Fellow Fire Folks;
Somehow it's been a particularly bad year for bears this year in BC and Alberta - and unless I miss my guess our friends in the states just across the medicine line might be in the same boat.

Here's a link to the attack.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...r-attack-near-cranbrook/article26198720/

Anyway folks, keep an extra sharp eye out this fall when you're afield if you're in our AO.

All the best luck to you all in your hunts.

Dwayne

Yep, bad berry crop down here in MT. Usually means more confrontations as the critters range further looking for food that isn't there.

There was another one earlier in the week on the AB side of the Rockies too. Bear knocked a guy off a quad faster than he could draw his spray and started chewing on him. Buddy grabbed the spray and got the bear off. Air lifted to Calgary as well.

SS

Bears should be outlawed.

Greetings, Dwayne, from near the southernmost point in all of Canada.

In reading the article, not that it's unusual, but couldn't help but notice the mixed messages. From the B.C. conservation officer:



From the city:

sse;
Good evening to you as well sir, I trust this finds you and yours well.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that there's a whole lot of mixed messages when it comes to bears in this province.

On one hand the CO service has to deal with the problem bears - and this year it'd be more than a full time job for them.

At the same time they're employees of the province which desperately needs tourist traffic and it'd be a foggy Friday before they go on record that we've got even a whiff of a bear problem.

There was a time where one branch of the provincial government dealing with workplace safety - WorkSafeBC - wouldn't let you work certain jobs unless you had bear safety training - and yes you guessed it, at the same time the branch that's involved in tourism was mute on the subject.

Then there's the entire sticky wicket of us allowing ANY bear hunting at all because you know we're all green and at one with the cosmos and the bears and such. I'll add that this is the situation sometimes portrayed to the rest of the world about us here in BC.

Finally the city of Cranbrook, who only have the locals to answer to and although they don't want to stem any tourist traffic, neither do they need more folks chewed upon within or near their very beautiful city.

As usual somewhere in the middle, buried deep in layers of bureaucratic quagmire would be the truth and the bears - who are just trying to make a living in a dry, berry barren year.

We're really dry up top here too this fall, no knnikinnick to speak of, few raspberries and low salmon runs in the rivers.

Again I'll say if anyone is hunting the southern half of BC this fall please do keep your eyes open and be extra wary.

Hopefully that made some sense to you sir and all the best to you on your hunts this fall.

Dwayne

^^^^ Sounds like the JAWS movie, don't close those beaches. There is no shortage of any kind of bear in BC. Was out getting fire wood last week only saw 5 bears in the time to get a pick load of wood.
BC varmint rifle starts at 30-06

Another bear attack.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/4-grizzly-bear-attacks-1.3227490

n007;
Thanks for posting the link to this latest incident sir and hopefully all things are well in your world on the Island.

On a BC forum one of the members lives across the river from where this happened and he's been reporting the bears are investigating everything this fall as he feels they're really hungry.

Again we'll keep an extra sharp eye out this fall out here and hopefully this will be the last one this year.

Thanks again sir, all the best to you folks and good luck on your hunts this fall.

Dwayne

My guess is, SSS will be used more than usual this fall

why not just fill a bear tag?

toad;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope the day treats you well and the week has been a good one for you so far.

Up here - as far as I'm aware and I could be very wrong about this - but I don't believe there are any over the counter grizzly tags anymore. It's all LEH and has been for a few years at least?

We can buy over the counter black bear tags and where we are - 8-10 valleys and 10 hours drive west of the areas involved - we are allowed two black bears in each season year.

That taken into account, in the two defense shootings of grizzly bears I'm familiar with locally, the Conservation Officers were very reasonable in dealing with the folks who ended up shooting a grizzly.

I'm not saying that would always be the case, but I'd have to think that over in the Kootenays the CO's would know all about the bear issues and take that into account.

Have a good week and good hunting this fall.

Dwayne

Yep, LEH only, and one bear every five years.

Hey is Tickleberry back up and running?

Partsman;
Good afternoon to you sir, I trust that this finds you and yours well.

Yes sir they never missed a beat as far as I'm aware, though they are on fall hours now which is 10:00-5:00.

All the best to you all this fall and good luck on your hunts.

Dwayne

Bears are just part of the fun.

A co-worker was bowhunting for elk in CO from a treestand when a black bear cub climbed a tree next to his. When it reached his level and spotted him, it let out a squall and Mama came and began to climb my buddy's tree. He managed to talk her down, but thereafter he carried a compact .40, legal or not, whenever he hunted out there. Great story, happy ending for everybody.

We can carry concealed while hunting here and I change out the usual +P holler points in my snubbie for hard cast. Not exactly bear medicine, but at least they should get inside a bit.

Four Grizzly attacks in two weeks here in BC, probably more to come.

I take this seriousl and carry my Benelli Nova 14inch, collapsible stock gun with Brennekes when in the bush.

Just returned from a few days solo in the Kootenays and will be there often until Christmas, camping alone in my Hilleberg and keeping the Benelli handy.

SNAP:
Good morning to you sir, I trust this finds you well and it's good to read you've been out and about in the hills.

I wasn't initially sure if I was more envious of your shotgun or it's contents, but upon brief reflection I do believe it's the fact you've got some of the few Brenneke's that have made it up here.

After a fair bit of research and trying a few different types of slugs I've converted from the usual Foster as loaded by Federal/Winchester to the Gualandi type slug loaded by Challenger in Quebec.

They hit where I'm looking with the Day Glo Speed Bead I installed on our camping Lakefield Mossberg.

I've also taken to carrying a high lumen pocket rocket flashlight this year too as I do a lot of travelling to and from where I hunt in the dark.

Have a good fall hunting sir and do continue to keep a sharp lookout for the bruins.

Dwayne

On a recent trip into one of my favourite watersheds, I was surprised by the lack of bears and bear sign in the area. This is a high alpine area along the divide and it would appear the bears have moved down into the valley. Huckleberry bushes show no sign of ever having produced a berry and this probably has an effect, I'm sure. The intensely hot, dry July/August has certainly affected the habitat. Bad news for people down in the valley, as far as bear encounters are concerned, but less so along the divide; at least in this particular area. GD