One of the coolest days today
 

I had what I consider one of the best days afield today without actually harvesting an animal. Snuck into the woods at the crack of dawn up to where I had a gobbler going yesterday. Set up my decoy on an old road with fresh green grass growing on it.
As it got lighter I made a few series of soft yelps. I heard a bird landing off the roost nearby (they aren't very graceful at landing). Within a couple minutes a young jake was ogling my decoy at 20 yds. I just let him walk.
After a little more calling with no action I decided to walk around to the 'sunny' side of the mountain calling about every 100 yds or so. As I rounded a bend in the trail I was on, about 30 - 40 yds up the side of the mtn. was a nice size black bear. Sitting motionless just watching me. We stared at each other for about 5 mins then she got up and walked about 15 ft and got up on here hind legs. She then put her front paws on a tree and stared at me. When she slapped the tree with her front paw, I figured it was time for me to leave. (I'm assuming it was a sow and she had cubs nearby which is why she wouldn't leave). I continued on my way with the shotgun at the ready in case I needed to put one "across her bow" should she decide to come down at me, as I did not know if she had cubs or where they were. It was hard to find her in the phone camera but I did manage to get one decent pic.

That's got to be a thrill bronko. Glad you had a good and fun day. I think a run in like that would be a real keister clencher for me. The bear population in Louisiana is expanding now after being basically wiped out. There's a good population along the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge, but none (yet) in the piney woods area I hunt.

I would have had a pants full of something!! Sounds like a great day tho.

Bear can sure show up at strange times. I was putting manure on the gardens a couple weeks ago, and looked up. There was a bear standing there sniffing the air. Must have been the manure that drew it in. Was a little last years cub, but we stood and looked at each other for about 30 seconds and then it wandered off.

I had a couple bear encounters that got my attention. The one bear encounter that really scared me is, I was trout fishing in the forest. And next to the stream was tall grass. I was kneeling there putting bait on the ultra light. When I stood up, there was a bear about 15 feet away from me, looking at me. I let out a whoop!! and it ran one way and I discovered I could jump a creek, running the other way towards my back pack. My fishing partner was down stream laughing himself sick.

The other one was I came home late at night. Opened the electric garage door, drove in the garage, closed the door. And anyone that ever been in the country where there are no street lights knows how dark it can get in the woods. I walked out the back door of the garage towards the house and the motion lights came on and there sat a bear. It was a LARGE bear well over 400 pounds about 15 yards away. He was licking the sun flower seeds out of the bird feeder. So I backed up into the garage, closed the door. I then threw a metal gas can at the side of the garage about where the bear was standing. I could hear the branches breaking as it ran off.

Normally bear will not bother you. Sow with cubs is another problem. Just make sure you do not get between them. If you ever see a cub in a tree, walk the other way also. But it does sound like you had a good day. I like seeing wild things when I walk in the woods. That bear slapping that tree though was a warning to you. Good thing you walked off.

Nice encounter- where were you?

I live in Northern Wisconsin. My property is surrounded by the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest. So there are lots of wild critters running around. We have lots of timber wolves, bear, deer, elk, coyotes, game birds, and an occasional moose shows up but not too often. And of course there are the mountain lion that the DNR swears do not live in the forest. Even though people have treed/chased them with dogs, and photographed them.

At least we don't have alligators, lots of nasty snakes, or wild hogs.

I love days like that when you go hunting a nature decides to throw you a curve. About 2 years ago I was turkey hunting down a logging road with my nephew-in-law and we spotted a bear thatwas about 75 feet away, did'nt look too big till it stood on it hind legs. It sure looked big then. It just trotted off. My favorite tho was bowhunting last year and a good size bear came and fell asleep at the foot of my tree. This was my first real close encounter with a bear.He was one week early doing this as archery bear season was the next Saturday.Right before it got dark it wandered across a pasture and left.

Actually if I stand on my front porch, I could point to the place where I saw that bear. I live in a small village and I can walk out my front or back door and be hunting within 5 minutes. Deer, bear, turkey, grouse, rabbits, squirrels, you name it.