Bear Sighting

[aspeck]

Been an interesting rifle season in Central PA this year. Had 2 bears visit me at different times on the first day. The first one was smaller (maybe 150lbs) and milled around 30 yards from me before going around and heading out the trail. I got up to move and the bear turned and followed me for a little while before deciding I was no fun and going away. First encounter lasted about 45 minutes and was a lot of fun.

The second bear, pictured here, was maybe 250lbs??? Second bear decided he liked me ... would not leave me alone and came within 10 yards of me. I have some neat pictures and video, but the video drops abruptly when said bear feigns a charge from 15 yards away. Guess he wanted lunch or something, but I wasn't on the menu. There were a couple times I thought I might have to make a call to the game commission for shooting a bear in self defense, but all went well and the bear and I parted friends. Second encounter was also about 45 minutes till I headed down the mountain to the lake and my bear friend stayed up on the steep. When second bear was looking at me and licking his lips, that was the part that was a little questioning. Can't say I was scared at any time (if I had been I would have been out of there), but I was a bit cautious.

 

[GA_Boater]

What a feeling - You're out hunting for meat and and so was the bear!

 

[poconojoe]

Nice pictures! They are beautiful animals. See them around my house sometimes here in northeastern PA.
We have bird feeders hanging on our porch. One day we found one wrecked and it was made of that very strong plastic rubber material. We have cameras out there and a motion light so we checked the DVR. Two bears had a feast at 2am. Climbing on and under a bench. Funny to see one go under the bench with his butt facing the camera!

 

[MTboatguy]

That is the reason I carry bear spray with me during hunting season around here, some of them get a bit to curious!

 

[GA_Boater]

aspeck should check with the PA Game Commission to see if they have issued any bear notices like Montana;

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Montana Grizzly Bear Notice:

In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Montana Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field. We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle the bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear. It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity.

Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear poop. Black bear poop is smaller and contains a lot of berry seeds and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear poop has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray.

 

[aspeck]

Just for clarification, bear sightings while hunting in the PA woods (especially our area) are a frequent occurrence. The first bear was a typical sighting ... getting close, but both parties cautious and keep a little distance between (30-35 yards in this case). The second was a little out of the ordinary due to the aggressive nature, there were no cubs around, and bear was standing his ground. When different attempts were made to scare him off, yelling and feigning a charge being one of them, firing a shot off another, the bear just looked at me like, ?What is your problem, dude??

Fun times in the woods! Me and a bear bonding ... wife ?named? the first bear Teddy and the second bear Bart.

 

[southkogs]

White tails on the other side of the mountain were paying the bears to do hits on the hunters.

My folks and brother say the black bear have been more active up in Michigan too this past year. Not terrifying in any way, but more noticeable. Self defense = a few pounds of bear meat, right?

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Did you have any scent out? or on your boots?

 

[82rude]

See yogi all the time when out hunting .Last one, i was slowly going over and down a hill on my polaris ace and lo and behold laying on the bottom of the trail about 50 feet or so away was a fair sized bear,Sleeping! Yup, caught him napping!Boy can they run away fast when they see a much larger thing rumbling towards them.Though he probably didnt think it was funny it took me awhile to stop laughing and wipe away the tears ,it was so funny.Literally scared the crap out of him.Lucky for him i was hunting grouse not bear.

 

[jimmbo]

Used to see Yogi and BooBoo all the time along the Highways in northern Alberta, quite often on rural roads too. But I've also seen morons who think it cool to stop and try get a picture with them. One time I saw a SUV stopped, in one ditch was mama bear, in the other ditch was baby bear, guess where the morons were headed...

 

[aspeck]

Did you have any scent out? or on your boots?

. No scent out, but I was standing over a dead deer ...

 

[avenger79]

nice pictures.

they were probably just wanting to be first in line for the left overs after you dressed it

 

[aspeck]

Bear was on the gut pile pretty quickly ... I was only about 50 yards away by the time Bart was enjoying lunch.

We saw bears #3 and 4 today ... different bears, different location, opposite side of lake

 

[BWR1953]

At least it wasn't like this guy. :faint2:

 

[bassman284]

Used to see Yogi and BooBoo all the time along the Highways in northern Alberta, quite often on rural roads too. But I've also seen morons who think it cool to stop and try get a picture with them. One time I saw a SUV stopped, in one ditch was mama bear, in the other ditch was baby bear, guess where the morons were headed...

Well hey, bears gotta eat too.

 

[avenger79]

At least it wasn't like this guy. :faint2:

that would be so not cool LOL