bear encounter

[Gordon martiniuk]

Oh yea! Black Bears can be very unpredictable , last one I shot with a bow took a snuffer through the boiler room , climbed a tree decided he was pissed off climbed down went up my buddys tree and tryed to attack him lucky he had a rifle and shot him point blank in the face , I had another arrow on my string but had no shot as bear came back . very real // never take a Black Bear lightly if they are in a bad mood even small ones are dangerous!

[PAPA BEAR]

blackbears generally shy away from humans as they are not usually on the menu.most black bear attacks on humans is caused by one of four variables:
1-young inexperienced bear
2-old bear that is starving because it cannot catch its normal prey any longer.
3-sow with cubs
4-the human runs for it when confronted by a bear and triggers the kill instinct.

i know these things because i stayed at a holliday inn express last night.  :D    :D    

[PAPA BEAR]

s@w 500 = the bear shoulda ran.any bear gets rowdy on me its game on man.i was actually chased by a blackie when i was a kid,my brother and i had to walk a mile up hwy 101 on the oregon coast every day to feed calves for a farmer (first paying job ever) coming home one morning we surprised a bear eating blackberries on the other side of a barbed wire fence next to the road.the bear ran about 50 yds then turns and stands up popping its jaws.i told my brother not to move.i turn to start walking off and my brother was gone runnin like hell towards home which is about two hundred yds away.i looked towards the bear and he's running towards me,i passed my brother before we got home.his running triggered the kill instinct in the bear and i was the bait.quit the job the same day.scared the you know what outta me.

[Biggie Hoffman]

I dunno.....I think the statistics are splayed by the park bears or others who have been habituated to human activity.

What constitutes being "chased" by a bear? I've had a few charge me huffing and popping their teeth but they always pull up short. And I've had some follow me a ways but never get closer than 40 yards or so. Had a few climb the tree I was in but they were more curious than dangerous.

I'm not disputing anything any of you guys have said but we have a natural intimidation factor when it comes to bears and other things that go bump in the night. UNless you've jumped into a truck or killed the bear after he took a nip at you, how does a "bear chase" end? Cause if he wanted to get you, you ain't gonna outrun him.

[ishoot4thrills]

Well, I've never been threatened by a whitetail deer either, but that doesn't mean people haven't been attacked by them. I wouldn't say it's all just "hype". There are always exceptions to the rules. Yeah, 99 times out of a hundred the bear will flee from human scent.

[Wolfie2nd]

I'm oh so glad I haven't experienced any of that stuff. I would some day like to have an encounter with one when I'm ready with a camera while hiking and of course down wind.
To have one climb the tree I'm hunting outta bear season or not I think that the case woulda been. bear down bear down. That's a little much.

[Wolfie2nd]

The only reason I say while hiking is cause that's when I carry my good camera with the ridiculous zoom. I could almost use it as a spotting scope. The one I use for hunting is only good for close ups.

[just_a_hunter]

Originally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
I dunno.....I think the statistics are splayed by the park bears or others who have been habituated to human activity.

What constitutes being "chased" by a bear? I've had a few charge me huffing and popping their teeth but they always pull up short. And I've had some follow me a ways but never get closer than 40 yards or so. Had a few climb the tree I was in but they were more curious than dangerous.

I'm not disputing anything any of you guys have said but we have a natural intimidation factor when it comes to bears and other things that go bump in the night. UNless you've jumped into a truck or killed the bear after he took a nip at you, how does a "bear chase" end? Cause if he wanted to get you, you ain't gonna outrun him.

I didn't want to get into details about the one I killed in self defence on this website so I won't. What I did do was shoot a bear right in the tip of the nose at 4 yards with a .54 cal flintlock that was still aggressivly walking toward me. I guess you couldn't really call that a chase. It's documented with the Utah Division of Wildlife.

The bear that "mock" charged me and Ben Saye (ksbowman) this year started at 250 to 300 yards away and didn't stop until 30 to 40 yards, and I honestly believe with everything I have that the only reason that SOB stopped is because there were three of us and only one of him. There was evil in his eyes as he barreled down that hill. There were no cubs, His 'boys' were the size of grapfruits! We did not startle him. That sucker sat up on that knowl and watched us walk down that two track and when our backs where to him he came. Course you couldn't really call this a chase either I suppose...

I've been "chased" numerouse times by the concerned momma bear, including one that followed me out for two canyons. Course that wasn't a chase either... It took a pissed off dog and a few rocks thrown at her too before she left.

I've had them popping and snapping and flicking there tounge at me more times then I care to talk about.

A young bear this year "followed" me and my dog for a while before I pelted it in the ribs with a sizable rock at just a few yards. This wasn't a chase either I suppose..

98% of the bears I have seen have tuck tailed the other direction just as fast as they could..

I've never been nipped at and I'm gonna try my hardest to keep it that way.

I totally respect your view on them though. You only have your experiences to base your oppinion about them. Just like I only have mine.

I hate them, I hate them, I hate them...

Beautiful suckers for sure though... Can't wait till I draw my tag...

I still hate them,

Todd

[Kenneth]

Where I'm from in WV most of the bears fear humans and will turn tail and go the other way.  I've had a number of sows with cubs come by me while spring gobbler hunting and I usually just holler before they get too close and they head the other way.  I have seen a lot of dogs get torn up and killed while hunting them because they decided they didn't want to run any more and they weren't going up a tree.  I good friend of mine got mauled pretty bad a few years back because he jumped in to save his dog during the training season and didn't have a weapon.  I think most of the problem bears are in parks, camp grounds, and area's where they aren't hunted and have lost fear of humans and have actually learned that we are a source of food; whether it's our trash, food in our cooler, or us.  I think its best to be cautious around all bears, but be extremely cautious around the ones that don't associate humans with danger.

Ken

[Ray Hammond]

Guys who make those sorts of assumptions about wild animals usually end up in headlines somewhere

every one is unique and will react differently

if it's an old bear with worn down teeth looking for an easy meal you might come up on the short end of the stick and that's just ONE scenario

[Biggie Hoffman]

Originally posted by just_a_hunter:


I've never been nipped at and I'm gonna try my hardest to keep it that way.


Todd [/QB]

Now there's a good plan!

[jhg]

...There was evil in his eyes as he barreled down that hill. There were no cubs, His 'boys' were the size of grapfruits! We did not startle him. That sucker sat up on that knowl and watched us walk down that two track and when our backs where to him he came. ...

Todd [/QB]

Exactly. Some bears live in an area without much human activity, are dominate enough and big enough they won't/don't like intrusions and will attack you for that alone. I agree a lot of atttacks are by bears that are conditioned and/or by humans doing stupid things.
Its the bear like Todd encountered or described on the show I saw that I worry about. They do not give up easily. I don't go in fear, but with awareness.


Joshua

[jomama]

when i see one and he sees me he is gone like the wind.

[Wolfie2nd]

Right until they smell that slim jim or snickers ya got in your pack. Then its ball game

[Wolfie2nd]

Or should I have said game over

[PAPA BEAR]

the bear that was after us was coming fast and i wasnt sticking around to find out if it was a bluff or i looked like a lunchable.i was puttin my sneekers to good use and pronto i tell ya...i think what really saved my bacon was that six strand barbed wire fence,he most likely couldnt get through it to easily and gave up.

[PAPA BEAR]

the bears in the eagle caps have no fear of man.they rarely see people and just arent scared of you.we had a small chocolate phase walk right into camp in broad daylight with people sitting there talking.starts gettin all puffed up trying to scare us off so he could raid camp.couple of 45 slugs changed his mind.

[JimB]

From 1960 to 1980,black bears injured more than 500 people.Only 35 were serious injuries and there were 23 deaths.There are supposed to be 10 times more black bears than grizzlies.

Unlike grizzlies,90 % of the black bear caused deaths involved predation.That is why they tell you not to play dead.The bear isn't trying to stop a threat,it intends to eat.One of the deaths involved a mother and cubs.

Evidently most of the injuries caused by black bears in parks result in minor injuries,in contrast to grizzlies where 50% of their attacks result in serious injuries.

Of 20 black bear caused deaths that were studied,50% were under the age of 18.Half those were younger than 10.There were 9 adult males killed.

The large incident of black bear injuries has to do with a much greater amount of human/black encounters than with other bears.

Black bears are as individual in personality as humans.Some are afraid of there own shadows and some are just not nice and all have varying moods.I've heard enough stories to be convinced that there are a few areas where black bears tend to be more agressive.

I like black bears and find them fascinating.I don't ever expect to have a life threatening encounter but understand that they are capable and it does sometimes happen,so treat them with respect and try to always have a plan.

The only time I have ever had one come toward me was when I was in a treestand in Saskatchewan watching a 180 # boar work the bait.I got bored and was fidgeting in my pocket and when I looked up,he was riveted on me.

He marched straight over to the tree and started up the wooden ladder.The normal response is to stamp your feet on the platform but that didn't work.He came on up the ladder.I really didn't want to poke him with the recurve as one quick bite could have put that out of commission.

The only other thing I had was the hickory arrow in my hand and when he reached the platform,I smacked it across his snout.He just scrambled back down the ladder and resumed working the bait and was still there when it got dark and I climbed down and left.

I have no idea whether he was just curious or mildly touched in the head.They are all different.I really didn't want to punch my tag with that bear,so early in the hunt but if it had been in Montana I probably would have done things differently.

I expect that in most areas,the overwhelming number of encounters with black bears will end with the bear high-tailing it but that is no reason to be complacent.It pays to be aware of your surroundings and have a plan.

[NDTerminator]

Don't forget the fact that far more people get mauled/et by blacks than grizzlies & browns...

I've killed one big black boar, seen a few others up close, & don't trust them any more than I would a pit bull I encountered loose on the street.  For sure you'll never hear me refering to them as big babies...

On canoe trips to the BWCA and in Canada we run into them every year.  Only once did one come into camp and sniff the tent, someone left cherry rolaids in the tent pouch. The danger of black bear sows with cubs is overrated. I know of a researcher that handles cubs all the time with mama looking on and has never had one try to attack.  When you meet up with a black bear and it puts on his show of popping and snarling, it is just telling you it is scared and wants some space.  The rare bear that stalks like a cat is the one to watch for.  With the hundreds of thousands of bear human interaction in the boundary waters over the years there was only one time when a sick bear got overly aggressive with a father and son. One year when the blueberry crops failed, we had four bear incidences in one day. I cannot say that with any of them were we really in any danger, our food pack was in danger however, but we blocked them from getting to it.  One big old fat male let out a howl that made the canoe vibrate as we pulled up to a landing. The party behind did the fastest back up in a canoe that I have ever see. Even after we chased the bear away they refused to enter the narrows that led to the landing. Most people never see the bears that they walk past.  If you want to see bears on a canoe trip, you need to to keep your nose into the wind and move very slow and quiet just to get a glimpse of them leaving most of the time.  There are problem bears that learn how to raid campsites, that is what the fall bow season is for, if they survive until the bow season.