Grizzly Experiences

[Gellar]

I've seen a few from safe distances but have had one very close encounter while camping in Kananaskis country with my wife. I was woken up in the middle of the night by my wife jabbing me in the ribs with her elbow and whispering "what's that???". I rose to a bear sniffing our tent a few feet away from my head.

Scared the bear away and it ran towards an inlet so I knew it would be back. My wife spent the rest of the night in the car, which she locked me out of, while I went back to sleep. I was woken up again an hour or so later when the bear came back to leave the inlet.

All unexpected bear encounters I've had, black or grizz, have always ended the same: a scared bear running away and my heart racing for 15 or so minutes...

At least she stayed. My wife probably would have drove the truck to the nearest motel and left me there.

 

[SaskHunter]

At least she stayed. My wife probably would have drove the truck to the nearest motel and left me there.

When I asked her if she had really locked the doors she just said "ya, I didn't want the bear to try and open the door". To which I replied "what about me?". She finally just said "you chose to stay outside..."

 

[Gerald Martin]

Been bluff charged once in the Cabinet Mtns.
Had an elk I shot claimed by a bear once. We made a bunch of noise going into the area and the bear was not in sight when we arrived so we were able to salvage most of the meat and get out without incident.
Most other of the dozen or so I have seen were at much more comfortable distances.

 

[JEL]

I have had one encounter and this was several years ago. I was bowhunting elk and heard a bunch of ravens making a racket so I went to investigate. Found a dead beef cow with bear scat all around it. Got to looking and saw a black bear nearby. I decided to back out and go back in the next day since I had a bear tag. Sneaking in the next day and got to 15 yards of the dead cow and there was a griz on it. Uh oh. He winded me and thankfully took off.

 

[Trap]

No real dangerous encounters for me but I have had a few that made me nervous! I had found where a bear had been feeding and set up a tree stand. (Piece of plywood about 12 feet up a tree.) Anyways I sat up there and was correct on a bear feeding in the area but it was a grizzly who stayed mostly right under the tree until well after dark. I was 17 and had more desire to kill a bear than common sense. Or you could just say I was stupid The walk (run) out from the tree stand in the dark was an interesting experience. I have ran into a few fishing remote rivers in Alaska. The only one that creeped me out was the bear that I think associated us with an easy meal of fish. We kept moving quite a ways down river and he just kept showing up. After a few attempts to lose him we just decided we didn’t need to fish any more. I have seen a few from a safe distance and that’s always cool. We ran into one on horseback and one side of trail was straight down and i was pretty close to crapping my pants on that one but it worked out fine

 

[Kaitum]

I've been close enough to have my hand up their ass collecting fecal samples Tranquilized them first, of course. I've collared and collected samples from a couple dozen. Had to spray and haze about a dozen. Never had to kill one, thankfully.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I've only seen one (in Glacier NP). I watched it from a good distance as it dug up ground squirrels. The speed with which it could dig was truly humbling. I have a friend who was mauled years ago, in MT. She has some very impressive scars...

One thing I find interesting about griz country is the way it makes me want other people around. I'll still go out hiking, but I'd MUCH rather be with another person, or two.

 

[Sytes]

collecting fecal samples

Haha! Ever had one lethargic-like begin to wake while collaring or... eh, would hate to be on the receiving end with your hand up it's arse...

 

[MTLabrador]

Cool coincidental post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRKF1yXJC6r/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

[mtmiller]

Pulled over to take a wizz, but dicked around for a couple seconds before opening the pickup door. Looked up and this gal was walking right at me. Quickly dropped the window and grabbed the camera. No crop.

https://flic.kr/p/UAMEjC

I have seen a few in MT and AK while hunting, but no issues.

Here is another sow that I saw in Yellowstone a couple years ago.

https://flic.kr/p/27N8Ryt

 

[Carnage2011]

I called one into 18 yards while elk hunting a few years ago. It headed out as soon as it realized I wasn’t an elk.

Walked into one in the dark and had a couple tense minutes, but ultimately I slipped around it without any issues.

I’ve had a couple other semi close encounters but those two were the closest.

 

[Doublecluck]

Opening morning last year we ran in to one nearly center of the trail about 3 miles in the Madison’s at 4am eating something dead. It was super Smoky all we would catch was the reflection of the eyes but if you shined a flashlight and looked thru your Binos you could clearly see it was a big harry hump back. even after making lots of noise it completely ignored us and just kept goin about its business, we turned around and left. Scariest walk back to the truck ever, you couldn’t see very far from the smoke and we knew there was a bear close. Pretty Erie..


A few weeks later I called in one in the gravellies, we had 2-3 bulls working that went silent all a sudden, we stepped in to a clearing and it was about 100 yards out at mid level bear run, instantly drew my 10 mm (completely instinct) and yelled bear and at about 50 yards it veered off and went away from us.


Other than that I’ve seen plenty in that country from a distance.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

Never seen a grizzly and I'm 100% okay with that for now. I've seen tracks and found fur on a post once. I did follow grizzly tracks thinking they were black bear tracks....before finally looking at a clear track and deciding to start walking the other direction.
The one time I didn't check out a new area with my dad this summer, he saw a grizzly on the road. I think the grizzlies are avoiding me as much as I am avoiding them

 

[Kaitum]

Haha! Ever had one lethargic-like begin to wake while collaring or... eh, would hate to be on the receiving end with your hand up it's arse...

Though we were long gone by the time they come around, that scenario still runs through your mind every time.

 

[Otto Matic]

TMI.

TMI? ?

 

[MTLabrador]

The coolest encounter I’ve had happened while hunting bears this spring. We spotted a very nice black bear and almost got a shot at him before he wandered off into the timber. That evening I came back and sat in the timber at the edge of a small park about 100 yards from where he had been feeding, hoping to wait him out. I noticed some new tracks that were postholing through the snow where his tracks that morning had stayed on top of the snow.

30 minutes later I was glassing and caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head a bit and saw an XL boar grizzly standing 15-20 yards away shaking his head back and forth, sniffing the air. I stood up and pointed my rifle at him, and at the same time he stood up on his hind legs and locked eyes with me. Somehow the only words that came to mind were “I will shoot you in the F-ing face”. He dropped back down, woofed a few times at me, and turned around and walked off.

 

[Straight Arrow]

TMI? ?

Too much information.

 

[Randi]

Salmonchaser and Panda Bear : Your up!

I have encountered them both when fishing and hunting. Some bluff charges but never anything life threatening. I tend to not challenge them when fishing. If they want the spot I am in, I let them have it. Never had any issues when hunting them. The "town" bears can be more worrisome, as they are out of their element, dogs are barking, people are yelling. My father once told me that he knew how they felt, as he once waited on mom at a busy beauty parlor. He wanted to be gone but was not sure how to do so

 

[rwc101]

Really shocked I haven't seen a grizzly considering how many drunk guys have told me they're in the Snowies.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Never in Montana… or Colorado

Seen them in AK.