Free: Contests & Raffles.
i wasnt until this thread
Several times I have been sitting in a treestand and had a bear walk out from under my stand that I had no clue was there. My two scary situations were both with smaller bears, one while predator calling. I heard pine needles directly behind me being stepped on. All the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I knew in order to hear that, it was close. I turned and there about 10 yards away was a small bear, one that I did not want to shoot, so I spoke to it softly, it stepped forward. I stood up and squared off on it and spoke again, a little drewl dripped from it's mouth and it pinned it's ears back and took another step forward. I'm thinking crap it has no idea what I am. It got a face full of pepper spray and left. The other time was in Northern Maine. I was fishing for brook trout along the Machias River. I had a five foot ultra light spinning rod and reel and inadvertently walked between a small sow and her very young cub. She bluff charged me three times and I think I filled my shorts all three times!
Amazing how quiet they can be... I was calf and cow calling
Thankfully he also felt a bit duped.
I have to say Yes, and No with a healthy respect as well. Never been attacked but have had two occasion that bear were so close I could here them breath and oh the pooping of those teeth is almost to much. Both times I was in timber with 6 foot high huckleberry brush where you could see at the most 10 yards. After an encounter like that you spend the rest of the day looking behind you. The encounter that has stayed in my mind the most for over 45 years, is when I was 8 years old. My 16 year old brother, his friend and myself were 2 miles back in the woods at a small pond about an acre in size just messing around. The frogs were going crazy. We started shooting the 22 in the water to shut up the frogs, which did not work. From across the pond we hear a very low and loud growl three times. What really put the hair up on the back of our necks was the frogs in the pond went completely silent. You could hear a pin drop except for our hearts racing. As an 8 year I was scared out of my mind. What made it worse was my brother and his friend ran and left me standing there. To this day I have never forgiven him for that one. Was it a bear, more then likely due to a very large population in that area at that time. But it sure as heck was not afraid of us.
QuoteAmazing how quiet they can be... I was calf and cow calling Had that with a grizz over in North Idaho. Calling moose and heard a twig snap behind me. Turned to have a griz standing RIGHT THERE. Felt a little naked with the longbow in hand. Thankfully he also felt a bit duped.