Idaho Diamondcreek Grizz Sow and 2 cubs

[Cheesehead]

I will add theres a significant population of color phase blacks in that area that could easily be mistaken. Many people dont understand black bears come in all colors and some even have pronounced humps. It would be pretty easy for a goober from Illinois or simular place that has never seen a bear to think griz if a color phase sow had the right sunlight shining on her or if he only got quick glimpse. If a tourist in Yellowstone wants to see a wolf, guess what they see when a coyote runs by....

So you’re saying I didn’t spy a grizzly in Colorado?? I swear it was brown!

 

[44hunter45]

So not this old girl?

Grizzly Travels 2,800 Miles for Food and Shelter, Puzzling Wildlife Biologists

Ethyl, the grizzly, is a walker. In fact, GPS collars have followed here around North America to the tune of 2,800 miles.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[mxracer317]

So not this old girl?

Grizzly Travels 2,800 Miles for Food and Shelter, Puzzling Wildlife Biologists

Ethyl, the grizzly, is a walker. In fact, GPS collars have followed here around North America to the tune of 2,800 miles.

www.outdoorlife.com

Dang. When i was a kid I use to play in the hills near Eureka (Trego). Kind frightening to read about this and think what if.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Definitely black bear track

 

[Lilhowie83]

So you got me thinking more and more about it all night, because of all the time that I have spent in 76 and 66a. I love that area and spend a lot of time up there even just hiking in the summer and I have never seen any sign of Grizz.

So I started looking at some numbers.
There are a lot of hunters that spend a ton of days in there looking through glass and covering a lot of country with their boots and not really any reported sighting of grizz in unit 76. The numbers are as follows. These are from the 2020 harvest statistics.

Elk
‐All of September you have 1124 archery hunters who spent 11433 days in the field.

-Oct. 1-Oct. 24 you have 450 rifle hunters, who were lucky enough to draw, spending a total of 2353 days in the field.

-Nov. 1- Nov 30- there are 700 hunters who spent 3933 days in the field looking for a cow elk.

Deer
-In September there were 619 Archery hunters that spentva total of 6126 days in the field.

-Oct. 10-24 there were 3178 rifle deer hunters that spent 16628 days in the field.

I'm not including spring and fall bear in here either because they don't have a number reported of number of hunters or days hunted, but I'll bet there are at least 100 hunters that spend 500-1000 days in the field.

So in total between deer and elk, you have 6071 hunters that spent 40473 days in the field. That is a lot of time covering ground with boots and with glass with no reported sightings.

The other thing that crossed my mind was the number of sheep up there in the summer. There are several sheep herds and a lot of sheep herders that are constantly moving sheep across the landscape. The sheep would make easy prey for a grizz and I have never heard of any encounters between grizz and sheep herders or sheep. I also wouldn't put it past the Peruvian sheep herders to shoot a grizz if they found one molesting their sheep.

I'm not saying there aren't any Grizzlies in 76 yet, but I'm saying the odds are pretty low.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Apparently twice his hand size from what he told me

Sounds like I had better be bear hunting in Unit 76 this spring.

 

[TheTone]

Black bear track i believe, doesnt surprise if there is griz in that area but thats not her track. I can guarantee you if there is one there idaho g&f will definitely deny it! Not sure why they have this approach but experiance says its a policy of some sort, most do it.

Maybe they give denials because so many reports are false? I know a couple near me that reported seeing a sow with cubs a couple years ago. The account they gave changed so much over a month or so. From initially being tracks, to a physical sighting, and finally to a confrontation. They were pretty well known as local nut jobs and were most likely just seeking attention

 

[Preston.W_HDO]

Sounds like I had better be bear hunting in Unit 76 this spring.

I’ll have a few baits up there this spring. I did catch a big track in a different area. The black bear population has grown quite a bit up there. 5 years ago I had never seen any sign or a black bear. Now this year we ran into three and got a pic of a sow and cub on the pond we sit at.

 

[ccc23454]

That is a lot of time covering ground with boots and with glass with no reported sightings.

Who and why would you report it to? Where could you see these reports?

Maybe they give denials because so many reports are false? I know a couple near me that reported seeing a sow with cubs a couple years ago. The account they gave changed so much over a month or so. From initially being tracks, to a physical sighting, and finally to a confrontation. They were pretty well known as local nut jobs and were most likely just seeking attention

Agreed, lots of false sightings but dont deny their existence. Most times these are just roaming bears looking for food and/or safety away from established areas. But realize these populations are expanding so territory will also. If you have sightings proven or not your likely only few years away from your very own resident populations.

 

[Lilhowie83]

Who and why would you report it to? Where could you see these reports?

There are plenty of people out there, who if they saw one, who would report it to fish and game.

But even more than that, in this world of social media, almost anyone who saw a grizzly would have pictures of it plastered on social media so they could try and become insta famous.

Also like I said, if there were Grizzlies in there, there would be interactions with the sheep herds and fish and game would be aware of it.

 

[kwyeewyk]

Wildlife agencies are constantly dealing with wildlife observations, both internal and external, and even the internal observations are ranked as far as certainly/reliability. For rare/endangered species it is usually sensitive information, and unless there's a need to inform the public there's not much point in them announcing every possible sighting of a species.

As shown by the article above about Ethyl the grizzly bear, they can wander like crazy, and rarely be detected. Unless there's multiple confirmed documentation of bears in an area the biologists are going to say there's no known bears in an area, but they will usually say it's possible, practice bear safety, etc. because they know it's always possible.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Who and why would you report it to? Where could you see these reports?

Agreed, lots of false sightings but dont deny their existence. Most times these are just roaming bears looking for food and/or safety away from established areas. But realize these populations are expanding so territory will also. If you have sightings proven or not your likely only few years away from your very own resident populations.

I guess I’m not seeing the denial of actual bears. I do remember IDF&G putting out a lot of press releases and education a couple years ago about that bachelor grizz that had moved in to the Kelly Creek area. They basically showed the bears progress on where they though he crossed over up north, down through the Cd’A NF, into the Joe, and south through the Clearwater. No denial, just a “yup, there’s a g-bear somewhere in there. Here’s how you tell the difference… what your top not.”

 

[Lilhowie83]

I find it interesting that if you look in the State Big game Regulations, they say in units 64, 65, 66 and 67 "Grizzly bears may be encountered," same thing with all the units around Island Park. But in units 66A and 76 they don't say anything about encountering grizz. I have no doubt that there might be an occasional Grizzly wonder through, but I don't think any are taking up residency yet.