bwinters,
Yes there are plenty of griz in 81 and 83 and 68, too for that matter. Togwotee Pass has frequent griz sightings right off the highway at times, both sides. The advice given so far is right on. I have hunted all these areas. In 81 - Spread Creek drainage - it is not uncommon to find bear scat in the road, particularly as you get toward Grizzly Creek. In that area, in snow one afternoon during elk season, partner and I went separate directions for an hour of exploration and concluded upon rejoining that we had identified no less than 5 different bears within a single small drainage, less than a square mile. We found similar density near the end of Lava Mountain one day and backed out of the area due to the freshness of the tracks of many sizes, including small.
In 83 that is where a guy was mauled several years ago and his buddy killed the griz when it ran into him in thick cover after leaving the injured hunter. In this case it was pretty clear the bear had more than one gutpile it was probably guarding. That is an added hazard beyond your own kill. After a few days there will be gutpiles you don't know the location of. Birds will be your friend in these cases, but you can't always count on birds to warn you. If you identify the location of a carcass or gutpile, avoid it like death. Some of the cover in there is very thick. There was a fire through Moccasin Basin in area 83 a few years ago that opened a lot of the area. Still has standing dead trees. That changed a chunk of that area.
Also the Togwotee Pass/Union Pass area has plenty of wolves, and that has changed the elk herd dynamic from large groups to sometimes as few as 3-5 elk that are very spooky if the wolves have passed through recently.
We do our best to get the meat out same day - that may mean not going in too far. We try to get the meat staged a good distance from the carcass and gutpile. The boned out meat is in garbage bags, located in a spot we can see from a distance if at all possible. We make a lot of noise on approach coming back. Horses make the whole thing easier and safer, but we don't have any.
Most experts say 3 or more people together is safer in a bear encounter. One person is a lot more vulnerable. If alone you really have to be alert. Many of the encounters I know of - with or without injury have involved a person walking into a bear that was probably in a daybed or near a meat cache. The surprised bedded bear is more likely to just take a swipe on the way by, but a bear on meat will defend it. Mama bears are another story, but by fall the cubs are at least older and Mama may be less aggressive. On the other hand, yearlings or 2-year olds may be more inclined to look for trouble.
True, it is a very uncomfortable feeling gutting an elk solo in some of these areas these days, especially in or near cover. That is why I have my rifle ready, and move it to keep it close, have my .44 mag on my belt, and keep bear spray immediately at hand with the safety off in such conditions. I am way happier and quicker at getting the job done when my partner is watching my back.
I have had no nose to nose encounters ... yet ... but tracks have said I just missed bears by minutes. Maybe they avoided me. Maybe I was lucky. Maybe if I had an animal down they would not have avoided me. When I find tracks that fresh, I quit hunting and leave that area. No way I am shooting something under those circumstances. I like snow - it tells me what is around. Dry ground, you never know what was near. In a lot of areas today, we hunt close to each other so we can cover each other if needed. Rather be solo, but things are different now.
Bottom line, be really alert and cautious. Take, and keep close at hand, a good sized canister of bear spray (not in your pack or under a jacket). Practice getting the safety off before you need to do so. If you encounter a bear, back off as smoothly as you can. If a bear is on what was your kill, it is HIS. If camping keep a clean camp and keep food unavailable and away from where you are sleeping if tenting or not in a hard shell camper.
Good luck.
