charged by Griz on first Moose hunt

[REMINGTON JIM]

Great well written account! Good for many here, especially for those with less bush experience. You certainly did all the right things when needed. Of course every situation/close encounter is different, but thinking clearly and acting quickly is of utmost importance. I can relate.

I had a very large grizzly boar charge me to within 8 yards. Didn't sleep well for a week after that. Had to shoot a cougar just 10 feet from me before it was to jump on my back. As I say, I can relate. Great work bud.

As a side note, with all those large predators around, is it no wonder that the ungulate population overall is way down?

How did a G Bear chg to within 8 yds of you ? did he just stop and turn away or what ? Were you armed ? RJ

[andrew5]

That's all i could think about, and it did sour the experience just a bit for me. You would think that 8 days south of Vanderhof, one would happen upon a single ungulate. We heard shots, but the area had a distinctly "empty" feeling, given how good the habitat looked.

[Arctic Lake]

That's all i could think about, and it did sour the experience just a bit for me. You would think that 8 days south of Vanderhof, one would happen upon a single ungulate. We heard shots, but the area had a distinctly "empty" feeling, given how good the habitat looked.

Andrew I was on a hunting trip once and was lucky if I saw A bloody squirrel . LOL !
Great that you made it without getting mauled !
Arctic Lake

[Centerfire]

Wow! That's quite an encounter. I would have had to head straight back to camp to get a clean pair of underwear.

[Bugle M In]

Great story and amazing experiences for you. Glad it all worked out, not always the case with those big brown furry critters. Not many people get attacked by frizz, but I bet many are hunters. I had a run in with a huge black bear this year with only a 3 “ foldable blade. Promised not to put myself in that position again. It’s amazing how much bravado you can show when you know it’s all you got!

Yup, just get one of those cheap shotguns for around 300$ (forget the name...Churchill???).
Light weight, short, but to the point! (more so then a knife....lol)

[hunterdon]

How did a G Bear chg to within 8 yds of you ? did he just stop and turn away or what ? Were you armed ? RJ

Hi Jim.

I was on a late whitetail hunting trip up in the high country. It was about an hour after first light. I decided to walk just inside the bush line of a clear cut perhaps to catch a bedded buck. Obviously I was walking slowwwwwly and quiet. I noticed first the massive shoulder hump of the grizz just beyond a large fallen resting tree paralleling the cut block at the edge of the cut block. I did not see the head at first because of the large downed tree, just this big massive black shoulder hump above the resting horizontal tree.

I stood motionless with the rifle shouldered and the ready as he continued in the direction that I had just walked thru. His massive head bobbing with each step. I knew he would cross my walked
path eventually and so I wondered how he would react. Sure enough at that point he stopped suddenly, as if he hit an invisible wall. Head jolted up turned and looked in my direction with eyes focused on me as I stood just 60 yards away.

He first let out a loud woof and kicked it in high gear. I mean really high gear!! He came barreling directly straight at me full speed. With each stride he must have covered 10 yards bounding up and down.
It did not take many bounds at this pace before he would make contact with me. I had it in my mind that I would not shoot until he got really close, as I knew I would not kill him with my 280 Remington, but I might be able to cripple him. Just one shot would do it. As he bounded with each stride, I could see the head come up exposing his neck for a possible shot thru to his spine.
I figured that if I time it right I would pull the trigger just as his head would be at the high point. As I concentrated intently on hitting that mark, I figured 1 more stride and I have to pull the trigger and immediately afterward brace for impact. The idea being that I would render the bear quadriplegic but that his momentum would still carry him directly into me.

Just as I was about to squeeze the the trigger I noticed the grizz slightly veer to my right but still with full speed. I held strong my stance not showing any sign of fear and the bear continued running full speed right pass me getting to within 8 yards or less, all the while with the barrel of my gun focused on that spot of the neck. I never pulled the trigger. He lived and I lived to tell the story exactly as it happened.

While I did not have any fear at the time, probably because of the multitudes of very close encounters I've experienced throughout my lifetime, those learned lessons just put my mind in deep concentration, simply examining all the events as they could possibly unfold. Kind of like playing chess. If the chess player moves this way then I will do this. If he does this move, then I will come back with this, and so on. You run these possible scenarios back and forth thru your head. There's no time for fear, just playing the chess game of your life literally.

Honestly though, after everything is over, then the nerves get rattled. I did not sleep well for about a week after that. Of all the critters in the woods, the grizz is the one that really gets my respect. Up close, they are just soooo BIG!

[j270wsm]

Crazy story.....I would have fired as many shots as possible.

[REMINGTON JIM]

WOW ! I KNOW i would have Shot and Much Sooner then 8 Yards too ! Glad he Never got Ya ! Thanks for Sharing the Story ! RJ

[moosinaround]

Dam, exciting experiences! Tough hunting up here right now. Predators are having their way with our ungulates, and we as hunters need to address that! Taking a bear for sausage, or a coyote, or a wolf, are all part of the solution. Wish I could have connected with you when you were up my way. Anytime you swing through, ship me a message, I always have a steak or beverage to share with a fellow hunter! Glad you guys made it back home safely, and good effort on trying to fill that moose tag!! Moosin

[Bustercluck]

I was charged by a black bear while I was cutting shake blocks on the north end of the island when I was about 20. Me and my partner were heading back to the truck at the end of the day through some thick second growth. All I was carrying was my lunch bag and an empty gas can. I don’t think he knew we were there (and we didn’t know he was there) and when we got close to him and startled him he charged right at us and stopped just short with a 90 degree turn