kutenay,

I was just curious, when was Dave Wiens attacked? Do you know the details? I would be interested to know.

Chris Widrig was just unlucky. He was guiding sheephunters in a favorite area of his that has good sheep and alot of grizzly bears. Always has had alot of grizzly bears. Bumped into a sow and her cubs at close range. I have been at this exact spot a couple of times. The last thing you would ever think at this spot, is that you would suprise a sow and her cubs.





Female blacks will kill humans for food as well. Northern B.C. comes to mind. Liard Hot Springs about 8 years ago.

Most of the time when grizzly attack is usually to protect thier cubs or thier food. Though not as common they attack for no known reason.

Daryl

Obviously the BC government doesn't read the literture put out by the Northwest Territories guys. They have a very neat, and appropriately gruesome, little pamphlet about watching your back very closely in bear country. It talks about both species being out to get you.

Yeah..

Grizzlies usually attack to 'protect thier turf' whether it is carcass defense or to protect cubs... Or just if they are surprised "on thier turf".. I suppose sometimes it's just an invasion of space.

Unlike grizzlies, black bears will attack humans for food, as well as the other reasons.

I've bumped into zillions of black bears, and quite a number of grizzlies, and never had a 'real' problem, but I've been bluff charged a few times, and one (monsterous) black bear absolutely terrorized myself and my gal while we were out grouse hunting, and I had a mighty 20 guage with #6 shot..

it followed us parrallel to the trail, for abotu 200 yards, crashign throught he bush after we disturbed it..The bear was fucking PISSED off!!

When we got back to the truck, I changed the shotgun for a 7RM, and was about to go after Mr. Bear...

Teh girl asked what the hell I was doing...I said "I've got a bear tag, and that bear is HUGE!

Her response?

Clarke, If you go after that bear, he is going to fuckign kill you, and I am going to divorce you!!!

Rifle went back behind the seat, we went home...

If a grizzly attacks it is usually because it is protecting its food or you get in between a sow and her cubs.

Black bears are for the same reasons but if you are attacked by a male black bear its because he wants you for dinner.
Cam

Hello;
That would seem likely since there are a lot more black bears than Grizzlies and they are more widely distributed. According to what I have read, they are also more likely to eat you afterwards. There was an attack at Zama Lake a few years ago, where a black bear manged to kill a couple of people at an oil rig and made dinner of them. In "Bear Book", mention is made of a black bear that killed and ate a person west of Sundre in 1906, which is pretty close to home.
Grizz

Further to my initial post, apparently the victim here was a retired guide-outfitter and his companion was also an experienced outdoors person, they were both in their early 70s; evidently two tough old guys used to hunting in bear country. This is not the first attack on people of this sort by Grizzlies here as members of the Mack family of Bella Coola were hassled right on the main drag of that village a few years ago; these are relatives of the legendary Clayton Mack, one of the most famous Grizzly guides of the early-mid 20th century and a regular character in "Outdoor Life" stories of that era.

I know several other very experienced bushwhackers who have been attacked lately and have heard of others, this includes outfitters Dave Wiens of Stone Mtn.Safaries, one of the absolutely tip-top men in his business and Chris Widrig, a Yukon outfitter whom I hope to hunt with someday, if I can ever scrape up the bucks! Curiously, I spent many years working solo in the most densely bear populated areas of B.C. and Alta., starting in 1965 and I have never even been threatened, although I have had a considerable number of Grizzly encounters. Most guys I know now carry serious bear guns as a regular practice, yet, when I was young, we never bothered carrying anything when working in the bush.

This leads me to believe that Grizzlies are becoming more numerous in B.C. and since vastly more people are now going into the backcountry, there are more confrontations and attacks. But, the politicians in Ottawa, who do such a fantastic job of running Canada, are still adamantly opposed to relaxing our ridiculous regulations concerning handgun carry by average civilians....ah, democracy, how sweet it is!

I have back packed in grizz county also Montana, Wyoming and Ak I always carry a firearm. I belive Gary says you should be armed also. But here in the sates it is a lot easier to carry a pistol then in Canada. I to keep a clean camp and watch where and what I am doing I havn't had any trouble.

Just before I went into the Bob Marshell willderness a guy shot(44mag) a sow that put him up a tree. The bear was coming up after him. 3 weeks before that the same bear was live trapped and move out of a camp ground. I guess she finnaly meet some one that was more then her match.

You are right I hardly ever carry a rifle expect on hunting trips. But a good hand gun comes along always. Kind of like having a smoke alarm ect. You hope you never have to use it but it very nice to have when one needs it.

I have found that firing off a load of birdshot into the air to be a pretty good deterent, so far! derf