afternoon bear hunt, getting geared up

[tripnasty84]

this year ive seen more bear than the past 18 years combined living in the mountains of west by god virginia. hell, i went atleast 6 year without seeing so much as a bear crossing the road. the past 3 months ive seen atleast 10 different bear. yesterday i went for an afternoon predator hunt, i was hiking down a trail of extremely thick laurel when i heard something rustle to my right side. expecting a big buck to jump from cover, i knelt down to hide myself a bit when through the thickness i see patches of black. i knew immediately what it was, as my blood began to rush and thump my heart so hard i was worried he would hear it. only packing a 12 gauge with 00 buck, i opted to shoot the bear with my phone and not piss him off with the buckshot being this was a bear of epic proportion. as i record, i watched him squeeze through that thick laurel like it was nothing, as he crossed the trail and headed into a rocky opening and disappeared on the other side. later i reviewed my video excited to have good footage of a 400-500 pound black bear. needless to say, in the excitement i somehow failed to ever get him in the frame, and only have footage of nothing but thick thick laurel. anyways, i am gearing up for an afternoon hunt back to the public ground i reside beside. i dont use dogs, and i dont bait or lure as baiting is illegal here. its amazing, all the bear ive seen this year and ive only managed to get pictures of one as it ran away. everytime the feeling is the same. ive never killed one, though ive had a few chances over the years. even took a shot with my bow years back, hitting a rock directly below him, throwing sparks on his belly. tomorrow is the last day before they can hunt with dogs again i believe. anyways, yall wish me luck. perhaps ill be able to film one laying on the ground at my feet better than i can one walking.

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[JohnP]

" yall wish me luck. perh"

Don't believe in luck, but sure do believe if'n you put in the time and do the work you will get the job done. 

[Okanagan]

Great story and glad you got to see one that close. Best of luck if you are out this afternoon.

FWIW, I'd sure try calling in that kind of thick brush where you can't spot and stalk.  I've called several black bears and have confidence in the method.  If you call with a hand call, make sure that you can see downwind of you. Bears like to circle/sneak downwind of the sound.  Jack rabbit or hare distress sounds a lot like bear cub distress and a lot like fawn distress, similar enough that I have no idea what the bear thinks the sound is but they come to it.

If the bear was within 35 yards I'da been mighty tempted to use the 00 buck!   

Hope your next post is of a pre-skinned bear rug!

[tripnasty84]

Great story and glad you got to see one that close. Best of luck if you are out this afternoon.

FWIW, I'd sure try calling in that kind of thick brush where you can't spot and stalk.  I've called several black bears and have confidence in the method.  If you call with a hand call, make sure that you can see downwind of you. Bears like to circle/sneak downwind of the sound.  Jack rabbit or hare distress sounds a lot like bear cub distress and a lot like fawn distress, similar enough that I have no idea what the bear thinks the sound is but they come to it.

If the bear was within 35 yards I'da been mighty tempted to use the 00 buck!   [emoji3]

Hope your next post is of a pre-skinned bear rug!

oh i was extremly tempted to try him with that 00 buck believe me! No bear skin rug yet, but i did happen to encounter him, kind of. i walked back that same path, made my way though that thick laurel hoping to hear him sneaking around or catch sight of him.  ive never tried calling black bear before, but i brought some hand calls and did let out some rabbit wails, only thing i called in was a curious red tailed hawk, which was really cool! then i stalked some more extremely slow through that laurel, curious to see where that path lead to. after more than an hour of stalking, the path never ended and i knew if i didnt turn around i was risking a night time hike through a trail i could hardly see in daylight. ive yet to be lost in the wild and really dont plan to be(like anyone does). Anyhow, as im walking back out the path, i pass the exact spot where i saw him the day before, when i hear something crunching through the laurel. at first it sounded like a nice buck sneaking through and i paused to attempt a picture. suddenly i realized there was no way a deer was making this much noise, not like this. i sat my pack down and got my rifle ready. he was coming the exact same way he did before and i was gonna be ready for him. suddenly it sounded as if he flipped a rock, or maybe climbed over a log and thumped on the other side, whatever he did, it damn near shook the ground. then... utter silence. i waited and waited for what seemed an eternity, and there was nothing. i thought perhaps his was busy rooting or maybe he even got on the trail and was quietly walking away. so i walked to a big oak and hid behind it, then slowly attempted to sneak to a big hickory across from me. i soon learned he must have been on to me, and my impatience proved detrimental to my success as the laurel came alive with crashes, cracks, and his thunderous paws pounding the mountain below him. i swear i could feel those first few gallups in my feet from the vibration, maybe i imagined it, i dont know, but i felt it. ive never encountered a bear here in the same spot twice, let alone two days in a row. i wanted to go back today but i was busy framing up a house for my uncle, and the public ground is rife with hunters on saturdays. anyways, hoping to test my chance at a 3rd encounter, if i havent educated him to my presence too much. hoping by staying away a few days that he'll become comfortable and ill stumble upon him one final time, and have a picture with a good story to share with yall.

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[nastygunz]

Sometimes some good frantic deer bleating is like ringing the dinner bell:

[Okanagan]

tripnaasty,  GREAT story!  I was right there with you second guessing myself as to what to do when the bear went silent.  Is he standing still listening (which they can do for a long time) or did he sneak away, or is he quietly oblivious to me and I should sneak toward him?

IME when a bear stays in one spot for a few days, that means that he has food there.  Maybe he is feeding on a dead deer or there is a patch of nuts or something he can eat there. If you can, hunt it again ASAP before he moves on.  It does not sound like you spooked him badly enough for him to leave the country.  You might ease in fairly close to where you've seen him and try to call him to ground of your choosing.   I've usually stayed 30 minutes when calling for a bear though have had a few show up almost instantly.

Rooting for you!