billr
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Post by billr on May 7, 2012 0:25:42 GMT -5
I agree with Mike (if I understood him right) that in the case of those 3 hunters, having a dirty camp and the smell of moose blood on them in the tent, would have made them largely responsible for the bear attack if one or more of them were injured by the bear
About 8 or 10 years ago up at Pink Mountain we had an aggressive black bear hanging around camp, we tried everything, bear bangers, shooting under it but it just wouldn't stay away. The third day my buddy shot it, put his tag on it and a friend of ours that loves bear meat was made very happy
I also met a guy in a fishing camp near Campbell River that was written about in the book More Alaska Bear Tales (or Attacks can't remember)
Then that guy from Maple Ridge that killed the grizzly that was attacking him with a knife, used to shop at the Sporting Goods store my one brother worked at and I met him a few times
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billr
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Post by billr on May 7, 2012 0:30:59 GMT -5
One last story My brother and I were hunting up a Pink Mountain, it was warm and sunny. At mid-day we had lunch on a large granite rock and we both took a nap. When we woke up we found a fresh pile of bear scat on the trail about 20 feet from us. The bear would have known we were there but it meant us no harm
So imho carrying bear spray is just like wearing a seat belt, just a way to reduce your risk of injury
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Post by mikemike on May 7, 2012 1:47:21 GMT -5
that guy from Maple Ridge that killed the grizzly that was attacking him with a knife Okay, all bets are off, THAT GUY definitely get's the beer!
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Post by Jason C. on May 7, 2012 14:58:19 GMT -5
Great stories Bill -- although of course I am sorry about your great grandfather.
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duallie
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Post by duallie on May 14, 2012 12:50:41 GMT -5
hey billr.
when were you last up there? do you remember the teeny, little gas station on the alaska highway named "sasquatch crossing"?
i've first travelled the alaska highway in 1978, up to whitehorse. today, it's not even recognizeable as the same road. you used to carry several gerry cans of gas, at least two spare tires, and cover your entire windshield with wire. i've seen vehicles with a sheet of plywood across the entire front with a small hole cut out for the driver to see. our first trip, in the middle of the night, the side window of the van exploded. we pulled over and there was a football-sized rock in the back. it was thrown up by a passing vehicle. those were the interesting trips up that road. today, it's like a freeway.
i can't even count the # of times i've travelled it. but back to my question. i don't ever remember that "sasquatch crossing" spot before. i'm wondering when it popped up. it's clearly a tourist-trap created to get travellers to stop there.
i have an opportunity to go up again in a week. a free ride, but i don't know if i can swing it or not. i'll be greatly disappointed if i can't. perfect timing for ice-off and the best fishing ever.
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Post by crazyhorsesioux47 on Aug 27, 2012 22:45:36 GMT -5
Must have! FIRE! I've used the "light my fire" starter the army 2.0(the new ergonomic design) it's never failed me.
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billr
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Post by billr on Aug 27, 2012 23:28:08 GMT -5
hey billr. when were you last up there? do you remember the teeny, little gas station on the alaska highway named "sasquatch crossing"? i've first travelled the alaska highway in 1978, up to whitehorse. today, it's not even recognizeable as the same road. you used to carry several gerry cans of gas, at least two spare tires, and cover your entire windshield with wire. i've seen vehicles with a sheet of plywood across the entire front with a small hole cut out for the driver to see. our first trip, in the middle of the night, the side window of the van exploded. we pulled over and there was a football-sized rock in the back. it was thrown up by a passing vehicle. those were the interesting trips up that road. today, it's like a freeway. i can't even count the # of times i've travelled it. but back to my question. i don't ever remember that "sasquatch crossing" spot before. i'm wondering when it popped up. it's clearly a tourist-trap created to get travellers to stop there. i have an opportunity to go up again in a week. a free ride, but i don't know if i can swing it or not. i'll be greatly disappointed if i can't. perfect timing for ice-off and the best fishing ever. My apologies I missed this post and didn't see it until today. Up until May's kitchen closed we only ate there, or went to the Pink Mountain store. I honestly don't recall seeing the Sasquatch Crossing before about 3 years ago. I had lunch there back in 2009, the food was alright, but the server mixed up every one of our orders. We were a table of 7 and there was no one else there until just before we left. Not one of the seven orders came out right.
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vilnoori
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Post by vilnoori on Sept 16, 2012 1:40:55 GMT -5
Hi guys, hope you had a great summer squatching. I just wanted to add a couple things. First of all, we now have grizzlies in the Chilliwack Lake Valley. Someone I know saw one last year on the West side of the lake near the Bible Camp. I knew that they had been introduced into the area around Mt. Baker a few years back and predicted it would be only a matter of time until they got up here, and here they are. So do be aware, there is a slightly different safer response to take to grizzlies than black bears. And yes in answer to the question, I do carry bear spray but have not used it yet. I too am more concerned about cougars than bears at this point but if the number of grizzlies increases in my stomping grounds I will have to think twice. One trick I've heard for cougars is to paint eyes on the back of your cap, apparently it confuses them as they always attack from the back, going for the back of the neck. I just heard tell from two friends that got caught up on Mt. Cheam after dark and they were closely followed by a cougar on the way down. They were very grateful that they had brought cell phones with the iFlashlight app. LOL I always carry a real flashlight but the best thing of course is to know the location and anticipate getting caught after dark! I would think a flashlight is a no brainer, especially with the new tiny LED's, heck, I have one on my key chain and use it to find my keyhole on the car after dark, or my way to the door, etc. Handy. It is also easy these days to have a battery powered mini siren, it is amazing how effective a really loud noise that has not been heard before is at scaring away the unwanted wildlife. You can get them at bike shops. I would love to carry a large hand gun but alas it is illegal. I think you can still carry a shotgun with a single shot but in a close situation if you were jumped it would be next to useless, too long and too slow. I carry my bow as well during hunting season but there again, it is only good for a slightly longer distance and you only get one shot. And if you use a knife you had better know where to put it to drop that animal and most people don't. Pepper spray might be the best bet I guess. It does seem to be pure stupidity to outlaw handguns in the bush. So handy for administering the killing shot if you have game that you are not quite sure is finished off, and also for your own protection. They are of course legal across the border.
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Post by yukonred on Sept 16, 2012 16:39:45 GMT -5
Hi folks, I would like to comment about Sasquatch Crossing, hotel, restaurant and gas station.
First of I came up to Whitehorse, Yukon in the summer of 1980, being posted to the Military establishment in Whitehorse at the time, and yes the roads were challenging. Moved away in 83 as I was too young to retire from the Canadian Army but came back for good upon retirement in the fall of 86, and this is now home.
Five years ago my wife and I stayed at Sasquatch Crossing overnight, the room was OK, the service and meals were very good, one of the best breakfast along the highway and very friendly people running the place.
Now for the Sasquatch bit, I found out that the owner would have an employee dress up to look like a Sasquatch and for a fee he would take people out in the bush to experience a Sasquatch encounter. which consisted of that employee running across a meadow where the people would watch it from a vantage point.
Not sure if that is still going on these days, but I know the place is still open, at least when I last drove through in 2010.
Now for a bear story; in 1992 I was taking a wilderness writer by the name of Charlie Archambault down the Yukon River, from Whitehorse to Dawson City, as a client, when I was running a Yukon River Boat Cruise business. In the mid afternoon on the third day of the trip we had stopped at the location of an old copper and gold mine site, now abandoned, to visit the site, where I would explain about the digs and the first hydraulic type of mining, using hot water to get through the gravel in the winter.
There was always a lot of grizzlies in that area, so I would set open gas cans by the boat to keep them away, they don't like the smell of gas and follow a certain trail in and another trail out and back to the boat.
I would be leading the pack, usually around 6 clients, with a .303 Lee Enfield rifle and my deck hand would have another rifle at the rear. Once in a while we would fire a round just to let the bears know we were there.
About five minutes into the trek Charlie wanted to return to the boat to get another camera, so I told me deck hand to follow him at a distance for safety while I remained with the rest of the crew.
They were not gone for two minutes when they both came back running, I asked Charlie what was wrong and he simple said that he had changed his mind, later my deck hand mentionned that she had meet Charlie running back and came back with him.
I knew that something was not quite right, so I continued the tour, but instead of taking another trail all the way back I decided to come back to the first trail and see what had happen.
At one point, only about 100 meters away from the boat I came to a fresh, still smoking pile of grizzlies scat. So I figured that Charlie had came accross the very same pile of scat and that is when he decided to return to the group.
What I believe happen is that the grizzly had seen us disembarked and hid in the bush while we went by, only to nuts right in the middle of the trail after we had gone by, to send us a message that we were trespassing.
I always stopped at that spot until I sold the business in 2003, but that was the only time I had experienced such thing.
Red
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billr
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Post by billr on Sept 26, 2012 16:35:07 GMT -5
Had a lunch and a breakfast this past week at Sasquatch Crossing I don't know about the tours but the restaurant still has good food
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billr
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Post by billr on Feb 6, 2016 0:21:29 GMT -5
A good waterproof notebook is never a bad idea
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Cryptosaurian
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Change is in the air...and so is the Search!
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Post by Cryptosaurian on Feb 8, 2016 12:48:58 GMT -5
A good waterproof notebook is never a bad idea Yes, especially if you come across something very intriguing while in the field.....I just have the need to record everything and anything out in the field. Just good research, right?
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billr
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Post by billr on Feb 8, 2016 21:09:54 GMT -5
Just don't get yourself so bogged down in writing things down that you miss evidence I think items such as action cameras mounted on a head or chest strap may be the cats behind I use one for a dash camera when driving the back roads but I am thinking about buying a second to wear
Remember to have fun and enjoy your time in the wilderness We get to experience things that a lot of people don't
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Cryptosaurian
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Change is in the air...and so is the Search!
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Post by Cryptosaurian on Feb 10, 2016 16:39:10 GMT -5
Just don't get yourself so bogged down in writing things down that you miss evidence I think items such as action cameras mounted on a head or chest strap may be the cats behind I use one for a dash camera when driving the back roads but I am thinking about buying a second to wear Remember to have fun and enjoy your time in the wilderness We get to experience things that a lot of people don't Quite true, and yes! Might as well enjoy your time there while searching.
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island
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Post by island on Feb 17, 2016 23:38:56 GMT -5
If your in Bear country I would bring a decent sized can of bear spray for safety / peace of mind.
As a plus a can is much lighter to carry then a shotgun and are reported to be more effective then a bullet. I was reading that most of the bear attacks have been happening to ARMED people rather then those with bear spray.
Not sure what that statistic means but i take it as guns can't protect as well as one might think.
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