grizzly spotted
 

Another grizzly has been sighted near Drayton Valley. |Range Rd 84 near Violet Grove. Not nearly as rare as they used to be..

Following the river i bet

It is sort of a funnel because the bear is between the Pembina and the NSR. Right on the edge of the forests too. Not the first bear or the last to be in the area. I gotta get a fishing rod that holds a couple 30-06 shells in it for next time I go fishing around there.

I have to ask, RE, Grizz...
How do you guys and gals keep the thoughts in the back of your mind when you're in the field. Especially when dressing an animal. Knowing, truthfully there are so many Grizzly out there... I'm a paraplegic, so I always have someone with me yet it is very unnerving to me. Son of gun, even with a few people on hand, they come in totally unafraid, aiming to take what they want.

I admire those who spend days in the field, sleeping under the stars, doing what we all love. Even with 'top of the food chain' hunters out there.

I, myself, when I was younger I was invincible and knew no fear. I used to go fishing alone right where these bears are being seen and sleep under the stars with no tent and no gun or spray. Dressing out a big game animal out there a gun was always propped up within arms reach. Never had a visitor thank heavens.
Now spending anytime in bear country and I become alert and aware just like every other animal. Sleep becomes short semi conscious catnaps with one eye and one ear opened. Hiking with eyes in the back of my head and ears to the ground.

With bears being conditioned to know a gunshot might mean a free supper I think now I, if alone, would carry a 100 watt boom box with some pounding scream metal to play while dressing an animal. And a strobe light. :)

Put it in perspective... driving on Deerfoot is far more dangerous.

Yes it is and by a long country mile.





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I agree the Deerfoot is more dangerous too. I won't even drive in Calgary unless I have a police escort, and even then it is scary.

Attitude and awareness. I’m out there and yogi better run or I’ll feed him to the magpies (no I haven’t had to yet). I’ve made up my mind there is one allowable reaction from a bear within rifle range that becomes aware of my presence, he better run like his tail is on fire.

Awareness come in many forms: checking your back trail often, paying attention to the birds and squirrels and smells, keeping the gun loaded and in reach, wearing bear spray as soon as your outta the truck, being able to disassemble an animal quickly, hanging the meat in a spot visible from a distance, leaving sweaty clothes around.

And like the guys are saying, driving to work is far more dangerous. It’s all what you’re used to.

2 different challenges yet I would prefer to take on what I can see, know and deal with accordingly, that being Deerfoot traffic or any traffic for that matter.

There was a story on here where a Grizz came halfway across a mountain, headed straight for 2 guys dressing a sheep. 2/3 ground shots fired at it before it would back out..Even then it hung around I believe. It would have been a different story if the fellows Son didn't see it coming from a ways away.

I know with precautionary measures one can sway the odds in your favor, as I am sure most do. Just one of those things for a person I guess.

They've got to augment the rules on these bears, like many have stated. They have indeed linked hunters with a free meal.

Any real close encounters ya'll might share and what you do to assure you get in and out safe with your game?

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Smells you say? Are they that rank?

My brother owns land and hunts North-East of Edson up the Tom Hill Tower road. He sees sign of them everywhere. Whether scat, tracks, cached carcasses etc. He, like many here, don't worry too much about them.

Oh yes. Smells like a wet dog that’s rolled around in pee and crap and roadkill.

I’m also referring to the smell of something dead. If there’s a gut pile or kill, it’s better assume there’s a predator around and avoid it. A lot of guys can’t resist checking things out...I just shake my head at that. It’s already dead, you cant take it home, why go look? Just asking for trouble

It's been hanging around the Pembina horse trails and a couple farms there for a week or so. Good sized boar. Was in a miniature donkey pasture eating their grain and broke into an outside freezer and ate some goodies, never botherd the livestock or anything else. Bear was not aggressive to the people who live there shouting at it to go away.

Another grizzly has been hanging out right outside DV in the NSR Valley by Wiley west campground, been seen and photographed by various people throughout the summer.

Apparently, about a half dozen hanging around Bergen, would you believe. Somebody got pictures of two separate trios of a sow and two cubs on their trail cam.

Grizz

Working south of grande prairie we've seen 6 different grizz in the last 3 days counting a sow with 2 Cubs awesome to see!! Lots of sitings for a province that doesn't have any?? The snow lately sure has them out on the fresh veggies on the new pipeline right aways.

Fins and feathers trapped a 2 year old grizzly at our place. Halfway between Drayton and Entwistle. Our place is on the Pembina. Been seeing a definite increase in grizzly and cougar traffic last couple years.

How long ago?

This year, west of the river

Was wondering, a fellow I know from Moon lake area on the east side had one hanging around his property a few years ago that F&W ended up trapping and relocating.

Seems to be a lot of them moving east lately.

A year or so ago a Western Canadian Game Warden magazine had an article about a big grizzly between Entwistle and Chip lake that F&W had to deal with. If I remember right the bear was claiming a road killed moose along Hwy 16.


Bushrat .. you mention "Seems to be a lot of them moving east lately." Alberta should have some free range buffalo out there to slow the bears down from moving east.

Last time I was driving near Wiley west campground a big black bear crossed the road 30 feet in front of me like it owned the road. Lucky I was going slow enough to react or the bear would have taken me out. The bear was a well fed bucket head and I'm guessing it would have been a few years old.

I was one, hey lets go look. Until one day out in 429, unbeknownst to us, a grizz had taken down a small cow moose and buried her. It was buried on a well used quad trail, I had been on it a week prior. So didn't go looking at what the Ravens found so to speak.

Thanks to the big guy upstairs, we seen the bear before we quadded around that blind corner and surprised it. Some tense moments, a bluff charge but all good as we got around the kill with no sighting of the bear.

I won't go looking at kill sites anymore unless it's in the big wide open where I can see for a ways.

hool
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Crazy stuff you guys! I hope your camp was a ways away or you were out day riding. I can't imagine. Maybe it was waking up as an elementary school aged boy to the sound of Dads .270 taking out the black bear that was getting into the chicken coop or after the few hogs. South of Whitecourt, up House Mountain road way. Wakes you up in a hurry when you're living in a 10'x50' or so mobile home.

No Grizzly as I remember though. Oh yes, there was probably a season for them in the early 70's:thinking-006: