Grizzly Bears in Colorado's San Juans

[5MilesBack]

Any hunter that saw one or took pics of one would keep his trap shut, because he'd know that every bear nut in the country and more people would flood that area with pressure.

 

[LostArra]

Any hunter that saw one or took pics of one would keep his trap shut, because he'd know that every bear nut in the country and more people would flood that area with pressure.

Keeping one's trap shut is a rare quality in any group of people today, especially hunters.

 

[3forks]

Yeah, hunters or anyone else who realizes what verifying grizzlies in the San Juans would mean in terms of restrictions placed on the region to protect them.

Honestly, if there are grizzlies left in Colorado, they've done a remarkable job of adapting to survive against tremendous odds. I'm not sure a concerted effort by state agencies or the Feds could do much to benefit any bears that possibly remain.

If anything, the effort to locate bears, trap and collar them, monitor their movements, etc. would probably do more harm to the bears than if they were just left alone.

 

[Summit1]

I believe that they're here as well. My parents have lived in a somewhat rural area of central Northern CO for 20 years, they see dozens of bears every year because of the fruit trees on their property. They also get to see lots of variation in colors of black bears, some of the cinnamons are almost blonde. I'm pretty confident that the couple of encounters that my parents have had with what they think were grizzlys were legitimate. I don't have any pics to share, but I think they're here. Brad

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

They are just good at hiding..... just like the Colorado Sasquatch....

 

[Capt.Brown]

I would agree that a Wolverine is different! I have known several people who claim to have seen Grizzlies in the lower San Juans near Pagosa Springs. But as was stated above most people at a distance and in poor light wouldn’t know the difference between a black and a griz.... we must remember that if you look, and believe hard enough you will find what your looking for! Whether real or an imagined!

 

[Ralphie]

For whatever reason it seems to be a trend for folks to “wish” for predators that probably aren’t there. Grizzlies in Colorado, lions in the NE and established packs of wolves wherever. And there’s always the game agency that is denying the presence of whatever animal it is.

The general public has no clue. Every coyote and color phase black bear in Yellowstone is a wolf or grizzly.

 

[prm]

I doubt they are there, but I had a bear mess with an elk carcass and the tracks it left behind seemed quite large for a black bear. My entire boot easily fit inside the print.

Also, the “last” bear killed had its cubs run off, and presumably there would have been a male there somewhere.

 

[SoDaky]

And black panthers.

 

[tdhanses]

I still like to think there may be a few.

 

[lif]

For whatever reason it seems to be a trend for folks to “wish” for predators that probably aren’t there. Grizzlies in Colorado, lions in the NE and established packs of wolves wherever. And there’s always the game agency that is denying the presence of whatever animal it is.

The general public has no clue. Every coyote and color phase black bear in Yellowstone is a wolf or grizzly.

Definitely Some truth to your claims of folks misidentifying animals, but if you think the state wildlife/biologists are always correct or never withhold such information from the public, then you just haven’t paid attention to many recent stories across the West. No offense meant by me, but clearly we don’t get all the info or at least not accurate info at times.

 

[Gulfgoose]

If you asked a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist about mountain lions they'd say we don't have them where I'm from either. Every local that spends time in the brush long enough knows it's a lie. Wildlife officials typically refuse to believe anything unless they see it themselves.

 

[Muleyslayer14]

Let’s not forget about the wolf killed in southern Utah 1 or 2 years ago by a coyote hunter. The wolf was collared and had been down around the Grand Canyon and was making its way back north. Some animals just like to go for walkabouts I suppose.

 

[2ski]

So last time I was hunting in the San Juan's, i was sitting up glassing on the top of a mountain. Out into this opening in the trees. Not very big. I hear the most awful noise and smell a horrible smell. I'm camo'd up and sitting very still. About 10 yards away from me this commotion starts up. There's definitely two things fighting but its morning and it's not fully light yet. Snarling, growling, woofing. I'm starting to get really scared. But I don't want to move. I'm frozen. I'm trying to look through the underbrush, but all I can make out is two large bodies fighting. It's a real pucker moment. This goes on for what seems like 20 minutes, though I'm sure it was only a minute or 2. They get out in the clearing and the sun's come up just enough I think I can see them if I lift my binos up. And what do I see. A grizzly bear(I'm positive of this), fighting with a mountain lion. But then I look closer and it's not a mtn lion. It's a gosh darn sabertooth tiger. I can't believe it. All the sudden the grizzly takes a tusk to the guy and it's done for. But it's still fighting. All the sudden a body rushes out and it's Big Foot, and it lets out a terrifying howl/yell. It's going to kill one of them. I'm not sure which. But it's not done. Before I can do anything I see a White Walker come out and kill Big Foot with it's sword....and then the big foot's eyes turn blue, look at me, and I'm out of there.

I've never been to the San Juans. I don't know if griz are there. lol

 

[Laelkhunter]

So last time I was hunting in the San Juan's, i was sitting up glassing on the top of a mountain. Out into this opening in the trees. Not very big. I hear the most awful noise and smell a horrible smell. I'm camo'd up and sitting very still. About 10 yards away from me this commotion starts up. There's definitely two things fighting but its morning and it's not fully light yet. Snarling, growling, woofing. I'm starting to get really scared. But I don't want to move. I'm frozen. I'm trying to look through the underbrush, but all I can make out is two large bodies fighting. It's a real pucker moment. This goes on for what seems like 20 minutes, though I'm sure it was only a minute or 2. They get out in the clearing and the sun's come up just enough I think I can see them if I lift my binos up. And what do I see. A grizzly bear(I'm positive of this), fighting with a mountain lion. But then I look closer and it's not a mtn lion. It's a gosh darn sabertooth tiger. I can't believe it. All the sudden the grizzly takes a tusk to the guy and it's done for. But it's still fighting. All the sudden a body rushes out and it's Big Foot, and it lets out a terrifying howl/yell. It's going to kill one of them. I'm not sure which. But it's not done. Before I can do anything I see a White Walker come out and kill Big Foot with it's sword....and then the big foot's eyes turn blue, look at me, and I'm out of there.

I've never been to the San Juans. I don't know if griz are there. lol

No tags for any of them??

 

[Btaylor]

So last time I was hunting in the San Juan's, i was sitting up glassing on the top of a mountain. Out into this opening in the trees. Not very big. I hear the most awful noise and smell a horrible smell. I'm camo'd up and sitting very still. About 10 yards away from me this commotion starts up. There's definitely two things fighting but its morning and it's not fully light yet. Snarling, growling, woofing. I'm starting to get really scared. But I don't want to move. I'm frozen. I'm trying to look through the underbrush, but all I can make out is two large bodies fighting. It's a real pucker moment. This goes on for what seems like 20 minutes, though I'm sure it was only a minute or 2. They get out in the clearing and the sun's come up just enough I think I can see them if I lift my binos up. And what do I see. A grizzly bear(I'm positive of this), fighting with a mountain lion. But then I look closer and it's not a mtn lion. It's a gosh darn sabertooth tiger. I can't believe it. All the sudden the grizzly takes a tusk to the guy and it's done for. But it's still fighting. All the sudden a body rushes out and it's Big Foot, and it lets out a terrifying howl/yell. It's going to kill one of them. I'm not sure which. But it's not done. Before I can do anything I see a White Walker come out and kill Big Foot with it's sword....and then the big foot's eyes turn blue, look at me, and I'm out of there.

I've never been to the San Juans. I don't know if griz are there. lol

If you had been hunting with a primitive bow you would have been fine cause you would have had a quiver full of arrows with knapped obsidian heads.

 

[Trr15]

So last time I was hunting in the San Juan's, i was sitting up glassing on the top of a mountain. Out into this opening in the trees. Not very big. I hear the most awful noise and smell a horrible smell. I'm camo'd up and sitting very still. About 10 yards away from me this commotion starts up. There's definitely two things fighting but its morning and it's not fully light yet. Snarling, growling, woofing. I'm starting to get really scared. But I don't want to move. I'm frozen. I'm trying to look through the underbrush, but all I can make out is two large bodies fighting. It's a real pucker moment. This goes on for what seems like 20 minutes, though I'm sure it was only a minute or 2. They get out in the clearing and the sun's come up just enough I think I can see them if I lift my binos up. And what do I see. A grizzly bear(I'm positive of this), fighting with a mountain lion. But then I look closer and it's not a mtn lion. It's a gosh darn sabertooth tiger. I can't believe it. All the sudden the grizzly takes a tusk to the guy and it's done for. But it's still fighting. All the sudden a body rushes out and it's Big Foot, and it lets out a terrifying howl/yell. It's going to kill one of them. I'm not sure which. But it's not done. Before I can do anything I see a White Walker come out and kill Big Foot with it's sword....and then the big foot's eyes turn blue, look at me, and I'm out of there.

I've never been to the San Juans. I don't know if griz are there. lol

I'm calling BS on this. Bigfoot's range doesn't extend beyond the pacific northwest. Everyone knows this!

 

[2ski]

No tags for any of them??

No. Because none of them officially exist in CO.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Laelkhunter]

Thought it would be kinda like hogs here in La, no season and no limit.

 

[ElkElkGoose]

Ive only told my fiance about this but I watched a wolverine through binos and then a spotting scope for about 20 minutes in a 11k bowl of a wilderness area last year in CO. Mottled Brown and black, typical herky jerky adhd weasel movements. . With the spotting scope I could clearly make out a weird shaped head and a big bushy tail. It was like watching an xl martin in its behavior. The most amazing thing was the amount of ground that it could cover on the slope as it was exploring everything.