What's wrong with more grizzlies in Idaho?

[rogerdoger]

I don’t know if this point has been hammered out in this thread yet but more G bears equals less trapping and hound hunting for B bears, cats, and wolves. We don’t need more of any apex predator, especially one that will likely never see visible hunting opportunities.

This is a valid point, in Montana they are trying to limit trapping only to the months grizz are in hibernation.

I live 20 miles from glacier and the grizzlies are everywhere. They have been known to follow the shots fired in hopes to find the guy pile. If they can learn to come to a gun shot they can learn to run. It would take time however.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the grizz but as long as they are fully protected they can overtake area. This endangered listing also gives way for all the groups to file lawsuits against the national forest for any kind of land management, leading to nothing being done, overgrown forest with no large amount of game animals except wolves and grizzlies.

My point, after rambling, I feel we could have a healthy population of all the animals including grizzlies in a lot of areas, but it should start at land management to produce healthy forest that support deer, elk, etc. then the land would be more sustainable to introduce griz.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Grizz are not compatable with civilization. If you value your kids, pets and farms, you don't need to feed an apex predator. For every grizz they plant in the rural areas they need to plant one in town. There is plenty of trash for them to feed on. what comes around - goes around.

 

[treydfoster]

Maybe I read your original comment wrong, but if you think you're going to square up with a wolf unarmed and win on points, then you need to see one up close. They are not a large version of Lassie. A single wild wolf, if it ever wanted to, would tear off your head.

These hands say otherwise.

 

[Buglebrush]

My point all along. We need to have a season on grizzlies - that's been my point of view when I started this thread. The issue is that we won't get a season on them in the lower 48 until we can assure the over-protectionists that grizzlies have established a sustainable population.

And it's a completely ignorant point. We're way beyond the "sustainable population" numbers on them already, and yet the over-protectionists are still over-protecting. Same with wolves. The over-protectionists will NEVER be ok with hunting them. EVER. To argue otherwise is either ignorantly naive or malicious.

 

[IdGoldHunter]

Grizz are not compatable with civilization. If you value your kids, pets and farms, you don't need to feed an apex predator. For every grizz they plant in the rural areas they need to plant one in town. There is plenty of trash for them to feed on. what comes around - goes around.

Today’s grizz population has absolutely no fear of human and that’s a problem. As a kid grew up in grizz country in WY and lived about 10 miles away from where there were regular sightings. It was not uncommon to have one come up to the house at night and eat the dog food, rummage through the trash. Even lost a few chickens one time. Had one go over a 4” chain link fence one time and break it just to get some dog food outside.

 

[wyosam]

Today’s grizz population has absolutely no fear of human and that’s a problem. As a kid grew up in grizz country in WY and lived about 10 miles away from where there were regular sightings. It was not uncommon to have one come up to the house at night and eat the dog food, rummage through the trash. Even lost a few chickens one time. Had one go over a 4” chain link fence one time and break it just to get some dog food outside.

So the bears came a short distance for easy food. Weird. Teaching a bear where an easy meal exists is a lot easier than scaring them enough to leave it alone. Managing bears to the amount of habitat and feed available will help some. They’ll still take the easy meal where they can get it. Hunting a non-herd animal that isn’t particularly social won’t magically give the species a fear of humans. Smacking them with beanbag rounds and otherwise annoying the hell out of them is minimally effective at best. Some vague notion that their cousin frank got whacked by a hunter is going to help? Killing bears educates dead bears. Maybe a few wounded bears that live develop a fear. So I guess shoot bad bullets poorly at g-bears. I watch bears that get hunted pretty heavily in the fall, spring and early summer push anglers by the dozens off fishing spots giving zero shats about them. Same goes with popular hiking trails, berry picking spots or anywhere else bears and people mix.

 

[IdGoldHunter]

So the bears came a short distance for easy food. Weird. Teaching a bear where an easy meal exists is a lot easier than scaring them enough to leave it alone. Managing bears to the amount of habitat and feed available will help some. They’ll still take the easy meal where they can get it. Hunting a non-herd animal that isn’t particularly social won’t magically give the species a fear of humans. Smacking them with beanbag rounds and otherwise annoying the hell out of them is minimally effective at best. Some vague notion that their cousin frank got whacked by a hunter is going to help? Killing bears educates dead bears. Maybe a few wounded bears that live develop a fear. So I guess shoot bad bullets poorly at g-bears. I watch bears that get hunted pretty heavily in the fall, spring and early summer push anglers by the dozens off fishing spots giving zero shats about them. Same goes with popular hiking trails, berry picking spots or anywhere else bears and people mix.

I shared some of my experiences, sounds like you’re an expert. What do you suggest?

 

[Pony Soldier]

I remember a problem grizz that was up near glacier. When they finally killed it I think they said it had 57 bullets in it ranging from birdshot to megabullets. It continued to tear houses apart.

I found a cabin from the 30s and it had sharpened nails around the windows and doors. Kind of looked like a porcupine and the damage was still apparent. It
Looked like a running battle.

We had one briefly near my place. All the neighbors have stories of endless harrasment. On a project we worked on in Alaska, the crew would have to distract the bear so people could come and go to the outhouse. Grizz don't care!

Truely I don't think people will understand until a number of kids get killed.