Charging Grizzly Bear footage

Maritimer · Post by **Maritimer** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:59 am

Footage of a grizzly charging, it's amazing how quick things can change while your out hunting. I bet it took the boys a little time to unwind after that experience.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstre ... 49,00.html

wildwindom · Post by **wildwindom** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:44 pm

John Wade · Post by **John Wade** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:17 pm

I wonder what would have happened if they hadn't had that video for fish and game to prove that they were acting strictly in defense.

I have to give that fellow a lot of credit. All of them actually. I admit that poor bear would have died of lead poisoning for the amount of bullets I'd have been shooting a whole lot sooner.

jw

Doe Master · Post by **Doe Master** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:42 pm

I think the guide held off as long as he could , I think I would have been checking my shorts after though . WOW

shurite44 · Post by **shurite44** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:56 pm

Wow, that is some scary stuff. Looks like fun to hunt big bears.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:18 pm

Now, fellas ... that ain't me.

Only thing I've charged lately are bunches of building materials at Lowes.

Farmer · Post by **Farmer** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:30 pm

Where are my nitro pills

. Way too close for comfort !!

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:07 pm

Here is where the controversy starts , because we all have an opinion ....

Let me start by saying .... I wansn't there , so my opinion is from the cheap seats watching some bad weather footage ...

But my heart sank when I saw the sow get shot .... I see the guy took great effort to identify himself , make noise etc .... and I see the sow charged right up to the last 10 yards .... but she did stop and rear up ... and that is usually the end of a bluff charge from footage I have seen and info I have read ( my dad lives in BC and I've read / researched all the Grizzly Bear - human encounter info I could get my hands on over the years ....

Shots in front or beside the sow would have probably done the job ... but you would have to have " elephant balls " to have be able to keep it together that long ....

Again ....second guessing is easy from where I'm sitting .... it's just real tragic to see such a majestic animal put down because " we were in her space "

That guy probably has more grizzly bear experience then I will ever have but .... man what a shame ...

My $0.02 ..... " Flame away " ... I've got my vest on !

knobby · Post by **knobby** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:10 pm

R.J. wrote: I see the guy took great effort to identify himself , make noise etc .... and I see the sow charged right up to the last 10 yards .... but she did stop and rear up ... and that is usually the end of a bluff charge

I agree....

I cant blame the guy cuz I cant say I wouldnt have been shooting sooner.

but with atleast 3 heavily armed guys I think that bear stood little chance of actually completeing(sp?) a charge....she had stopped and stood up it looked like and was an easy target if she decided to keep coming

It takes nerves of steel....but in that situation what choice do you have lol

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:14 pm

knobby wrote :

But with at least 3 heavily armed guys I think that bear stood little chance of actually completeing a charge....she had stopped and stood up , it looked like and was an easy target if she decided to keep coming .

That is the way I saw it as well .... hope I never get the chance to test my theory though ....

huntman · Post by **huntman** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:33 pm

you put your 2 cents in R.J and i respect your feelings 100% ... having said that honestly i personally wouldn't of waited as long as he did to shoot! There is no way he would of even got within 50 yards!! Black bears are one thing, but from what i've read and learned about grizzlys is that they are totally unperdicitable... just my 2 cents as well!

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:40 pm

huntman .... I hear ya .... like I said ... I hope I never get a chance to test my threory ...

I read an article in a book from a library near my Dad's place in BC . It had all the documented Grizzly Bear attacks on humans since they had ever been recorded .... 1 that stuck out in my head was a trapper that was charged by a Grizzly off a moose calf kill .... the bear charged from approx 90 yards out and only turned at approx the 10 yard mark ...

A witness embelished how brave the trapper was to have shot warning shots until the bear was deterred ....

Interviewing the trapper afterwards , the guy said he was trying to kill it from the 1st of the charge !

He was shaking so bad he couldn't hit $hit !

Another account of a hunter that surprised a Grizzly on a moose kill as well and didn't even have time to get a shot off ! ... the mauling lasted only 30 seconds but was devistating to the hunter , he survived but not by much .

There were so many documented encounters .... most were spooked off , and many survived maulings .... but many didn't .

Another documented encounter off a trpper sent out to investigate a Grizzly report ( the bear had woke up early from hibernation ) .

The trapper was found face down in the snow with his snowshoes still strapped on .... eaten clear thru to the rib cage .

The latest one I read was an 18 year old from an elk hunt somewhere in the USA ( I'll have to look thru my mag's to find the details ) .... it was a sow with cubs ... he survived only because of his age / fitness and the fact that a member of another hunt group close by was a surgeon ....

Anyway .... read lots about it .... hope I never get " the test "

Maritimer · Post by **Maritimer** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:34 pm

Here in B.C. I had black bears false charge me, stop and pop their jaws but when a grizzly charges things seem a whole lot different. I wrote this about a year ago and I have to admit this was my scariest moment in the woods. I was watching a clear cut and out of the cornier of my eye I noticed something crossing the road, at first I thought it was a moose. I turned around and to my surprise it was a large grizzly about 200 yards away. I was watching him then I notice that he was checking out all the same places were I walked and had stopped to look for moose. So I got up and started yelling at him to let him know I was there, he did not care for he just kept walking towards me. Finally the bear stopped stood up and looked at me about 100 yards away. I whistled as loud as I could thinking it might scare the bear off and to my surprise it dropped down on all 4's and charged, I was not expecting that. I did not want to shoot the bear so I shot a foot in front and a foot to the side of him. Well the bear dropped on it's ass and starting bawling and spinning in tight circles hold it's right front paw out the bullet must have fragmented and a piece hit him. He then walked of into the woods favoring that leg, I was starting to get concern for it was at last light and my hunting partner was about 7 miles away with the truck. In order for me to get out of there I would have had to pass were the bear was for it was the only road out. When my hunting partner finally arrived it was dark and I have to admit I was never so happy to see him. We went back the next day and found the shell casing and from that point to were the bullet struck the road (we also found some fur and a little blood) was only about 25 yards away, I thought he was much further away then that. We also spent a couple of hours searching making sure he was not just laying in the woods suffering. I talked to the game warden that visited our camp site and told him what happened he said that the bear would be alright and that the next time no warning shot, shoot to kill for it might be the only shot I get. Thinking about what I did I have to admit the game warden was probably right. I guess both the bear and I were really lucky that day.

shurite44 · Post by **shurite44** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:15 pm

I was surprised with 3 guys all armed that they did not fire warning shots sooner if they wanted to scare the bear. If I were alone I though I would be shooting to kill.

ch312 · Post by **ch312** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:50 pm

shurite44 wrote:I was surprised with 3 guys all armed that they did not fire warning shots sooner if they wanted to scare the bear. If I were alone I though I would be shooting to kill.

thats what im sayin. they claim they did everything they could before they had to shoot the bear. no they didnt, they could have fired a couple warning shots when she first started coming towards them.

then he shoots the bear after it has already stopped. 1 person could have fired a warning shot while the other 2 were ready to shoot to kill.