Charged by a sow with 3 cubs.

grfox92

WKR
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Mar 14, 2017
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NW WY
Not too close and personal but....

We went in Friday morning at first light. We wound up hiking 9.4 miles straight up some steep nasty sheep type country before setting up camp at exactly 10k feet.

About 5 miles into that hike at around 9 am we came out of the timber to cross an avalanche shoot. My buddy was looking up the shoot and I could tell by the look on his face before he could say Bear. I looked up the shoot and there was a sow with 3 cubs coming down the avalanche shoot straight at us at 100 yards.

She had no idea we were there and was only getting closer so I ran out into the shoot and starting waving my arms over my head and yelling at her. She darted back towards the timber immediately, stopped just at the edge and turned and locked on us and started bounding towards us.

Spray and pistols were out and we both continued yelling and eaving our arms. She made 4 powerfully bounds, straight down hill dead at us with all 3 cubs bopping along behind her and she spun and entered the timber about 50 yards from us.

We made a wide swing side hilling to put distance between us and pressed on up the mountain.

We camped on our targeted area at 10k feet and did not find any fresh elk sign, nor could we glass up any elk. Being that we hiked over 10 miles almost straight up to get in there. Hopping over to another area was not a viable option so we hiked out mid morning the next day.

On the way out with had new grizzly tracks on the trail right where the encounter happened the day before. We then came across a different griz track on top of my boot print that I had left the morning before.

Lots of miles for no elk and a whole lot of bears.

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OP
grfox92

grfox92

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Mar 14, 2017
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NW WY
. I’m amazed by the ten mile tall mountain
Yes. We started at 6k feet and finished up at 10k feet where we camped. It's all switch back up to the top. On x said 9.6 miles I believe, but that's as the crow flies. I'm willing to be we walked more like 15 to get up there.

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Joined
Feb 17, 2013
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You hiked 10 miles uphill to hunt unfamiliar country? Before I bet all my chips like that I would have had a peek over the summer to make sure there was some potential. Where did you go after that? In that neck of the woods you can see bears anywhere.
 

Agross

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Jan 25, 2017
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1,678
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Michigan
I would be too if I lived in Michigan. 10k feet tall isn’t ten miles….ten miles into the back country..yes.

op glad you all made it out safe!
It was a joke dude. And actually he did say ten miles almost straight up. But who cares. OP glad you made it out fine. I actually hunted in sw Montana a couple years ago, that was some steep country but absolutely beautiful especially coming from MICHIGAN. I have a hunt planned next year west of Yellowstone. Grizzlies are definitely on my mind for our next hunt.
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2018
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889
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Wyoming
I live East of Yellowstone and south of Cody. Lots of bears always on my mind when it's dark. For some reason once the sun is up the bears aren't on my mind so much. Dark, light, whatever, if the bear wants to eat me it will!
 
OP
grfox92

grfox92

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
2,394
Location
NW WY
You hiked 10 miles uphill to hunt unfamiliar country? Before I bet all my chips like that I would have had a peek over the summer to make sure there was some potential. Where did you go after that? In that neck of the woods you can see bears anywhere.
This particular basin historically holds elk. They will be there at some point this year, they just weren't there yet. This area is all dependant on weather and snow it's a major migration area.

We went in on the recommendation of a good local guide. We are on foot and this is horse country, the elk aren't everywhere they are in pockets, so our options for going on foot are limited.

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grfox92

grfox92

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
2,394
Location
NW WY
You hiked 10 miles uphill to hunt unfamiliar country? Before I bet all my chips like that I would have had a peek over the summer to make sure there was some potential. Where did you go after that? In that neck of the woods you can see bears anywhere.
After that we went out to the prairie to try and fill my buddies antelope tag.

We were pretty beat up and most of the spots for getting into elk in archery season are just as far in or in equally as rough country.

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vectordawg

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 3, 2020
Messages
247
Location
Olive Branch, MS
I was in unit 59 last week and my guide cow called a Grizz in to about 20 yards. That’s the only time I’ve been that close to one in the wild. It was quite an adrenaline rush! Lol
 
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