Feds want to increase the number of grizzly bears in the North Cascades ecosystem..

[Reloaderdude]

I agree Spank -- keep them damn baby eatin ,pet killin , slobering behemoths, out of the prairies. Leave them to be in the remote areas that they inhabit right now. Not interested in goin grouse huntin with a 22 rimfire and come face to face with a Griz, sounds real crappy to me.

 

[XRAYGUY]

Probably neither here nor there, but twenty years or so ago, I had the privilege to visit my Great-Uncle Nestor, by myself, as an adult, for the first time in my life...

As Uncle Nestor was showing me around his place I saw an old-timey black and white picture of a very young Nestor and his father... taken some time in the 30's.

Between Great Uncle Nestor and Great Great Grandfather Karpiak was a SIZEABLE bear head. I made a passing comment and Uncle Nestor replied that it was a "brown bear" that had wandered onto the family farm near Ethelbert, Manitoba.

I said that where I come from (BC) we called those "brown bears", grizzlies. It was most certainly a grizzly in that old photo...

So he told me the story of how one day, while out in the field, one of Great Great Grandfather Karpiak's team of draft horses died... and he had to go to the next farm to borrow their team to drag this off of the field.

Apparently there was a bounty on coyotes at the time, and Great Great Grandfather Karpiak dragged the dead horse over to a slough where he had had good luck in shooting coyotes previously.

A day or two after he drug it to the slough he rode out on his bicycle with his .22 to make a little extra coyote money and found that this HUGE draft horse had been dragged into the surrounding scrub!!

He hopped back on his bicycle and ski-daddled over to another farm to borrow a .30-30 from his neighbor.

Those Old Skool Ukrainians really took care of each other.

Anyway, he went and shot this "brown bear" by himself with that .30-30.

My Baba confirmed this story, telling me that there were fires up north that year that pushed "weird animals" south onto the homestead.

Great Great Grandfather Karpiak then skinned the bear and had the HBC tan it... my Baba said that the tanned hide was big enough to cover their entire winter sleigh... a skinner, she might have called it...?

Great Uncle Nestor has long since passed and that old-timey photograph has been lost, but I believe that that bear may have been one of the last prairie grizzlies in Manitoba.

We grew up in the East Kootenays and had bears, black and grizzly, literally in our back yards and never had any problems with them... they're not bloodthirsty or evil... they're just bears and need to be given the respect, and berth, that they require to live.

I would welcome seeing them back in more places, for sure.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ardent]

I agree Spank -- keep them damn baby eatin ,pet killin , slobering behemoths, out of the prairies. Leave them to be in the remote areas that they inhabit right now. Not interested in goin grouse huntin with a 22 rimfire and come face to face with a Griz, sounds real crappy to me.

No need to be afraid without reason, happens in BC all the time grouse hunting, fishing, hiking, hunting. They're just bears.

Probably neither here nor there, but twenty years or so ago, I had the privilege to visit my Great-Uncle Nestor, by myself, as an adult, for the first time in my life...

As Uncle Nestor was showing me around his place I saw an old-timey black and white picture of a very young Nestor and his father... taken some time in the 30's.

Between Great Uncle Nestor and Great Great Grandfather Karpiak was a SIZEABLE bear head. I made a passing comment and Uncle Nestor replied that it was a "brown bear" that had wandered onto the family farm near Ethelbert, Manitoba.

I said that where I come from (BC) we called those "brown bears", grizzlies. It was most certainly a grizzly in that old photo...

So he told me the story of how one day, while out in the field, one of Great Great Grandfather Karpiak's team of draft horses died... and he had to go to the next farm to borrow their team to drag this off of the field.

Apparently there was a bounty on coyotes at the time, and Great Great Grandfather Karpiak dragged the dead horse over to a slough where he had had good luck in shooting coyotes previously.

A day or two after he drug it to the slough he rode out on his bicycle with his .22 to make a little extra coyote money and found that this HUGE draft horse had been dragged into the surrounding scrub!!

He hopped back on his bicycle and ski-daddled over to another farm to borrow a .30-30 from his neighbor.

Those Old Skool Ukrainians really took care of each other.

Anyway, he went and shot this "brown bear" by himself with that .30-30.

My Baba confirmed this story, telling me that there were fires up north that year that pushed "weird animals" south onto the homestead.

Great Great Grandfather Karpiak then skinned the bear and had the HBC tan it... my Baba said that the tanned hide was big enough to cover their entire winter sleigh... a skinner, she might have called it...?

Great Uncle Nestor has long since passed and that old-timey photograph has been lost, but I believe that that bear may have been one of the last prairie grizzlies in Manitoba.

We grew up in the East Kootenays and had bears, black and grizzly, literally in our back yards and never had any problems with them... they're not bloodthirsty or evil... they're just bears and need to be given the respect, and berth, that they require to live.

I would welcome seeing them back in more places, for sure.

Just my two cents.

Very interesting and enjoyed that, wish the photo was still around, could well be some fascinating history there. Little sad but that was the culture and understanding in frontier times.

 

[tjsudbury]

I've read news reports that in the last few years barren ground grizzlies have shown up in northwestern Manitoba, having wandered down from Nunavut.

 

[69firebird]

I've thought for years they should re- introduce black bears to Toronto!! Grizzlies sound better

 

[FLHTCUI]

I've thought for years they should re- introduce black bears to Toronto!! Grizzlies sound better

With all the Hogs running around the Grizzlies would thrive
Rob

 

[the spank]

I've thought for years they should re- introduce black bears to Toronto!! Grizzlies sound better

With all the Hogs running around the Grizzlies would thrive
Rob

The only food source for a Grizzly around the GTA would not work out well as it would leave a bad taste in it's mouth. Look at the bad taste it leaves for the conservative taxpayer!

 

[Grizzly Adams]

The only food source for a Grizzly around the GTA would not work out well as it would leave a bad taste in it's mouth. Look at the bad taste it leaves for the conservative taxpayer!

Once had a discussion with a biologist, promoting increased bear populations, who claimed that Grizzlies roamed the plains as far east as present day Winnipeg. Suggested that wouldn't fly these days.

Grizz

 

[BigUglyMan]

Safe bet I live within a spotting scope range of a grizzly whether I can see them or not, denned or not, for 8 months of the year between bush flying and outfitting grizzly hunts. They're not the monster portrayed, and are just bears with more aggressive characteristics and far lower densities than black bears. Most places that don't have them view them as flesh and blood war machines that will cause immediate problems, the reality is if you can live with black bears you can live with Grizzlies with some education. Grizzlies live at a far lower population density than black bears anywhere except the coast with salmon.

A prairie Grizzly would live at an extremely low density, probably one bear to a thousand square kms or even much less, and would be just like inland bears here. You get to know them, their routes, and leave them be, you'd see it digging for prairie dogs like a big dog once a year, and wonder where it is the rest and how something its size can hide so well. I agree they wouldn't work in all their former range, and would raid beef on the prairies and likely figure out graineries. But somewhere like the Cypress Hills, could absolutely do with a dozen Grizzlies and it would be a proud moment to see them return there for Canada.

I'm with you. More grizzlies isn't a bad thing.

 

[69firebird]

The only food source for a Grizzly around the GTA would not work out well as it would leave a bad taste in it's mouth. Look at the bad taste it leaves for the conservative taxpayer!

If there were more grizzlies on the plains they could eat some of the US "refugees" crossing before they made it to safety. The bears could line up for an exotic buffet

 

[Ardent]

If there were more grizzlies on the plains they could eat some of the US "refugees" crossing before they made it to safety. The bears could line up for an exotic buffet

Funny the difference fifty or a hundred and fifty years makes. Your and my families were migrants seeking a new home and opportunities too, and bringing an unwelcome culture, a blink ago.

 

[freezer filler]

If there were more grizzlies on the plains they could eat some of the US "refugees" crossing before they made it to safety. The bears could line up for an exotic buffet

Damn! beat me to it!

 

[freezer filler]

Funny the difference fifty or a hundred and fifty years makes. Your and my families were migrants seeking a new home and opportunities too, and bringing an unwelcome culture, a blink ago.

I would agree that Canada is comprised wholly of immigrants, but they weren't waving a flag of Islam and trying to implement Sharia law. How many do you think Turdeau will allow to enter before he exits stage right to go live in his bunker on an uncharted island?

 

[MiG25]

I'm with you. More grizzlies isn't a bad thing.

Unless you want to have chickens or apples or just about any kind of agriculture.

 

[Ardent]

I would agree that Canada is comprised wholly of immigrants, but they weren't waving a flag of Islam and trying to implement Sharia law. How may do you think Turdeau will allow to enter before he exits stage right to go live in his bunker on an uncharted island?

They weren't? Our ancestors arrived with a different foreign language, radically different culture, advanced weapons disease, and a mean capitalist streak that justified calling anything they wanted theirs. I'm not an apologist but I also can't pretend this stuff didn't happen. Let's tackle a real threat like drunk driving first.

 

[MiG25]

They weren't? Our ancestors arrived with a different foreign language, radically different culture, advanced weapons disease, and a mean capitalist streak that justified calling anything they wanted theirs. I'm not an apologist but I also can't pretend this stuff didn't happen. Let's tackle a real threat like drunk driving first.

You forgot to mention that they brought a work ethic.

 

[the spank]

Once had a discussion with a biologist, promoting increased bear populations, who claimed that Grizzlies roamed the plains as far east as present day Winnipeg. Suggested that wouldn't fly these days.

Grizz

I agree it wouldn't. I don't go outdoors concerned something will get me but something like a Grizzly would not be good in areas densely populated with humans. The interactions are going to result in negative effects for both the bears and humans. Someone mentioned the prairies once teemed with Bison which the bears fed on. Aside from the usual big game and small animals to feed on such as gophers, livestock would be the major numerical replacement for the Bison the bears replied upon. Damage costs to ranchers would skyrocket both in lost animals and damaged fences etc. Before someone suggests re-introducing the Bison could you picture the chaos and damage in todays geographical layout if the Bison still roamed the plains?

 

[sigrunes]

Funny the difference fifty or a hundred and fifty years makes. Your and my families were migrants seeking a new home and opportunities too, and bringing an unwelcome culture, a blink ago.

My ancestors paid their own way and helped build this great country with great work and sacrifice. It wasn't handed to them or paid for by someone else's hard earned tax dollars. Maybe you should personally pay for a bunch of migrants or refugees out of pocket , not just with taxes , see how great it is then.
In these times , charity should start at home first. We have our own to pay for and take care of first.

As for the grizzlies, awesome creatures. If they can flourish in a sustainable and responsible manner. Perfect.

 

[freezer filler]

They weren't? Our ancestors arrived with a different foreign language, radically different culture, advanced weapons disease, and a mean capitalist streak that justified calling anything they wanted theirs. I'm not an apologist but I also can't pretend this stuff didn't happen. Let's tackle a real threat like drunk driving first.

There was no need for folks to promote Anti-rape bracelets when our ancestors arrived.

 

[Ardent]

You forgot to mention that they brought a work ethic.

I suggest you try working as a janitor, taxi driver, or fast food worker for a few decades. They take jobs that you and I don't want, that benefit us all.

There was no need for folks to promote Anti-rape bracelets when our ancestors arrived.

Ha! History is certainly written by the victors.