Big Game hunting in Grizzly country

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Spruster

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So do you step it up a bit with cartridge , while hunting in heavy Grizz country
I had to be careful of wording for you BC folks
Bears everywhere ..BUT
do you take into consideration your location and the rifle/ bullet / cartridge of choice
OR
 
Most hunting handloads don't allow for much more powder and if they did it wouldn't make much difference.
The only guy I know personally who stopped a grizzly attack with a rifle did it with a 30-30 and it all happened so fast he only got off one shot and the bear died 4 feet from him with a bullet in the brain! My advice is if your nervous about hunting in bear country then don't go!
 
I hunt farm fields with lighter calibers. Anything in bush where its possible for gbears 308 is my min.. generally 308 is my min caliber for big game. I dont worry about bears per se but have no issue with anything 7mm and up in gbear country. In my area odds are ill never have an issue.
 
I just think of how many hikers, bikers, mushroom pickers, photographers, birdwatchers, campers and hippies are in the woods daily without any guns at all, I know people that spent 16 days crossing Mt Edziza park with out a rifle,

if they can all do it, any gun I have will put me in a better spot then they are, id be ok with a 25-20 or larger in the wood of BC, but of course something like a 308/270/3006 would be tones of gun and make you feel nice and safe
 
Hunted in Grizzly country for most of my life and never seen one even. Seen sign of them but that's about it. I did a couple of times see a black bear when I wasn't looking for them also.
 
I just think of how many hikers, bikers, mushroom pickers, photographers, birdwatchers, campers and hippies are in the woods daily without any guns at all, I know people that spent 16 days crossing Mt Edziza park with out a rifle,

if they can all do it, any gun I have will put me in a better spot then they are, id be ok with a 25-20 or larger in the wood of BC, but of course something like a 308/270/3006 would be tones of gun and make you feel nice and safe

Its true but when hunting the foothill zones here rarely a day goes by that you dont see at least one bear. They are rarely a problem but they are around
 
Hunted in Grizzly country for most of my life and never seen one even. Seen sign of them but that's about it. I did a couple of times see a black bear when I wasn't looking for them also.

believe ya , but did you hunt that country with a rifle / cartridge to adapt
 
I've been hunting in grizz country for over 40 years and was bluff charged once.

Never gave it much thought but never felt under gunned with my 30-06, *shrugs*

Evanguy said:
if they can all do it, any gun I have will put me in a better spot then they are, id be ok with a 25-20 or larger in the wood of BC, but of course something like a 308/270/3006 would be tones of gun and make you feel nice and safe


Phil Shoemaker would agree, if it were loaded with heavy partitions. Figure when it comes to killing big bears there aren't really many more knowledgable sources, and its going to come down to how well you shoot regardless. But if you shoot bigger as well, more power to you!

Interesting to hear everyone's stories and get an idea of how many actual interactions with grizz there is. Or isn't. Although in places with a lot of hunting pressure and many big game kills, can see how they could essentially become a "garbage bear" with little or no incentive to fear humans.

Looking up the stats showed one hunter killed since 2014, but then, it didn't report near misses and nonfatal attacks.
 
The cartridge is likely the last thing that’s going save your ass if you are unfortunate enough to have a bear encounter while hunting imo.
 
i will suggest to train with a high level of stress with your firearms to make certain you understand your firearms then learn a little on the behavior of bears.
 
The cartridge is likely the last thing that’s going save your ass if you are unfortunate enough to have a bear encounter while hunting imo.

so you would feel just as comfy with a 6.5 , 25-06 or 338 win ?
If you could shoot them well
I don't think so
 
I just think of how many hikers, bikers, mushroom pickers, photographers, birdwatchers, campers and hippies are in the woods daily without any guns at all, I know people that spent 16 days crossing Mt Edziza park with out a rifle,

if they can all do it, any gun I have will put me in a better spot then they are, id be ok with a 25-20 or larger in the wood of BC, but of course something like a 308/270/3006 would be tones of gun and make you feel nice and safe

Yep. Vast majority of backcountry users in BC are unarmed. The risk of a lightning strike while out there isn’t far off, said as a guy who hunted the densest populations of them for a living. As always the debate looms large on the best chambering for lightning defence.

I like having a gun on my shoulder, feels like adventure. But I spend more time without one in grizzly country than with, and my exposure is higher than the forum average. Best bet on sizing for grizzly rifle wise on a hunt is don’t, as usually people go the wrong direction and pick heavier, slower, bigger bores which drop them slower than an elk or moose rifle on average. This excludes the second rifle on a guided hunt that will be shooting through bone CNS if used, I see that as awkward and impractical for moose and elk hunting.

Best round I’ve witnessed on grizzlies, was a .300 hands down if I have to pick one for the thread. 7 Mag did great too.
 
So do you step it up a bit with cartridge , while hunting in heavy Grizz country
I had to be careful of wording for you BC folks
Bears everywhere ..BUT
do you take into consideration your location and the rifle/ bullet / cartridge of choice
OR

Bring whatever rifle is suitable for the game you are hunting. Keep a clean camp and make noise in the buck brush.
 
Yep. Vast majority of backcountry users in BC are unarmed. The risk of a lightning strike while out there isn’t far off, said as a guy who hunted the densest populations of them for a living. As always the debate looms large on the best chambering for lightning defence.

I like having a gun on my shoulder, feels like adventure. But I spend more time without one in grizzly country than with, and my exposure is higher than the forum average. Best bet on sizing for grizzly rifle wise on a hunt is don’t, as usually people go the wrong direction and pick heavier, slower, bigger bores which drop them slower than an elk or moose rifle on average. This excludes the second rifle on a guided hunt that will be shooting through bone CNS if used, I see that as awkward and impractical for moose and elk hunting.

Best round I’ve witnessed on grizzlies, was a .300 hands down if I have to pick one for the thread. 7 Mag did great too.

Did you get an ATC to play Cowboy?
 
You're saying you had an ATC to back up Grizzly Hunting Clients?

This is a fun game we play, endless circular looking for a problem. I carried a few guns as the main, mostly .375s, even wrote about work guns in that role, what I liked, what I didn’t. What was very useful when going out to kill grizzlies in thick #### on the coast is a gun that can’t be put down or be lost in the devil’s club scramble, and I like guns oddly enough which probably surprises folks.

I heard he got his ATC because he’s Jagmeet Singhs personal bodyguard/henchman.

No that’s just the purpose I put down for the application.
 
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