Bear Bums - Bear Hunting

I just read this article about bear overpopulation in the Ontario, Canada area. Here are some of my thoughts.

Some of the reasons I love bear hunting….I’m not sure I can number them without leaving out the most important or make it not sound like a political statement.

1. Bears have individual unpredictable personalities
2. Bears have personalities
3. There are bears pretty well all over the world (remember the bears of India—Major Jim Corbett; pandas, polar bears, grizzlies, browns, sun bears and the list goes on and on all over the world)
4. I can see them (if I keep my eyes open I see bears when I’m driving places, fall hunting, spring hunting etc.)
5. Bears, for the most part, are over-numerous.
6. Bears are quiet, loud, sneaky, shy, and aggressive and many times all at once.
7. With a little planning I can hunt them almost every year and have a great time doing it.

Articles like this one about Ontario, Canada bug me! I realize as hunters we’re stuck in a political mess and in many ways our neighbors to the north are worse off, like with gun laws and federal level laws.

I’ve been nervous as I’ve watched how our federal government handles issues like the wild horses and burros. Instead of making money on cowboys enjoying roping these wild animals we spend million of dollars on federal programs that do not work on capturing (with helicopters) and selling the horses to tree huggers.

We’ve (federally) acted similarly with the wolves, tree owls and even with our oil reserves. STOP ME! Anyhow, Canada in ways has a more difficult deal with national government than the USA has, but as hunters and bearbums we’re buddies. The Provinces of Canada have a huge resource with their bear population. Some of the lower States and Alaska have the same resource. I hope we can help out by sharing our excitement about bears and even our incomes as we travel and hunt in these locations. The loss of spring bear hunting in a Province like Ontario hurts us all.

Sorry about the politics. Take some time and read an old time story about hunting. See what we’ve given up and what we still have! Campfires In The Canadian Rockies or Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Major Jim Corbett.

I guess when I’m writing I think I’m speaking to a bunch of bear hunters sitting around the fire after a good day. In reality many of us are forced to satisfy our burn to hunt big black bears with reading, dreaming and the like. To satisfy those of us that dream and may not have a grasp on black bear numbers here’s a few words on the bear numbers.

Over the years I realize I have subconsciously selected and increased the likelihood of me being around hunters. Check out my today:

I was reminded, a past neighbor Kody, was headed to Blanding, Utah to start the dogs on bear tracks as the season opened this week end. The big problem with bear hunting in this area is too many bears. Dogs can’t stay on one track to the end without crossing other black bear tracks. Tough problem!?

Then here shows up a young man whose camper got ripped up by some black bears. He had the photos to Read the rest of this entry »

Our ongoing personal list for the 2008 Prince of Wales Island, Alaska black bear hunt. We’ll be in a small forest service cabin on a lake with well over 5 miles of salmon streams to hunt and fish on. (Salmon Lake Cabin—Karta River system)

1. Rifle/scope, scope covers, sling - (I don’t like scope covers, but in this case it is inevitable—they keep water out and in. I can shoot a scope that’s wet but not one that’s foggy)

2. 40 rounds of ammunition - (sight your gun in after the airplane ride) It has to be in it’s original containers for commercial flying! Pack it separate from your gun.

3. Binoculars - (don’t forget these)

4. Spotting scope - (We’ll have two. One for each group) They are expensive and heavy so make the younger guys carry them.

5. Sleeping bag, air mattress - (Not a huge one) The great big bed mattresses are not good-too heavy and would take up the whole cabin. I think our cabin is 16ft X 20ft. Therm-a-Rest, Slumberjack or the new Exped Downmat 7 Sleeping Pad that I Iove and blogged about.

6. Small Pillow - The small down squish-able ones the size of a loaf of bread or just use your sweater, if you’re a good sleeper. Do not take the one off your bed!

7. Small backpack - There are a lot of backpacks out there. We’ll be carrying lunch, waders, and emergent stuff, so we’ll need one that’s not tiny. I like ones with real back support and I want it to be as big as the air Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve blogged before on bear attacks and now everyone must have heard about the girl biker who was mauled by a grizzly outside of Anchorage Alaska on a 24 hour bike race. She must have surprised the grizzly bear and that is when the trouble started.

I feel bad and I felt worse when I spent the time reading 5-6 comments people sent in to the local newspaper. Most suggestions were to get rid of the humans and thus end the bear attacks.

Warning sign posted outside of the bear attack scene.

Last year I was grizzly bear hunting in British Columbia with Harry Leuenberger of Baldy Mountain Outfitters. That day I was a spotter for a stalk on a big black bear. I was walking down an easy trail, an old logging road, through dense cover. Around the corner I came and in one, maybe two seconds, I had a face-to-face encounter with a grizzly. Read the rest of this entry »

A fellow Bear Bum sent me this article about a Florida Black Bear rescue. Pretty cool considering this guy dragged a nice bear out of the Gulf of Mexico near Alligator Point. I guess the bear was wandering around a neighborhood and when tranquilized went darting into the Gulf.

Crazy. This guy is a nut. As the bear started snoozing he jumped in and dragged it to shore.

I found this picture on FoxNews:

The adult black bear can weigh from 150 to 600+ lbs. This bear is no joke weighing 375 lbs.  This weight seems to be slightly above average for adult male Florida Black Bears.