

Originally Posted by pdfish

He said it walked into their camp, sounds close enough to me.

They were at the edge of camp about a hundred yards away and wasn't letting em get any closer!!