Bear Encounters

[trophyhill]

How would ya should ya react when it happens to you?

 

[sneaky]

Run around in a circle waving your hands in the air in a panicky fashion.

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[elkguide]

Seems like every time that I have been inside of 50 yards with a grizz, I always had a know - it - all hunter with me that didn't get the potential threat that we were looking at. My first reaction was to draw my revolver, get to one knee for the steadiest shooting position and then wait for the bear to make the next move along with firmly telling my hunters to shut up and be ready to shoot if I shot first. Fortunately every bear turned away before I got too nervous.

 

[11boo]

Just a bunch of stinky blackies here. I suppose they could make a mess of you, but I have had many close encounters with them and they usually run the other way. Only one time I walked Up on two cubs, scared them and they went up a couple aspens making little bear squeals the whole time. Of course mom came charging in seconds later but held up about 25 yards out, stood up on her hind legs sniffing the air while I backed out. She held her ground, and I was glad to let her.

i carry a handgun during archery, but I highly doubt it would ever be used on a black bear.

 

[4rcgoat]

Whip out some toxic masculinity and smear it in his face.

 

[hartigjosh]

From my experience in the hotbed of the lower 48's grizz population (aka bordering Yellowstone) I thought I knew what I would do and then it happened and I didn't. I thought I could draw quick enough but the bear went from 10 yards to 10 feet and i only got my hand on the gun and holster button unclicked... my instinct was to yell and so I yelled bear. I did it because I wanted help, I knew I was F'ed. The bear charged me bc it thought I was an elk.... we were calling and moving in on a bugling bull. I think the bear stopped short of crushing me because I wasnt the meal it was expecting and I may have been the first human it had seen. I am not a small guy, I had my bow in hand and I yelled... the confluence of all those things was enough to make it pause and then the guy 75 yards behind me running to help me kept it from acting after the pause.
My takeaway, be more bear aware and practice unholstering your gun. I was quick but not quick enough. I guess better lucky than good.

 

[rayporter]

blackies are fast for sure. the ones we have seen in co. could not vacate fast enough. my first left an impression on me. he was 40 yds away and i had a rifle in my left hand and i dont know if i could have got a shot off if he had ran at me instead of going away.

i had a guy tell me a story of getting hit by a black that was charging. he did not have a loaded chamber and short cycled the bolt when the bear was 7 ft away. he kept the rifle between him and the bear after it knocked him down. it gave up and left.

 

[Beendare]

Seems to me we all should know by now how to deal with bears...the vast majority of which aren't a threat to us.


........but I like the toxic masculinity comment.


_______

 

[dueaston]

I've only had one encounter and it was with a black bear at roughly 30 yards. I think we seen each other at about the same time and both froze. The bear simply turned around and walked off.

 

[tdhanses]

I have yet to come across an aggressive bear, have been 15 to 50 yards of a number of them. The smaller they are the quicker they run, the bigger ones tend to just walk the other way.

All blackies.

 

[HondoArcher]

Black bears sniffing my head while I sleep in a tent. Rushing up on me from behind in a storm because my pack smelled of dead elk (7 yards). Stalking my son using a cow call (20 yards). Bumping into them on the trail (50 yards). Mom and cubs at 25 yards. I have had lots of encounters but once they figure out you aren't food they runoff (so far). Still, I carry bear spray and a 40cal SW when I archery hunt. Especially when I hunt solo and am hiking out in the dark. Mountain lions love the night.

Advice for black bears: Stand your ground, yell, and make yourself look large and determined and have your bear deterrent handy.

Grizzly: Don't get in their space. Back out if you can but if they charge you had better be ready to put a full stop on them. Spray and follow it up with 44 mag or 10mm rounds. 9mm and even a 40cal SW are useless unless you load them with Hard Case bullets.

Note: Bear spray is a single shot device. You had better have a backup.

Watch the movie "Backcountry". It will give you an idea of what a big black bear can do once they decide you are food. Don't let your kids watch it.

 

[Wrench]

I've been inside 10 feet once, kicked cubs off of myself once, killed one at 10 yards and done a fair bit of time around interior Alaska griz.

All but one of the above really didn't want to be close to me. The big boar I startled and he caught my 10mm in the face.

A sow got smoked because of the fact that I ended up between her and her cubs and that was the toughest one of all. I sometimes wish I could have let it play out to see if she was bluffing.....but I was running out of real estate quickly.

The 10 yard boar was one I watched from a mile away, moved in on and without I watched him slip over a hill on me, I said something to myself, he stood up and caught a 375h&h.

Every single bear that I did not startle left in a hurry once it knew that I was a human. Some were big bears too. I'm not afraid of bears, but I am afraid of getting between a sow and her cubs unknowingly. The speed they can move is somewhere just above what my brain can resolve.

FWIW, do everything in your power to not shoot a sow. If you ever have to kick cubs off of a bear you'll lose sleep over it. Thst was 20 years ago and I still wonder if it was the best choice.

 

[SBAHunts]

I've been inside 10 feet once, kicked cubs off of myself once, killed one at 10 yards and done a fair bit of time around interior Alaska griz.

All but one of the above really didn't want to be close to me. The big boar I startled and he caught my 10mm in the face.

A sow got smoked because of the fact that I ended up between her and her cubs and that was the toughest one of all. I sometimes wish I could have let it play out to see if she was bluffing.....but I was running out of real estate quickly.

The 10 yard boar was one I watched from a mile away, moved in on and without I watched him slip over a hill on me, I said something to myself, he stood up and caught a 375h&h.

Every single bear that I did not startle left in a hurry once it knew that I was a human. Some were big bears too. I'm not afraid of bears, but I am afraid of getting between a sow and her cubs unknowingly. The speed they can move is somewhere just above what my brain can resolve.

FWIW, do everything in your power to not shoot a sow. If you ever have to kick cubs off of a bear you'll lose sleep over it. Thst was 20 years ago and I still wonder if it was the best choice.

the fact you can share your story is proof you made the right choice

 

[Poser]

Every time I’ve bumped a black bear, they have set a land speed record trying to get away from me. Even the the townies who are preoccupied with turning my trash can upside down will Bolt If I yell out the window at them. They come back 60 seconds later and sometimes I have to go outside to scare them off for the night, but, my experience is that they are absolute chicken shits.

 

[widnert]

Run around in a circle waving your hands in the air in a panicky fashion.

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....while releasing all of your bowel and bladder contents. Then, fall down screaming and thrashing the air like a three year old throwing a temper tantrum. That should do it.

 

[Riplip]

I've been inside 10 feet once, kicked cubs off of myself once, killed one at 10 yards and done a fair bit of time around interior Alaska griz.

All but one of the above really didn't want to be close to me. The big boar I startled and he caught my 10mm in the face.

A sow got smoked because of the fact that I ended up between her and her cubs and that was the toughest one of all. I sometimes wish I could have let it play out to see if she was bluffing.....but I was running out of real estate quickly.

The 10 yard boar was one I watched from a mile away, moved in on and without I watched him slip over a hill on me, I said something to myself, he stood up and caught a 375h&h.

Every single bear that I did not startle left in a hurry once it knew that I was a human. Some were big bears too. I'm not afraid of bears, but I am afraid of getting between a sow and her cubs unknowingly. The speed they can move is somewhere just above what my brain can resolve.

FWIW, do everything in your power to not shoot a sow. If you ever have to kick cubs off of a bear you'll lose sleep over it. Thst was 20 years ago and I still wonder if it was the best choice.

Pretty amazing stories, and yes sad about the Sow, but sounds like you had very little choice. We were bluffed charged twice by a young but fairly large sow griz in Alaska when I was a teenager. My Dad and I were wade fishing with a guide and to his credit he placed himself between us and the bear and stood his ground. The pucker factor was serious. No pistol and before bear spray. I have read a lot of posts about spray vs. gun, and guys talking about what they would do and how. All I know is that until you have experienced it first hand there is absolutely no way to understand just how fast and powerful those animals can be. Without out a doubt the situation you described with a sow and cubs along with surprising a bear on a kill are serious situations.

 

[tntrker]

I've been inside 10 feet once, kicked cubs off of myself once, killed one at 10 yards and done a fair bit of time around interior Alaska griz.

All but one of the above really didn't want to be close to me. The big boar I startled and he caught my 10mm in the face.

A sow got smoked because of the fact that I ended up between her and her cubs and that was the toughest one of all. I sometimes wish I could have let it play out to see if she was bluffing.....but I was running out of real estate quickly.

The 10 yard boar was one I watched from a mile away, moved in on and without I watched him slip over a hill on me, I said something to myself, he stood up and caught a 375h&h.

Every single bear that I did not startle left in a hurry once it knew that I was a human. Some were big bears too. I'm not afraid of bears, but I am afraid of getting between a sow and her cubs unknowingly. The speed they can move is somewhere just above what my brain can resolve.

FWIW, do everything in your power to not shoot a sow. If you ever have to kick cubs off of a bear you'll lose sleep over it. Thst was 20 years ago and I still wonder if it was the best choice.

The fact that you said it was "20 yrs ago" should be reassuring enough. Proof you were here vs unknown or maybe I could have been here.... If you wouldn't trade all those memories from then to now to erase the cubs memory, it was a right call.....But I understand your thought.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’ve been involved in 3 DLP brown bear killings (2 of which happened the same night), and I have absolutely zero remorse for any of those bears. There have been a few other occasions that I’ve been at the ready to pull the trigger, like okay, one more step or, another 5 yards and you’re getting it, but everything worked out good. Dealing with all the paperwork and bs that comes with a DLP killing is almost enough to make a person just put their weapon down and take the mauling.


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[Jellymon]

Been around LOTS of black bears, they’re very thick here in Washington. Every one has ran or walked off after they knew I was there, even the sows with cubs. I still don’t let my guard down or underestimate them, I don’t want to make that mistake.

Last year elk hunting I was resting in a spot where I’ve seen many bulls and heard something walking through the ferns behind me. I got to my knees and saw a blacky about 40yds from me. I knocked an arrow and the ferns were above it’s back so I waited and didn’t draw cause I didn’t know how long it would be in the ferns. The bear turned, started walking towards me, and ended up at 15yds. At this point I’m wishing I had drawn much sooner. The Bear then stood up and looked at me and I thought I was busted, but no, it got down on all fours and curiously walked 5 yards closer and it’s now it 10 yards. I figured it’s all or nothing and drew as slowly as I possibly could and the bear stayed there! I took the shot where the throat meets the body and the bear ran about 20 yards and died, no death moan. My 430grain arrow with 125g slicktrick viper trick going 275fps penetrated from the chest and exited out the ham. I know, not the best shot angle, but it’s hard to argue the result. Not the biggest bear at 130ish lbs but an amazing experience!

 

[Fireman03]