Bears, Bears and....

...more bears! Black bears, grizzly bears, bears in the news almost every day...Run-ins with hunter, run-ins with poachers, run-ins with idiots, run-ins in town, run-ins in wilderness, run-ins everywhere...Pray tell just what the hell is goin' on....To get an idea check out the links below   (click photos to enlarge)

Two Cited for Bloody Bear Bowhunt in a Montana Town....    http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/crime/article_2e1da2e4-09a0-11e1-9b52-001cc4c002e0.html

 Black Bear on Campus Prompts Lockdown....   http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-11-02/features/os-bear-scare-high-school-20111031_1_lockdown-ocala-national-forest-tree

 Montana: Nine Grizzlies Trapped and Transferred in Two Weeks                      http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_7d070610-01db-11e1-9e25-001cc4c002e0.html

Grand Teton Elk Hunter Injured By Bear
http://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/news/bear-injures-hunter-in-grand-teton-park/article_e31495e6-03c8-11e1-bd9b-001cc4c03286.html

Grizzly Activity Closes Another Montana Trail
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_24fb464b-7afc-5e52-8e7d-b3d388b394ef.html

 Bear Attack Leaves Hunter with 40 Stitches
http://www.twincities.com/ci_19211117?source=most_viewed

Montana Elk Hunter Injured in Grizzly Attack
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_4c9067d8-fdc6-11e0-86e3-001cc4c03286.html

Grizzly Takes a Swipe at a Wyoming Hunter
http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/8883-hunter-attacked-by-grizzly

 And believe it or not those are just headlines dating back to October 18!....Do you suppose the bears got together over summer and decided something like "OK sharpen your claws tis high time we get even"...over and out...

Beaverhead National Forest: Whilst Poking About...

...the forest a couple days last week hoping perhaps we might find a spot to cast a fly or two and not risk being swept away didn't pan out we did the next best thing and went exploring...

...last spring Gale shot a sow with two tiny cubs in tow in almost the exact spot I shot this bear a couple days ago...grazing the lush green grass it (I think a sow) it eyed me suspiciously turned and walked to a nearby tree, climbed up and...

...walked out a limb, turned around and lay down...While I hopped about below trying to find a spot to continue shooting it closed eyes for a moment as if to snooze then apparently thought the better idea was instead to keep eyes peeled on this strange acting dude...same bear? Who knows....A nifty encounter just the same...

A short time later Gale spied this moose. At first we thought it a cow and probably with calf in-tow. Since I've had all the run-ins with Mama Moose this ol' boy can stand I grabbed the camera and vowing to watch my ass this time around crept over the hill real slow and cautious like...Low and behold I soon stumbled upon not Mama Moose mind you but a rather strange looking Bullwinkle...sort looks a first glance like somehow a 2X4 drove twixt the ears, eh?

Exploring up a roaring crick we hadn't tramped before revealed a ton of unidentified mushrooms of several different varieties and this one lone morel...too bad since this baby I know to be dee-lish-ous but of course one shroom...well you know.

Roaring cricks are one thing you don't have to look far this spring to find; just lend an ear most anywhere and chances are you'll hear the music loud and clear

Montana Gone Wild...

Montana got grizz...

...apparently hell-bent on savagin our hunters in retaliation for past abuses wreaked upon cousin blacky...

http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/fishAndWildlife/nr_0267.html

...And black bears dashin about the runways of our International Airports...

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110524/NEWS01/105240312/Black-bear-removed-from-airport

...and mountain lions lazin about the front porch terorizin innocent capitol city housewives...

http://helenair.com/news/article_dfbab480-86db-11e0-945a-001cc4c002e0.html

...and wolves invadin our backyard hell bent on killin our huntin dogs...

http://www.ravallirepublic.com/news/local/article_f1a4e83a-85a7-11e0-8565-001cc4c002e0.html

...and illegal alien, disease-ridden bison spewin outta Wyomin threatenin to wipe out our cows...

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_a50d1bba-81cd-11e0-81de-001cc4c03286.html

...and grizz beaten the crap outta horrified hikers evidently for no better reason than to prove a point...

 http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_ff41c2c8-8012-11e0-9d06-001cc4c002e0.html

...that bein you tread on my turf you gonna find yore sorry ass a painin somethin awful...

The title says it all, eh?...I rest my case.

A Time-Worn Joke I Know But...

...did you ever dream of seeing it on a sign...an official agency sign at that. Oh, by the way, Fort Steele is near Cranbrook, B.C. and you need to read the "entire" sign...over and out...

Pennsylvania Bear Harvest 3rd All-time

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission preliminary bear harvest figures show that 3,036 bears were taken during the recently completed three-day season (Nov. 23-25) and an additional 108 bears were harvested during the two-day archery bear harvest (Nov. 18-19).

So far, the total bear harvest of 3,144 for the two seasons preliminarily ranks as the third highest statewide harvest. However, with the extended bear season in certain Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) continuing through Dec. 5, the total preliminary harvest will increase. The two highest total bear harvests were recorded in 2005 (4,164 bears taken) and 2008 (3,458). In 2006, hunters harvested 3,122 bears during all seasons.

Preliminary total bear harvest figures – including the ongoing extended bear seasons – are expected the week of Dec. 7. Official total bear harvest figures for all three seasons won’t be available until early 2010, after a thorough review of all bear harvest reports.

County harvests by region for the three-day season, followed by the three-day 2008 preliminary harvests in parentheses, are:

Northwest: Warren, 99 (57); Forest, 58 (58); Jefferson, 56 (60);
Southwest: Somerset, 69 (98); Fayette, 68 (40); Westmoreland, 61 (35
Northcentral: Clinton, 239 (106); Lycoming, 239 (214); Cameron, 211 (72); Tioga, 203 (231);
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 83 (114); Bedford, 59 (78);
Northeast: Pike, 115 (73); Monroe, 74 (54); Southeast: Schuylkill, 22 (24);

The top 10 bears processed at check stations that were taken during the three-day statewide season all had actual or estimated live weights that exceeded 607 pounds. The largest bears so far: a male that had an estimated live weight of 707-pounds; a 655-pound male (estimated live weight); a 654-pound male (actual live weight); a 654-pound male (estimated live weight); a 644-pound male (actual live weight); a 640-pound male (estimated live weight); a 621-pound male (estimated live weight); a 612-pound male (estimated live weight); a 610-pound male (actual live weight) and a 607-pound male (estimated live weight).