# Bear Hunting Story



## JAM (Mar 30, 2000)

This started out as an archery hunt, but after this huge bear was woofing and snapping its teeth at me as it circled my tree stand, I chickened out on the bow and grabbed my 45/70 gov't. Yesterday I shot at a small bear. There were 3 of them under the stand and this was the biggest of the 3 - I'd say about 150 lb'r. It did cartwheels and bawled like crazy, but Skid (my husband) and I couldn't find any blood, so we called our bear hunter friends with dogs. It was dark now, and they had a bunch of company with them. There must have been 10 people and 3 dogs. The dogs couldn't get on the scent, so we believe I must have just grazed it. However....one of the dogs got on the scent of the BIG BEAR I was too scared to shoot with my bow. I'm not a very good judge of size, so I didn't really know how big this bear was. Well, the dogs chased it across the road in front of the bear experts, and they say it's a 450+ lb.r!! It has paws the size of catchers mitts. The dogs treed it around midnight and we all trudged about 1/4 mi. through the woods with flashlights to catch the dogs and see the bear in the tree. That bear was at the top of a twin cedar tree. There goes my notion that I could climb a tree and get away from a bear - NO WAY! The bear was so heavy that the tree he was in broke and he had to jump to the other twin trunk. Joe (expert bear hunter) decided that they should move the dogs back so the bear would come down out of the tree and we could get a look at him. He wouldn't come down. Next move was to take the dogs and everyone but Joe, Skid and me right out of there, and we'd just stand there quiet in the dark and wait for the bear to come down. The plan was to shine the flashlight on him when he hit the ground. Joe was telling Skid and me that it would just come down and take off - he's seen thousands of bears and that's what they do. Well, we stood there for about 15 minutes and that bear wouldn't come down. Joe's saying the whole time, "Boy, I've never seen this before!" and the whole time I'm thinking if he does come down, this might be the first time it doesn't just run, too! We gave up waiting and left him in the tree. We got home at 4:00am, bearless! What a hoot! Can't wait to get back out there.

Jill


----------



## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Can't beat that for excitement. Hope you get your bear.


----------



## born2hunt65 (Jan 22, 2000)

Quit an adventure there young lady. Good luck in your bear hunt, Born


----------



## mauso2 (Oct 3, 2000)

Jill, I think I would have been scared to death, I've never been confronted with a bear, Good thing you have the friend you have. Good Hunting Terry


----------



## JAM (Mar 30, 2000)

Well, my bear hunting license got thrown away this morning. It expired yesterday. I didn't get a chance to go back out behind the hounds. I wonder how many years I'll have to wait until I can get another chance? -Jill


----------

