Congressman Announces Plan to End Bear Baiting 01/06/03
A Virginia Congressman has announced his intention to pass legislation that would ban bear hunting using bait on all federal lands. According to many state wildlife officials, baiting is needed to help control bear populations. [8 Comments]
Yellowstone Grizzlies Doing Well 10/14/02
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), reported today that 50 different sets of females with cubs were counted in the Yellowstone area in 2002. "Fifty of these females were in and around the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone," said Mark Haroldson of the IGBST. "This 2002 number is a new record high for the number of females seen with cubs." [Comments?]
Grizzly Killed 30 Miles South of Documented Range 08/19/02
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is currently investigating the death of a grizzly bear that was killed on Sunday, Aug. 11. The interesting part of this case is that it was killed in the Greys River drainage some 30 miles south of the current documented grizzly bear occupied habitat. [3 Comments]
Initial Mandatory Bear Identification Test Results 02/22/02
The first five days after the new Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks mandatory bear identification training and test was available on January 15, over 1,100 certificates were issued to hunters who successfully completed the test. Today, nearly 15,000 certificates have been issued. Of these, about 90 percent were the result of tests taken on the Internet and the remaining certificates were issued to hunters who mailed in their tests. In 2001, FWP sold about 23,000 black bear licenses.
Bear Identification Test Required To Hunt Black Bear 01/11/02
Black bear hunters in Montana are now required to successfully complete a bear identification test in order to obtain a Montana black bear hunting license. The new identification program is intended to prevent mistaken killings of grizzly bears and to help Montana maintain its black bear hunting season. The new mandatory bear identification program will help hunters learn to identify whether a bear is a black bear or a grizzly bear and then test their identification skills with a 15 question multiple choice test.
Big Bear, Big Tales 12/23/01 Alaska.com has posted an article about a huge brown bear that was harvested from Prince William Sound this year. The bear, taken by an Eielson Air Force Base Airmen, is so large it has inspired a rash of strange tales on the Internet. Read the story to get the correct details on the bear, the hunter, the story, and the dimensions.
Grizzly Attack Fatality Report Released 12/14/01
State and federal wildlife officials have released the final report on the grizzly bear attack that caused a human fatality on October 30 on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area. The report supports the conclusion that the female and two cubs destroyed at the attack site were the bears responsible for the fatality.
Safety in Grizzly and Black Bear Country 11/10/01
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has produced an on-line brochure discussing the steps you should take when hunting or packing in areas with known bear populations. The site also discusses bear nature and habits along with information on how to act when confronted with a bear.
Caution in Bear and Lion Country 11/09/01
The recent death of an elk hunter in western Montana has made all hunters more aware of the tragic consequences of unexpected encounters with grizzly bears and other predatory animals in the wild. The Wildlife, Fish and Parks (FWP) has a number of tips and suggestions to help you avoid contact with bears, lions, and wolves. Some of the suggestions are try to make more noise while hunting, don't hunt alone, and pay attention to signs of predators, such as tracks and scat.
Grizzly Attack 09/29/01
In early September a Grizzly attacked two moose hunting buddies. One man was brutally attacked, while the other was helpless to stop the encounter that lasted no more than a few seconds. Miraculously both lived to tell their story; quick thinking and a stashed cell-phone save the day. An excellent example on how to handle an emergency situation while in the bush. We at BGH hope the victim makes a good recovery.
From Coyotes to Crows After our month long archery season in Oregon ended, my husband and I hadn't gotten enough hunting in. Since I was the only one that got a deer, and he had to wait until late season to try and archery hunt again, we had to find something to fill our time. Our friend had just gotten a new coyote caller, and we thought we would give it a try. We had seen a few coyotes when we were archery hunting and thought the area would be good to try, who knows, maybe we would see that bear we had on our game camera.
