What would you do if you come across a bear while hunting other animals?

[drbb]

And no, the answer is not "I would hunt the bear!"

Here is the scenario: I was hunting once (solo and not too experienced, but I enjoy the solitude) and was glassing a cut block from a fairly good location an hour or so before the sunset. While there, a black bear showed up and after it noticed me, it ran away in a different direction. Nonetheless, I called the hunt and walked back to my car. My thinking was that if a bear was around and I connected with a deer, I had to be much more careful (i.e., afraid) while processing the animal and carrying it back (and I would have needed a couple of trips, potentially into the dark hours).

Now, my question is to the more experienced hunters. Assuming that shooting the bear was not an option (I do not shoot what I do not want to eat), will it be safe to hunt an area after you come across a bear in that vicinity? Would the bear put a large distance between you and itself or would it just hang around to see what happened? I know the answer to a great extent depends on the bear and how habituated/aggressive it is, but assuming you were in the same situation described in the above, what would you do?

Cheers.

[Fella]

I would keep hunting. Bear buggered off when it figured out you were there so it seems like he had a healthy respect for you. Obviously I would stay aware of my surroundings but if everyone stopped hunting at the first sign of bears no one would shoot anything.

[caddisguy]

What Fella said.

And my take is you need to assume there are bears around because there probably are. If the one you see buggers off that's a great sign. It's the one you didn't know was in the area or the one you knew about that sneaks around all cat like that would cause you trouble.

For the most part, black bears are extremely timid (guaranteed they bolt from squirrels dropping pine cones or grouse flushing on a regular basis) 90% they bolt on site, 9.5% go about their business and wont engage you or acknowledge your presence. 0.5% are going to cause confrontation. I was finally able to complete these guestimated stats after my weekend encounter with first ever jerkface bear.

I remember when we harvested our first bear we it was dark and we had another bear going about its business grazing around us. It quickly became immune to the air horn. It went about its business, as did we. Similar situation this year. I shot a boar in a feeding area that held a sow and a couple cubs. No doubt the cubs were in jeopardy as the boar had just moved in overnight. Sure enough she hung around clacking her jaws at me (or more so the commotion and scent of the boar) but no trouble. Just kept hollaring at her to calm down, did ya a solid lol

[nelsonob1]

I would hunt the bear..

[Bugle M In]

What Fella said.

And my take is you need to assume there are bears around because there probably are. If the one you see buggers off that's a great sign. It's the one you didn't know was in the area or the one you knew about that sneaks around all cat like that would cause you trouble.

For the most part, black bears are extremely timid. 90% they bolt on site, 9.5% go about their business and wont engage you or acknowledge your presence. 0.5% are going to cause confrontation. I was finally able to complete these stats after my weekend encounter with first ever jerkface bear.

I remember when we harvested our first bear we it was dark and we had another bear going about its business grazing around us. It quickly became immune to the air horn. It went about its business, as did we. Similar situation this year. I shot a boar in a feeding area that held a sow and a couple cubs. No doubt the cubs were in jeopardy as the boar had just moved in overnight. Sure enough she hung around clacking her jaws at me (or more so the commotion and scent of the boar) but no trouble. Just kept Hillary get at her to calm down, did ya a solid lol

Ya, having those Mexican Standoffs...or, should I say "Stare Offs" ( the ones inside 20 ft)is always an interesting time.
Always wonder what they are thinking when that happens.
Your right though, pretty much summed it up to a T.

[Surrey Boy]

I'd get over my self-righteousness and shoot the bear.

Do you eat your own roadkill? Do you not practice any pest control? Collateral damage is a fact of life. Break eggs to make omelettes.

[Drillbit]

I'd get over my self-righteousness and shoot the bear.

Do you eat your own roadkill? Do you not practice any pest control? Collateral damage is a fact of life. Break eggs to make omelettes.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[caddisguy]

I'd get over my self-righteousness and shoot the bear.

Do you eat your own roadkill? Do you not practice any pest control? Collateral damage is a fact of life. Break eggs to make omelettes.

True as well. We have enough bear to last until spring but we have a trouble maker in our area I will be happy to pay to have butchered and donated if he's still around come rifle season (not going after him with the bow because he is alert and has anger issues)

[Mulehahn]

I would keep hunting/shoot any legal animal I wanted and had a tag for. There are very few areas a bear is not within a few km of you at any given time, and pretty much no area that allows hunting (short of goats). Best not to think about it too much and just enjoy your time outdoors

[Bugle M In]

Black Bear, and he buggers off, I wouldn't worry so much.
If it gets late, just open it up, pull the guts out, put something in the chest cavity to keep it open, and hang your
sweaty hat, shirt or whatever on it....and come back at 1st light.
Grizz, if I was alone, might be different.
Depends how "open" my surroundings are, or what kind of thick crap it dropped down in, or could drop in?
If your uncomfortable, don't shoot, but as many say, bear are around, even if you don't see them.

I do recall a time when we took one elk, early in the week.
Bears showed up to the gutpile a day or so later, after we took the meat out already.
Saw one bear (black) get chased away by a much larger black, who took over.

After getting his fill, he sauntered off into the trees not far from the kill...probably taking a nap.
This was by no means a small bear, big enough to handle himself with most other blackies.
But, all of a sudden, 20 minutes later, he's runnin at full tilt in the same direction he chased off the 1st blackie!!??
Why....Grizz.
A day later, and my last night, I had a bull come out, broadside, with maybe at best 45 minutes before dark, only
about 500 yards from the 1st kill site....
I passed...and it was a nice bull...really nice.

Why?...because he was faced in a direction heading towards the 1st site, and it was thick stuff going that way.
If I didn't drop him in his tracks...who knows, I may have spent all that night, or next morning looking for him.
Maybe not to find him, and I needed to get back to work the day after that...but.....I also knew I had a GBear around,
and with 1 around a gutpile, probably more in the area by now.
Didn't think it was a positive situation....and not worth the hassle....
Some guys will gut and pack out thru out the night...by themselves.
For me, I will let it sit till the a.m if need be if I am alone...gut only.
OR, leave it, and that way you don't have the "smell of guts" in the air all night.
(how many have shot something, only to find it the next day, and all is fine with the meat....lots)
It may not be ideal, but if it gives you ease of mind, then that is the only person you need to answer to.
Honestly, there are times I think nothing of it, and times where for some reason, it does....maybe it is my "gut sense"
talking to me.
Probably why you see more hunters in the AM hunting, and by evening, they are already at camp....
They won't admit it, but the truth is, "they don't like the dark".
I think if you can look at it from a history standpoint, most people who work thru the night, do fine, don't get mauled.
But, being with hunting partners IS different then hunting alone.
Go with what works for you in your mind.