Just in case any of you missed it, here's a link to the BCTV news story from last nite...

Global BCTV news

The incident happened a week ago. Simple case of getting within a bears "personal space". The lady involved did a commendable job of saving her partner...he was not packing protection, but she had her bear spray and used it effectively.

Cheers,
Canuck

Definatley scary!

.366...first time its happened to any of our forest workers in a LOOOOOONG time (30 years or so). Good reminder to keep alert and be prepared.

Cheers,
Canuck

Just last week we had a meduim sized grizzly charge a battery operator on a lease north of Rocky Mtn. Hse. First time in a long time we have had any problems with griz.

Canuck, are your workers equiped with spray as a matter of standard? Wonder what my company's policy is. I'm sure they wouldn't have a company issue gun I could use...

Frans

Our company policy is to have a firearm and the boss has turned down work because of it.

We carry defenders on our quads when we head into any of our remote wells, around the Grande Cache area.

The companys policy is to "call a bear control 'expert' who is in Calgary and he will advise what to do".

Yeh, right keeps me all warm and fuzzy at night. This is not the procedure that is followed in the field by the people who are at risk.

Canuck32,

That is a great policy.

"Hello, can I talk to the bear expert please."

"Sorry sir, he is out of the office until Monday."

"Ok but a big ass grizzly is chewing my family jewels off right now!"

"Sorry sir, I will transfer you to his voice mail."



Tell your employer to smarten the f(*& up.

Albertacoyote,
Always nice to have those in ivroy towers dictate from several hundred kms away how to deal with a simple solution. The guy to phone has probably never even seen a griz in the wild.

I had a very tight situation a couple of years ago. The tie rod on my truck came appart(just after a wheel alignment) and I went in the ditch. I was under the truck putting it back together when I happened to notice a griz at the back of my truck. I threw my wrench at him and he ran back a few yards. I got in my truck and got several nice and close photos of him beside my truck. After about an hour he left and I fix my steering and continued on, but I was not a happy camper when I phone in to my boss.

Restrictions be dammed. I always vowed that if I was in the bush hunting or whatever and a griz got too close for comfort, I would shoot it. Let the wildlife officers decide to charge me or not after they see the powder burns on the entrance wound and decide if I had a choice or not. I have yet to see a dead man pay a fine.In bear country, it's be prepared or be the bears lunch. I prefer the former.

Our company has a firearms policy that allows one to carry a rifle when working in the woods.

I've always carried one regardless.

I have not had that much of a problem with the grizzlies I have encountered.

I have had far more problems with aggressive black bears. I've had to put 3 down in the past 10 years.

While hunting on the Musqua from river boats we used to talk to oil exploration guys being dropped off by choppers in the area we were hunting. These were mostly university students. The companies they worked for had a no guns in the chopper rule. We had bears on our kills within a day and every creek you crossed had grizzly tracks in the mud. I wouldn't take a crap without bringing my gun let alone work out there unarmed.