Close encounter with a tank of a bear yesterday

[grizzlyadams]

Went to Sultan yesterday morning. It looked like a hunting convention around there.  Too many hunting rigs and too much pressure. So I thought.....I'll hit my old hunting grounds.

Got there and the clear cuts that had grown up in the years since I had not visited were now thick and tall. I thought, no way I am gonna see a bear now. It was mid-day and warm with the sun shinning. So I headed off to a creek that holds garnets. I was going to get a handful for my daughter.

Almost to the spot......guess who jups out of the bush. Old smokey and boy was he a TANK. He was truckin across the road 10 yards right in front of me. Holy crumb sickles.....I about %##! my pants. He had to have been 400 lbs plus and every bit of it. Nice color phase bear. I headed in after him. I tried a cub in distress set for a while and a fawn bleet.....but no dice, he was long gone.

Just goes to show you...they can show up at any time.  Wish I could have gotten a pic for ya'll. I did get a pic of his home territory. He had been digging at these trees recently and there were stripped berrys everywhere.

[True Sportsman]

That's pretty crazy and a good story. It goes to show, you can run into bears anywhere. That is neat country up there.

[dirty24d]

if you can make it up during the weekdays its dead up here, i literally live on sultan basin road and the traffic increases ten fold on the weekends..

[birdwacker]

15 yrs ago riding dirt bikes around the Sultan reservoir came around a corner and big Ben was sitting in the road 10 ft in front of us, When he got up to run away his sides were rolling with fat. I won't guess his size but havn't   seen a picture of one on this site that even comes close.

[grizzlyadams]

if you can make it up during the weekdays its dead up here, i literally live on sultan basin road and the traffic increases ten fold on the weekends..

Ya I thought of that but I wonder what the weekend pressure does to the bear habbits in that area. I'm hesitant to spend a bunch of time in an area that holds bear that see humans as danger. At least where I go, they encounter humans hiking and berry picking and dont view us as much of a threat as somewhere were they are constantly getting shot at. Just my 

[saylean]

Nice. Too bad you didnt get a pic. Agreed, they sure can show up when you least expect it.

[dirty24d]

if you can make it up during the weekdays its dead up here, i literally live on sultan basin road and the traffic increases ten fold on the weekends..

Ya I thought of that but I wonder what the weekend pressure does to the bear habbits in that area. I'm hesitant to spend a bunch of time in an area that holds bear that see humans as danger. At least where I go, they encounter humans hiking and berry picking and dont view us as much of a threat as somewhere were they are constantly getting shot at. Just my 

no doubt but you'd be surprised how many of those rigs that you think are hunters are really just paintballers, dirtbikers, hikers, etc etc. the pressure isnt bad...

goodluck regardless  show us some pics!!!