Bear Encounters

[Trophyhill]

Most places we hunt elk bears live there too. So if you suddenly happen upon a bear, how should you or will you react?

[Texasdan]

Get back to me October 20th .

[Navesgane]

I'd say it all depends on the situation. I live in the mountains of co and hike,bike camp or something in the woods every weekend. Only once have I seen a bear in the wild while not driving and it saw me first and was running away. If I were to see one while hunting I would probably sit still and wait for it to leave.

[wawhitey]

if its bear season, shoot it. do the elk calves a favor

[husky390]

Just buy a bear tag and you'll have nothing to worry about since you'll never see one.

[Swede]

I have never had any encounter with a grizzly. I have seen a lot of Black bears. There has never been a problem. I was startled one early morning when walking through the forest before daylight. I believe the bear was asleep at the base of a big Pine tree. As I was walking along, it caught scent of me and jumped up and ran off. The incident was over before I knew what had just happened. Black bears have come into the water hole, near my stand 10+ times over the years. They arrive in the late evening just before I have to get out of the stand. I never relish the thought of coming down, thinking about running into a bear in the dark, but there has never been a hint of a problem.

[WapitiTalk1]

Been treed by an Alaskan Brown with a cub and several blackie sows with cubs. Also been in stare downs with popping teeth and front legs jumping up and down, false charges trying to get me to unglue. Best thing to do in most situations is get tall, wave your bow in the air and make sure they know "what" you are and yell "hey, hey" very loudly. They "normally" will move off into the brush. Normally

[under H2O hunter]

In all my years in the woods I had never seen a bear during elk season till last season, I seen three. So I put in for a rifle bear tag and drew it this year. So if I see one I plan on shooting it with my bow. In case I wound it I can finish it off with my pistol as quick as possible. Then get back to elk hunting as quickly as possible after capping it out whole. I would love a bear skin rug someday.

[Glacier Country]

A bear attacked a woman about 16 miles from here just on the outskirts of Columbia Falls MT last week. She tried to play dead. She was bitten on her hip torso and head. MT FWP could not determine if it was a Grizzly or a Black bear.

[wawhitey]

A bear attacked a woman about 16 miles from here just on the outskirts of Columbia Falls MT last week. She tried to play dead. She was bitten on her hip torso and head. MT FWP could not determine if it was a Grizzly or a Black bear.

playing dead with black bear is not the way to go. a lot of black bear attacks are predatory in nature, so playing dead just makes you an easy meal

[twinkieman]

Been treed by an Alaskan Brown with a cub and several blackie sows with cubs. Also been in stare downs with popping teeth and front legs jumping up and down, false charges trying to get me to unglue. Best thing to do in most situations is get tall, wave your bow in the air and make sure they know "what" you are and yell "hey, hey" very loudly. They "normally" will move off into the brush. Normally

X2
While I have never had contact with a grizzly, unfortunately I am a black bear magnet. I have had multiple encounters, bear spray works great. At all costs, stay away from situations involving cubs. Mama WILL protect them, if you encounter cubs, move away quickly without making any kind of aggressive move. In some of the super heavy bear concentration areas in northern Calif., I carry a.357, one round in the air has always done the trick.

While hunting elk in Id., I have only had a couple of encounters, the population in the areas I hunt is very small for bears, compared to here.

[a3dhunter]

My responses have varied from a very calm backing away to a very hurried packing of gear to move out.

There was one time I just needed to get in front of my hunting partner, didn't let him know there was a momma bear with two cubs behind me until I had a pretty good head start.

Hunting southern Colorado around Trinidad I carry a side arm, but not in most other places. Usually standing tall and breaking some branches get their attention and they scoot the other way. Had something like 26 bear encounters in one archery season a few years ago, I contributed that to where I was hunting.

(note: all bear encounters were black bears, not grizzly)

[Trophyhill]

I had 2 close encounters in the Gila a couple years ago on consecutive days in the same area. The first one I was sitting water mid day with my back to a shale Rokslide figuring I'd hear any elk moving in from that direction and had full view in front and to the sides. After a couple hours I heard the rocks tumbling down behind me. I stood up with an arrow nocked peaking over the giant pine root ball that concealed me. It was a bear sidehilling at 20 yards when he suddenly disappeared on the other side of the tree. I laid my bow down and pulled the Taurus and immediately went around the tree and up a few yards. We were going to meet and see what happens next because I didn't want to hike out not knowing where that bear was. I got around that tree in time to see his tail end running up the mountain. Cool encounter that got my adrenaline pumping.

The next day I hiked back to the same area because I'd seen fresh elk sign the day before. This time when I was about 500 yards from the tank, sidehilling on a game trail, I came face to face with a big cinnamon colored boar at about 25 yards. This bear was not backing down and stood his ground and started chomping/clicking his teeth. Again I lowered my bow very slowly with 1 hand as I drew my piece with the other. I was very nervous at this point and didn't want to have to shoot this bear. After a brief standoff I guess the big bore did not like staring down the barrel of that .44 mag with 240 grain magnum loads and turned and sprinted up and over the mountain. I did not stick around either and never went back to that area. Nothing like a good bear encounter to make you feel very much alive lol. If I hadn't been packing I'm not sure how I would have reacted.

[a3dhunter]

The next day I hiked back to the same area because I'd seen fresh elk sign the day before. This time when I was about 500 yards from the tank, sidehilling on a game trail, I came face to face with a big cinnamon colored boar at about 25 yards. This bear was not backing down and stood his ground and started chomping/clicking his teeth. Again I lowered my bow very slowly with 1 hand as I drew my piece with the other. I was very nervous at this point and didn't want to have to shoot this bear. After a brief standoff I guess the big bore did not like staring down the barrel of that .44 mag with 240 grain magnum loads and turned and sprinted up and over the mountain. I did not stick around either and never went back to that area. Nothing like a good bear encounter to make you feel very much alive lol. If I hadn't been packing I'm not sure how I would have reacted.

The situation I mentioned previously involved a momma with two cubs that came down the opposite ridgeline and then up the ridge I was on. I could see them and was going to let them pass but they angled towards me. At 40 yards I stood up and started breaking branches above me, then waving my bow above my head and at that point the momma bear took off. I noticed she went about 30 yards then came back towards me. I picked up a branch about as big around as my arm and 6 feet long and threw it towards her, at that point I noticed that one of the cubs had headed up a tree and that's why she wouldn't leave.
I started packing my stuff while keeping an eye on her, and she started clicking her teeth/ snapping those jaws. Right as I went to shoulder my pack she decided to charge me. She only made it to about 15-20 yards from me, but without a firearm that was plenty close.
I backed away as she went back to the tree and then headed down the ridge pretty quickly.

[Thunderfoot]

I used to work as a fishing guide in AK so I've had more than my share of encounters with brown bears. The last few years I've had a bear tag in my pocket during elk season. I desperately want a bear rug on my wall. I thought I was going to get it two years ago. I spotted a bear feeding around the edge of an open hillside. There were a couple of pockets of timber between me and the bear so I carefully made my way that direction. I got to the last pocket of trees about 75 yards below the bear. It appeared to slowly be making its way down the hill so I just sat tight. The bear finally gets to within about 40 yards and I prepare for the shot. I raise up and just as I'm getting ready to shoot I see movement out of the corner of my eye to right. Two little furballs come bouncing out of the brush, Damn! I will probably not have another opportunity like that one.

[Gutpile]

Ive always been surprised how few bears I see out in the woods. Last year was the first encounter ever during hunting season. About 7:30 am I was working up a ridge that is essentially the boundary of a smaller wilderness area. I was in the black timber and working up to some water I found the year before. My buddy stops and needs to take a crap so he backtracks a little and I sit and wait for him. We just got on a fairly used game trail which didn't really register at the time. I'm biting into a quick snack and I can hear the grass move real close. Up the trail I'm sitting comes a young black bear moving down the trail. I'm not sure who was more surprised but I say whoa a few times and the bear turned. He went up about 50 yards, stopped and turned to look. My buddy was only then able to see the commotion, in midwife as I was later told. Reminds you to never drop your guard and maybe pick a bathroom and stop spot off the trail!

[elk.addict]

I just got back from a 3 day scouting trip. Last night just before dark, I came out of the timber into a little meadow and there was a griz about 60-70 yards away. It was just standing there staring at me, so I did what any dumby would do, I tried to dig my camera out of my pack he was too fast though, didn't get a picture in time before he ran off. I've had a bunch of bear encounters and I don't get too excited as long as I have some distance between us.

[BrentLaBere]

elk.addict,
Thats funny.....I caught this one running away. Top left corner just past the shadow.
Not a grizz though.

[MountainmanZ]

I've encountered a grizzly while going back to retrieve the remainder of an elk we got the night before, and they are FAST!!! I personally could have never hit it with a pistol and will forever carry spray where I can access it without a second thought. So to answer your question I'd spray it if it was charging. If it didn't know I was there I'd back track and loop around. Never had a problem with a black bear, but I have backed out and looped around a feeding black bear without it knowing I was there (otherwise they've just run/walked off).