Grizzlies and backpack camping

[Kodiak]

I grew up backpack hunting sitka blacktail on Kodiak island and camping out all the time and i never had any problems with bears. I recently moved to NW Wyo. and am looking to start some back pack hunting for mulies and elk next fall when I will be a resident. The view on bears down here is way different than in AK. I am wondering if the bears are as big of an issue in the backcountry as all of the non hunters i talk with make them out to be? Does any one on here have much experience backpacking in the Greater Yellowstone area or is it really as bad as everyone says it is.

I have seen 8 griz since i moved here in the spring but haven't had any interactions with them. Are the as aggressive as people make them out to be?

Thanks

 

[ScottR]

http://youtu.be/pBijQ8HU6l4

There are a lot of them and they don't really fear humans at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Againstthewind]

http://sportsafield.com/content/hunters-and-grizzlies

I just saw this article today. That seems like a lot of sightings already for you. Way more than me anyway, lol. Maybe there are some references cited in the article.

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/grizzlies-and-gut-piles-study-seeks-to-analyze-hunter-bear/article_65644d3e-2904-5720-89dd-860e68cf2d89.html

It kindof sounded like the Yellowstone grizzlies rely more on meat in their diet than bears with berry and fish food sources, especially this time of year. I heard something about the decline of cutthroat trout being part of it. The part about having the grizz follow the hunters trail is a little unnerving (sp?).

 

[mntnguide]

In the summer, they stay up in the high country and I never have had much problems with them coming into my summer camps...But the moment the season changes and the rifle shots begin, They are around constantly. I guided for 5 years in the Teton Wilderness, and I have been in close quarters with grizzlies far more times than i can count. The only thing i will say is, I wont hunt that country without my horses. You couldnt pay me enough to backpack hunt up there. Ive had days where ive seen 5 different bears a day. We ran 3 strand electric fence around our camp that pushed 11,000 volts at night, and you would wake up to bears hitting it in different spots and just grunting. . Now there are areas with lower population of bears than where I was, but not by much I would say. IF you decide to backpack hunt in WY grizzly country, the first thing you should do is buy the Counter Attack bear fence for backpackers..Nate Simmons uses it in a Western Hunter episode after going through hell the year before with bears around him. . Depends on where you decide to hunt, but i personally will not be hunting up in griz country overnight unless i have my horses. Just my 2 cents from years of experience in the thick of grizzly country WY.

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks for the info guys. Those articles are a good read. My main concern is chasing mulies up high in september. Would you advise against camping out in the 9500 to 10000 ft range that time of year?

 

[mntnguide]

As a wyoming resident...Why are you going into grizzly country to chase mulies? Best mule deer hunting is in non-griz country for the most part. .But if you decide to go into griz country to do that...You wont be alone at those elevations that time of year for sure.

 

[Againstthewind]

It sounds like you have already spent some time up there, but I also wanted to add that there are other dangers at those elevations. Black bears, cougars, wolves, and elevation sickness. A guy died from elevation sickness in the Big Horns this hunting season. I don't think they were even close to the 10000 feet mark. Pretty sad deal. Those Cody and Dubois type mountains are even more remote and help is farther away I think. Just some more food for thought, thought it should be pointed out at least I guess.

 

[live2huntelk]

... Depends on where you decide to hunt, but i personally will not be hunting up in griz country overnight unless i have my horses. Just my 2 cents from years of experience in the thick of grizzly country WY.

Help me understand why you won't hunt griz country without horses? Is it so you can pack electric fence in to protect your camp?

 

[mntnguide]

My horse knows when a grizzly is around long before i do...They are as much an alert as they are for packing gear in. I just personally have no desire to be without horses deep grizzly country. Like i said, i have been within 50 feet to many times to count, and without having my horses around, I would have felt a hell of a lot different about the situation. Also, when it comes to shooting an elk in grizzly country, I like to get ALL the meat from my kill, and having horses or mules with me enables me to get it out quickly..I GUARANTEE you if you are unable to get an elk out quickly, you will return to a furry azz biter who will have buried meat and be guarding the area..another reason i want my horse. I have chased grizzlies off kill areas before, but i am guessing without my horse, I am a lot less scary looking to bear standing on the ground yelling at him. Just my personal opinions on having spent over 500 days in the mountains of NW Wy in the past 5 years in the heart of grizzly areas..Especially now that the population has grown to the fact the bears are pushing further and further out of their previous known range..There is a reason the # of attacks has grown every year in the past 5 years, The bears that get pushed out of their normal areas by bigger bears are more prone to be desperate for food, and I have no desire to happen to camp in the spot that bear decides it is going to find its next meal. I have seen a bear take 11,000 volts and walk away like it was no big deal, They are beyond tough when they are hungry.

 

[Kodiak]

mntnguide Thanks for the info. I got up high a few times this summer and found a few pretty decent bucks in August. It also seems lie the best opportunity to take bucks with a bow from what i found scouting this summer. These last few weeks have been pretty productive in finding lower elevation bucks that I just couldn't seem to turn up on public land in the summer. I am still figuring the area out as few as country and deer movement. I would just like try everything before I rule out options.

 

[mntnguide]

If you can spend some time in the summer in there, you can get an idea what the bear population is probably like...Some areas are thicker than others, and you just want to be prepared. In the summer while running a pack string with clients, I never had an electric fence for all the camps we would set up on roving 4-14 day trips. I have had bears walk right through my camp past my kitchen area and not touch a thing. We obviously bear proof everything each night, but still, I feel in the summer they are more content with their food sources compared to when fall rolls around. If you can spend some time up there, you will know if you want to pick up an electric fence etc...depending on the number of bears you may see or the sign in the area. Good luck, either way, just be prepared for them.

 

[wyohunter1]

Kodiak, where do you live?

 

[Kodiak]

Cody. Moved here this spring. Thanks mtnguide I appreciate it.

 

[mallardsx2]

Sounds like they need to have a season for these dirty buggers.

 

[Joseph]

Every hunt (which is every Sat/Sun plus a few days here and there from Sept 1 to November 30) I go on is in grizzly country. Where I live is grizzly country, every single outdoor activity is in grizzly country. Keep a clean camp, hang food/toiletries 50m from camp preferably downwind, carry bear spray, all the things I'm sure you were already doing in Alaska. I realize I'm not experienced in your area but it can't be all that different then other bear country. I backpack hunt as well and while I hunt solo on my day hunts I always backpack with a partner. Mainly because it's a lot more fun in camp at night and I'm kind of a scaredy cat when it comes to sleeping in the mountains alone at night. If the bear population is as high as indicated a backpacking bear fence is probably a good idea. Don't let the fact that it's bear country deter you from doing what you love. In my experience the most outrageous rumours about the backcountry comes from people who spend little or no time at all in the high country. You camped on Kodiak Island, probably the highest density if g-bears in the world, do what you did there.

 

[AKaviator]

Over the years I have done many solo tent-camp hunts on Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. Maybe I've been lucky but I have never had a problem with those bears, although I have encountered plenty of them, had them circle my tent at night, I slept pretty well at night.
Interior Alaska bears are a different story. They don't have the luxury of big salmon runs, which is why they are generally smaller but also more aggressive. I don't sleep nearly as well in their territory.

I would guess that your grizzlies down there are more aggressive than our coastal bears. I have never seen a lower 48 grizzly but I'd give them plenty of room, In addition to all the other standard protocols...clean camp, etc.

 

[Triple BB]

I've done quite a few trips in the Thorofare. I definitely wouldn't back pack hunt that country without a partner and a dog or two. Last trip up I had a bear walking around the tent one night snorting and grunting. Took a few minutes and one of the camp dogs started barking and chased him off. The next day we got charged. Another camp I hunted with had a large cook tent. All the non perishables were left in the tent and the cook slept in there. I thought he was nuts, but the bears never went in the tent.

 

[Arrow Slinger]

My buddy and I were planning an archery elk backpack trip in the high country of SW Montana next to Yellowstone. Sounds like we might want to rethink this a little.

 

[AKaviator]

I wouldn't let bears stop you. Just plan out your camp spots, keep them really clean and food free and have some bear spray with you.
Getting any meat out, other than the first load can get sporty...be careful there!
Most bears are pretty well behaved, BUT, you do have to be prepared for the ones that aren't!

I also find it good practice in the tent to sit up quick and shout "Quiet, I think I heard a bear", just before you go to sleep. That way your hunting pardner will stay on bear watch the rest of the night while you sleep!

 

[luckynv]

"I also find it good practice in the tent to sit up quick and shout "Quiet, I think I heard a bear", just before you go to sleep. That way your hunting pardner will stay on bear watch the rest of the night while you sleep!"

lol!!!!!!! Thats Funny Ak, God bless