Originally Posted by
Judyboi
Honestly, I have hunted in bear and cat country my whole life....hardly ever had I had a problem. Only once in fact. A big ole bear that was wounded wouldn't back down....until I hit it with a rock, then it scampered. Almost without fail, black bears are scaredy cats and cougars would much rather melt away without you ever knowing they were there.
This pretty much sums up my experience also.
I've hunted Colorado, Montana, Alaska, and Canada for almost 50 years. Every black bear and the 3 cougars that I've encountered have all been quick to run away when they realized that I saw them.
Years ago, the Forest Service Ranger in Big Timber, Montana asked me to dispose of a dead horse in the Absaroka Wilderness south of Big Timber. A grizzly had been feeding on the horse and charged several horseback riders on the nearby trail. When my helpers and I hiked to the dead horse, the griz was on it and when it saw us it ran away and was never seen again.
If you're really worried about encountering a bear or mountain lion, carry a can of pepper spray that is easily accessible and know how to use it.
Another time a Grizzly came into our hunting camp where my partners and I had the quarters of two elk and a moose hanging. He wouldn't leave until I bounced a rock off him.