Ornery Sow

[Navyhunter]

Took a buddy of mine out bear hunting Wednesday and Thursday.  He'd never been bear hunting before and I've had some decent luck over the years.  Drove from Chehalis to Skagit Valley, starting at 1:00am, we got to "my spot" at 4:30 and got ready.  Right at first light we saw a sow with two cubs about 400 yards down in the bottom of a bowl.  We drive up the road to the next spot, didn't see any sign and no bears.  We took a 20-something mile drive to another spot I knew.  We were driving along BS'n, not really paying much attention because the brush was too thick to see anything...like usual when two guys aren't paying attention, we come around a corner and there's a good bear standing in the road.  It runs about 20 yards, stops and looks at us for two seconds and then disappears in the thick stuff.  We continue on and get to where I wanted to glass.  We're there no more than 3 minutes and I can hear a bear down and to my right.  There's no way I could see it and it couldn't smell me, the wind was in my favor.  I tell my buddy to get his gun and come over to where I was.  We listened for a couple more minutes and hear some brush breaking and a couple "huffs" this time a little closer...silence...more brush breaking and the tell-tall "huffing" closer still....silence.  Then, the brush is MOVING about 10 feet down and directly in front of us.  We both back up, separtate a little bit and it gets quiet again.  At this point we're about 75 yards from the truck, he's got his 300RUM and I have my 1911...silence.  Then about 20 yards to our left, a tree shakes, some branches break and it huffs again...the bear put itself between us and our truck!  We go wide on the road and walk to the truck.  When we get there, the bear is there (in the brush) waiting for us.  I tell my buddy "Get ready to shoot, it's comin'"...a fir tree is shaking, then the willows on the side of the road start shaking.  I still don't have my rifle, and he's only got one shell in his (I know, not smart).  The willows stop shaking, we hear another round of huffing.  So, thinking that I could get the whole thing over with, I huff back at the bear.  That did it.  Two seconds later there was a bear the size of a monster black lab standing on the side of the road looking at us...and then it was gone.  Just like that, our encounter was over.  Right after she dove back down in the brush, a small fir tree shook where she'd gone in and then the willows shook where she'd just been....it was a sow with a cub.  That's what I'm thinking anyway because of the two trees shaking pretty much at the same time.

So hears my question(s):
Why do bears make that "huffing" noise?  What's the purpose of it?  A challenge?
Did I do right by huffing back at her? 
What would YOU have done? 

[h20hunter]

Gosh, what a rookie! First off I wouldn't have a single shell, probably would have forgotten to load the damn thing all together. Secondly, when I first realized we were cut off from the truck I would have clubbed my buddy in the back of the head with my empty rifle and left him to distract the bear while I ran away.

Actually sounds like you handled it great. I think the huff is a warning, just like the snapping of teeth to say back off.

Good times and I'm love'n me some bear hunting. Looking forward to my first bear.

[wapiti hunter2]

I can't believe some of you guys.  Bear hunting with one shell in the gun.  ARE YOU NUTS?    The other day there was a thread here where the guy encountered a bear and forgot to load his rifle.    Who taught some of you to hunt?     This isn't a universal observation but.....

[Jeremy S]

One round is all it takes.

[woodman]

One round is all it takes.

That's all it took for me yesterday!

[Jeremy S]

One round is all it takes.

That's all it took for me yesterday!

I'm jealous!

[BlackRidge]

One round is all it takes.

True, but not always. I'd hate to be the one to find out the hard way

Thats why I go stocked like an entire platoon 

[ratherhunt]

Wow, Great story

[Gringo31]

If a guy were to get in trouble, I'd rather have one round than a broadhead.


Cool Story!

[boneaddict]

She is communicating with you, any other bear that is listening and the cubs. 

[Kain]

They dont like when you huff at them.   

Charging Black Bear At Pink Mountain Outfitters

[woodman]

They dont like when you huff at them.   

Charging Black Bear At Pink Mountain Outfitters

This is my absolute favorite calling video, how can I save it to my computer?

[jackelope]

I can't believe some of you guys.  Bear hunting with one shell in the gun.  ARE YOU NUTS?    The other day there was a thread here where the guy encountered a bear and forgot to load his rifle.    Who taught some of you to hunt?     This isn't a universal observation but.....

You're an idiot.

I hunt with a T/C Encore.

 

Lots of people hunt bears with T/C Encores. Some even go so far as to hunt them with a muzzleloader.

[carpsniperg2]

man that was funny stop calling! then they call. stop calling then they call. last thing you want to do with a bear is huff at them when you want them to leave!

as far and the single shot goes, there is nothing wrong with hunting with a single shot. if its not for you, then don't do it. don't judge others for there choice. i hunt with a muzzle and i know i could be a hell of a lot quicker with a t/c encore then a t/c muzzleloader

[wapiti hunter2]

Sorry Jackalope but you don't know crap. Muzzleloaders have extra bullets typically in speedloaders unless you only take one bullet to the field, then too, you are an idiot. I hunt muzzy myself.  Archers have, what 5-6 extra arrows.  This guy just plain ignorant of what he was doing and was hunting with a rifle.   They were to busy BSing ( "We were driving along BS'n, not really paying much attention because the brush was too thick to see anything...like usual when two guys aren't paying attention, we come around a corner and there's a good bear standing in the road")  to even load their gun.  1 bullet with a sow and cubs is a great way to end up very badly hurt.  A charging sow is not to be trifled with.  Loaded guns and not paying attention and you defend this behavior. Like I said