37 Replies to “And How Was Your Day?”

  1. The young man in the story happens to be my nephew. He and all the Gibb family read SDA so he’ll get quite a kick out of seeing his story posted.

  2. A good Canadian story for sure. Why didn’t the dogs try to fight the big kitty? Not attuned to nature I guess. I’ve had big dogs in cougar country for 30 years and only had one has gone missing and he was 12 years old and pretty frail. Years ago people would pack a pistol when out fencing but nowadays they’d send you to jail. No such thing as a carry permit for defence from wildlife.

  3. No such thing as a carry permit for defence from wildlife.
    Incorrect.
    The following individuals, provided they are Canadian residents and have a licence that allows them to possess restricted firearms, may be authorized to carry a handgun or restricted long gun for wilderness protection:
    * licensed professional trappers, and
    * individuals who need protection from wild animals while working at their lawful occupation, most often in a remote wilderness location.
    http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/wild-sauvage-eng.htm

  4. Awwww, I don’t know if that story is all that unique.
    I know lots of guys who actually went to bed with a cougar but woke up with a dog.

  6. Yeah, I’ve got a cousin-in-law who’s got authorization to carry a sidearm (he is, in fact, a licensed trapper with around 100km of traplines to maintain; he’s also a wilderness guide). Don’t know the details of whether it’s open or concealed carry, though open would seem to make more sense.

  7. I heard of someone back in the 70s working mining exploration in BC grizzly country having a .357 magnum revolver with the field crew, the punchline of the bush camp tale was the RCMP being at the airstrip waiting to take possession of the gun upon return to civilization.

  8. Actually we’re told to keep it out of sight so as not to alarm some granola-crunching tree-hugger. The RCMP don’t “hand out carry permits”, one has to apply for the permit and it’s mailed. Most prospectors I know have them.

  9. Exploration geologists can get RPAL’s fairly easily for protection in the Ontario woods, especially in the years the spring bear hunt was cancelled. I had a colleague with a .357 he carried in a holster on his belt. It kept getting caught in the underbrush; likewise, a rifle in your pack was worse. Easier to carry bells, bear bangers, and a long, very sharp machete useful for getting through the underbrush and that could be used for other purposes, but 1 or 2 bear bangers always worked.

  10. It’s this quote that made me LOL:
    “I wouldn’t recommend everybody wrassle with a cougar, but in this case it worked for the best.” said [RCMP] Sgt. Jack Poitras.
    Not “Never wrestle with a cougar”, but “well, under the right circumstances it’s an option”.

  11. Are cougars regulars around that area? I know they are in the mountains, I didn’t know they were around there.

  12. I ‘member the time I was trackin’ a wounded cougar with my old Greater Glengarry Moosehound, Jerome. I was armed only with my belt fed, single action, double-barrelled repeater…in 357 ultra super magnum caliber.
    Did I mention the snow? Three feet of it….falling every hour. I had to bivouac in an ash grove and fashion a set of snowshoes for Ol’ Jerome…..

  13. Fighting a cougar is your only real option. If you run, you’re food. If the cat won’t back down then you have a fight on your hands. I agree that a handgun is a good option but the feds make it extremely difficult to get one. The law quoted in the third post says “may be authorized”, not “shall” and the powers that be use that distinction to full effect. Can’t have peace loving Canadians running around with evil handguns. It would ruin our reputation.

  14. Red Deer guy. Now just imagine someone from Edmonton or Calgary doing that. They would probably throw the Timmies at the cat. Mind you,that swill would kill it pretty quick.Use of a restricted,dangerous weapon????

  16. Well, looks like Rachel hasn’t succeeded in legislating all the manliness out of Albertans yet.

  17. I’ve hunted mountain lions and shot a few over the years. For the most part lions won’t bother with you. A young starving 2 yr old or an old infirm lion can make trouble or a cat defending a kill.
    I always am way more alert when in grizzly country.

  18. Lots of them up there. Basically anywhere you can find deer in this province, you’ll probably find the cats. It goes over real well when some numbskull starts feeding the deer around remote but populated areas.

  19. My wife and I have hiked lots in the mountains and always carried bear bells (even though some people call them “dinner bells”) and bear spray, but I’ve never heard of “bear bangers”. What are they?

  20. BigRock Bob…bear bangers where (or are) the same as shark sticks. A small charge designed to penetrate the skull when pressed against the head. Still used by prospectors,so I’ve was told(tonight) by my neighbour. You’re question intrigued me,so I asked. He looked for gold in the Yukon in the early ’70s.

  21. Bear bangers work on small flare-gun pens which are survival kit items that normally fire a red signal flare, bear bangers are small ‘flares’ maybe a little bigger than an AA battery that fire off the pen gun with a very loud bang and fly out straight maybe twenty meters and loudly explode with a bright white flash. I had some in my younger hiking days, test-fired a couple, not sure how I’d use them if a charging bear was almost on top of me, try to shoot the bear I guess… I had them stored in my basement for twenty-five years, found them, looked them up on the internet and found out they only have about a two-year life, their plastic cartridge probably oxidizes, not something you’d want to be firing off in your hand if they’re twenty-five years old…

  22. A common story in the North goes something like this: How do you tell black bear shít from grizzly shít? Black bear shít has little pieces of bells, and grizzly shít looks the same, but smells like peppers.
    For those who can’t carry a handgun, an effective and legal bear deterrent is a marine flare gun, however be aware that the flares can start fires.

  23. “I wasn’t really analyzing it too much at the time,” Gibb said.
    This guy’s my HERO. What an understatement. The adrenaline starts flowing and the ol’ jungle instincts come rushing out of his DNA.

  25. There have been some seen along the North Saskatchewan River just north of Saskatoon.
    Good for Will. Has a couple of brass ones.

  26. Speaking of Red Deer, I ran into a fellow I’ve known for quite some time last night and he told me an interesting tale. Seems he posted a Facebook comment that used “hate” and Rachel Notley in the same sentence, along with some comments to the effect that if she were to die of a heart attack or aneurysm, not too many in Alberta would care a great deal.
    He was subsequently visited by 4 (FOUR!) members of the federal gendarmerie concerning what was reported as a death threat. Apparently they were able to free up valuable time from not investigating rural thefts and the ongoing problem of break-ins of parked cars to apply the resources required to investigate this heinous hate crime.
    I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t threaten to sell bootleg barley.

  27. You have to forgive Mounties, they file a mean report, but not many have actually investigated a real crime, at least not one I’ve ever reported.

  28. “Went to bed with a cougar and woke up with a dog”
    Cleaning up coffee even as we speak.
    The trapper EPAL was useless around Mackenzie BC back in my day, ’75 t0 ’91 on account of the trappers association agreeing with the local RCMP to only carry 22. caliber handguns.
    Had words with him, a real control freak, did not like us to carry at all.
    IMHO a 357. is a marginal defense weapon OK for cougar not a bear stopper
    I opted for a 8mm.06 18″ barrell, 220 grain spitzer open sights, magic!
    the only thing better than that is a model 870 12 gauge at 30′ it makes a 4″ diameter hole 10″ deep.
    Absolutely devastating you just gotta be at halitosis range, if you are in a state of terminal mediation with something that wants to bite you.
    There are a few cougar around here now, ( Vancouver Island) as they say “anywhere you see a deer”
    They do like dogs, and small children, one tried to grab a small child a few years ago her mom fought it off, brave lady.
    Every damn thing in the bush eats some other damn thing, be aware

  29. “…bear bangers…are…a small charge designed to penetrate the skull when pressed against the head.”
    This may be some of that fake news we’ve been hearing about.
    According to Mountain Equipment Co-op:
    “Bear bangers make a loud gunshot style noise. They’re intended to scare bears away (when you aim into the air, not at the bear) without harming them.
    Includes six cartridges.
    Requires a 15mm centre-fire launcher. Not compatible with older rim-fire launchers.”
    https://www.mec.ca/en/product/4007-144/Bear-Bangers

  30. Heh.
    One year working in northern BC our exploration camp was visited by two youngish black bears, attracted by some garbage that had not yet been burned. The party chief tried two bear bangers over their heads, which had no effect. He got the .303 out.
    “Bang” — one bear looked up, but resumed eating.
    “Bang” — neither bear reacted at all.
    “Fine,” says our boss, “back to the stone age.” He picked up a rock and heaved it at one bear, which roared and high-tailed it into the bush. Another rock, and the other bear did the same. I’m sure this story has a moral, or two.

  32. Ha hahaha … sustained laughter … and an empty fifth of Canadian Whisky was found on the floor, next to the bed.

  33. I worked for years in the bush as a geologist in several provinces (northern Ont. Que. Man. Sask. & BC), plus the Yukon & never packed any sort of firearm outside of camp. The firearm was IN camp for the cook to use, if they felt that they needed to. I’m fortunate, but I never came upon a bear (including el grizz) while away from camp. Wolves & a couple of cats, but no bears. In camp was a different story & the cooks usually had a dog for heads up.
    Met several .357 carriers & some Defender packers, but man, there’s a reason you leave the hammer locked down & the chamber empty on a holstered pistol in the bush. As for the Defender, well that ‘ole bear is lunchin’ on you before you get that thing off your back, chambered & aimed. I packed a 3lb Estwing hammer in my right hand on walk-about.
    Be Bear Aware. Make them know that you’re there. Besides, I’m more leery of Moose in rutting season.
    And yeah, I’ve got bear stories to tell.

  34. “In Departure Bay (part of Nanaimo) they got cougars.”
    I’m about 15 minutes away from Departure Bay on the slope of Mt. Benson. We get cougars up here pretty regularly – the neighbour three doors down was just telling me he was about to climb down his stepladder when he saw a cat about 15 feet away. He made all kinds of noise but the cat was unimpressed. Kept him up the ladder for awhile, before wandering off.
    Was not surprised to learn that another neighbour two doors further away likes to feed the deer.
    I am blessed in being able to step out my front door and be on a variety of forest trails. I seldom worry about black bears (I’m a fly fisherman) but a silent, stealthy cat makes me a bit more cautious.
    National Geographic did a story many years ago in which they wrote that Vancouver Island had the largest cougar population – and the greatest number of attacks on humans – in North America. They speculated as to whether the high number of aggressive cats had evolved due to their isolation from other populations. In any event, the attacks were statistically far higher than anywhere else.
    BTW, the Departure Bay cats can live off just the feral rabbits. We have far too many rabbits, deer and geese in the city but people freak out when the issue of a cull is raised. Believe it or not, we actually shipped a bunch of feral rabbits all the way to a ‘sanctuary’ in Texas rather than cull them.
    Seems to me our ‘homeless’ would be better served with regular meals of venison, rabbit and goose.

  35. 12 gauge repeating shotgun shooting slug loads, or a .30-06 rifle are your best choices for bear protection and will handle every other predator out there

  36. A good dog that speaks fluent ‘bear’ is the best asset in the bush. Whatever it is my dog tells them, they understand and quickly leave. A 44mag in a shoulder holster is good back-up if needed. Around the yard, a pellet rifle is a good bear deterrent. It’s quiet and all they know is they’ve been stung. They understand wasp stings and take off at a run and don’t come back.

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