Some years ago, while looking for elk from a high ridge at first light, my partner and I spotted two distant bulls entering a high patch of dark timber looking to bed for the day. After waiting for a bit, we decided to go after one of those bulls.
Reaching our departure point, we discovered a vehicle belonging to a young friend who also hunted this area. So my partner backed off and headed in another direction. Having already killed an elk, I stayed put and waited on my partner to return.
Soon thereafter my young friend and his buddy appeared, with eyes the size of saucers. They had been charged by a big dark silvertip grizzly, who had taken possession of an elk carcass higher up on the ridge. That carcass was the remains of an elk I had killed 12 days earlier.
My young friend had also seen those two bull elk and decided to help his buddy find them, but he did not know exactly where they had gone. Trying to find those bulls, they found a grizzly instead.
The big bear came rushing out of the heavy timber without making a sound, other than the popping of sticks. He was a big mature bear, with heavy muscles rippling each time his feet hit the ground! The bear came straight at them, and looked like he meant business!
My young friend had a can of bear spray, and his buddy right behind him had a rifle. Only one word was spoken, and that was "Bear!"
The bear suddenly changed direction slightly when the hunter with the rifle stepped out from behind his friend. The two guys pointed their collective bear spray and rifle at the bear as it ran by them at about ten yards. The bear then disappeared back into the timber.
Shortly after that encounter I met up with these two hunters.
I explained to them that I knew where the two bull elk were bedded, and that I did not expect the bulls to move until just before dark. I also said that I expected the grizzly to still be in the patch of timber where they last saw him.
I pointed out that the grizzly had already found my elk carcass, and if the two hunters killed one of the two elk, then the bear would get yet another free elk dinner just for hanging around the area.
If the hunters were successful, then they would be working on the elk after dark with a grizzly nearby and perhaps watching them! The grizzly might even decide to come down and take their elk from them!
Even worse, this appeared to be a fine way to train a grizzly to come to the shot!
And then I asked them the question that I now put to all of you.
"Do you think you would want to go after those bull elk?"
WyoM70
