Close encounter of the wrong kind!

Venetian · 08-20-2006, 02:39 PM

Hope the picture downloads! Was out for a walk about 2 miles from my truck when I noticed this Grizzly walking towards me about 75 yds away. It didn"t bother me but certainly got my attention.

This was in the foothills of western Alberta. All you guys in California probably don"t see this to often!

Jims5543 · 08-20-2006, 03:06 PM

As long as he minded his/her own business I would be thrilled to see that. If it was upset with my presence or decide dI was going to be dinner I would have stains in my pants.

Cool pic!!

djmcmath · 08-20-2006, 04:11 PM

My parents (North Idaho) tell me stories like that all the time. "So today we were out picking huckleberries, and this grizzly wandered past. We didn't pick his berries, and he didn't pick ours, so it was ok."

Sure is a change to go home and visit; not exactly the booming metropolis out there.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Nice pic...noted the hump right away. Saw plenty of fresh tracks in the snow on a deer hunt in Wy. a couple years back. That was in Nov. Locals said there had been 29 hunters attacked...none killed...since early Sept. that year....but then they were tryin' to sell ammo and pepper spray ;-)

Moses · 08-20-2006, 07:13 PM

Here's a pic from my last fly fishing trip to Alaska. I'm in the water casting to silver salmon when this guy said hello. Thankfully, he wandered off.

charleskieffner · 08-20-2006, 07:24 PM

there are some individuals in arizona that want to reintroduce grizzlies here. last one shot around hannagans meadow in 1920. i hope they DONT! sharks bears rattlesnakes just bug me!

djmcmath · 08-21-2006, 01:14 AM

Nice shot, Moses. I like the way the close one is looking at you. It's as if he's sizing you up as worth the effort to eat or not.

livi · 08-21-2006, 02:39 AM

Great pictures ! Although I just saw 'Grizzly Man' who apparently ended up as an afternoon snack. I would most certainly have soiled my pants holding those cameras.

PorschePilot · 08-21-2006, 05:26 PM

I am one of the California guys and I have seen several bears this year up at my second home in Lake Tahoe. I just go out by the trash cans. I always give them the respect they deserve, I don't want to be the stupid guy to make the news paper.

BlueSkyJaunte · 08-21-2006, 05:47 PM

Moses, I hope you carry bear repellent! (i.e., a S&W 44 mag!)

GettinHeadStuds · 07:30 PM

Fantastic experience.

I've seen many blacks in the sierras, but a grizz, that's a whole different beast.

Thanks for sharing.

Moses · 08-21-2006, 08:53 PM

Here's my buddy Chrys hooked up with a big rainbow. He's being watched!

BlueSkyJaunte · 08-21-2006, 10:09 PM

Moses, you and your buddy are nucking futs. No two ways about it.

charleskieffner · 08-22-2006, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Moses, you and your buddy are nucking futs. No two ways about it.

i second that opinion! a few years back 2 brothers were camping here in az. on the indian rez. went to bed on cots for it was nice out. next thing the one guy knows he is being sucked off the cot by a fairly large black bear. his bro grabs his ruger .41 cal. and puts bear to sleep. this is now a RUGER FIREARMS AD!

have camped as recently as july in bear country. campsite in utah had the bear boxes mentioned above. we were the only ones there over july 4 weekend. as we unpacked in the rain i decided to hike around a little bit. not 50yds from camp...............BEAR SCAT! well that brings back memories of backpacking the olympic peninsula(bears lots of), and we go into bear mode. cook in one set of clothes, place in bear box, all food in bear box. ice chest in shell, burn all garbage, brush teeth 100yds away etc.

in the olympic peninsula had one back pack torn into one night and we had hung everything in tree. no munchies sweets nothing and they still went after pack.

and now the clincher.....................hold onto your seats folks. friend of mine was head of homicide for anchorage P.D.. one day they get frantic call that hikers had found shredded body. they go out to site in boonies and find shreds of human. guy had gotten DEAR JOHN letter from g/friend and had smothered himself in SALMON EGGS head to toe!!!!!!!! SUICIDE BY BEAR!

i about flipped on that story! what a VISUAL!

moral to story.............12 gauge shotgun (HK perferably) first round #6 birdshot(hopefully they will split and or be blinded) next round triple odd magnum 3" buckshot, next 3" federal or breneke magnum slug repeat to fill tube. shoot first round birdshot to blind and or scare away, next round aim for chest, then leg to slow down if on a frontal running attack(and they is fast).

to show how stupid we were as kids, we used to go to the pinetop dump and shoot black bears and everything else with our pellet rifles, thats were we found out how fast they can run after being hit in the ass! man were we stupid kids!

chumming for sharks is no different than chumming for bears!

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Sweet picture!

I always find it kind of odd (and a sad commentary on man's abuse of his environment) that the grizzly is on the CA state flag but at present there isn't a single one living in the state (hunted to extinction in CA, now only in places like Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, etc.)