That is not exactly what Andy was trying to do and I am not entirely certain that Charlie's interaction with Grizzlies habituated them in the common sense of that term; he frequently referred to the indigenous people of the Kamchatka who had evolved coping procedures with Grizzlies that were far different than "ours" and much more successful.
Andy realized in the '60s that his favourite stomping grounds in the Waterton Lakes area, the Kananaskis, the "Kishinin", Sage Creek and so on were under the destructive assault of the government/corporate/big union landrapers and "trophy hunters"; he decided to quit hunting and so did a number of very experienced, native born, old-timers, trappers and guides whom I knew at that time. I actually respect this decision and applaud his honesty in being willing to take flack about it....Andy Russell had a huge ego, was a born showman and loved to pose in front of crowds in a fringed, beaded buckskin jacket, cowboy hat and was full of bombastic phrases about some hunters being "bingo playing powder burners" as he said to me once in 1970 or thereabouts. BUT, he was a genuine bushman, a very sincere, decent and committed conservationist and a damned likeable man....in short, he was human and did his best.
Charlie's sneering references to ...hunters with their big guns...in "Grizzlyheart' annoyed me at first, but, Charlie simply has too much realtime Grizzly experience for me to allow his personal idiosyncrasies to blind me to his knowledge, bush skills and personal integrity. I may not agree with everything he advocates, or Wayne McCrory states or Dr. Steven Herrero says, but, I have enough actual wilderness experience and biological education to respect each one of these guys, very much. We do not, IMO, learn from those we easily agree with, but, from those whose words challenge our opinions.
I used to know Wayne and Steven and I would enjoy meeting Charlie and hope to do so in the near future. I would not wish a death by Grizzly attack on anyone as I have had colleagues severely mauled....well, maybe landrapers, "developers" and cultural traitors as well as child molestors.....
