Dogs in Bear Country

[NateK]

I hunt with my Lab a lot and really enjoy taking her on my trips out west. She is a well trained waterfowl dog so general obedience and responsiveness is not an issue. When I'm still hunting whitetails I frequently have her with me (she heels great and when I stop she sits immediately) and never barks/chases game. Slipped up within 45 yards of a good buck this weekend and he never knew we were around. So far she has been super reliable around deer, coyotes, random dogs etc. but I have never been in any sort of proximity to a bear with her. If I was hunting in areas that had more bears (high black bear and low griz populations) do you guys think it would be more dangerous for me to have my dog along than hunting solo? Obviously I always check regs, call GWs ahead of time, and have her on a leash or lead at all times. Based on the way I hunt with her I wouldn't be worried she would runoff and bring a bear back but I don't know how it might affect the bears reaction to me (since I would be standing next to a 75 pound black lab).

I'm looking for input and opinions from folks who spend a lot of time in bear country and I am not asking if it will affect my success rate as I know as well as anyone that having my dog with me makes me less efficient as a hunter.

 

[hartigjosh]

I hunted outside Yellowstone and one of our guides had a big black lab in camp. The grizzly that came to camp seemed scared of him at first. But then I think it could care less. As long as your dog is in control shouldn’t be an issue. If you have to worry about it trying a bear than I think it’s not worth it.
Also something to think about, if it has no experience than you simply don’t know. Having an open mind that it may possibly affect your hunt and being ok with that helps, I would try
I shot my muley this year and had a dog by my side, made it that much cooler

 

[Tod osier]

I don't think it would be more dangerous, but it depends on the dog. I've spent a lot of time with my labs amongst bears (both black and brown). My dogs don't seem to particularly key into bear scent. We been in areas with steaming griz scat in NW MT and in AK and they don't seem to react. We have bears in the yard at home and they don't react at all even though I can see the fresh tracks. See bears along the road and stop for a photo - no reaction. For camping I prefer them around because surely my male dogs marking everything lets the bears know we are around even if the dogs dont' let us know the bears are. Surely with a tiny bit of training they could be first class bear alerters, but I haven't pushed that since I don't want to deal with them being interested in bears.

I hunt with my Lab a lot and really enjoy taking her on my trips out west. She is a well trained waterfowl dog so general obedience and responsiveness is not an issue. When I'm still hunting whitetails I frequently have her with me (she heels great and when I stop she sits immediately) and never barks/chases game. Slipped up within 45 yards of a good buck this weekend and he never knew we were around. So far she has been super reliable around deer, coyotes, random dogs etc. but I have never been in any sort of proximity to a bear with her. If I was hunting in areas that had more bears (high black bear and low griz populations) do you guys think it would be more dangerous for me to have my dog along than hunting solo? Obviously I always check regs, call GWs ahead of time, and have her on a leash or lead at all times. Based on the way I hunt with her I wouldn't be worried she would runoff and bring a bear back but I don't know how it might affect the bears reaction to me (since I would be standing next to a 75 pound black lab).

I'm looking for input and opinions from folks who spend a lot of time in bear country and I am not asking if it will affect my success rate as I know as well as anyone that having my dog with me makes me less efficient as a hunter.

 

[Terrapin]

Firstly, having a dog along on a big game hunt is asking for a ticket. Idaho Foo and Goo will certainly ticket you, even if you are carrying a white cane.

Second, I’ve always heard that bears and worse yet mooses will chase a dog. Downside is the dog generally runs back to the owner. That being said I’ve been in several camps where the owner kept dogs to keep the bears out of camp, and I’ve certainly chased a few with hounds.

Lastly, nothing a wolf likes to kill more than a domestic dog. They’ll come from long distances if they hear one barking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

Like others have said, check your regulations. I don't hunt with my dogs in grizzly country, but I do a bunch of backpacking in the summertime. I believe that the dog is a plus. It can notify me of bears and usually bears are scared of dogs. Plus, if there is going to be an attack, the bear will probably attack my dog before me or my family. While I love my dog and it may sound heartless, I would prefer if the bear attacked my dog before me or my wife or son, and he would probably prefer that as well.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Dogs don't like bears. A good portion of negative bear interactions here are initiated by dogs, even generally well behaved ones like to go barking at bears then run back to you and hide between your legs when the bear decides it's had enough if they don't have much experience around them. I skinned a bear out in my buddy's backyard once, his dog had never seen a bear and wouldn't stop barking at it like it figured it was still a threat.

 

[NateK]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm not worried about getting a ticket as I make a point to call the local GW's in the units I plan to hunt and ask them if there would be any issues with me taking my dog. Also not too worried about my dog running off and pissing off a bear since she stays on a lead (but she would definitely run right back to me if it did happen). Sounds like a lot of how bears respond to dogs plays on how the dog responds to bears which makes sense to me.

I'm not anticipating my dog adding a security benefit since she isn't 500 pounds, trained to fight bears, and sleeps like a brick but wanted to make sure I wasn't increasing the danger to myself. She's pretty good about listening to me complain about how steep the mountains are and how the air isn't worth a darn and is always up for a hike so I like bringing her along!

I hadn't thought about wolves which I could see going out of their way to kill a dog based on how coyotes act around here...

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Pondered this very same thing...as we own property in NW MT and are branching out and learning more country. My dog is NEVER on leash unless we are in a situation that calls for it.
He is a pretty hot prey drive dog. Deutsch Drahthaar. He covers a LOT of ground searching for game. If there is feather or fur near me...he will find it. Often figured he was run back to me in trouble with a big bear or wolves in tow.

Never posted this same questions as I wasn’t ready for the Pandora’s box of responses. You have no clue someone’s credibility on the topic. And it’s probably prone to the same concept of Choosing a Bear Pistol. “Well...after it comes at me...and I’ve shot it 3 times...then I load solids. And my last 4 rounds are bird shot......”
With zero lifetime reps...it’s all hypothetical.

I could easily envision a dog taking the brunt of an attack and at least allowing you more time for a game plan...be it exit, lethal, or spray. I can only guess a Griz would make short work of a hot dog like mine. Only a guess tho....as I don’t think they will tree or bay like a black bear would.
Interested in additional replies tho

 

[Elk97]

One of my sons hunts, hikes and camps with his dog (male golden retriever) in parts of MT that have a LOT of bears (both kinds) and has never had a problem. The dog is very good about staying quiet and staying by his side when they spot a bear. He's never on a leash but stays close. Sounds like your dog is even better behaved and trained so I can't see it being a big drawback or danger.

 

[NateK]

"Never posted this same questions as I wasn’t ready for the Pandora’s box of responses. You have no clue someone’s credibility on the topic. And it’s probably prone to the same concept of Choosing a Bear Pistol. “Well...after it comes at me...and I’ve shot it 3 times...then I load solids. And my last 4 rounds are bird shot......”
With zero lifetime reps...it’s all hypothetical. "

Haha! I figured hopefully a few obviously qualified persons would comment and I would learn from them. I was probably a little overly optimistic to expect someone who has been killed by a bear that their dog attracted to comment.

 

[NateK]

One of my sons hunts, hikes and camps with his dog (male golden retriever) in parts of MT that have a LOT of bears (both kinds) and has never had a problem. The dog is very good about staying quiet and staying by his side when they spot a bear. He's never on a leash but stays close. Sounds like your dog is even better behaved and trained so I can't see it being a big drawback or danger.

Hopefully I don't find out but if I do I sure hope my dog stays quiet. The leash is entirely for the GW's as I never have her leashed up hunting around here.

 

[Zzhartless]

I live in and hunt wyoming griz country all the time. If I am solo I almost always take my dog. They have far better senses than you and will alert you of critters. My dogs have never (knock on wood) created a situation where I thought the bear was more aggressive than if I hadn't had a dog with me. Around here a lot of outfitter camps keep them around for a security system. I don't know of any laws that forbids it here... Hope my input was helpful for you.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

More reps than I have so that is “credibility”
To me

Semi off topic are laws: I THINK in both MT and ID you can blood track/game recovery with dogs. Think both allow Hound Hunting.

What could F+G hook you up for ?

 

[Ralphie]

I hunt with my heeler all the time in Gizz country. off leash. She’s been with me within bow range of elk quite a few times.
And my game warden friend has hunted with me and the dog too and hasn’t written us a ticket yet.

 

[Squamch]

I live on southern Vancouver island. We have a few bears kicking around.
I hunted with my pitbull a lot. Never had a close encounter with a bear, but he scented them and would growl in their direction, whereas when he scented a deer he would whine and grunt and point in it's direction.
Being a well trained dog, he never left my side to pursue anything, so I can't comment on whether he would have brought one back.

We also camp in the bush a lot, always with dogs, from 10lb snacks to 150lb rottweilers. I think the scent of a dog around a camp is an excellent deterrent for bears, we've never had any issues, even when totally disregarding all "clean camp" type advice.
Bears are also hunted pretty heavily around here, so they generally avoid folks.

 

[Werty]

I'm personally wouldn't think twice about it, given the way you describe your dog. Take your dog.

 

[VernAK]

Here's my limited experiences:

A friend's Carpet Pisser always yapped at everything while we were on a salmon stream until he yapped at a brown bear and the Carpet Pisser ran back to hide behind us; bringing the damned bear with it. Half of a Carpet Pisser is almost as good halibut bait as half of a kitten!

The neighbor gal follows her retriever, Old Herpes [he won't heal], with her UTV on his daily run. Last spring my nephew took a nice black bear and I threw some of the bones out in the woods near her trail. When Old Herpes got with 20 feet of the bones, he decided it was time to ride in the UTV.

Another friend has two Karelians and they are very effective dog deterrent. Better than a handgun IMO.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

Hey Nate

Seems your commitment to your dog is exceptional. If you're willing and the dog is capable, why would you NOT do it? No brainer.

 

[AK Troutbum]

OK, so I’ll lead off with this, I’ve lived in Alaska for almost 30 years and I’ve had a chocolate lab for 23 of those years. I do a ton of rafting/floating and fishing, much more so than I hunt, and after my first couple years up here I chose a Labrador because I figured that would make the best river companion. My first lab lived a little over 13 years and was with me always when I was on a river, regardless of whether it was a fly out float or a local stream, and I never once had a bear in camp. There were many nights on a river when she would come awake, out of a dead sleep, and start sounding off in camp. My only guess was that she smelled something she didn’t like. After she died I had about a two-year lapse that I didn’t own a dog, and in that timeframe, I experienced several bears come through camp while I was camped out on a river. Since getting another lab, to my knowledge again, I have not had a bear in camp. I’ve also been hiking several times with my dog, and she will start sounding off, only to see a bear scurrying away. For the most part, bears notoriously don’t like dogs (I think they generally find dogs annoying), and tend to stay away from them. Of course, there have been many instances of dogs wandering around, finding a bear, pissing it off, then running back to its owner, with the bear hot on it’s heels. So, obviously, having a dog that is obedient, and stays close is paramount.

Anyway, that’s just my feelings regarding having a dog around and being alerted to and or protected from bears. I also think that, if you have a dog there and a bear decides to charge anyway, chances are very good it will go for the dog and maybe, quite possibly, allow you a way of escaping, or afford you a little more time to shoot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PathFinder]

First off, as mentioned, most of the above advice is couch-quarterback b.s. and should be disregarded.
Most of my bear-dog interaction experience is with hounds. I'm more worried about starting an unintended 10 mile bear race than anything when I have my dogs out scouting etc with me. Bears typically aren't terrified of dogs, but they really don't like them. I'd imagine the lab being a deterrent in nearly any situation. Maybe a female grizz with cubs would be a different story, but I have no experience there.
I say take the dog. My hounds go on scouting trips with me and those are the trips when I know a camp bear isn't stealing any food. They never cause a problem.

Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk