This is an excerpt of a story that someone had run into while bear hunting, I normally hunt with a partner never by myself. Here's the link to the original story - http://bit.ly/1Uipqav

I frequently hunt alone, as long as I stay within my own limitations, I’m never apprehensive when hiking the back hills. I have a firm respect for the wildlife and I’m never afraid when I head out to hunt. Before the end of that day, I’d be served another example of how man is really the only animal that I need to be leery of when I’m by myself in the woods.

The three individuals hiking down to me were a scouting party that was looking for a place to grow and hide illegal marijuana plants. I stepped around the bend and was instantly spotted. They were about 25 feet from me, I spoke with the hope of keeping them at that distance. It worked. The lead guy put on a fake smile and sized me up. He could see I was by myself, and my rifle, securely strapped to my pack, was clearly out of play. As it stood to him, it was three against one. They asked what I was doing and I told them I was bear hunting. The lead guy mentioned that they had scared a bear out of the creek on the way in.

I was clearly speaking with the leader of the small group. The other two remained quiet and never met my eye. That didn’t put me at ease at all. I knew if things got serious, they wouldn’t just sit back and watch. The leader again looked me up and down and smiled. He then made a statement that surprised and angered me. He said that it was dangerous to hunt in this area alone. To me it sounded like a warning, and I glared at the smiling leader. This was no longer a friendly encounter, and all that was left was to see who’d blink first. Read the rest of the story here - http://bit.ly/1Uipqav