Bears

[geoffvl]

How often do you encounter bears while fishing? Does anyone carry anything like pepper spray when your out? I guess there's also wolves and cougars out there.

[_HOOK_]

I have encountered bears twice this year. first time was 2 bears and second it stayed on the river across from me. First sighting the bigger bear turned out to be a "problem" bear and was just killed a week or so ago (Vedder) good thing we were ok because i was ten feet face to face with that bear at one point 2nd sighting the bear kept thinking of crossing the river (because we had fish on our side) but the yelling at it kept it where it was thankfully and it wandered off after awhile

[phearless]

There are toothy critters hiding behind almost every tree waiting to make you part of the food chain.
You should stay away from all the good fishing spots because that is where the critteres are.
I will keep you up to date on the fishing.
The put and take ponds are where you should go to be safe.

Seriously though.
I have guided in the heart of grizzly country and there were bears everywhere, no problems.
Bulkley has bears, just keep your eyes open.
We have run into black bears on NVI, same thing there. Just treat them with respect.
Make noise in confined areas and when coming around blind corners that sort of thing.

If it makes you feel better carry bear spray and bangers/whistles.
It can't hurt.

[Rick Baerg]

I was on the Tlell the other day and saw this bear on the other side of the river!



He pretty much left us alone, not very interested in us but he did follow us around all day! He/she always seemed to pop out where ever we were, it was kinda a strange almost like he was stocking us!! At the end of the day he poped out again right in front of us, walked up river along the bank about 1 KM and then we watched him jump in the river swim to our side, then we never saw him again! Although we didnt stay around much longer!!

[Jim Dingsdale]

Nasty little(?) critters.
Have had experiences with them, mostly not good, especially when
cubs are involved.
Ran into a cub one day on a trail along river.ops:
Came around a corner and cub was 20 ft. in front of me.
Cub bawled and ran up a small tree.
Heard a thrashing about 50 ft. to my left.
Drew my knife in case she attacked.
Looked back at cub and it fell out of tree and went bawling to mama.
Saw two cubs go up a large cedar tree with mama right behind them.
I'm outta here. Whew. Too close for comfort.
Carry a whistle with me now.
Would like to have a high powered handgun, but too many restrictions to carry one.

[knotnot]

Hi

Living in the LM I rarely see bears or other types of vermin except up Lynn Creek or Seymour.
We used to live in Sorrento and I saw blk bears frequently and cougars a few times.
I always carried spray and bangers, raised to wear a bell when wondering through the bush, paranoid mother ?
Now I am trying to convince the wife that my 22 rifle is lame and I NEED a S&W
500M.

[Rick Baerg]

Here is another bear encounter from a couple years ago on the Upper Pitt river, while fishing with a friend, Jordi Williams.



This is quite a funny story!! We are up around 15K of the river, third week of August fishing for anything that would bite. It was around 2:00 PM and we were working our way down this run that was holding fish. As I finished my swing, I stripped in the fly line before my next cast and I look up to Jordi to tell him I just saw a big nookie jump and what do I see just above Jordi? A black bear swimming across the river towards him, a 100 feet away, just up stream. Jordi hasn't seen the bear yet when I yell, "BEAR!" I swear Jordi jumped out of his waders and was running to the bank when he saw that bear and I continue to scream loud and wave my arms. Instantly, that the bear changed directions and quickly started swimming back to the other side where he high-taled it into the bush. When he reached the other side he never stopped and didn't look back! I think that bears was just as freaked as Jordi was after he heard all the commotion in a very quite place!

[geoffvl]

Saw a small bear on friday on the way to Elbow lake. He looked very sick and could hardly walk . I guess he's not the fittest to survive. Nature will take its course.

[kssm]

honestly, I have never encountered a bear while fishing.



EDIT: I heard about a guy who used a bear banger when a bear was near him, and facing him. the banger shot past the bear and exploded behind it making it sprint towards the guy.

[11th Warrior]

honestly, I have never encountered a bear while fishing.



EDIT: I heard about a guy who used a bear banger when a bear was near him, and facing him. the banger shot past the bear and exploded behind it making it sprint towards the guy.

Reminds me of what my Instructor said during Advanced SERE..."If you don't have the wind at your back when you spray this stuff....you've just self-seasoned his dinner!"

I've never encountered a bear while fishing but I do have a 1" bell hanging off my vest...who knows, maybe it's working.

I did have an encounter with a Mama and 3 cubs about 6 or 7 years ago. We were driving back from a 2 week all-expenses paid "vacation" in Tofino and as we came down the hill just before Sproat Lake, there's Mama and the kids laying down...in the middle of the freakin' road!! At first I thought they'd all been hit by a truck that passed us 10 minutes before, but as I got closer (and hard on the binders) I could tell they were still alive.

With the horn blaring she got up and ran towards the car! I weave left, she breaks right and there wasn't 2 feet between the passenger window and the bears head as my wife and the bear got eye to eye for .5 seconds. Once we were past the bear, I stopped the car and checked the rearview mirror and saw mama and the kids toodling off into the bushes, no worse for wear.

Although not "life threatening", it scared the bejeebus out of the family and I.