Black bear bluff charge

[FoCoBlackWidow]

This weekend was my first time out elk scouting for 2016. A friend and I hiked into a promising area at around 9,000' and while inspecting a soggy bench with a wallow, a large black bear charged down the hill and stopped 50 yards away. We assumed he(?) was just curious so we stood our ground and waited for him to wander off. We had been talking and generally making noise so I'm convinced he knew we were coming and wasn't completely surprised or caught off guard.

He proceeded to pop his teeth, huff, growl, woof - you name it - for a couple of minutes. We put our packs over our heads, yelled and generally tried to act big, but the bear wouldn't retreat. It eventually bluff charged to within around 30 yards before we slowly backed off. He followed for maybe another 20-30 yards before stopping and I assume just watching us slip away.

Question for those with lots of bear experience: was this likely just due to the bear rut and them being generally more wound up and ornery? Could it have been that he had a sow up the hill that he wanted to keep us away from? I assume a sow with cubs would have just rounded up the kids and taken them away from danger. How do you assess their vocalizations/body language and know when they're truly angry versus just uncomfortable? I believe we did the right thing by standing our ground until he bluff charged, but this is my first bear standoff and I'd like to learn from it.

[eidsvolling]

In no particular order:

1. Dead carcass somewhere nearby. You're not invited to share in the spoils.

2. Boar not interested in having you interrupt his amorous encounter.

3. No. 2, plus another boar already has him pissed off.

[Mike Faith]

everything both of you listed above, plus of all the wild critters I have the opportunity to observe, male black bears have the widest range of personality!

[Pete McMiller]

Sounds to me like a sow with cubs nearby.  She likely put them up a tree when she heard you coming.  Not much raises the hair on my neck but sows with cubs definitely do.

[Orion]

I lean more toward the sow with cubs scenario as well.  

You might have considered backing off after the first bluff charge.  This isn't a case of who's right, but who's left.

Don't hunt Colorado much anymore, but ran into a good number of bears when I did.  The blacks seemed more aggressive there than anywhere else I've encountered them.  They don't back off easily. Don't show much fear of man.  Don't know why.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Orion, I love the "who's right, but who's left" saying. I may steal it.

We did back off after the first/only bluff charge. Until that point we just assumed he/she would wander back up the hill. At one point the bear did retreat about ten yards but came back to its original stopping point. We just figured we were better off letting it make all of the moves and not getting it anymore excited than it already was. I observed plenty of bears from a tree in Wisconsin growing up, but nothing ever like this.

[FlintNSteel]

Not much raises the hair on my neck but sows with cubs definitely do.

Dr Lynn Rogers, one of the most prominent black bear researchers in the world (and now, unfortunately, more of an anti-hunter...bears are my friend guy) said that the way they used to get cubs to tag for research was to drive back roads until they saw a sow and cubs.  They would get out and charge the group and of course the cubs went up a tree.  One of them would climb the tree and drag the bawling cubs down for processing.  Dr. Rogers said that in decades of doing this, not one sow ever followed through on a complete charge.  He said they would bluff charge...sometimes to within a distance better measured in feet vs yards...but they never full-out attacked.

Some luck?  Absolutely!  Obviously they didn't run into the wrong sow in all those years.  But, it still shows the tolerance most sow Black Bear can have even when it means an attack in defense of her cubs.  The fact there were several humans there vs only one or two probably acted as somewhat of a deterrent as well.

[Warden609]

I have worked a couple of attacks with black bears. Who knows what triggered the behavior, but you did the right thing standing your ground. Running away could have triggered an undesirable response from the bear. Hopefully you are carrying readily accessible bear spray and if legal in your state maybe a firearm for protection. I'm sure you will get a ton of information here. Stay safe and have fun out there!!

[Warden609]

Here is one that just happened. Doesn't appear to be a predatory attack, but the marathon runner got mauled.

 http://m.aol.com/article/2016/06/20/mother-bear-killed-after-attacking-marathon-runner-in-new-mexico/21398966/

[FoCoBlackWidow]

No bear spray or pistol on hand, but you can bet my hunting knife stayed on my belt the rest of the day. I'm more likely to carry when I'm solo than I am with another person along. My mother wants me to re-think that...

[knobby]

Or you can just hunt with your slow-footed Dad. You're younger, live at that altitude and are in much better shape. Sounds favorable for you if it comes down to a footrace.
Now,that's what I call "taking one for the team".
Stay safe, Bud!

[ksbowman]

FoCo, A friend of mine (Justahunter) had a similar charge a few years ago elk hunting. He acted the same , came running down hill from a long distance and charged to about 20-30 yards before stopping. We both yelled at him and I held my bow up and waved my arms to try and seem bigger, moving toward him. I'm guessing a 250# boar. He was foul. made you hate to turn your back. Todd hunted with me and his best friend Gauge and chocolate lab that worked on hand signals. Gauge jumped out between me and the bear to protect me. Never seen a dog so quiet and well mannered or ever thought you could elk hunt with a dog as a hunting companion, but I'd take him as a buddy anytime!

[oldrubline]

I worked with bears in the 90's while in college in the Upper Peninsula.  I was hired by one of the researchers who had been trained in MN by Lynn Rogers. I grew up trapping and knew the woods real well, so my job was to trap bears and then the team would radio collar them.  I then had the job of following bears by radio signal and documenting what they ate, etc.  Have a great appreciation for the variation in personality of the different bears and it ranged from anxious to irritable 'gonna kick your butt' demeanors!  I had been in on some of those 'chase the cubs up a tree' events too.  It was a little much for me...the moms would run around and put on a real show.  My boss would tell me 'don't worry, only about 1% will be a real charge'.  What!?  Have we done 99 of these yet?!!  
During the rut they were the most unpredictable. I had gone in on a female's radio signal to check on her one day and was confronted by a boar. He walked to within 10 paces and basically told me to 'take a hike'.  We had a bit of a talk and I told him to 'have a nice day' and I'd go do some work elsewhere. LOL!!  I'd say you guys did a good job of how you reacted.  I hope to be out in Colorado this fall and probably will get a bear tag along with my elk.

Dan

[mangonboat]

This time of year offers "all of the above". They are especially hungry until the berries come in and that makes them territorial if they have found a food source, especially a carcass. I've had a couple run ins in the past 2 weeks with males who weren't agitated..they simply did not want to change their plans.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Some good experiences here. I can't imagine being told "we have to go chase these cubs up a tree now." Sounds like a pretty hair-raising experience.

[schlaggerman]

Well...it was probably time to change your shorts anyway:)    Your dad and I have experienced the same thing with western black bears in Utah, they seem more aggressive and belligerent than eastern bears. I would guess one of two scenarios, sow with cubs in the area(even though you might not have seen them) or a boar protecting a food source.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Hey Dale,

We most certainly did. The only other bear I've seen in almost seven years in Colorado was a lone cub on a golf course. Not exactly intimidating.

[schlaggerman]

Here's my opinion on western black bear belligerence. I think living in the mountain west is just plain tougher for a black bear, not as many food sources as the plush green eastern half of the US. Less food equals more competition and as we know the strong survive. Through the centuries the more aggressive bears have survived in the mountain environment over the meeker or more timid of the species, and those genes and behavioral traits have been passed down through the generations. Natural selection at work here.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

I'm very curious to know what the actual cause of this bear's aggression was. Obviously I'll never find that out, but I also wish I had a better camera and the chance to document the body language, etc. for further study. Your point about survival of the fittest would certainly make sense. Regardless of the bluff, this one wasn't as spooky as the cat in the dark a couple of years ago.

[Ulysseys]

I unknowingly stepped between a sow and cubs while bear hunting solo in montana this spring....I couldn't locate the mom but had the cubs right in front of me....she let me know where she was by woofing from 20 yds to my right I can't believe I didn't see her at first.  She then proceeded across my path as I backed away while talking to her, one she got to her cubs she scooted them up a tree and bluff charged twice.  Could've been a sow you saw but who knows....gotta love the belligerence of bears.