In recent columns, I have addressed the proposed grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming, the planning that went into the hunt, the abundance of bears, and the fact that my late August Wyoming elk hunt would be in the center of the grizzly bear activity.

There’s bad news and worse news. First the bad news. Dana Christensen, a narrow-minded federal judge from Montana who claims his decision had nothing to do with hunting, has put a stop to Wyoming’s proposed hunt. The grizzlies have flourished under Endangered Species Act protection. There are more grizzlies than the habitat can handle, and the bears have extended their range into residential and ranch country. The bears must be managed, will be managed, and hunters are the most practical way to handle it.

Now the worse news. On Thursday, October 13th, hunter Corey Chubon wounded an elk in the country that borders Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Corey and his guide, Mark Uptain, didn’t find the wounded elk before nightfall, and resumed their search Friday morning. They found their elk Friday morning, and while they were field-dressing the elk, they were charged by two grizzly bears, a sow and her cub. The bears killed guide Mark Uptain, father of five, and mauled Chubon. The suspected bear culprits were later killed by authorities.

A hunting season is obviously necessary. The grizzlies are unhunted and have absolutely no fear of man. Even the proposed limited season would help to put the bears in a caution mode.

The September 17th USA Today story fails to mention an important aspect of this story. Were Uptain and Chubon armed, and were they aware of a possible grizzly encounter? Guide Mark Uptain certainly had to be aware of the bear possibility.

On my 2016 British Columbia moose hunt, Gary, my guide, made it very clear that I had one important job while he did the brunt of the moose field-dressing. With rifle in hand, I was to constantly survey the area for grizzly bears. Gary also kept his rifle within reach while working on the moose. Uptain and Chubon certainly had to be in this state of alert – especially with the elk being down overnight. I hope we get an answer to this question as the story further unfolds.

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Last month Betsy and I went to Mitchell to visit our good friends Don and Carol. While the women actually love us, I had the feeling that they wanted to do some “woman” thing, and having Don and I tag along wasn’t in their plans. Don suggested that we guys check out his boyhood Hand County stomping grounds. I welcomed the plan as I had never seen the Lake Louise recreation area north of Miller or Jones Lake. We both like to eat, and I suggested we go by way of Huron as I had a special treat in mind for Don and me.

South Dakota’s ultimate sandwich is found in Huron at the Manolis Deli. Don didn’t know about the sandwiches, and they certainly lived up to my expectations. Jones Lake made me wish I had brought my bass gear along, and Lake Louise just might be South Dakota’s best kept family camping/fishing secret. What a treasure! We checked out Don’s boyhood home place farm north of Miller, and watching Don crawl down to the bank of Turtle Creek where he caught crawdads as a boy was nostalgic to say the least.

But what I really want to talk about right now is a sad reflection on today’s society. On the way back to Mitchell we went through Woonsocket. I drove up to the Woonsocket city lake where a number of kids were fishing. I told Don that I was going to go down and talk to the kids about what they were catching.

Before I climbed out of our Chevy, Don cautioned me. In today’s world, strange men do not get out of cars and approach children. Don was right. I’m a big ugly guy. I certainly didn’t want to scare the children, and I certainly didn’t want to be the subject of the six o’clock Eye Witness News. I remained in the car and we drove away.

See you next week.