When do you carry bear spray?

[LarryBoy]

Without a doubt, yes, I would carry bear spray in the Tom Miner basin. Anywhere that close to Yellowstone. In fact, I believe a woman was mauled by a grizzly up there just last Fall.

And, yes, Butte had a confirmed Griz just a few miles north of us in Elk Park. It got into someone's chicken coup if I remember correctly. There were also confirmed Griz sightings in the upper Big Hole and the Pintlers last summer, which was the first in something like 100 years.

I definitely saw griz tracks in the pintler this summer...

 

[Rockskipper]

I read about her. She came upon a dead cow and the grizz was protecting it. The ranchers have an interesting stock protection program there they call Range Riders where they have people on horseback patrolling the cattle. Plus they raise a breed of cattle that will bunch together like elk and buffalo do when a predator's around.

 

[Rockskipper]

Hey, I'm so excited I have to post. @Outdoor_Fool I got the cabin near Tom Miner Basin! Looks like I'll be carrying bear spray in the spring.

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Congrats to you! That is awesome! Outhouse or indoor plumbing?

 

[Rockskipper]

Congrats to you! That is awesome! Outhouse or indoor plumbing?

It's indoor (well and septic) and really nice, but you need 4x4 to get to it. Now I need to figure out how to buy that big telephoto lens I've been wanting in case any bears come knocking - wait, maybe I need a wide angle, as the owner says they graze in the field next to the house. It's all wood heat.

Hopefully I can eventually contribute to the wildlife photos here. The basin also has a wolf pack.

 

[MikeM]

Awesome!

 

[Rockskipper]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

Montana in winter, hauling wood for heat, lots of snow and wind, few amenities, a steep icy hill to navigate getting in and out, I could be camping in warm Arizona - everyone else thinks I'm nuts. I was beginning to think so, too, but I knew you guys would validate it by understanding why I'm going (I think so, anyway).

 

[scatman]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

Montana in winter, hauling wood for heat, lots of snow and wind, few amenities, a steep icy hill to navigate getting in and out, I could be camping in warm Arizona - everyone else thinks I'm nuts. I was beginning to think so, too, but I knew you guys would validate it by understanding why I'm going (I think so, anyway).

Montana is a no brainer! :twothumbs:

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

Montana in winter, hauling wood for heat, lots of snow and wind, few amenities, a steep icy hill to navigate getting in and out, I could be camping in warm Arizona - everyone else thinks I'm nuts. I was beginning to think so, too, but I knew you guys would validate it by understanding why I'm going (I think so, anyway).

At least by my personal algorithm (and many others here), you are making an excellent choice (stated with a touch of jealousy).

 

[LarryBoy]

BCP campout at Skipper's place?

 

[Rockskipper]

BCP campout at Skipper's place?

Hey, anytime, just be sure to bring a shovel and chains. And maybe some fresh veggies.

I mentioned this once before, but this is an awesome book - Nehanni Trailhead:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0888394640/?tag=backcountrypo-20

I'm gonna pretend it's me:

The South Nahanni River of Canada's Northwest Territories has captivated canoeists and mountain adventurers for decades. Imagine flying 4,000 pounds of supplies into the Nahanni River Valley with plans to build a cabin on the shores of the legendary river and live there for a year -- on your honeymoon. That is what John and Joanne Moore did.

The author tells how they transported their provisions into the remote area and built their cabin on the South Nahanni River, an area cut off from the outside world by mountain ranges, its only highway the wild river that carves its way through cliffs a thousand feet high. Here the Moores lived for a year, and traveled by canoe, foot, snowshoe and ski in the isolated land they came to love. An engaging adventure story, this is also a blue-print for anyone wishing to make a wilderness -- living dream come true.

 

[Jackson]

Hey, anytime, just be sure to bring a shovel and chains. And maybe some fresh veggies.

I mentioned this once before, but this is an awesome book - Nehanni Trailhead:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0888394640/?tag=backcountrypo-20

I'm gonna pretend it's me:

The South Nahanni River of Canada's Northwest Territories has captivated canoeists and mountain adventurers for decades. Imagine flying 4,000 pounds of supplies into the Nahanni River Valley with plans to build a cabin on the shores of the legendary river and live there for a year -- on your honeymoon. That is what John and Joanne Moore did.

The author tells how they transported their provisions into the remote area and built their cabin on the South Nahanni River, an area cut off from the outside world by mountain ranges, its only highway the wild river that carves its way through cliffs a thousand feet high. Here the Moores lived for a year, and traveled by canoe, foot, snowshoe and ski in the isolated land they came to love. An engaging adventure story, this is also a blue-print for anyone wishing to make a wilderness -- living dream come true.

I often look into packrafting in that area, and even the logistics of that make me wonder when I'll ever get there. Can't imagine what an awesome experience that was. I'll check that out!

 

[Perry]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

Montana in winter, hauling wood for heat, lots of snow and wind, few amenities, a steep icy hill to navigate getting in and out, I could be camping in warm Arizona - everyone else thinks I'm nuts. I was beginning to think so, too, but I knew you guys would validate it by understanding why I'm going (I think so, anyway).

Sounds dreamy to me!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kmatjhwy]

Rockskipper, Congrats on the cabin .... Sounds Really Nice!!! Happy For You!!!

 

[LarryBoy]

I often look into packrafting in that area, and even the logistics of that make me wonder when I'll ever get there. Can't imagine what an awesome experience that was. I'll check that out!

Did you ever pull the trigger on a packraft?

 

[Jackson]

Did you ever pull the trigger on a packraft?

Not quite yet. Looking like it'll be a law school graduation gift to myself in May And if not, then it'll be a bar passage gift in August

 

[GarrettM]

I see most of you are saying you carry spray in grizzly country. Is there a big different in aggression between black and grizzly bears? I'm going hiking in West Montana next spring and I've read there are black bears. No grizzly's but it's somewhat close to Yellowstone.

 

[MikeM]

I see most of you are saying you carry spray in grizzly country. Is there a big different in aggression between black and grizzly bears? I'm going hiking in West Montana next spring and I've read there are black bears. No grizzly's but it's somewhat close to Yellowstone.

Garrett - Where in Western Montana? In most places around here, I'd play it safe and carry spray. I mentioned earlier, it seems the Grizzlies' range is rapidly expanding, so even a place that people claim has no Grizzlies, you just never know.

Although not nearly as aggressive as a Grizzly, even black bears can get defensive, especially if startled or if you come upon a sow with cubs.

 

[Rockskipper]

They're even seeing the grizz out on the Highline (more E. MT). Go grizz!

Here in W. Colorado we have lots of black bears, but I don't know hardly anyone who carries bear spray. I have a can in my car, but I always forget it. The bears I come upon (rare) scurry away. I've seen many more in town than ever out in the wilds. But all it takes is one irritated bear to unmake your day. And statistically, more people have been killed by blackies than griz, but there are also many more blackies all across the U.S. But I would carry spray if there was any hope of seeing a grizz.

But I read this article by Todd WIlkinson that kind of castigates Montana outsiders:

Unfortunately, we’ve often allowed outsiders to define who we are. The way the rest of the country thinks about us has been shaped mightily by the opinions of outside writers who parachute out of the sky, spend a couple of days in Greater Yellowstone and then return to Brooklyn Heights, claiming they are our interpreters for the rest of the world.

But, intimidated by our wide-open spaces, they think we ought to fill landscapes up. They write stories, based on their own lack of understanding about nature, that continue to fuel irrational fears about grizzlies and wolves.

http://www.explorebigsky.com/the-new-west-how-greater-yellowstone-sees-the-rest-of-degraded-america

I think he has a good point, that many of us who aren't used to being in grizz country are probably somewhat irrationally afraid when sharing their walking space. This plays into a comment on the recent moose thread by @Absarokanaut about how we perceive animals as attacking, when they're really just protecting their space.

TLDR: Yes, carry bear spray in case you run into an irrational non-Montana outsider who thinks you're a grizz and tries to spray you.

 

[LarryBoy]

Great article, Skipper. I do think it's funny, though, that he in one breath decries those who parachute in to the GYE, decide they know all there is to know about the place, and leave... and in the other breath, equates Utah, Colorado, and California with industrial-strength recreational nonsense.

To me, saying that Utah=Moab or LCC or Aspen=Colorado is just as shortsighted that Jackson or West Jellystone=the GYE. In fact, I can think of places in southern Utah that are arguably more "wild" than anywhere in the GYE.