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Posted: 6/29/2003 2:40:31 PM EDT
[#1]
That happened to me once when I was a kid. I grew up in northern Ontario and was in the woods only a couple hundred yards from my house.
I was more like 20 feet from the sucker. Funny, I backed up just like you did. Bear wasnt too interested in me tho. Glad it wasnt a brown bear. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 2:47:18 PM EDT
[#2]
Similar story 2 years ago but bear was bigger that time. 10 feet from a wolf the year before that. Bobcat 15 years ago. I love the forest.
Wolf was the scariest, BTW. It had no intention of moving on. Just stood there and stared me down. Wolf won. Didn't have a gun that day. Always carry one now. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 2:54:47 PM EDT
[#3]
Growing up in Maine, one gets used to Black bears. Here in VA, they have squirrls...in Maine they have bears. Just holler real loud and they take off running. They are more scared of you than you are of them.
OTOH, if you see a Moose and try that...well, lets just say you better be wearing your running shoes. A pissed off bull moose can cover some distance in a hurry, a 44 MAG w/300gr cast SWC might slow it down, but I'd climb a tree before I took the shot. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:01:51 PM EDT
[#4]
Yeah, this is the 4th bear I've seen this year. There are no climbing trees though! Forest is almost all poplar, pine and soft maple. Believe me when I say that it is very rare to see a tree around here that you could climb.
No moose around here. At least not more than a very rare stray. I know well enough to stay away! We do have mountain lions but they are rarely seen and it's the only thing that lives around here that I haven't actually seen. Few tracks is all. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:15:17 PM EDT
[#5]
Seen and encountered most wildlife hiking in the woods when I was young. Was never armed.
The scariest was hearing a lynx scream closeby. Didnt see it but I ran like f**k! Had bear on my front lawn one summer. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:31:11 PM EDT
[#6]
Uh guys smaller bears like you are talking about can and often do scurry up trees!
But usually only if you pissed them off,the back away slowly(if you can) is probably the best! With the really big bears,a whole new set of rules applies! Bob [:D] |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:36:47 PM EDT
[#7]
Two weeks ago I was hiking in Canada with my family when a grizzly and her 2 cubs decided to use the same trail we were on. Since the trail was curved, she approached within 100 feet before we knew she was there. To my amazement, we all stayed calm and promptly left the area. The bear seemed completely disinterested in us, demonstrated no aggressive behavior, but clearly saw us.
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:36:54 PM EDT
[#8]
Earlier this month I was camping in Sequoia National Park and a bear came close enough to touch! Or so I'm told. I was snoring like a chainsaw in my tent. When I got up, some guy who was sleeping in his car about 20 yds from my campsite said a bear came right up to my site and scratched around the campfire and bear proof food box. I never saw/heard/felt/smelled it, but it was there a few feet from my head.
edited for clarity |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:39:39 PM EDT
[#9]
Black bears arent really predators. They eat mostly berries etc and some meat but mostly fish. They arent real agressive if you dont end up between a sow and her young or back one into a corner.
They will get agressive around your campsite if you have food nearby. They do kill people.[url]http://www.algonquin-eco-watch.com/blackbear.htm[/url] Brown bears/grizzlies on the other hand are a species better avoided than encountered. White bears see you as dinner. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:41:50 PM EDT
[#10]
they sure do climb trees. Even the bigger ones up here are capable of climbing trees if the stories I hear from others are true.
Guy I know was going into the woods opening day of deer hunting a few years back. A deer came running at him in the dawn light and suddenly veered off. There was a bear in full pursuit behind and it decided he looked like easier prey. He got off one shot with his 30.06. Fortunately that was all it took. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:47:58 PM EDT
[#11]
I have walked up on bull moose before. The closest I probably ever got was about 15 yards. I have also come pretty close to a cow and her calves(2). luckily I was not between them and I had an escape.
Good luck stopping a full grown moose or bear with anything less than a .44 mag. Good luck even if you happen to have a handgun of that size. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 3:52:47 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted: Similar story 2 years ago but bear was bigger that time. 10 feet from a wolf the year before that. Bobcat 15 years ago. I love the forest. Wolf was the scariest, BTW. It had no intention of moving on. Just stood there and stared me down. Wolf won. Didn't have a gun that day. Always carry one now. Oh, you have nothing to fear. As the credits to the movie said, there is no documentned case of a wolf ever killing a human in North America. The fact that wolves tend to devour what they kill, and that if a wolves DID kill a human, not that they would, they would be waaaaaaaaaay out away from roads & civilization has absolutely nothing to do with it. Also, another myth is that wolves kill livestock. It just ain't true. The cattle have framed the poor canine by engaging in a fratricidal conspiracy. And we thought cattle were herbivores!! [rolleyes] |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 5:57:49 PM EDT
[#13]
Quoted: I have walked up on bull moose before. The closest I probably ever got was about 15 yards. I have also come pretty close to a cow and her calves(2). luckily I was not between them and I had an escape. Good luck stopping a full grown moose or bear with anything less than a .44 mag. Good luck even if you happen to have a handgun of that size. .44 is not a bad cal if it is preceeded by .444 Marlin or such! Exspecially if used apon a Moose ,Elk,or large bear! Still might be a little underpowered if penetration is needed on a Big Brown or White Bear! As the lever action on a Marlin (as opposed to the bolt gun or rotory mag of say a savage)would require a flat nosed bullet! Bob [:D] |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 6:31:01 PM EDT
[#14]
Getting in between a black bear and her cub was my 2nd most terrifying experience in the wild.
Being stalked by a mountain lion wearing elk scent was my first. None of them came to anything but I was shaking afterwards both times. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 6:45:43 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted: Quoted: Similar story 2 years ago but bear was bigger that time. 10 feet from a wolf the year before that. Bobcat 15 years ago. I love the forest. Wolf was the scariest, BTW. It had no intention of moving on. Just stood there and stared me down. Wolf won. Didn't have a gun that day. Always carry one now. Oh, you have nothing to fear. As the credits to the movie said, there is no documentned case of a wolf ever killing a human in North America. The fact that wolves tend to devour what they kill, and that if a wolves DID kill a human, not that they would, they would be waaaaaaaaaay out away from roads & civilization has absolutely nothing to do with it. Also, another myth is that wolves kill livestock. It just ain't true. The cattle have framed the poor canine by engaging in a fratricidal conspiracy. And we thought cattle were herbivores!! [rolleyes] Yeah, the critters that killed a foal during birth near my house, dragged it into the woods and tore it to pieces were almost certainly a much dreaded pack of french poodles. We all know how nasty the french can be! The bear leave us alone more so because they are hunted. They fear us and that is healthy for both species. The wolves do not seem to have a reasonable degree of fear. At least not the ones around here. A few hunting tags would be an excellent learning experience for them. |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 7:08:22 PM EDT
[#16]
Quoted: Getting in between a black bear and her cub was my 2nd most terrifying experience in the wild. Being stalked by a mountain lion wearing elk scent was my first. None of them came to anything but I was shaking afterwards both times. tell me the mountain lion story... |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 9:36:23 PM EDT
[#17]
So, black bears aren't predators, and wolves don't kill livestock.
Here are some numbers from the Dept. of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.). These figures are on cattle and calf losses due to predators in 2000. The numbers for sheep and goats are considerably higher. Coyotes---95,000 head---Value $31.8 million Dogs---26,000 head ---- Value $9.5 million Mountain lions and bobcats--11,000 --value $4.3 million Bears ---2,800 head--- value $1.8 million Wolves---1,600 head---$1 million other predators---10,600 head--$3.2 million You can go to their site and get these numbers yourself. If you don't believe a bear is a predator, and wolves don't eat livestock I won't to see how convinced you are on your facts. Its real easy to do. Here's how you do it. Go into bear or wolfe country, get yourself a call that sounds like a distressed calf, blindfold yourself, blow on the call like you lost your mama. If you don't get eaten, your right, and if you do get eaten your wrong. Do you want to bet your life on it. Thanks Byron |
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Posted: 6/29/2003 9:58:04 PM EDT
[#18]
Guys -- "Rolleyes" smiley >>>> SARCASM
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Posted: 6/29/2003 10:02:27 PM EDT
[#19]
All fun and games until you walk up on Momma bear and her cubs. That when I get REAL nervous!
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Posted: 6/29/2003 11:04:34 PM EDT
[#20]
when you see a bear, be sure to grab its tail, they REALLY like that [:D]
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Posted: 6/30/2003 5:19:40 AM EDT
[#21]
Cttc1 I said they eat some meat. They are more scroungers than predators.
Go re-read my post and the link to bear killings in Algonquin park. Sheesh. The bigger they get the more meat they eat. Its the large males that do most of the killing. |
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Posted: 6/30/2003 5:39:10 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted: [red]Black bears arent really predators.[/red] They eat mostly berries etc and some meat but mostly fish. They arent real agressive if you dont end up between a sow and her young or back one into a corner. They will get agressive around your campsite if you have food nearby. They do kill people. I got to call you on the not really predators statement. Black bears are most definitely predators. When it comes to bears you have to have enough knowledge about each situation in which you encounter them to correctly understand what their mode is. If they see you as a meal, falling on the ground, & rolling into a ball just makes you a easy meal. If you surprise them , or get between a sow & cub then it's a defense issue, etc,etc. Just because they are not known to be extremely aggressive as a preditor does not mean that they never are. |
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Posted: 6/30/2003 6:04:34 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted: I start backing up immediately and my handgun is out. What kind of handgun was this? Would it have been enough gun to stop a 200# bear? |
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Posted: 6/30/2003 5:06:05 PM EDT
[#24]
it probably just wanted your picnic-basket
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Posted: 6/30/2003 5:35:38 PM EDT
[#25]
Searcher, you are taking that statement out of the context of my post. I included a link that shows that black bears are MOST DEFINITELY killers.
What I meant when I said "not really" was that while they ARE predators that is not their major source of food. I grew up in northern Canada and have some experience. Most of the time black bears are not agressive to people because they really would rather eat your garbage than you. They prefer an easy meal to hunting. The years of little rainfall drive them into the cities because there is less forage food. |
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