Wyoming grizzlies

[grfox92]

I have a cow tag this year in 54. Northwest of Cody. Pretty good Grizzly population up there?

You Will see bears if you spend any amount of time there.

I hunted the area in 2018 with 4 guys. We encountered a total of 6 different bears in 7 days of hunting and 1 bluff charge. Any where around Cody in and around timber you are going to have bears around. The 6 bear encounters were VERY spread out in that area and not concentrated to a specific trail head or area.

Even so, I am moving there with my family in the next few months. The bears need to be respected and proper precautions taken. Some great advice in this thread, but they shouldn't keep you from recreating in the area.

 

[kid44]

I know someone in Choteau, MT, he says there are bears all over the place. Of course they are very close to the
Bob Marshall area

 

[Beendare]

Seems to me that a guy can read through bunch of these bear mailings and get a clear plan of action;

1) Don't leave elk, Deer lay over night if at all possible

2) Have your protection where you can access it fast

3) Practice with that bear protection be it a handgun or Spray. In these fight or flight scenarios- training takes over....
4) Maintain a clean camp...meat hung a distance away in a visual spot.

5) when you have an animal down....maintain a clear visual perimeter [ to the point of clearing brush or moving the animal as best you can] and have someone responsible for lookout. Solo, keep your eyes on a swivel. Things like moving the meat to another open location ASAP is a good idea.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something...please chime it.

Regarding the Guide that was killed;

Terrible situation...but they got complacent. When they came back the guide should have trained the client on firearm operation....let alone had it loaded and accessible quickly. Most folks that don't shoot a handgun much aren't worth a darn with them- makes sense, they haven't practiced.

We bow hunt, but have 2 shotguns at the truck for just an eventuality like this where we potentially make a bad shot on an animal late and don't want to push it. We have packed multiple animals out at night in bear country without a problem.

The issues I've had and with buddies is when there is an animal down...or meat in camp.


_______

 

[NW307]

Not getting tunnel vision and shooting something in the afternoon and being proficient at quartering and removing your meat from the carcass as quickly as possible are big ones in my book. Understanding how big of a pain in the ass it can be to get an elk quarter hung in a tree and having the means to do it correctly is huge too.

There are good bears and there are bad bears but every bear is going to investigate the smell of meat.

 

[biking_2003]

Not getting tunnel vision at any time during the hunt is a great comment! That will keep you out of trouble for the most part!