Wycliffe rancher losing cattle to grizzlies ( Canada )

There have been some weird predator changes up here on the Range, george76. Coyotes have been hanging around longer and getting closer. There aren’t as many red tail hawks, but there are way more rough-legged hawks and golden eagles. They’re always around close. Daytime mountain lion sightings are more common, too. Maybe it was the drought. Not sure. And BTW, I’ve only seen elk herds that are much smaller than usual and haven’t seen them often. Antelope are more scattered and in smaller numbers, too—quite a few lone ones sighted.

The closing of the spring bear hunt season resulted in an explosion of higher numbers and more aggressive bears. Bears now think that humans are the easy source of food as there is no hunting going in the spring. [ Utes and others hunted year round ].

Second, the vacating of grazing allotments and new lion study areas [ no hunting allowed ] has destroyed deer, elk, antelope ... populations. Thus smaller herds and your lone antelope example.

Not a water problem. The drought hype [ like AGW ] is just another government program designed to raise our taxes & fees while turning citizens into slaves.

"Not a water problem. The drought hype [ like AGW ] is just another government program designed to raise our taxes & fees while turning citizens into slaves."

We did have very dry weather last year, but there was much precipitation for this area in spring and September this year (about 12-13 inches or so yearly in good years). Agreed on the government drought hype for federal dollars, taxes and fees.

We might have a wetter winter (more spraying ice from the peaks near here) and are preparing with more snow fence. Might even find time to get a V-shaped, radius'd, fixed blade put together for a vehicle (just enough to clear for the differentials, might work with truck tire chains). The spraying ice was downright ugly deep in 2008 and the winter before last.

Also agreed on the foolery of cutting bear hunting. Bears must be really thick by now in the more heavily treed and populated lower elevations. The bears around here mind their own business and haven't been any problem, though. Not many trees or people here, and it's colder than most places on the Range. I haven't seen any bear sign closer than about a quarter of a mile (regular route to water for one of 'em) and haven't seen the bears.

I live 100 miles NW of Wycliffe across the Purcells. There’s a grizzly population in the low hundreds in between us.

Folks around here love and respect the griz; one of my neighbours has grizzly bears feeding on spawning kokanee now right next to his garden - he has no problems with them. Last year at this time my wife and I were able to observe a sow and two platinum blond cubs feeding on huckleberries within a hundred feet of us for a couple of minutes.

I heart British Columbia!

But yeah, some bears you have to shoot.

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