Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Study shows grizzly bears follow elk hunters

Always fun to have one of those "Mmmn? those tracks weren't there when I walked in" moments.

Especially a pisser when it's the game you were looking for.

Exciting when it's a cat or something toothy.

Geno

My thoughts exactly

The article says to have bear spray or pepper spray. I'm guessing they want to add a "spraying of the bullets" to my reloading process?

If they follow guys carrying 6.5 Creedmoors more often, is that because they don't feel threatened by the Creedmoor or because those guys are typically more successful at killing things? Asking for a friend.

I have twice had grizzly bears claim the elk I had just shot. In Wyoming you would be better off shooting your wife than a Grizzly bear, the investigation would be a much deeper fact finding mission and they would not allow you to get a court appointed lawyer! Another time deer hunting I had a bear jump in front of me, stand on his hind legs and stare into the barrel of my 6.5x55 I was carrying for deer. He got my scent and left without incident but he was only 20 feet away when he did this. Game warden said the bear could jump that far! South of Jackson Hole Wyoming there are way too many bears and it is a known fact they will investigate gunshots looking for gut piles or to get to the elk first. Unhappily the wolves have cut the elk herd down to less than half what it was back in the early 90's and the bears have not helped the herds either.

If you kill an elk and for whatever reason leave it on the ground, ie retrieving horses, summoning friends, etc., and a bear claims it, you will be cited for wasting game here in Montana.

Not quite. Even sea lions know the difference between a fishing boat and non fishing boat. 😉

Bearanoia abounds....

Studies have shown Yellowstone bears leave the park when hunting season arrives. They do indeed understand seasonal food sources, and where they are found. If Ravens can figure out following a hunter can lead to food, so can bears

It is not uncommon for bears to come to the sound of a gun shot on Kodiak and Afognak islands during deer season.

Rick300 - a bear on his hind legs is not (YET) a threat- it is just trying to figure things out. Been there twice at under 40 yards, same result as yours.

Like others have said, this isn't new news. No question that bears learn to come to shots ASAP. I've had it happen with grizzlies and black bears in British Columbia. One time I saw the black bear before I saw the buck, both within rifle range. The bear was not following me but he approached to within 40 feet, not yards, before I was half done gutting.

In 1976 a game warden told us to get elk meat out of the woods ASAP because grizzlies in that area came to the sound of a shot to get as much of the elk as they could, be it gut pile or whole carcase. In 2015 a warden in the same area told us the same thing. He warned us not to leave a whitetail overnight that we had just knocked down, and told us to take it to town or a camp many miles away, because there was a specific grizzly in the immediate area that was taking game from hunters. Does that bear follow hunters before the shot? I don't know but it would not surprise me.

Does the bear follow a hunter hoping he will kill something or does he follow for some other reason? Who knows the mind of a bear. Our best guess is still a guess. Ravens are smart, and there is no question that they have followed me and done their best to guide me to an elk I was tracking. Cougars follow people so frequently it is common, but that seems like a cat curiosity thing to me.

Re las: ditto about a bear standing up on his hind legs. In my experience a standing bear is showing curiosity, trying to see better and get a scent. Attacking bears seem to prefer to keep four on the floor. After standing and checking things, they drop down and either leave or come closer. I've been threatened several times by grizzlies and black bears and all were on all fours during the threat.

Interesting article but not much advancement of our knowledge of bear behavior.

Best way to outrun a bear is the hunt from the truck.

I've heard supposition that this is how wolves turned into dogs.

Following the humans for scraps, eventually becoming accepted into our camps.

Is there a bear in your living room in the future?

Could put a whole new meaning to a hunting partner!


Geno

Given that there is an agenda attached to bear spray, add to that the data supporting its ineffectiveness on angry or excited animals, and the rate of incidence with bears attempting to claim kills and following hunters to do so, the use of a weapon capable of bear defense as necessary is shown to be advisable, not paranoid. Bear spray is advisable as well, in order to save on hassle when the situation allows its use. But ultimately, being able to kill something that can easily kill you is simply intelligent.

Ravens are probably smarter than bears.

Oh, is it just a product of our civilized urban society that these things need reported on?

I've hardly met an animal of any sort that won't take advantage of a "free food" situation.

The scrub jays and piñon jays seem to know my red sweatshirt I wear in the morning when feeding the chickens and the wild birds. (peanuts appear to be the bird training equivalent of elk guts for bears) The dang collared doves are waiting on the electrical wires for me to come out. The quail come to my feeble attempts at calling them.

I've seen those really advanced smart critters called fish get excited and come to the head of ponds for their feed, not when the feed cart showed up, but when the feed cart got started in the garage 100' away..

When I did stream work in NorCal, we used to toss scraps of lunch meat from our sandwhiches into pools in the creek to see if there were any Pacific Giant Salamanders at home. There's no doubt in my mind that if we came back to a pool containing one every day, and every time we made a vibration by climbing up on it's rock, we could have trained a salamander brain (less advanced than the lizard brain I've heard ) to realize there was a pattern there and it means food.

Why would anyone not believe a bear could figure this stuff out. What's it got to lose if it checks out a bugling "bull" to find out if the boys are gonna kill something today. Upside could be he'll be close to a herd of dinner even if there's not a hunter involved.

My friggen stupid chickens know the sound of the scratch rattling around in the cup I feed them from and follow me wherever I go with it. Why would one not think a bear with a much bigger brain couldn't realize, after a few events (or being taught by mom?) that the sound of a rifle shot means tasty intestines and maybe a liver (if some dumb hunter leaves it for them)?

Well, I guess someone had to have a study to do to justify the grant money they were getting?

Geno

Tell that to Mike Ditka and see how it turns out. 😁

Grizzlies will pick up your trail out of curiosity. The walk horse trails, game trails or whatever to get around
If you hunt elk and cow talk , these bears definitely will come in to see what is going on and can locate a fresh kill easily, and will claim it when you leave. Even if your Game retrieval laws won't allow it

This bear was busy checking out my cow calling when he met 200 grains of Mr. Winchesters finest .375 loads.

Rank stupidity.

Take this to the Bear Branch, stinkfingers.

I think I will start shooting into the air while bear hunting and the bears should come a runnin .........