Surprising Bear Encounter
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Darrell
14-Sep-21
Darrell's Link
I'll try to put more up about my elk hunt later, but this encounter was definitely not what I anticipated. Wait for it and then when you think its over, keep watching a few seconds longer. :)
FYI I am sitting in very tall grass with a clump of oak brush behind me. The "woof" you hear is me trying to make sure he doesn't run me over.
From: smarba
14-Sep-21
There's a way to avoid this Darrell...buy a bear tag LOL. Glad you are OK and it was a memorable experience. Can't wait to hear about your elk hunt.
From: Darrell
14-Sep-21
Showed video to game warden and he said I would have been justified to shoot without a tag. :) Of course phone filming in one hand and firing an accurate shot with a pistol in the other would have been quite an accomplishment. Still baffles me why he came out of the pond that way. I fully expected him to come out, shake like a dog and meander on his way. Maybe he was hungry and I was in front of his favorite acorns. I know he had no idea I was there.
From: JohnMC
14-Sep-21
That would have been cool to see!
From: deerhunter72
14-Sep-21
Whoa! That's a little too close for comfort!
From: Treeline
14-Sep-21
What a neat experience! Cute little guy! Cool video!!!
He probably thought you were another bear woofing at him.
From: Aspen Ghost
14-Sep-21
Cool footage. I'm a little confused why you woofed at a bear but I know very little about bears. I would have thought a human sound would have been more likely to to trigger the bear to flee and the woofing could have triggered an aggressive encounter. But, again, I'm no bear expert.
From: Darrell
14-Sep-21
Aspen, Honestly, I have no idea why I woofed either. It just came out. :)
From: wvfarrier
14-Sep-21
Proof not all successful hunts end in a dead critter :-)
From: TGbow
14-Sep-21
Dang..they can move quick when they want to cant they...think I would have crapped on myself..lol
From: smarba
14-Sep-21
TG, I suspect the "woof" wasn't coming from Darrell's mouth LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I concur that sound could have led to a more aggressive reaction, although that bear appeared pretty small and likely to be more of the "flight" vs. "fight" variety.
From: Darrell
14-Sep-21
Darrell's Link
Carl, Now your getting personal. It absolutely did come from my mouth. :). Whole thing happened so quickly and I'm beyond stupid when it comes to how little fear I have of black bears, combined with the fact he wasn't a big bear, I wasn't really scared and was actually surprised when I looked at the video of just how close it all happened. He was at 10' when I woofed and came within 4' of my feet as he turned. I was much more afraid last year with my moose encounter. If you haven't heard that one, the bowsite write up and the video is in my attached link.
From: Treeline
14-Sep-21
Definitely would have been a lot more puckered by the moose!!!!
From: sitO
14-Sep-21
Isn't it cool the stuff we get to see compared to those dip$hits livin in the "big city"
From: smarba
14-Sep-21
HAAA!!! Yeah, moose are nothing to mess with! Good stuff.
From: Darrell
14-Sep-21
sitO, Exactly, I haven't killed an elk in three years now but I've had a whale of a time with back to back years of bizarre but incredibly cool encounters. Good news is I may be able to sneak back for two more days at the end of the month so there's still a chance!
From: TGbow
14-Sep-21
I know my adrenaline would have been thru the roof..lol
From: butcherboy
14-Sep-21
That’s was pretty cool I think. To me, it didn’t look like any kind of aggression at all. Bear just started running and had no idea anyone was there.
From: Supernaut
15-Sep-21
Wow, great video and an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing it.
This PA boy would've definitely needed to change his drawers if he were in your boots!
From: Ken Taylor
15-Sep-21
From: NM_alazan
15-Sep-21
Definitely not an aggressive maneuver as mentioned, but at that speed and distance you would never have time to react if that bear did turn aggressive which is why it would be justified to shoot. Your life is worth way more than that furball's. Have had two similar instances of that happening to me as well. Had another encounter with an aggressive mother with cubs that almost really turned bad. Lot's of folks think black bears are not a concern. My experiences and the national stats say otherwise. The good thing is that a solid hit with just about any handgun will send even an aggressive black bear packing in a hurry. Not so much with grizzlies, but luckily don't have to worry about that here. Yet.....
From: Slate
15-Sep-21
Pretty cool
