Montana archery hunt 2020

[Roughwater]

eah, one of the guys last year actually stepped over a log and stepped on one that was asleep. There's no gunfighter on here quick enough to react to that.

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I heard about that and that would be incredibly unlucky.

I hope someone put a sign up Hazard sign up after that saying "Dang big bear lives here, watch your step!!!". But nobody reads the signs on the highway anymore so that sign probably wouldn't get read either.

Yea as to a motion alarm we have one in the driveway and it goes off a lot on a windy day. I'm an electronics guy so I could probably engineer one. There's always the cord with bells attached but if in a real sound sleep not sure if that would wake me but might rattle an animal that's trying to sneak around quietly.

 

[Brendan]

 

[sneaky]

would love to hear the rest of that story

His buddy is on here I believe. There was a thread about it not long after it happened and he commented. It's a friend of his from Ohio who stepped on the bear. Mauled his foot, he dumped several rounds from a 45 in its head, said it didn't even faze the bear.

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[nidaho]

I carry pistol on me all the time. I hunt like normal but I have only hunted in grizzly country. I have called them in very close chit my pants looks like a tank coming at you. I do carry spray and pistol when going back in for meat. I think the pistol is really to make me feel good it’s so thick where I hunt he would be in me to fast. It’s only real use would Be after he mauls me to put it in his mouth and pull the trigger when he comes back to finish me off.

 

[pbcarch]

So if you are doing a 2 man team archery hunt ....and you are switching off from shooter to caller daily, how many of you have the caller packing a long gun as back-up ?
Paul


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[Elk97]

So if you are doing a 2 man team archery hunt ....and you are switching off from shooter to caller daily, how many of you have the caller packing a long gun as back-up ?
Paul


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None that I've ever seen elk hunting. Spray is the most common bear defense you see in the woods, it's lighter to pack and easy to carry on your belt so you have it all the time. I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy so I carry a revolver and spray all the time.

From the comments on here from people that have actually had to fend off a grizzly it sounds like you are likely to not even have time to get off one round so I'm sticking with the six gun vs the semi auto. A 44 with hard cast ammo is reassuring.

 

[netman]

I’m from the Midwest and too stupid to be afraid of bears.
I pack spay and a handgun.
A Montanan laughed at me when he seen I had spray and a handgun. I think his comment was ‘boy you’ve got it covered’ as he was looking me up and down chuckling.
All he had was a twenty year old compound bow.
He made me feel uncomfortable so I put the spray in the truck.
I’m honestly more concerned about my truck getting broken into more than I worry about bears. That’s why I put a deer camera out aimed on my truck.
I keep a squeaky clean camp and my food in my truck bed which has a lockable camper shell.
Ive mentioned it before but another hunter camped near me seen a young grizzly twice really close to our camping area. Made cooking supper in the dark more interesting.
During archery season I would see some kind of berry trees with the limbs bent down and all the leaves and berrys peeled off the limb. I figured that was probably black bears.
I climbed this mountain one day and found a bench on the north face with lots of elk sign. I got excited until I found a huge stump had been dug up and moved several feet. I got to looking around and found several other large root wads excavated. I told myself I would return to that spot with my rifle.

 

[ndbuck09]

I'm grabbing the gun with hardcast or monolithic bullets. Buffalo bore has some nice monolithic rounds

 

[Gorp2007]

I'm getting ready for my first archery elk hunt in either Colorado or Montana this year (depending on the draw) and my dad's coming with me. He doesn't shoot a bow, so the plan right now is for both of us to carry spray and he'll have a handgun to shoot the grizzly off me in case my cow calls are too enticing.

 

[sneaky]

I'm getting ready for my first archery elk hunt in either Colorado or Montana this year (depending on the draw) and my dad's coming with me. He doesn't shoot a bow, so the plan right now is for both of us to carry spray and he'll have a handgun to shoot the grizzly off me in case my cow calls are too enticing.

He should carry one of those folding stock 12ga pumps with alternating slugs and 00 buck. Way more effective than a pistol.

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[Howard Mee]

What I am looking for is DO you CHANGE the way you hunt and move around grizzly country?

Just my 2 cents. I'm hunting a little farther north than you will be hunting. Plenty of griz here. My close hunting circle has come to the conclusion that there really isn't much you can do to avoid them while hunting. There are no places for us to go to get away from them. They're an inevitable part of the landscape. We do our best to follow a "best practices" approach, but the reality is that hunters are a high risk group. We're intentionally putting ourselves into that small percentage of people with a high likelihood of experiencing an encounter. I spent an entire day last year 100-1000 yards from a griz. Followed him up in the morning and followed him out in the dark. I've walked into a griz that was laying on a dead deer in the dark. My bro-in-law gets "charged" almost every single year along the Rocky Mountain Front. I have friends who have been chewed on. It's part of the game and it needs to be taken seriously. Pistol. Bear Spray. Avoid the obvious areas as much as possible. Hunt with a buddy as much as possible. Make sure someone knows where you're at and when you'll be back. Etc etc
So to answer your original question, "no". We don't change much. We're not going to intentionally put ourselves in danger, but we're not going to stop hunting either.

 

[Howard Mee]

Claymores work but can be a bit indiscriminate and make nighttime bathroom runs interesting....

I resend my previous answer. Claymores are better! My new answer, "Yes. Claymore mines"

 

[pbcarch]

Thanks everyone for all you comments. Again I was looking for the things that you do in grizzly country that you dont necessarily do in other places.

Started thinking about the actual idea of eating. Do you avoid eating your meals in your tent? Do you also hang up you stove (assume jetboil) and any utensils?
We will have a SO redcliff and stove this year so we have a lot more room and options.

In Idaho we kept a very clean camp, hung our food, but I would eat in my tent (freeze dried meals) and did keep my jet boil and spork in my tent.


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[Dos Perros]

We cook and eat away from the tent. Hang anything scented away from the tent. That includes utensils and for sure your JetBoil if you put food in the cup.

Next hunt in grizzly country I think we'll eat the big meal mid day and just snack in the evenings. It is just kinda unnerving to be cooking and eating and hanging food and moving back to camp in the dark.

 

[bakcountry]

Definitely carry a handgun, bear spray or both! It’s really hard to change the way you hunt in griz country if you’re trying to kill elk. Hunting with the wind in your face being quite sounding like an elk doesn’t help your odds with having an encounter. You just have to be mindful of every situation. As far as camping out there I always eat away from the tent, all food and cookware is away from the tent and hung up in a tree. Possibly a bear fence too for a little pierce of mind.You can’t keep a clean enough camp in bear country!

 

[rambo2345]

I have hunted Montana in grizzly country and have had experiences seeing grizzly and black bears. It is a part of it. That doesnt mean its not dangerous, it is. Camp smart, stay observant, and e prepared with handgun and spray.

 

[crkotick]

I would suggest carrying bear spray as well, and carry it somewhere accessible. I attach mine to my bino harness. Don’t get to worked up about the grizzlies, although they’re out there, the chance that you’ll get mauled are very low. I like hunting in grizzly country because I feel like it makes me hyper aware of my surroundings.

 

[backcountrypackraft]

Want to pick your brains for hunting in grizzly country.

Been going to idaho past couple of seasons and we are going to try Montana, assuming we do get a tag (have points so should be a lock for gen tag)

Areas i am looking into are on the western part of the state, some central some more south. The reports of amount of grizzlies in these areas vary and they definitely are there ;-)

I will have a 44 on my hip ( not for discussion) but would you / do you also cary spray? If an encounter does happen, god forbid, you can only grab one defense first. I am thinking stick with only gun as I am practicing extensively with it. I don’t want to shoot any grizzlies but if one comes at me , I ain’t backing down ( unless I shit myself)

Well I think the better idea is to avoid them all together .....so what have you done and what do you practice to avoid them? What are your behaviors in grizzly country that have worked?
Been reading about them a lot to understand them so if you have more info or can point me to where to get more please do.

Paul


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I have hunted on the east side of Glacier National Park for the last 6 seasons. I'm solo about half the time. There are a ton of griz here. I've scared one off by shooting into the dirt so the gun is worth it just for that. I carry bear spray and a gun because a lot of times the wind is wrong to spray. I've heard the guides in Alaska are carrying flare guns and that seems to work pretty well too. when I walk in the morning I always Blair something on my phone until I'm close to the elk area and same thing at night

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

The absolute biggest thing is situational awareness. If you're going to be charged it's most likely when you're on a kill, a bear is actively hunting you, or you surprise a bear at close range. So check your 6 regularly. If it seems like an area you could surprise a bear at close range, have the spray or handgun half drawn until you're back in an area that you can get a definitive all clear visual. And never, ever put headphones in while hiking. Smh at that one, but some guys think it's a good idea.

Keep a clean camp as best you can, but I never really worry about bears at night while I'm sleeping.

 

[Lippencott787]

Heading to Montana this year for the first time thanks for all the tips!