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

Talk to this guy

http://badassoftheweek.com/genemoe.html

Can someone illustrate how a Raven or a bear knows that the guy walking through the woods is a hunter and not just a hiker. They just aren't that discerning. They can no doubt find a gutpile, but to say they follow hunters specifically because they are hunting is ridiculous...

Ravens and the bears pay no mind to bright colors and spandex.

Have you ever thought the bear is following the elk hunter because he is in the woods. Grizzlies don't follow anyone or anything that isn't in the woods. I doubt the bear is thinking "If I follow this guy I can get a free meal" other than eating the hunter. If you tracked the same bears, I bet they would even follow a democrat through the woods, bears can't distinguish one person's reason for being in the woods over another's...

That’s a fair enough request, especially if you haven't experienced it and are skeptical. Don't know if this will convince anyone but me but here is an example:

Still hunting for elk in second growth and reprod, I came on fresh tracks and started to follow the single animal. Thick stuff. A raven flew over me, flew on ahead, made a tight circle over a spot, squawked and flew back to me. When it got to me it flew down closer and circled and squawked at me, looking at me intently, then flew back to the spot ahead, circled and squawked at whatever was below. I had followed the elk maybe 150 yards when the bird showed up, and I had heard the elk quietly moving 60-75 yards ahead of me.

I ignored the raven and tracked the elk precisely to where the bird had circled ahead of me. The raven kept it up, letting me know where the elk was and which direction it went if it changed direction. Tracks I followed confirmed where and what the raven was circling. I had hoped to catch the elk moving in a spot where I could see ahead but no such opportunities came up and soon it moved out faster and I gave up.

Have had the same thing happen with a raven and moose. It has never worked out for me to shoot anything pointed out by a raven but it was not due to the raven. The one that kept circling the elk acted increasingly annoyed at me, a subjective assessment of bird communication I admit. We may interpret these actions however we want. What happened is fact. Why the animal did what it did is conjecture.

As to how a raven may know the difference between hunters and hikers: hunters carry a weapon, go into terrain off trails that hikers virtually never travel, actively follow animals, may still smell like the last dead critter that got some blood on their boots, etc.

There are some pretty light WSMs out there - in fact a WSM should be LIGHTER than a .30-06 all things being equal.

That said the power usually isn't needed but when you're trying to get a decent trajectory out of a 200+gr bullet so your elk and bear loads are the same, the case capacity is nice.

We call the raven action doing that over game, dropping their pack! When they turn and drop to see what's moving! They also do it over anything they don't easily identity. Observe them from a distance might also help your coyote hunting!

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

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

I cant fathom bears following elk hunters around for a 1 in 10 chance of getting meat.

You really miss deflave don’t you...

That’s a fair enough request, especially if you haven't experienced it and are skeptical. Don't know if this will convince anyone but me but here is an example:

Still hunting for elk in second growth and reprod, I came on fresh tracks and started to follow the single animal. Thick stuff. A raven flew over me, flew on ahead, made a tight circle over a spot, squawked and flew back to me. When it got to me it flew down closer and circled and squawked at me, looking at me intently, then flew back to the spot ahead, circled and squawked at whatever was below. I had followed the elk maybe 150 yards when the bird showed up, and I had heard the elk quietly moving 60-75 yards ahead of me.

I ignored the raven and tracked the elk precisely to where the bird had circled ahead of me. The raven kept it up, letting me know where the elk was and which direction it went if it changed direction. Tracks I followed confirmed where and what the raven was circling. I had hoped to catch the elk moving in a spot where I could see ahead but no such opportunities came up and soon it moved out faster and I gave up.

Have had the same thing happen with a raven and moose. It has never worked out for me to shoot anything pointed out by a raven but it was not due to the raven. The one that kept circling the elk acted increasingly annoyed at me, a subjective assessment of bird communication I admit. We may interpret these actions however we want. What happened is fact. Why the animal did what it did is conjecture.

As to how a raven may know the difference between hunters and hikers: hunters carry a weapon, go into terrain off trails that hikers virtually never travel, actively follow animals, may still smell like the last dead critter that got some blood on their boots, etc.

Talk to this guy

http://badassoftheweek.com/genemoe.html

90 day rehab. Give it some time.

I killed quite a few elk with a 300 WSM. It's an excellent elk caliber. After 7 or 8 years, I looked back at all the elk I'd shot and found that there wasn't a single one that I couldn't have got just as easily with a 30-06 that weighs a lb. less. At my age, that lb. adds up in a hurry so the 300 is gathering dust.
disclaimer - we don't have griz in this part of Idaho.