School Me on Hunting In Grizz Country

MTLabrador said:
I’d carry the .357 with a good 180 or 158 gr bullet that will penetrate deep. Depending on where you’re planning on going you might have a small chance of bumping into a bear or you might be dealing with them on a regular basis. I personally don’t buy the idea that you don’t have to worry about them or you’re more likely to be struck by lightning, etc.

If you spend enough time hunting areas with a significant grizzly population it’s when, not if, you’re going to run into them. Have a plan, stick to it, avoid the high risk places as much as possible, and don’t panic when you finally do bump into one. I’ve run into grizzlies up close and still enjoy hunting some pretty high density grizzly country in Montana. They add something to the experience.
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Telegraph basin?
 
I spent 30 years in griz country in interior Alaska and had 5 close caĺls. I always carried bear spray and either a rifle or shotgun. AK Fish and Game has some good videos about electric fence around camp. We used electric fence at fish camp and a lighter fence setup for backpacking.

I started with a .44 magnum revolver but was not good enough to hit a fast softball sized target running towards me. What impressed me was how many 180gr partitions from a .300mag rifle a griz can take if the first shot is not in the brain or spine. The speed of a charging bear is surprisingly fast, so instant access to bear spray is key.
 
FREAK said:
Spent a decent number of nights in griz country. I almost always have had an electric fence. A few tent nights but usually don’t sleep great. Usually drop a camp early or bring one in with dirt bikes, horses, or lamas if my friends are going with me. Just helps us sleep better at night. Thankfully I haven’t had to see how well it actually works. Always hang our food and eat away from camp. If we kill an elk we try and hang the quarters 100ish yards away in a visible area so we can see it as we approach the next day. I always carry the big bear spray and a sidearm. View attachment 326589View attachment 326590
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With that fence, you had better be careful where you pee at night. 😀
 
For what it’s worth, I have lived and hunted my entire life in grizzly country. We had them all summer when we lived near West Yellowstone. For the most part, they are solitary animals, until they aren’t.

You can ask any survivor of a bear mauling and they will tell you their perspective is different than before. Bear spray is still sold as the best deterrent, but I don’t put a lot of faith in it. A sidearm is my preferred method, but you still have to be proficient enough to kill the bear before he kills you. I have a 3 inch S&W 686+ with 7 rounds.

We hunt the greater Yellowstone area every fall during bow season and I see and know of grizzlies constantly in the area. There are campgrounds throughout the area and people are not bothered by the bears in those campgrounds.

I won’t camp in a tent anywhere near an area that there are bears. Electric fences work where there aren’t any bears, there are enough instances where bears went through them to get to the elk hanging behind the fence.

I would not go alone under any circumstance and not be too afraid during rifle season, as a rifle is you best bear deterrent. I have seen many bluff charges, and they don’t come charging at you with their mouth open and roaring like the movies portray them. They can move fast and quiet.

Keep your head on a swivel, they are out there and are a click of 2 above humans on the food chain. This was year before last, we saw plenty of sign and more than 4 different grizzlies…



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Dsnow9 said:
I drew a Wy general west tag and will be hunting in Grizz country. I grew up in Colorado and contrary to some social media personalities beliefs I’ve never hunted or camped in Grizz country. I am coming at this completely green. I will take any and all pointers and recommendations people have.
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I think it’s fun. These are just my opinions after doing this for two years. I spent almost all summer in the mountains West of Cody. Every bear I’ve seen at this point, once it figured out I was a human, was outta there. Carry a revolver on your chest. 357 mag is fine. I don’t like semi autos in the backcountry. Dirt, grit, mud and rain gets in the action and can cause a problem. The wheel guns hold up a lot better and don’t need to be cleaned as often. I carry a Ruger GP 100 with 140 extreme penetrators.I Don’t trust bear spray at all. Especially if you have horses. Your rifle still is your best and main defense. If you have your rifle on a horse. Definitely have a pistol on you at all times. Like I said before chest holster is best. Dogs are great. Horses are great. They let you know what’s around. All the same rules and principles for camping as you would in blackbear country. I think the biggest thing you need to be aware of is having a plan to get the elk meat out. Where I hunt, you must get all the meat in one trip. You can’t come back to the carcass because there will be a bear on it.
 
BAKPAKR said:
With that fence, you had better be careful where you pee at night. 😀
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what makes you think I'm leaving the tent at night??? #widemouthgatoradebottleforthewin


@Dsnow9 same boat, drew WY and got better LE draw odds by applying in a grizzly hotspot

was told by the bio "I've hunted in there a bunch...you probably won't run into a bear but I'd not shoot an elk right at dark."

Following...
 
 
I'd say first off don't let the idea of Grizzlies freak you out. Living in montana I've certainly been around a few and fwiw I have been mostly hunting solo for the last 15 years. Best bear defense in my opinion is using what's between your ears. Be aware of your surroundings and keep yourself calm and collected in the event you run into one.

I carry spray and a handgun during archery season. As for what caliber take the one you shoot the best and load it with some good hardcast /penetrator rounds. I like Buffalo bore, underwood is also good.

I never pack the weight of a bear fence but I know several who do, seems to give them peace of mind. I personally don't have much faith of them stopping a determined bear which is the one that would be a problem anyway. I honestly don't worry much about bears coming in at night other than if I take an animal as it can be hard to get all that scent completely gone when out in the field. I will usually clean up as best as I can and take a change of clothes and keep anything clothing wise that is bloody away from camp. That includes your backpack as well.

A couple other precautions, take a piss a couple times a day around your camp area, 9 out of 10 times they will avoid an area with high human odor. That's also good to do around the meat stache which should be far downwind of camp. When going through thick areas I generally keep my hand on the butt of my revolver or my spray as in the event you did have a bad encounter things will happen fast.

Despite popular belief them grizz aren't hiding behind every bush waiting to snack on the next hunter that walks by....lol

just go and enjoy your hunt and report back here afterwards, good luck!
 

I watched the above vid...it didn't make me feel much better. But, I did notice the guides quartering elk leaving hair on. Interesting concept.

Later found the youtube vids of Eichler quartering elk hair-on in under 10 minutes...again, interesting, bc it would normally take me much, much longer.

Before anyone goes crazy about meat waste w the 10-minute quarter, I'm not saying I'd be 10 minutes and out, but the ability to get an elk quartered more quickly than usual seems like a skill that could potentially come in handy in grizzly country...
 
I’m a flatlander from NJ and have hunted in grizzly country in both WY and MT several times. I bring bear spray and sometimes my 10mm with me for piece of mind. Honestly, it was a bit nerve racking at first, but that goes away quickly. The only times I get a bit nervous is when I’m passing through thick areas with limited visibility and come across fresh bear tracks and crap (griz tracks are unmistakably obvious btw) and when I go back to retrieve game bags after a kill. For that, I hang them in a spot that I can glass from a distance. Luckily, I’ve never encountered a griz over my kill. If I did, I would just surrender it.
Other than that, keep a clean camp, hang your food away from it and you should be good. Don’t sweat it too much. There is awesome elk hunting in grizzly country that makes it well worth it. At least in my experience, elk hunting in griz country has always been better than hunting elk in griz free areas.
 
We used an electric fence around our camp (wall tent) and I know there were grizz around and they never bothered the camp, although they spooked the horses some at night.

And I absolutely would not dress out an elk alone, day or night in timber. An uncle of one of my employees was killed and partially eaten doing that in the morning.

And .357 with Buffalo Bore will be fine.
 
EYJONAS! said:
I saw a pretty interesting test once where people were being trained on how to pull your pistol and defend yourself with rapid shots.

They had a full size grizzly bear shooting out of a 30 ft trailer. On a spring loaded track system this bear would stimulate a bear coming at you approximately 25mph.

It looked very intense. Keep in mind these people are less that 20ft from the trailer so 50 feet from the start line.

The most insane thing I took away was the actual average of people hitting the bear literally anywhere on the bear was less than a 40 percent average hit. Less than 10 I believe on a "fatal hit" also over 75 percent didn't empty the clip or wheel.

Pretty wild shit, oh yeah and if I remember right a lot of these shooters were actually in law enforcement or something similar. So they weren't any geek off the street.
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Lot to be said for this. I don’t think many people are actually trained or prepared to handle a situation should one really arise.

If you’re going to carry a pistol have a good, reliable, easy to use holster. Tons of them are over complicated pieces of crap IMO. I’m always amazed at the silly straps and retention systems I see on things people carry. I don’t see any way they would be easy to draw from in a situation where you’re dealing with an adrenaline dump or extremely rushed situation
 
Bear spray is better, situantionally. I carry an xdm 10mm (grip safety makes me feel better than a glock/m&p) with a rail mounted flashlight. If you arent comfortable carrying a chambered round - forget the pistol entirely. I dont really care what anyone says about their (non ar 10 anyway) rifle - id have my 10mm empty into a bear before a lot of people put a round in the chamber and shoot their 456 fudderby once.

I hang my food when backpacking/hunting - but ive wanted to get a bear canister. I have used a bear fence - but thats not a license to eat in your tent either. Ultimately it didnt seem worth it.

Shit 100 yards from where you sleep. Eat 100 yards from where you shit... ive slept great.
 
EYJONAS! said:
I saw a pretty interesting test once where people were being trained on how to pull your pistol and defend yourself with rapid shots.

They had a full size grizzly bear shooting out of a 30 ft trailer. On a spring loaded track system this bear would stimulate a bear coming at you approximately 25mph.

It looked very intense. Keep in mind these people are less that 20ft from the trailer so 50 feet from the start line.

The most insane thing I took away was the actual average of people hitting the bear literally anywhere on the bear was less than a 40 percent average hit. Less than 10 I believe on a "fatal hit" also over 75 percent didn't empty the clip or wheel.

Pretty wild shit, oh yeah and if I remember right a lot of these shooters were actually in law enforcement or something similar. So they weren't any geek off the street.
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Thats pretty close... one of the times/spots id want spray...In thick brush/close up - you can deholster and remove the safety if your concerned.

No way id want to have spotted the grizzly saw 50 or 100 yards out and not have my pistol out.
 
So, I haven’t ran into a griz in the wild yet, we will lead with that. However I live less than an hour from Yellowstone natl park and these bears have moved hundreds of miles in the last few decades. There has been confirmed grizzlies in every area I hunt in, and still it’s only the mountains directly bordering Yellowstone that really make me frightened. It’s all in my head, I don’t think twice about grizzlies when I’m hunting unless i am right in big sky Montana. Stupid right? The point is- in all my days of being in the woods, there’s always been griz all around me and I never see or know of them… Knowing they are there is one thing… Being scared to hunt because you know they are there, is all in your head…
 

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