Do you look behind you in the bear woods?

[Gib]

Yep,gives me the he be jee bees, but last year when I hunted in Montana for elk in grizz country,Well let's just say I know how the rabbit feels...Gib

[Wary Buck]

Quite frankly, getting mauled by a bear sounds preferable compared to my workplace lately.

However, I do recall walking out of the deer woods once in the evening and hearing something following me.  This is a property where the landowner swears she's seen mountain lions.  So I keep stopping and checking my backtrail in the dark but seeing nothing.  But every time I start up again I hear.  Finally I quick turn around and the glare of my mini-mag catches the reflection of two bright eyes right behind me!  Make that, Bright Eyes, the reflective tacks I used to mark the entrance to the trail, placed about knee high.  For about 1.2 seconds I thought I had a mountain lion ready to pounce.

The noise?  My safety belt had partially come out of my back pocket and was dragging in the leaves...

[Mark Baker]

Well, I have'nt had the chance to  hunt over bait for bears, but I do get out after bears once in a while here....I have to watch my backtrail every time I leave the house to make sure the wife ain't throwing stuff at me for going hunting again!   Scary stuff!

One of my favorite reads is Saxton Pope's "Hunting with the Bow and Arrow", and I love the account of him  and Art going after their first grizzlies in Yellowstone.  The exact quote escapes me now, but Pope goes on about his fears and apprehensions, like we  all have  as well, and then adds something to the effect that Art was so La-de-dah about it, he was probably just thinking about flapjacks back at camp.    

Biggie probably could relate somehow...

[Traditional-Archer]

Never hunted over bait Biggie,although hunted near bait growing up in Michigan.

My first bear experiance in the wild was when I was seven years youg, my brother was eleven and he wanted to make smoke. knowing mom and dad would make a bear sound inviting if they found out. He asked me to take a walk with him. We climbed this trail for 10 minits or so climbing over big blowdowns going up. We got to a bench and I looked up to see my brother frozen like a statue. Past him was I believe a big brown standing on hind legs looking down at us. Ron turned to me and yelled rrrrun he didn't have to tell me because my shoes made more smoke than he could ever make with that cigaret. We got to the bottom of the trail and there happened to be a park ranger laughing his guts out. This bear was in trouble yellow stone was on a mission to ship all trouble bears back into big country if the visitors kept feeding then. I never understood that one. This was not his first affence But to answer your question did I look back its "no". At seven I could still out run big bro and if the bear got him I figured he would have deserved it.Bear encounter #1 Got some more maybe I will get a chance to share soon.

[Jeff Roberts]

Never hunted over bait but come to think of it I spend alot of time down here in these Ga swamps and rumor has it that there is a creature of legend called the swamp thang that has reportedly been seen. The last reported sighting was of an big albino one that will slip up behind you and GRAB YOU if you are toting Krispey Kremes.

[jacobsladder]

ask Leroy (goldenhawk) his bear story..... hes got a doozy....hes lucky to still be making strings!

[nutmeg]

Biggie, say what you will but, I always watch my backtrail even when bobcats and coyotes are on the prowl. Walking out after sitting on a bear bait is as the teenagers say,  sketchy(nut)      :D    :D    

[Chad Lewis]

No, I figure when I get down, they're gone anyways. When I go to a bait I do stalk it however because you never know.

It is far, and I mean far more interesting coming out alone in the dark say, 1 mile or more down a salmon stream loaded with bears in Alaska than any bait could possibly be.

[Ray Hammond]

yes.

Much scarier moment, though, was when I was walking through Fort Stewart GA and while in full stride motoring to a spot where I could shoot a pig I stepped off into a little cave, got swallowed up about 10 feet below ground, and a thousand bats flew out past me!!

Had to change the shorts on that one.

[Brian Krebs]

Ray - I was riding a mule in the daylight; and the earth gave way; and we BOTH went down out of sight! He jumped out; and then I just hung on to the saddle for a while as he ran and thought about it... LOL  

[Don Thomas]

Too many folks worrying too much about the wrong things. After hundreds and hundreds of encounters with both black and grizzly bears, I treat them with respect, but not undue concern. The cars on the road -- and the people driving them -- are a lot more dangerous than the bears. Don

[bbassi]

Originally posted by Brian Krebs:

 I was once knocked down by a bear while walking out in the dark; but it was not really an attack; he thought I was a sow.
 I actually would have preferred him biting me.

Hey Brian, did he at least send you flowers?    

[SteveMcD]

Thank you, Mr. Thomas. That was my point exactly.

[Jack Shanks]

I was elk hunting with some friends in Montana's Gallatin Mountains just outside of Yellowstone Park many years ago. I found a spot in the timber not far from where we were camped where there were several elk trails leading to a large nearby park. I built a little ground blind among the trails hoping I could ambush an elk when they came down to feed in the park one evening. The thermals were carrying my scent down the mountain in the opposite direction I expected the elk to come from. It was almost dark and time to start thinking about heading back to camp when I heard a loud "WOOF" come from a hundred yards or so downwind of my position. I pretty much took that as my clue it was time to go. I drew my handgun from my holster and casually hotfooted it towards camp which was a half a mile or so away. I think the bear wanted to make sure I made it back to camp because he followed me all the way woofing his displeasure of sharing his hunting grounds with another predator. To answer Biggie's question, I distinctly remember looking over my shoulder a couple of times on my flight back to camp to see if the bear was gaining any ground on me. The light was fading fast when I reached the tents. The other fellows were sitting around the campfire and I yelled out to them as I ran by to skin that one and I'll be back with another.

 The bear must of decided he had had enough fun because he gave up the chase and we could hear  his woofs fade away into the darkness. I never did get to see if my friends knew how to skin griz.

[Biggie Hoffman]

I look for cars at intersections too but must admit to checking my backtrail on more than one occasion. It's silly I know but when you get that creepy back-of-the-neck feeling, you just gotta check :-)

We hunted Maine a few years abck with a young fella. His strides going into the stand were regular and short but his strides coming out were looooooong!

[vermonster13]

No baiting here so no concerns there. Bears are hunted here and they know it. If they get a whiff of you they head over the mountain. Watched a woman chase a 350# one from her birdfeeders last year banging a couple of pans together. Now in NJ where they aren't hunted I may be more concerned.

[Jon Stewart]

Two years ago there was a bear walking along the highway, next to the fense and behind  Menards (contruction box store).  This was in the middle of the day.  What a mess that guy caused on the highway.  People stopped all over the place.

[ChuckC]

Don,  I believe you...  but you are the one with all that experience, not me.  I'm still a sissy...    
ChuckC

[ishiwannabe]

I dont care who ya are...hundreds of pounds worth of any predator is cause for concern and respect...especially when they dont show fear. Better to be safe than sorry.
I agree other people and cars are dangerous also...thats why there are things called seat belts...air bags, etc. Nothing wrong with being "safe" in either situation.

[Mike Gerardi]

Sometimes the shadow people follow me out of the woods!!!!