Black bears in Sheep country ?!?!?!?!?!

whitetail Junkie · #1 08-12-2009, 05:53 PM

I have a quick question for all you Big time sheep hunters,Do you ever see black bears while hunting sheep in alpine\subalpine terrain? Do black bears venture to such great altitudes as the sheep? I'm very curious !!!

MountainTi · #2 08-12-2009, 05:56 PM

You will see them occasionally, but you are more than likely to see grizzly bears, and typically where you have high populations of grizz, blacks will be more scarce. That being said one of the biggest blacks I've ever seen was while sheep hunting.

#3 08-12-2009, 05:58 PM

Ya, I see a few but more often I see grizz too.

WTHunter · #4 08-12-2009, 06:32 PM

Saw a big black sow with three cubs last year...but generally no.

Frans · #5 08-12-2009, 06:33 PM

Never seen one. Grizz yes, black no.

F.

buckbrushoutdoors · #6 08-12-2009, 07:15 PM

8 grizz last year and no blackies

blackmamba · #7 08-12-2009, 07:24 PM

9 grizz and 2 blacks . But that was the first time I ve seen blacks In 4 years of sheep hunting..

CNP · #8 08-12-2009, 07:38 PM

Yes Dark Wing and I saw one last season, seen him for a couple days, up until a griz put the run on him.....that was cool! Bears had the alpine meadow torn up like it had been cultivated............high meadow.

fish44 · #9 08-12-2009, 08:11 PM

theres probably grizzlies and probably black bears lower from all the animal and hunting shows i have watched

whitetail Junkie · #10 08-12-2009, 08:41 PM

Thanks for all the answers gentleman,greatley apprieciated!!!

Pathfinder76 · #11 08-12-2009, 10:46 PM

I killed a black bear sheep hunting a couple of years ago. I'd seen him previously and after I'd killed him found out a couple of other guys were hunting him (proven by a bullet crease across the bottom of his chest). I thought he was a toad and shot him pretty high on the mountain. He turned out to be a good bear but not the brute I thought he was. It turns out his ears had both been frozen half off giving the illusion of a much larger head than he actually had. I've shot over a dozen black bears and only killed this one way back in because I thought he was so good.

Here he is. The only photos I got as my camera crapped on the mountain.

BrownBear416 · #12 08-12-2009, 11:32 PM

Its rare to see a blue phase black bear...

Stinky Buffalo · #13 08-13-2009, 12:04 AM

My guess is that it was so small that he was able fit the entire bear into the pack...

lambski · #14 08-13-2009, 12:40 AM

That bear seems to have took off

CNP · #15 08-13-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck

I killed a black bear sheep hunting a couple of years ago. I'd seen him previously and after I'd killed him found out a couple of other guys were hunting him (proven by a bullet crease across the bottom of his chest). I thought he was a toad and shot him pretty high on the mountain. He turned out to be a good bear but not the brute I thought he was. It turns out his ears had both been frozen half off giving the illusion of a much larger head than he actually had. I've shot over a dozen black bears and only killed this one way back in because I thought he was so good.

Here he is. The only photos I got as my camera crapped on the mountain.

That e'stock pack looks familiar chuck. Good to see it has some experience...

LongDraw · #16 08-13-2009, 04:43 PM

Chuck,

Quite often you take your boots off for before you take pictures?

59whiskers · #17 08-15-2009, 11:35 AM

Black bear populations vary in different regions. When I hunted sheep west of Rocky Mountain House almost all my bear sightings are grizzlies. Down south in the Crowsnest Pass area more half the bears I see now are grizzlies.

WayneChristie · #18 08-15-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck

I killed a black bear sheep hunting a couple of years ago. I'd seen him previously and after I'd killed him found out a couple of other guys were hunting him (proven by a bullet crease across the bottom of his chest). I thought he was a toad and shot him pretty high on the mountain. He turned out to be a good bear but not the brute I thought he was. It turns out his ears had both been frozen half off giving the illusion of a much larger head than he actually had. I've shot over a dozen black bears and only killed this one way back in because I thought he was so good.

Here he is. The only photos I got as my camera crapped on the mountain.

kinda looks like the bear may have won this round!!!!

Pathfinder76 · #19 08-15-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

kinda looks like the bear may have won this round!!!!

If your hide folded up in a blue tarp is winning, then yes he's the champion.

whitetail Junkie · #20 08-15-2009, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 59whiskers

Black bear populations vary in different regions. When I hunted sheep west of Rocky Mountain House almost all my bear sightings are grizzlies. Down south in the Crowsnest Pass area more half the bears I see now are grizzlies.

Well i'll be going for sheep just north of the pass,so maybe I will see a black bear on my travels.(Better buy a tag)!!! Thanks for your imput

BrownBear416 · #21 08-15-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongDraw

Chuck,

Quite often you take your boots off for before you take pictures?

I am convinced he never wears the things

Pathfinder76 · #22 08-15-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrownBear416

I am convinced he never wears the things

Good stuff is worthy of mention.

recurve · #23 08-15-2009, 07:41 PM

I've seen quite a few blacks going up into the Wilmore from Rock Lake, but they have all been down in the main valley. We saw a young sow with 3 cubs last year when we went in up the Smokey. She was quite a ways up a drainage where there was a lot of Huckle Berries.