Funny Bear Experiences #3 (Big GRIZZLY BEAR on top of me)

[Sourdough]

Big GRIZZLY BEAR on top of me.
I was guiding a hunter in Wide Bay, Alaska and it was the day before the bear season opened, so the hunter and I slept in. I had two 8'X8' "Bombshelter" tents set up facing each other about 6' apart. One was for sleeping and the other for cooking. I told the hunter to stay in his bag till I get the coffee made and the cook tent heated. So I crawl out of the sleep tent on hands and knees, and figure as it is only 6' till I have to get back on my hands and knees, I'll just crawl over to the cook tent.

Well I get about halfway and a nice 950 pound plus brown bear comes from behind the cook tent and walks right up to me, I am still on my hands and knees. I don't want to move more than necessary, so I go down slowly onto my elbows and knees and freeze with my hands over my neck fingers locked, waiting. The bear walks up to me and sniffs my head, then continues moving till it head is over my butt, and its front feet are next to my elbows. For a long time it just sniffs my butt, which after 60 days afield was very aromatic. Plus most likely there was dried blood on my pants from packing moose.

As nothing was happening (I was not getting nibbled) the bear was just sniffing my butt. I remembered I was responsible for the hunters safety and calmly told him not to move or bump the sleep tent. The bear just stayed there sniffing my butt, (the flap to the sleep tent was still open) so I calmly asked the hunter to slid a rifle out to me with out disturbing the tent. He said, "Which one do you want". Remember he still did not know there was a Brown Bear on top of me. I said, slide my rifle out slowly, very slowly, but he needs to stay in the tent. Well, now he wants to know what is going on......???? He says, "do you want the barrel first"....??? I said, yes and about that time as the rifle started out the flap of the sleep tent, the bear calmly raised up and swung to his right, and slowly walked off. I watched his large butt walk away. Then made coffee. I understand that that hunter moved to Alaska. He is a very good hunter, and hunts all over the world. I am so glad he remained calm.

 

[Meerkat]

Thanks for the story VP. Glad all made out ok,

 

[Cascadian]

I was looking at a picture of my daughter in law from probably 20 years ago. It was her a brother and sister with the woods in the background. Behind them was a really big bear. I said that is a ballsie pose how did you know it wouldn't charge? Apparently no one had ever noticed the bear.

 

[Meerkat]

I have lots of respect fro bears and other large animals. Only time been around what we thought was one was when camping in N.Carolina Mtns.. It was huge because its eyes were very far apart and it was tall in our flash light. But all we saw was the red eyes. And we told the kids to run.

 

[SheepDog]

I have had two "funny" bear encounters. The first was while backpacking in the Olympic National Forest. We, there were five of us, we walking along the trail when one person saw a bear cub down hill from us. The trail cut across the hill and I immediately scanned to find the sow, probably four or five years old, up hill from us. I told everyone to stop. Raise your arms as high over your heads as possible and make lots of noise. Mom took one look at us and went far around that bunch of crazy humans to get to her cubs side. she then barked at it and it climbed the tree that was closest. I said keep your hands high and slowly walk with me. we walked away and the bear paid no more attention to the crazy humans. I did have my hand on my 357 and Bob had his hand on his 45 but neither were drawn or needed. Note: this was a black bear and they are more predictable than a grizzly.

The next "funny" bear encounter was in the Cascade mountains while I was hiking carrying my 30-06 rifle and my 357 in a flap holster to keep it protected. I was answering a call of nature when a a sow walked by very quickly heading up hill. I was relieved because my rifle was laying against a tree that was a good six feet away. Just as I was finishing up a boar black bear came out of the brush where the sow had come through. He stopped sniffed the air and had to have gotten a whiff of my urine. He looked at me and I stood there looking back. His head went up as he sniffed again, looked at me and then tirned up the hill after the sow. Apparently he was answering a different call of nature and I was glad he was. He was less than 10 feet away and I could not have gotten my pistol out of that holster and had no chance of getting to my rifle. If he had thought that I was competition or a threat he would have had me dead to rights. It was a thrilling few moments that taught me to keep my gun in my shoulder holster and never be more than a foot away from my rifle. Thanks Mother Nature for the easy lesson. Today I would have my weapon(s) at the ready while saying in an assertive voice but not yelling, "bad bear, BAD BEAR." Any bear that has had a run in with a game warden knows that what follows is unpleasant and they will leave. Most bears will recognize the vocal tone as a warning without a challenge and leave or return their own vocalization. At that time you have to choose whether you can back away or fire a shot. Either way you may have to shoot the animal if he decides to challenge you. I would rather not have to shoot the animal if
I can avoid it.