Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How Cool Would You Be If A Bear Came This Close?

A few days ago I stepped out the door and heard a "huff" and maybe 10 yards into the woods was this gal. She eventually stepped away out onto the drive with a cub. She allowed time for me to get my iPhone in the cabin and return for this shot maybe 30 yards away. Moose are the ones we watch up here.

Cool.

I was charged by a black in WV running down the hill straight at me. It was crashing through the bush and I couldn't see it. My only weapon was a little blade and the nearest stick. I put a nearby small tree between me and it as I thought it would be nice to have a better weapon.
Fortunately, it came to a screetching halt.....paused, then took off in another direction.

If I were wearing bells, at least I might be identified by the bells in the scat.

You better be calm, and firing on all cylinders. Critters smell fear and panic. Time enough for the shakes afterward if you are so inclined.

Show a little aggression and they usually won't get that close. YOU want to be alpha! If the situation calls for it. Little girl squeals are not helpful. (Sows with cubs may be an exception, but that's protective mode on the mom's part - not this) This one is no where near serious, and a little dominant behavior on the people's part would back it right off. Most lilkely. Now, that's soon a dead bear. It is obviously already habituated to humans with food, with impunity. And hence more dangerous than a "wild" bear, respecting/fearing people.
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A bear biologist I know says that bears are perfectly safe as long as you keep them at least a quarter inch away from your skin

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I think that bear is smelling the drink in her hand. Strawberry shake?

That's not coolness... That's a seamless integration of scarred chitless and dumbfkedness.

I like the girl in the purple...

"If I can't see it, it can't see me"

LOL

No thanks. My closest encounter came one time when bowhunting elk. I was squatting under a tree doing my thing when a bear came by at about 30 yds. All I could do was look at my bow, well out of reach, and say 'well, this is interesting'. He didn't see me and didn't stop.

10 years ago doing baits at one had a 2 year old boar that was getting a little possessive of a bait....walking and huffing 100 yards in the wood then getting closer over the next 2 weeks a couple times making a bluff charge....banging on the bait barrel just encouraged him....finely he decided making a run at me at 6' I put one 230 gr 45 ACP slug in the top of his head and a second in the neck behind the head he stopped inches from my feet....
My ears were ringing from the shots and my cell phone started ringing it was my wife calling from the trail head asking "what the hells going on with you shooting"....usually I would carry a S&W 44 mag. that day we were late getting from town and just carried my Colt 70 series Commander....

Dem Hayward bears know who the closet Packer fans are, so you got a pass...

Just had one on our cabin steps this wknd. We weren’t there sister in law, both bil’s & 2 grandsons age 4 & 1


Lmao they had a .22 between them. And they were scared chitless. I know they’ve colored me a bit weird over the years for my propensity to have a suitable firearm handy


Why do so many folks wait until after they needed something to have something ?

Laughs on me tho I guess, probably the same bear that entered our screened in porch rather dramatically a few weeks ago.

It’s all good though my wife’s FBI (full blooded Indian ) uncle is on it. That old fella knows a thing or two about ridding the place of problem bears. Oh and he’s always armed appropriately. His fave these days is the AR platform in .308

Years ago my in laws were sitting in their trailer in the mountains one afternoon playing cards and it had the kitchen in the rear of the trailer with the table. My mother in law looks out the window and there was a bear on its hide legs watching them through the window. Stayed there about 10 mins watching them play cards then got down and wondered off.

A known offender. Did you see the tag in it's ear?

I’ve had many encounters in nearly 40 years in my bear camp. I carry the SW 44 mag as well in an Alaskan chestholster rig. I have used it three times on angry bears wounded or just nasty. It has never failed to do the job.
As to the OP, any bear coming that close to me or mine instantly earns a solid point no it’s ands or buts. I’ve seen more than enough of their habits and moods to know where that leads.

Osky

According to a renowned bear expert, that bear is just showing signs of affection, nada to worry about.

Thanks Tim Treadwell for your contribution to this thread & the ecosystem

IMO, they’re the weird ones only having a .22 where your cabin is!

Hope you’re well, pard

nope not cool, i have been close to bears by mistake walking in woods and those people are very foolish getting near a wild animal like that. i have to deal with black bears every year its a pain in the butt sometimes and even could be dangerous when bears come in my yard .

I once kicked a grizzly bear's ass with a can of Coor's Light.

Two witnesses.

It might have been habituated from the campgrounds a few miles away, but what I think is that it was either:
A. Running from someone and coincidentally made an inadvertent Bee line exactly to me.......not likely. OR
B. He thought I was game from the sound until he saw me. I didn't ask yogi, but guessing that he was surprised and a little disappointed .

I wouldn't be cool, but, the bear would be getting that way, it wouldn't have got near that close!

I was close enough to hear it breathing.....that’s pretty close. So close in fact, I couldn’t get a shot with my handgun! Got her a few minutes later , when she gave me the opportunity for a shot at around 30 to 35 yards! She was so close, I failed to look her over good, as I was fixated on he head! She was rubbed pretty badly, you might say... that I shot a naked blond, as she was a blond color phase! !

Though once I was closer.....much closer! On a dare, I wrestled an “advertised” 800 pounder at a county fair! It was anything but a “fair” fight! I couldn’t even move the big sob.....much less wrestle it! memtb

That was my thought as well. I'm a bit surprised the bear wasn't a bit more aggressive. Maybe he just wasn't hungry. Methinks that lady was mighty lucky.

I know of two instances where the outcome was not so nice. The two women survived but will have some serious scarring the rest of their lives. The bears? The died. One killed on the scene by another camper and the other by Game & Fish after being shot by the chaperone on a girl scout campout. Turns out both young ladies were at that time of the month.
Paul B.