Grizz in the Little Belts?

eagle_eye · Sep 27, 2011

I shot a nice bull last week in the little belts. We boned out the meat due to the distance we were in and the elevation gain needed to get to the vehicle. The next day, the carcass of the bull was completely buried with large bear tracks nearby. The tracks were not entirely discernable so I wasn't able to confirm whether they were black or grizz tracks.

I'm wondering if anyone (a) is aware of any grizz presence in the Little Belts, and (b) knows if black bears will fully bury a carcass.

Thanks.

EE

eagle_eye · Sep 27, 2011

By the way, here is a pic of the bull:

Zigga · Sep 27, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Sep-27-11 AT 04:39PM (MST)[p]Rumored to be one just north of upper Holter Lake.

Don't tell the fish cops about it or they will cite you for waste of game.

eagle_eye · Sep 27, 2011

Thanks for your concern Zigga. Rest assured, all game laws were complied with in the harvest and recovery of my elk, including MCA 87-3-102(3).

Good luck this year.

Zigga · Sep 27, 2011

I'm sure you were legit. A friend of mine had the same thing happen and he reported it and some dbag fishcops cited him without even going to the site or looking at his meat. They quickly had to fabricate stories and it got ugly from there. The FnG is the butt of a lot of jokes if you haven't learned that already.

nunyamt · Sep 28, 2011

yup one grizz in the deep creek area too, and saw 9 yes 9 wolves out of ringling last winter, right off a county road!

ismith · Sep 28, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Sep-28-11 AT 01:43PM (MST)[p]Thats great, guess theres probally the odd griz in the Big Belts too. Cant be near as bad as the Madison valley area yet though.
Nice bull by the way!

MTSHEDHEDZ · Sep 30, 2011

They were tracking two 2 year olds on seiben flats last year,there was a sow with 3 cubs near Wolf Cr this spring,they are out there.

hunt4130 · Sep 30, 2011

congrats!

Gator · Oct 17, 2011

Good Bull, Was he broke on that one-side. Sucks about the meat it happen to me in NM one year with a black bear.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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Hornseeker · Nov 1, 2011

From what i read, you didn't lose any meat, right? Just the carcass was buried?

I've never seen a black bear bury a carcass like a Griz...me thinks you may have found one of the rare griz in there?? I didn't know of any of the documented bears. Where is Seiben Flats and Wolf Creek? Anywhere NEAR Spur Park country and Lost Fork where i spend some time?

eagle_eye · Nov 1, 2011

My bull is a 5x4, with the 4 pt side curving straight forward with palmation at the tip. Hard to see from the pic I posted. Definitely a goofball.

No meat was lost. We got all four quarters, loin, backstrap, ribs, and neckmeat, etc. The day after we packed my bull out we were moving in on a bugling bull trying to get my brother's tag filled. On our stalk, we passed by where we processed my bull and could find nothing (no guts, no rib bones, no hide, no legs, etc.). All that remained was a large pile of debris, under which was buried the remnants of the elk. Seemed odd to me because I wasn't aware of any grizz in the area, and didn't think that black bears bury a meal, just a cat or grizz. Hence, the reason for my original post. I didn't see a bear, just tracks.

As an aside, the bull was harvested in an un-named drainage in HD 413. It is a fairly productive area, so I'll pass on naming it on a public message board.

Good luck to all the rest of the season.

EE

dlaw · Nov 2, 2011

I was in unit 454 for the past 10 days and after seeing the griz scat and talking to a land owner there that has seen a grizzly in the area there is no doubt in my mind they are there.

Hightop338 · Nov 3, 2011

Wife live in GF for awhile, I heard rumors of Grizzly in there.

Gator · Nov 18, 2011

I know that it was talked about some-one having a Grizz on a trailcam in the Little Belts area, It was a sow and cubs if I remeber right.Check the DFG website it might be on there.
I had a black bear bury my elk in NM and messed it pretty good, so the black bear will cover it up too.Note to self DON'T PULL UP MEAT WITH BLOODY HANDS THEY WILL CHEW THRU THE ROPE. LOL

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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