AndyAnderson

Regarding whether or not the buck will return, the best answer is, "it depends". How big is the WMA? Is is high-fenced? If the place you were hunting was the buck's home range, chances are good at seeing him again. Deer have excellent hearing but have trouble identifying short, loud, high-frequency noises such as a rifle report. If the buck was looking for does, it could be that he's off his home range and just an interloper. If there are some unbred does in the area, he'll probably hang out in the area for awhile. The upside is that, since it's a WMA, he's used to hunters being around and has probably been exposed to rifle report, so he won't go far.

As for your question on bears, I will yield to someone with better knowledge of that subject than myself. No bears in my part of Texas. Have you thought about talking to the WMA staff? They can give you a reliable quote on how many bears occupy the region, as well as a probability of encountering one. Don't trust hearsay and tall tales--arm yourself with the facts. Good luck!

Andy