Came face to face with a grizzly while fishing!

[slickinfinite]

Yesterday was kinda crazy for me so I thought I'd share what happend. I live near the Bow river in Exshaw and I just found a decent spot about 15 mins walk from my house that I've fished 3 times. Saw a black bear 100 ft ahead of me the first time and it was small and going opposite direction so I didnt think nothing of it.

Third time (yesterday) after I was done around 9pm I started walking back on the path I got about halfway and noticed a huge bear about 40-50 feet right in my path. It noticed me then stood up and looked at me and I knew then it was a grizzly, probably 6+ feet standing up. I did not have bear spray at all which is dumb I know so all I did was very calmly but quickly walk over the grass and right on top of a train cause the path is right next to the CP rails in exshaw, I climed on top and called my girlfriend from my cell and she sent help to come get me.

I looked and tried to spot the bear but couldnt see em after I crossed over the tall grass so I am hoping he got startled to and ran off into the bushes and I consider myself very lucky to have made it out unharmed. Now I am getting bearspray for sure as it just finally hit me how wild some of this land is lol wow. I also did catch a few nice size trout that day to, rainbow/bull trout all released well all on len thompson five of diamonds, bite seemed to be real good just before dark.

[tonyflyfish]

glad to read about this here and not the obits! I NEVER go out to that kind of enviroment without the spray, a whistle and an air horn.

[Rick.]

Wow. I'll never cuss a train again. Have you any ideal how fortunate you were to have a train nearby? Incredible. Glad it all worked out. Rick.

[superspud]

FUNT TIMES
I have run into bears many times more often griz then black odley enough. although it dose get my heart pumping i really think the chances of you getting hurt are very slim unless you do somthing dumb.
you did exactly the right thing.

wow lucky you and to think its only 15min walk from your house you didnt happen to get a pic or two did you .just kidding good for you it all worked out for the best.

[Badback]

Thanks for share this story...I pass on some info that I received a few years ago from an outfitter guide about bears and train tracks....My boys an I were walking the railroad tracks beside the Crowsnest lake looking for spots to fish...We ran into this outfitter guide and started talking to him...He informed us that bears like to walk along the tracks looking for wounded or dead animals that were hit from the train...I would have liked to seen the looks on our faces when he told us this....This may have been what the bears you saw were doing....

[marlin1]

I worked at Baymag for a summer right near Exshaw. One morning the boys said there was a grizz scratching his back on the entrance gate post. I told them they were full of it . On my way home there he was crossing the highway just past exshaw . Thats a very nice spot you live in full of wildlife ,I actually miss working there if it wasn't for the dust and heat in the plant I might have stayed. Glad to hear it went well for you

[Morph1]

I'm too glad that it went this way and nothing happend to you,
you are one lucky man, I couldn't imagine facing a bear , I just don't know what I would've done..., this is the reason I do not fish streams,
I think my life is more important than catching a few fish, for this reason I stick to lakes only ,
I also heard that when you come across a bear like that , you're supposed to try to appear bigger and not run but slowly retreive backward direction, and yeah I guess climbing a tree is not an option as that bear would prolly climb it or topit over..., you're lucky there was a train there.
Yeah man , get that bear spray and stay safe !!

Good luck.

[McLeod]

I am thinking that there are more Grizzly's out there than we the bears conters think..
I am heading deep in Grizzly country this weekend and I know we will run into a few unless it's so hot they head for the high ridges..hope so..

[Beazer]

You'd be surprised how many bears and animals you nail on train tracks. It's astonishing.

Hoping on the train though?Was it moving?Boxcar or the loco itself.
I would never recommend trying to get on a train at all without prior experience as it can be extremely dangerous.
But I can understand which of the two evils you rather would face.

Guys be extremely careful when walking BESIDE train tracks. Make sure your clear, watch for rocks that get chucked at you and be careful of angry engineers dumping water on you!

[jesse34567]

it's scary for sure

I was up in BC came 25 ft from a large black bear lucky it continued on.

[slickinfinite]

It was a stationary set of train cars and luckily there wasnt a moving train at the time cause that would have been bad as I would have only been able to retreat backwards into the wilderness I was trying to leave as it was getting dark lol. I just figured it was my safest option and hoped if it did pursue he wouldnt be able to climb the ladder?? I did have my camera on me to but there was no way I was going digging in my bag of gear for it lol, and when I got on the train I could no longer see the bear. I honestly think my presence scared him as much as I was scared so I assume he ran off into the woods (thankfully lol).

It also makes perfect sense about bears lurking near trains for kills/spilled grain but I guess it took a close encounter for it to sink in lol. The first time with the little black bear I was just like wow a bear cool and tried to get a pic of him but he got out of sight to quick and then the grizz made my heart a pounding lol and the whole visual encounter lasted maybe 3 seconds. Its 3 seconds I wont ever forget!