'Would Hunting Grizzlies Reduce Conflict with Humans?' -MeatEater article by Pat Durkin

[MTGomer]

A young Chugach griz smelled me at 400 yards and was gone, never to be seen again.
Beartooth bears don’t care if you’re 50 yards.
Guys that guide brown bear hunts on the peninsula say they’re careful not to walk around much so they don’t scent up the place. I don’t know how much of an actual concern that is but they seem to think that getting a high vantage and not moving much is the way to go as to not spread scent and scare bears away.
I know another guy that studied GYE bears in the 70s for natgeo. These would be bears that were either hunted or descendants of bears that were hunted. He had a sheep tag just outside the park this year and was commenting to me how much different today’s bears act- not running away when they get your wind.
All this is anecdotal and may not mean much

 

[Deleted member 28227]

if their population is stable and sustainable.

As a sportsman and conservation, this is the question I'm most concerned about.

I do wonder if grizzlies were an ungulate or other game animal that didn't directly compete with humans, if we would consider current recovery levels a recovery.

 

[bushman13]

God no, we would think of this griz deer as almost extinct. On the flip side imagine a state having 1 million Grizzlies

As a sportsman and conservation, this is the question I'm most concerned about.

I do wonder if grizzlies were an ungulate or other game animal that didn't directly compete with humans, if we would consider current recovery levels a recovery.

 

[BigHornRam]

More meaningless anecdotal observations from my bar stool. I was watching a sow and 2 cubs through my spotting scope in the Yukon where hunting is allowed. They were about a half mile away or just under a kilometer if you are Canadian. Wind changed and momma quickly ran her cubs over the hill directly away from me.

Next door in the NWT, grizzly hunting is not permitted and the bears there are notoriously aggressive.

Takes years of action or inaction to develop a trend in grizzly behaviour IMO.

 

[MTGomer]

More meaningless anecdotal observations from my bar stool. I was watching a sow and 2 cubs through my spotting scope in the Yukon where hunting is allowed. They were about a half mile away or just under a kilometer if you are Canadian. Wind changed and momma quickly ran her cubs over the hill directly away from me.

Next door in the NWT, grizzly hunting is not permitted and the bears there are notoriously aggressive.

Takes years of action or inaction to develop a trend in grizzly behaviour IMO.

Another anecdote. I was charged by a grizzly bear within 24 hours of getting into the NWT.

This was a young bear and I actually think he had never seen a human before.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

God no, we would think of this griz deer as almost extinct. On the flip side imagine a state having 1 million Grizzlies

Well given that there are only 55k in North America and 600k black bears in North America...

Might be a good alternative to thanos

 

[grizzly_]

Last fall while archery hunting elk in wilderness of NW Wyoming we were pinned down by a sow and two cubs at somewhere around 40-60 yards. With pistols in one hand and bear spray in another, I said to the guide, "What happens if she finds out we're here?" His reply was very telling, "She knows we're here, she just doesn't care."

I can't help but think that having a few shot at wouldn't eventually translate into bears becoming more wary.

To finish the story, I shot an elk just up the drainage a few hundred yards and the bears buried the carcass and stole the backstraps before we got back the next morning. It was a great hunt and definitely gave me appreciation for what the locals in grizzly country deal with every time they go out.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

Another anecdote. I was charged by a grizzly bear within 24 hours of getting into the NWT.

This was a young bear and I actually think he had never seen a human before.

My anecdotal experiences are as follows.

NWT
14 days in NWT and every grizz we saw ran the other way. Probably 8 different encounters. Two encounters at 50 yds and under all others farther away. Two years before my hunt the outfitter had a hunter and guide attacked by a grizz while cutting up a moose. Hunter died. The year before he had a hunter attacked by a grizz while glassing for sheep. Hunter lived.

AK
Every grizz I have ever seen in AK ran the other way when I made myself known. Had one sow with two cubs walk up behind me while resting by a river. They where coming in downwind of me and had to know i was there. Day 10 of the hunt. She could have smelled me upwind from 2 miles. I finally saw them at 40 yards and stood up. She stood, looked me over for a few seconds then high tailed it out of there, cubs followed. Had a young black bear come in to within 15 yards for my FIL and I on a moose hunt. Would not leave. Yelled, threw branches, nothing would get him to leave. Shot him at 5 yards after 5 minutes of trying to get him to leave.

WYO
Every grizz I have ever encountered in Wyo, not many, has run the other direction at first sense.

All this tells me that there are no absolutes and bears are as varied in attitude as are humans.

 

[beginnerhunter]

To your point, black bears are hunted pretty hard, and I still have luck calling them in with predator calls.

Are you sure it wasn't a grizzly? I know for a FACT there are still Grizzlies in Colorado. I've seen pictures of brown 800+lb bears in Colorado. And its impossible to overestimate the weight of a bear.

I think it was meateater or hunttalk podcast cant remember, but they were talking about the dangers of using the population management argument to justify hunting. Their example was New Zealand saying, "oh well let's just eliminate the non-native species, problem solved". Not saying it shouldn't be a part of the argument, but not the whole.

 

[walking buffalo]

Name the animals that do Not become more wary of humans when hunted....

I've got nothin'.

 

[bushman13]

Spruce hens? Frogs?

I'm with you though

Name the animals that do Not become more wary of humans when hunted....

I've got nothin'.

 

[walking buffalo]

Spruce hens? Frogs?

I'm with you though

I've hunted both, and both become more wary after being hunted.

Made me recall a leopard frog that was uncatchable by our gang.... stupid frog! lol...

 

[geetar]

And besides, why do we need to justify hunting grizzly bears if their population is stable and sustainable. They are a big game animal. We don't need any reason beyond that.

Simple and to the point. I like it. and I fully agree.

 

[Bigjay73]

Old ass thread, but what the hell,