Where the Fishing is good, so are the Bears

[bearmgc]

Got up to Dubois, about a 1 1/2 hr from my house in Wy, and planned to fish Ring Lake, where the fishing is good. However a wild fire had grown to 22,000 acres, and fire crews were all over, almost 600 of them I learned. Well then decided just to go up Horsecreek and fish back in there, but forgot the bearspray. Then also learned that the fire crews had bought almost every can of bearspray in Dubois, as the bears were everywhere and VERY irritable in the fire area. Didn't find out if they ran into alot of Grizzly or black bears or both. I thought the bears would be long gone by now, out of the area, but not true. Finally found some bearspray at the General Store and did some great fishing.

 

[dakotasin]

sounds like you are kinda close to me - i'm in ne wyoming, now.

heard lots about bears in that area today from a nice young lady and her son.

 

[bearmgc]

No, I'm in the far opposite side of the state, closer to Idaho and Montana.

 

[22-rimfire]

So, did you see any bears? I spent time there years ago and saw no bears until you get over toward the Teton area or past the continential divide. Guess things have changed.

 

[bearmgc]

Yes, near the confluence of the Wiggins Fork and Emerald creek, up against the foot of Cathedral peak, it was coming down the mountain, still quite aways off. I glassed it thinking it was maybe a moose calf. But within seconds of the sighting, a cow moose and calf came out of the willows and crossed the creek not 100 yds from me, and headed in the opposite direction of the bear. This was about 8pm, as I was packing up the gear in the truck. Both of my dogs hung right by the truck. There isn't much action usually except dawn and dusk, and I was about 27miles or more from the main highway off the forest service road. I try to be off the streams by 7pm, but the fishing was so good...I know better. Its only about 30 miles or so northeast of the divide, definitely bearsy.

 

[bearmgc]

They relocated a Grizzly sow and a cub late spring that had started killing calves from a ranch on Wiggins Fork. And early summer, a couple fishing biffed a bear with bearspray that approached. Don't know what kind of bear though. Current thought is bears are hunting for food lower in the mountains because of the drought conditions. I think I was at maybe 8500 ft. Coincidently, the owner of the General Store in Dubois, said the same thing, that times have changed, more incounters over the past few years. More people having access to wilderness areas, more atv's, more encroachment with housing.