Has anyone seen a sleeping bear (bedded)?

[luvmystang67]

I've seen lots of deer beds, but never a bear bed.  Has anyone ever seen a sleeping bear in the wild anywhere?  For bonus points, does anyone have a pic that isn't from google images or taken from a zoo?

[Woodchuck]

Jager on here has, he has a pic of it through his rifle scope. I have a pic of the bear after the shot but can't find the one through the scope anymore.

[WSU]

Yes.  I saw one asleep on a big rock in the sun once.  That was the most obvious.

[Curly]

Billythekidrock shot one while it was sleeping.

[RadSav]

The wife almost landed on a sleeping bear when she took a tumble up Stevens about ten years ago.  Not sure who was more scared.  She is still angry with me for laughing.

We see a lot of them sleeping in the fall.  All that sugar and sunshine makes a bear vewy vewy sleepy apparently.

I have seen a few sleeping in deer beds, but usually they sleep where they are when they get tired.  They don't seem to care too much once they leave their dens cruising for ripe berries.  We probably don't see many bear beds now that there is no baiting because they are always on the move.  In fall that probably means a different bedding place every couple of days.

[Woodchuck]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,86374.msg1086798.html#msg1086798

[luvmystang67]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,86374.msg1086798.html#msg1086798

I never read that before, looks like an awesome trip.  I just was curious how they sleep and what they look like.  Kind of looks like they just pass out about how a person would.

[180-GRAIN]

I took a buddy out a few years back and I spotted a nice bear asleep on a downed tree about 130 yards away from us. I tried to talk him into grabbing a rest for the shot but being the first bear he had actually seen hunting he tried a free hand shot and pulled it. Bear woke up in a hurry and got outta dodge quick!

[DOUBLELUNG]

A wildlifer friend in Wyoming was sneaking through some doghair lodgepole on a moose hunt when he heard a sound he didn't recognize, repeated every few seconds.  An avid birder, he was excited that maybe he would see a new bird species, as he was in high wilderness outside Yellowstone.  He eventually focused in on the big boar grizzly sleeping 30 yards to his right, snoring. 

[buglebrush]

Have seen several napping on rocks in the sun.

[RadSav]

A wildlifer friend in Wyoming was sneaking through some doghair lodgepole on a moose hunt when he heard a sound he didn't recognize, repeated every few seconds.  An avid birder, he was excited that maybe he would see a new bird species, as he was in high wilderness outside Yellowstone.  He eventually focused in on the big boar grizzly sleeping 30 yards to his right, snoring.

Wholly &*^%   I'd be leaving a pee trail in a hurry.  I don't mind being face to face with blackbear, but I like distance between griz and I!

[boneaddict]

Yes.   I jumped over a log one time and landed on one. 

[Jonathan_S]

I have some trail cam pics but they'd be too graphic...

[DOUBLELUNG]

Yes.   I jumped over a log one time and landed on one. 

Did you mark him out the gate and hang on for 8 seconds?

[Woodchuck]

Yes.   I jumped over a log one time and landed on one.

I would pay good money to see that. 

[RadSav]

Back when we could bait we had a large boar that was only coming in at night.  I started to increase the amount of red meat and cheese while reducing the overall amount of bait.  After a few downsizes I started spraying the area with coyote urine.  I had gotten the bait size down to about one gallon volume every other day when the boar started coming in early.  Time to get the wife her first bear!!

She's all excited and instead of climbing into the stand with her bow while I dumped bait she wanted to walk in with me to check things out first.  We get about 15 yards from the bait and there is Mr. Cinnamon Mellonhead sound asleep on the bait pile.  No bow, no gun

I quietly set the bucket down grab her by the shorts and spin her around saying, "Go get a gun or your bow.  He's sleeping on the bait!"  In her excitement I think she pulled every single pop can, cow bell and fog horn out of the truck trying to get her bow.  The big fella wakes up, stretched, yawns and walks off just before she gets back.  I think she is still upset I didn't let her see him before I spun her around.  He was a dandy!  Someone released hounds on that spot a few days later and we never saw him again.

[bearmanric]

Billythekid shot a sleeping bear with Al stover years ago were I got my Elk last year reminded me of it every time I watched  those ridges. Like Curly said. Pretty cool story. Rick

[ghostshell]

saw one bedded saturday, fully sleeping, head down on the ground, must have been sunning himself....... got to 333 yards, full broadside. had my grandpas 56 model 70 in 308 with a fixed 4x scope. zeroed at 100 yards with 180's. i had not shot at 300 yards with this bullet choice so i opted to not shoot granted it shoots lights out with this round, federal trophy bond. holding over a animal guessing is not my thing, would have had to use the boxes info not real world testing i should have done, figured i would use it as a brush gun so had not shot past 200........ was wishing i had my other rifle with a nightforce nxs on it witch i  have spent the time behind it at longer distance. in the end i tried to stalk closer but i had to leave site of him to do so and the wind changed on me, i changed my route, made some noise. in the end i missed a great chance on a stud bear but learned from it. should have waited him out and watched witch way he was going to go and try.

[benhuntin]

Found one in a den a while back. Got some pretty good video at 5 yrds.

[Turner89]

I have found 3 obvious bear beds over the years. One of them, this bear spent a lot of time there. He had all the sword ferns within a 20ft radius cut down to the roots. He piled them all up for a bed. It was a little Erie when I realized what it was. I haven't found one sleeping yet.

[heronblu]

I woke one up a few days ago. Got within 20 yards of it, and was able to take a cell phone video of him grumpily standing there looking at me. If someone can tell me how to post videos (or pictures for that matter) Ill put it up.

[jasnt]

I have found spots were a bear has been bedding. Scat all around it and even some that was laid on. Like said I don't think they sleep in the same place for very long. Once the foods eaten up they move to the next food and bed near by

[Alan K]

I shot one just inside the timbers edge that was sleeping against the uphill side of a tree.  I actually spined him right in the neck the first shot, then put two more in him since he didn't move and thought I was missing! My only bear to this point, shot him while elk hunting a few years back.  Got it all on video too.

[Firedogg]

Sleeping? Or passed out after a hard night partying?  lol




Sorry, could not pass this one up. Northwest Trek griz.

[WA hunter14]

I shot one just inside the timbers edge that was sleeping against the uphill side of a tree.  I actually spined him right in the neck the first shot, then put two more in him since he didn't move and thought I was missing! My only bear to this point, shot him while elk hunting a few years back.  Got it all on video too.

would love to see that video!

[FeatherFanatic]

few years ago one of my buddies walked up on a den that was in the middile of a clearing he thought it was a blow down tree.. well it was but when he looked down there was a 230lb bear sleeping away he shot it at 6 feet with a 30-30. ill try to find a picture of it

[danderson]

Here's 2 from shed hunting this year, it had 2 large cubs come out right after she ran off, I was 5 feet away from the den at first looked inside and all I could see was fur, backed out of there in a hurry. I found another den that had a sleeping cub at 5 feet, but I'm not able to post the video.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Look us up if your ever down this way. I have some awesome video of a sleeping beer me and the wife stalked to on a rock ledge and she misses the bear with her smoke pole! Its one of our  most favorite videos to date!