The Build and Adventures of Bearbait

Ive only encountered brown bears twice fly fishing in Alaska...both with guides armed with .44's... both times they were across the stream eating chum or pink salmon...both guides told me in a decade of guiding, they never had to pull the gun out of the chest holster...the main thing is not to surprise them. As we were walking or wading the streams, we were making plenty of noise talking loudly, especially around bends where visibility was limited...I was singing (badly) Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin songs frequently...

Exactly! Just make noise, talk or sing Led Zeppelin poorly. They know your there.

Ed, if you want to see more grizzlies while Flyfishing, float the American Creek or the Nonvianuk/Alagnak Rivers in the Katmai national park. Some of the best fly fishing I’ve ever done. But a ton of Bears. Usually 7 day floats while camping each day as we worked our way down the rivers. The best part was waking up in the morning, unzipping your tent and seeing a grizzly foot print right on top of your footprints you left as you climbed into the tent, less than a foot from the opening. But we never had an issue with a bear trying to come into camp while we were awake out of the tents making noise. They stayed away. Life experiences!!


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In all the wilderness areas I’ve hiked, hunted or fished, bears were a concern, but Mountain Lions scare the shit out of me. You don’t see them and you don’t hear them and they’ll stalk you from behind. And then there are moose, big dumb, sometimes angry beasts.


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and it was only a 500lb black bear

LOL, "Only 500lb"

Didn’t they make a documentary about a guy that talked to bears and hung out with them? If I remember right it didn’t end well.

That guy was a fucking retard. It's a shame that he died but damn, did you ever see any videos of that guy? I remember a scene where a griz comes out of a thicket towards him and stands up & is really worked up.
He's lucky he didn't end up as bear shit that time, let alone all of the other encounters. IMHO you do NOT go looking for bear contact. :grayno:
 
Mountain Lions scare the shit out of me. You don’t see them and you don’t hear them and they’ll stalk you from behind. ]

We had a mountain lion jump one of our horses over here in PA a couple years ago. Tore up the hindquarters on both sides where it tried to jump on it from behind & slid backwards off of the horse. Called the game warden and he came out only to tell us we don't have mountain lions in Pa. Right. Said it was a bobcat or bear that jumped the horse. LOL, yeah, right. Guy was absolutely no help at all. I told him that if I saw the mountain lion I was going to shoot it. He said, well you can't do that, they would be protected. I answered, well, since we don't have any here it's a moot point, right Ranger Rick? ;) We did sight it again slinking across our pasture a couple days later but that was the end of it. Glad of that. They're really cool creatures but they're also sneaky bastards. Kids weren't allowed outside unsupervised (with a gun) much that July.

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Its one of those deals where everyone has an opinion. Lets get back to your build! Whats on the plans next?

Absolutely, I’m just back and forth on it if I need it or not. Which I’m leaning towards carrying one.

I just got my front EVO Plush Ride coils! Now just need to get them installed next time I get s chance!

In all the wilderness areas I’ve hiked, hunted or fished, bears were a concern, but Mountain Lions scare the shit out of me. You don’t see them and you don’t hear them and they’ll stalk you from behind. And then there are moose, big dumb, sometimes angry beasts.


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Moose are cool creatures for sure! I’ve encountered several of them at work and in the back country. Haven’t seen them angry, yet I’ve always had enough distance. The closest I’ve been to them was when I was in pretty deep snow (but on skis) and just seeing how tall they stand in that snow was crazy!
 
We had a mountain lion jump one of our horses over here in PA a couple years ago. Tore up the hindquarters on both sides where it tried to jump on it from behind & slid backwards off of the horse. Called the game warden and he came out only to tell us we don't have mountain lions in Pa. Right. Said it was a bobcat or bear that jumped the horse. LOL, yeah, right. Guy was absolutely no help at all. I told him that if I saw the mountain lion I was going to shoot it. He said, well you can't do that, they would be protected. I answered, well, since we don't have any here it's a moot point, right Ranger Rick? ;) We did sight it again slinking across our pasture a couple days later but that was the end of it. Glad of that. They're really cool creatures but they're also sneaky bastards. Kids weren't allowed outside unsupervised (with a gun) much that July.

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That’s an ambitious cat! Michigan DNR said for years that we didn’t have them here in Michigan. Game cameras changed that and Now they have accepted it. I’ve never seen one, and nope I never will


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Bears can totally be tamed. Start at 0:18.


Tame or not! That’s the stupidest move to sneak up on a bear!

We had a mountain lion jump one of our horses over here in PA a couple years ago. Tore up the hindquarters on both sides where it tried to jump on it from behind & slid backwards off of the horse. Called the game warden and he came out only to tell us we don't have mountain lions in Pa. Right. Said it was a bobcat or bear that jumped the horse. LOL, yeah, right. Guy was absolutely no help at all. I told him that if I saw the mountain lion I was going to shoot it. He said, well you can't do that, they would be protected. I answered, well, since we don't have any here it's a moot point, right Ranger Rick? ;) We did sight it again slinking across our pasture a couple days later but that was the end of it. Glad of that. They're really cool creatures but they're also sneaky bastards. Kids weren't allowed outside unsupervised (with a gun) much that July.

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Dang! That cat must have had a big appetite! I’m glad it didn’t bring your horse down... How did your horse heal up?
 
That’s an ambitious cat!

Sure as hell was! We're thinking it was a 2yr old cub that got kicked out by mom & was still learning. There seems to be a rash of sightings every 2 years or so around here. Corresponds with the timing when they get pushed out by mom to make room for the next cub to come along. Not particularly comforting knowing the bastards are breeding successfully here.

Michigan DNR said for years that we didn’t have them here in Michigan. Game cameras changed that and Now they have accepted it. I’ve never seen one, and nope I never will

Sadly the Pa Game Commission is still in denial. Even with all of the tracks, trail cam pics, sightings, etc. They're like Catahoula's Squatches evidently!
 
Absolutely, I’m just back and forth on it if I need it or not. Which I’m leaning towards carrying one.

I just got my front EVO Plush Ride coils! Now just need to get them installed next time I get s chance!



Moose are cool creatures for sure! I’ve encountered several of them at work and in the back country. Haven’t seen them angry, yet I’ve always had enough distance. The closest I’ve been to them was when I was in pretty deep snow (but on skis) and just seeing how tall they stand in that snow was crazy!

If you need a garage to stay out of the cold let me know! I will supervise and drink beer
 
Exactly! Just make noise, talk or sing Led Zeppelin poorly. They know your there.

Ed, if you want to see more grizzlies while Flyfishing, float the American Creek or the Nonvianuk/Alagnak Rivers in the Katmai national park. Some of the best fly fishing I’ve ever done. But a ton of Bears. Usually 7 day floats while camping each day as we worked our way down the rivers. The best part was waking up in the morning, unzipping your tent and seeing a grizzly foot print right on top of your footprints you left as you climbed into the tent, less than a foot from the opening. But we never had an issue with a bear trying to come into camp while we were awake out of the tents making noise. They stayed away. Life experiences!!


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Um ya no, I’ll stick to filet o fish thank you


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