This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on some more Grizzly Bear problems. (See the Montana section.)
Region-Wide
These Are The Top American Cities For Starting A Small Business. It is no surprise that many of these are in the American Redoubt region.
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Inland Northwest companies share their success stories at Triangle Venture Expo.
Idaho
Open carry is legal in Idaho, but now chains are asking Idahoans not to open carry in their stores
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Amazon to open first fulfillment center in Idaho, based in Nampa
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Human bones found along Salmon River
Montana
Grizzly bear killed in Montana after livestock attacks. Here is a pericope:
“Wildlife officials in Montana say they captured and killed a grizzly bear that killed livestock east of Rogers Pass along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Thursday that the 612-pound (277.6-kilogram), 5-year-old male was euthanized on Monday.
The bear killed three heifer calves and a cow near the South Fork of the Dearborn River. Bear management specialist Mike Madel says tracks in the snow showed the bear also approached occupied homes and other ranch buildings.
The grizzly had an ear tag that showed it was previously captured in 2017 for research in the Blackfoot River Valley west of the Continental Divide.”
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Montana Highway Patrol rolls out retro look for 85th anniversary
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Montana Historical Society seeks to display Unabomber cabin
Eastern Oregon
Reader Tim J, sent this: Five bulls found dead in Oregon; then the story gets weird. And here is a more detailed article about the incident, from Fox News.
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Bend: Parents pack City Council meeting to protest cell tower
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Defendant testifies in starvation murder trial
Eastern Washington
Investigation continues after man’s death during arrest by Spokane County deputies
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Is Moving to Washington State Right for You? A 2019 guide. JWR’s Comments: The article’s author mistakenly mentions: “And, we’d argue that Spokane just might give residents the best access to the states lovely outdoors. It’s within an hour drive of 76 lakes, a dozen or so rivers and one of Washington’s true gems… Lake Coeur d’Alene.” The last time I checked, all of Lake CDA was in Idaho. The western-most tip of the lake is 10 miles from the Washington state line.
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Cosmic Cowboy Grill opening in Downtown Spokane. JWR’s Comment: I’ve dined at their Coeur d’Alene location, and found that the food was great. The crowd there was mostly “Sprouts and Birkenstocks” people, but their menu offered plenty of tasty burgers with real beef. Apparently the smell of grilling burgers does not scare off the vegetarians.
Wyoming
First Lady Melania Trump Visits Wyoming. (Sadly, this video produced by the White House is only 55 seconds long, so you don’t to see much of the places that she toured.)
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Snow closes Yellowstone road earlier than expected
Send Your News Tips
Please send your American Redoubt region news tips and event announcements to JWR. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.
There is a difference between being asked and being prohibited. Wyoming also has open carry, which I do. As for Walmart and Kroger they will have to inform me that open carry is prohibited in their store before I will stop open carrying, I won’t just lay down and roll over and give up my freedom for the privilege of giving them my business, and I have called and told their Customer Service the same. When confronted by their management I will carry concealed but in the meantime people should stand up and let them know they’re not pleased with this policy. I guess once a Socialist is elected President and says turn in your guns, most will run right down and get in line. Trekker Out
Trekker:
I understand your attitude completely. I practice Jeffersonian Liberty and I’m not interested in any ideology that in any way presumes to limit my freedoms or pressure me into conformity.
I don’t ask if I can exercise a right, I just exercise it.
That being said, I conceal carry to keep the Grey Man downlow. I don’t need the grief of some Donald Sutherland alien pointing and shrieking (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) when they are triggered *heh heh* by a nasty bang bang on my hip.
I’m still on the fence regarding the whole private property / business vs. public accommodation situation, but it is their store after all. That they make it available to customers doesn’t mean they must accept behavior they find unacceptable.
You called it when you let the management know their position is unacceptable. We all should. But understand it won’t make any difference. These drones have their orders for TPTB and don’t give a rat’s patoot about the old “customer is always right” chestnut. They’re too big to care.
All you can do is carry concealed and keep out of the spotlight.
Completely agree with Gene…why raise hackles by open carry? Especially in a private business. Concealed carry = gray man. You are still armed with concealed carry. Why throw your self into someone else’s face? Be modest and humble, not macho! And all that doesn’t get into the subject of you ,”the open carry” dude, being the first target in case of an event.
I just visited my local Walmart and looked for the “No open carry” sign at the front door but there wasn’t one. So during my next visit I will carry open as I usually do. If asked to conceal it I will politely just leave.
Why? What is the reason?
Walmart is wasting no time getting on the politically correct band wagon so I intend to find out if their no open carry statement is just a wish on their part or if it is a hard fast rule. If it is in fact their new rule then that’s their business and I won’t cause trouble but I will find another place to shop. I would rather shop for my prescriptions at a pharmacy a few miles down the road who actually has a FIREARMS WELCOME sign on their front door than at Walmart who is catering to the dems and stopping the sell of certain firearms and ammo.
Some folks take grizzly seriously. Just found out a friend is using 220vac on a 15 amp circuit around his chicken house, as the bears are back. That kind of current could would be dangerous to a human. It would also work nicely on a bear. He is located a good 20 miles from our area that is also getting raided by grizzly. We are considering an electric fence, similar to what is used by the County Disposal fences use, that are safer, as these are high voltage and low current. Some how bears can sense whether or not the power is on or off. The is no bluffing a bear like can be done with livestock. It is not just about protecting chickens, but everything else. Once they get a taste of the easy life and easy picken’s, then one has a ‘problem’ bear on their hands. I would not want to go outside and run into one unexpectedly as it wonders around the property. My shotgun has a flashlight on it for a reason.
It could be the bears are out in force this year, and down lower due to a colder than usual fall. We have already had our first snow for the year, about 3 weeks early.
600 pound griz should yield about 200 pounds of usable product, plus hide? What is the current policy of harvesting griz? What did you choose for your 12gauge load? Mag shells at 3 inch with slugs or buck?
We used to camp every weekend down in the Big Horns with our trailer or tent set up all summer, commuting to work during the week, and we let our little kids run free in the woods and meadows. No way to safely do that now they’ve planted both wolves and griz. Our kids pack serious hardware when they take our grandkids up there these days.
I am told by a friend who hunted one that Kodiaks in Alaska are not edible because of massive trichinosous (sp?). I wonder if grizzlies are the same
To Wheatley Fisher,
We got a blackie last spring that jarred up to be an estimated 200 pounds of meat and fat. It was an honest 7 feet long. So much fat you could use a shovel. It might be a near record for a Black Bear. If Black Bear grow this big here, the average weight of a grizzly here would likely be more than 600 pounds. Heavier than USFS records. And they are meaner.
For up close, use 12 gauge 3 or 3 1/2 inch magnum with 15+ pellets of OO buck shot for the face to stop an attack. The last two should be a hard slug like a Brenneke with the picture of the bear on a blue box, or Federal slug that boosts it’s ability to penetrate (key words, copper coated, penetration). We are not hunting deer, and not looking for expansion. We do not want it to fragment on the shoulder bones, but to break bone and keep going. If the shot needs to be long, past 35 yards, use the slug to break the shoulder. 12ga is good for up close and with slugs, perhaps 75 to 100 yards if it is accurate enough in your shot gun with only front bead. I believe that 12 gauge, 3″ or 3 1/2″ magnum, if you can handle the recoil, is the most versatile and therefor practical, and best. I have never had too shoot one.
This is based upon the collective wisdom of the most serious hunters, trappers and outdoors men, I know. If you are hunting bear, or expect only shots beyond 35 yards in distant, then a heavy caliber lever gun, semi auto such as a Browning Safari, or control feed bolt gun, like a Winchester Model 70, that is as potent as a modern .45-70, or more powerful is best. A .450 Lott is not too much. I believe the .338 Lapua Mag is perhaps the best rifle for around here, but the .30-06 is all I got for this purpose, but my 12 gauge is what I will carry around the property, and in the brush as dangerous encounters are mostly when the bear does not see us, and is startled. There is no ‘bluff ‘ charge. Making noise is your first and best defense…
A few years ago a friend was cited and had to pay $250 for a hot dog on the ground of his camp site. The next day, the same Ranger went for ride on a trail, and on the other side of hill or bend, he slammed right into a Grizzly. He was not cited for being careless, but he did lose his head. We see more bear attacks locally that never make the news in the big papers. We have an area closed near town due to a history of bear attacks and mountain lion. Mountain lion are sneaky, and they like to stalk. There are more stories I could tell. Look up high as you go down a trail, and for a tail that continuously twitches, just like your cat at home.
Always go into the woods with pepper and lead spray. If the wind is right, give them a sniff of the spray, and they may go away if they ignored the noise as you call out ‘hey bear’!. If the do not, then it’s time to be ready to shoot. A training video put on by USFS. The Ranger demonstrated how to use bear spray. When he pulled it out of the holster, the plastic cap fell off. You then heard the nervous voice of a senior Park Ranger. He had no other options. Please do not let the liberal ‘hug a tree’ bias, and agenda that is in the literature, cause people to be comfortable with bears.
All this talk about Grizz loads got me thinking again on the John Linebaugh custom revolvers. Anyone ever shoot one? I sure would like to see a Pat Cascio review… I’d love to have one but it’s waaay down on the priority list at this point. https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/#!
While I admit to having carried large-caliber revolvers for protection from bears and cougars I have also hunted with handguns. My hunting experience convinced me that handguns of any caliber are inferior to long guns. For two reasons:
1. They are less powerful than proper rifle cartridges. No common revolver can compete with a .30-06 or a twelve gauge.
2. Handguns are much more difficult to shoot accurately than long guns. That makes them short-range tools.
I don’t think open carry is smart. Makes you the first target of a bad guy IMO. It is a right I do not exercise often.
5 Bulls found dead with sex organs and blood removed,no sign of cause of death,no tracks,no scavengers. I do not have much experience with bulls in the open but in a corral they want to control their space. I can’t see how you could get close enough to one to drain it’s blood or remove it’s testicles without a lot of fight and leave no trace. I think any scavenger within miles would be on such a large carcass very fast and it wouldn’t last very long. Reminds me of cattle mutilations reported in the past(no tracks animal or human,strange removal(surgical)of organs,no cause of death,scavengers avoiding easy meal.
Went to high school in the late 70s in Fairfield Idaho and I was on a the school news paper. Did a story on cattle mutilation. According to the local sheriff at the time it was just as you said at the time with one twist. Some of the mutilated animals were still alive with organs surgically removed.
I keep hearing about being the gray man, I expect that when the Schumer hits the fan that’s just what most will be, just like in the American Revolution, 90% were gray men and the other 10% had to take a stand. As for being the first target, when those mass shootings took place the shooter didn’t go in and look around to see who was open carrying. I don’t Conceal carry nor Open carry to be Macho, and as for respecting someones private property, I always do. But are you really talking about Kroger and Walmart when you say respecting private property. Please give me a break! And on the subject of Grizzlies, hope you don’t carry too deeply Concealed when in grizzly country. Yes they are extremely thick where I roam. Trekker Out
Taking A Stand is clearly important to Trekker. I can understand his aggravation. To paraphrase another famous trekker,
“They decimate our culture and heritage and we fall back. They ignore and seek to destroy our Constitution and we fall back. Well, here is where we draw the line. THIS far. NO further.
Everyone’s line is drawn somewhere, and we all have the point where,
“I will make them pay for what they’ve done.”
We’re getting very close to that point. Tottering on the brink, as it were.
“Beware the fury of a patient man.” —-John Dryden
I asked, because i don´t understand the Problem.
It´s an age old custom and Right that a Visitor disarm himself before entering the area, home, shop of another Person at least if asked to.
Like Beowulf and Aragorn did at Medusedd.
Many Cities reserved the Right of carrying arms to their [own] citizens in the middle ages and American cities like Abilene did the same when it was a cattle City.