Black Bear run-in

[Bigeasy]

Well, just got back from a little night coyote hunting.  Usually my buddy and I take turns, one with the rifle, the other with the call and spot light.  We were set up on the edge of a field in central PA, Pat with the rifle, me sitting about 10 yards to the right, at the edge of the tree line.  Called a couple times with the dying rabbit call, no response.  I was getting ready to get up and move to a different spot.  Called one more time, then had a feeling something was behind me, thought I smelled something.  Shined my spotlight behind me, and there stood a black bear, about 15 yards away, in the woods.  Didn't see him at first, and never heard him come.  I started reaching for my .45 while I yelled "bear" to Pat.  He was gone in an instant.  That's the second time I have had that happen to me.  Years ago had the same thing happen in Maine.  Kind of weird to know he was hunting me, and I never knew it.  Makes you wonder how often that happens, especially at night, and you never know it...  Really didn't expect bears to be out of hibernation yet, but it's been warm.

Larry

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

   I'll bet that WAS EXCITING  .. I have tired calling bears several times in the spring no luck...my dentist has killed several that way...makes one cautious...

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

Say, do you guys have much luck calling coyotes in Pa.  ? I have thought about it when I was visiting, but never tried it....

[Bigeasy]

Didn't really have time to get excited - he was gone in a flash.  What got to me was he was able to walk right up and I never knew it.  We do pretty good at night on coyotes.  Shooting is close and quick - they don't hang around once the light comes on.  Success wise, we do better in the day time, using a decoy (a squirrel tail tacked to a stick, blowing in the breeze works well).  Got a couple this winter at night.

Larry

[mechanic]

Larry,

Several years ago a good friend lost his prize coon dog about 50 miles away from where we live in a dense cane break area along a river.  A phone call brought me and a brother to help call the dog in.  We spread out and were planning to work toward each other.  We had walked quite a ways and finally met up without the dog.  As we were leaving I heard a "huffing" noise  and put the light on a black bear sow with two cubs, not 15' away.  Hard to tell who moved the fastest out of there.  By the way there are no black bears in this part of GA., and the stinkin' dog was waiting at the truck.

Thats why I don't coon hunt. 

Ben

[Glanceblamm]

Great Story mechanic, 

and the stinkin' dog was waiting at the truck.

 

Nothing large and dangerous to encounter around these parts except for the time my old coon hunting buddy was by his lonesome one night and had an Angus Bull get after him when he tried crossing a pasture.

He thought that the dog would try to protect him but instead, it decided to cower between his legs compounding the problem as the dog kept tripping him up

My friend then stumbled across an old 5 gal feed bucket which he used to continuously swing in front of that Bull's nose as he walked backwards over 100yds and was finally able to vault over the fence.

[Bigeasy]

Ben-

I remember when I was a kid, people were talking about a Cougar in the Newtown CT area.  DEP said no way, people were just basically stupid, confusing a house cat for a lion.  One guy insisted, and they all but called him a liar in the local paper.  A couple weeks later, the front page photo of the local news paper (the Newtown Bee) was of an obviously full grown cougar lounging on the same guys kids swing set in his back yard.  It was later shot, and turned out to be tagged, and escapee from a private collector in MA.  Never say never... (I bet that guy really rubbed their noses in it.. )

When we were kids, and hunted coon, a common trick was leave your coat in the woods.  The dog was almost always there the next morning..

Larry

[Glanceblamm]

When we were kids, and hunted coon, a common trick was leave your coat in the woods.  The dog was almost always there the next morning..

Larry

Good trick and one that works well. Now a day's, I will leave a coat on top of my downed deer after dragging it to a point of vehicle access just to make sure the Coyotes will leave it alone. Used to be that they would wait at least 24Hr to get at a gut pile but not any more.

[John Y Cannuck]

Funny thing with dogs, some will chase bear, some will run with their tail between their legs from just a whiff of the track of one. Somehow they seem to know.

[mardrobe]

While I live in an area without bears, I have had a couple of experiences with them.  In the first I was camping in New Mexico as a Boy Scout and woke up when something hit the side of my head.  I rolled over and looked up to find a bear standing over me.  It was leaving the tent and happened so fast there wasn't time to get scared.  The second last August in Colorado, a large bear tried to get into my parents house through a window where my daughters were sleeping.  After they  yelled, it backed away about ten feet and laid down watching the house.  It stayed 20 to 30 minutes trying to get in before we scared it off by banging pans together.  I was armed, but Colorado is very protective of their bears and I unfortunately couldn't shoot unless it attacked.  The sheriffs department acted like it wasn't important at that time, but the same bear along with another killed one of my parents neighbors the next night and was shot when it approached investigating deputies.  Sometimes it would be very nice to see the future.  This wasn't a normal situation as the neighbor had been feeding the bears and they had lost their fear of man.  My family and I will never take bears lightly again. 

[myronman3]

yeah, a bear trying to get into the house, then that sat there looking at it and you didnt kill it?   they can be as protective of their bears as they want to be, but i would have killed that bear without a seconds hesitation. 

[spikehorn]

We were doing some early season rabbit hunting, when the beagle started baying at a hole in a really thick briar patch. My buddy got up on the briar patch and started to jump up and down. much to our supprise a black bear came flying out of the brair patch.

[teddy12b]

This is like driving on the highway and seeing a bunch of deer out in the field.  It's great to hear about guys running into bears and having some excitement, but then I'll drive 1000 miles, pay a guide and be lucky to see one. 

Glad to hear everyone got out safely!

[myronman3]

now that would be a surprise... a BIG, black, bunny.  lol.

[spikehorn]

Yeah thinking the 20ga field loads wouldn't have done much make it mad