caddisguy
08-23-2022, 11:54 AM
Figure this story is worth a share
So we've been scouting new areas for BT the last few weeks and hanging a few cams. caddisgirl wakes me up a bit early, she's all ready to go, eager to get moving before it gets hot out as we're in for a bit of a hike. Yeah that's probably a good idea.
Shotgun is leaning up again the tire. I'd brought it as we'd been seeing a fair bit of snowshoe hare around and they're open. She wasn't sure if I wanted to bring it on the hike. Thought hmm, wonder if I should throw a couple slugs in the tube just in case something weird goes down. Nawww, I don't want to carry that bigass thing, probably gonna be thick and steep with some scrambles, plus I'm already carrying fairly heavy pack with salt and cams. Let's leave it. As I tuck the shotgun away out of sight, I make a joke this is going to be one of those odd times we have an abnormal bear run-in go south.
Off we go on our hike. Still groggy and going from sleeping to hiking in 10 minutes, cardio isn't liking this early up hill stuff, but I start seeing quite a few deer tracks and start to pick up. I tell caddigirl, I think we're gonna see a deer today. Sure enough couple minutes later, a doe bounces off. Cool! That's what we're looking for.
We go through some waist high vegetation and devils club to get to a less steep slope... lesser evil than actual climbing. I'm thinking this is the kind of place we might actually trip over a bear as it has happened before. Nope, we get all through that, poke through into open timber and start climbing up one bench to the next. Each one with good cut out trails, deer tracks, beds in flat spots and such. Yesssss! We're standing there talking about all sign, pointing out all the trails and intersections we can see, far and close. I hear a snap from above, our 10 o'clock a ways out.
Didn't think too much of it. We're making all sorts of noise. Probably spooked something with all our chatter. Maybe a deer? We often spook bears in the timber while we're hiking around doing cam stuff and you hear the crashing away through the timber a good ways.
We sit down to take a break. After some more chatting about whether we should set a cam here, we'll explore further. Hang the 2 cams on the way down instead of up so we'll know all our options, as much as I'd like to unload some salt (yeah I know it's late in the year for this, but they'll still hit it into next spring/summer) Still talking, caddisgirl hears a snap, I didn't hear. Hmm, that's funny. Where abouts? I heard one earlier and point to where it came from. Yep, same thing she says.
Now I'm keeping my eye on that direction as we're talking. I see the bear pop up about 30 yards away, up hill, 10'clock. Point it out to caddisgirl. Alright what is this thing doing? It's doing the zig zag mosey, 5 yards one way, 5 yards the other putting us right in the middle of the zig zag path. It's sniffing at random stuff, like the top of a fern, the bark of a tree, ground, air. Our scent is heading up in the 2 o'clock direction. Could just be a bear doing bear things, but I'm getting suspicious, like we've been pretty darn loud this whole time, the mosey zig-zag indirect approach seems intentional and the sniffing at things seems like BS to me. It's maybe 20 yards now.
I stand up, bear spray ready to rip, caddisgirl follows, both shouting now ... "Hey Bear!" ... quick look from the bear, back to mosey zig zag toward us, "HEY BEAR!", nothing, "HEY! GET OUTTA HERE" ... bear pauses at 15 yards facing square at us as we're yelling our lungs out. F*** this... I see a few dead branches a few yards in front of me and decide to give the bear a false charge and finish by jumping on that pile of sticks all the while yelling, failing that I'm closing the gap a few more yards peppering him up with a good half canister.
False charge, crash through the sticks, probably 3 or 4 near simultaneous cracks with dry 2-3 inch branches breaking. It was good and loud. Bear scampers to my 10 o'clock to my 2 o'clock which is down wind and faces off again. Gave another false charge and he scampers (moving with purpose but not full tilt) 20 or 30 yards away, then walks off into the distance)
me: "Well that sure was.... something"
caddisgirl: "Is that what you call it"
me: "For lack of a better term?"
We decide we'll just set up the one cam right here and make our way back out. Enough excitement for one day. I set up the cam site while caddisgirl does security. Hang the cam, set the waypoint in my inReach and iHunter... name it "F'ing bear cam" and off we went.
Not sure what all happened there. Most bears are wusses, but you get the odd one that is indifferent, dumb, etc. I can't say if that bear actually wanted to chew on us or if it was just one of those indifferent/ballsy/dumb bears that happened to big moseying our way. My BS meter was through the roof right from the get go, but then again, it's easy to be paranoid and assume the worst when you know all you can do is bluff hard with only some spicy seasoning to back it up.
How would you have reacted?
Wonder if this will cam will get chewed up:
https://i.imgur.com/V3nvmZ0.png
So we've been scouting new areas for BT the last few weeks and hanging a few cams. caddisgirl wakes me up a bit early, she's all ready to go, eager to get moving before it gets hot out as we're in for a bit of a hike. Yeah that's probably a good idea.
Shotgun is leaning up again the tire. I'd brought it as we'd been seeing a fair bit of snowshoe hare around and they're open. She wasn't sure if I wanted to bring it on the hike. Thought hmm, wonder if I should throw a couple slugs in the tube just in case something weird goes down. Nawww, I don't want to carry that bigass thing, probably gonna be thick and steep with some scrambles, plus I'm already carrying fairly heavy pack with salt and cams. Let's leave it. As I tuck the shotgun away out of sight, I make a joke this is going to be one of those odd times we have an abnormal bear run-in go south.
Off we go on our hike. Still groggy and going from sleeping to hiking in 10 minutes, cardio isn't liking this early up hill stuff, but I start seeing quite a few deer tracks and start to pick up. I tell caddigirl, I think we're gonna see a deer today. Sure enough couple minutes later, a doe bounces off. Cool! That's what we're looking for.
We go through some waist high vegetation and devils club to get to a less steep slope... lesser evil than actual climbing. I'm thinking this is the kind of place we might actually trip over a bear as it has happened before. Nope, we get all through that, poke through into open timber and start climbing up one bench to the next. Each one with good cut out trails, deer tracks, beds in flat spots and such. Yesssss! We're standing there talking about all sign, pointing out all the trails and intersections we can see, far and close. I hear a snap from above, our 10 o'clock a ways out.
Didn't think too much of it. We're making all sorts of noise. Probably spooked something with all our chatter. Maybe a deer? We often spook bears in the timber while we're hiking around doing cam stuff and you hear the crashing away through the timber a good ways.
We sit down to take a break. After some more chatting about whether we should set a cam here, we'll explore further. Hang the 2 cams on the way down instead of up so we'll know all our options, as much as I'd like to unload some salt (yeah I know it's late in the year for this, but they'll still hit it into next spring/summer) Still talking, caddisgirl hears a snap, I didn't hear. Hmm, that's funny. Where abouts? I heard one earlier and point to where it came from. Yep, same thing she says.
Now I'm keeping my eye on that direction as we're talking. I see the bear pop up about 30 yards away, up hill, 10'clock. Point it out to caddisgirl. Alright what is this thing doing? It's doing the zig zag mosey, 5 yards one way, 5 yards the other putting us right in the middle of the zig zag path. It's sniffing at random stuff, like the top of a fern, the bark of a tree, ground, air. Our scent is heading up in the 2 o'clock direction. Could just be a bear doing bear things, but I'm getting suspicious, like we've been pretty darn loud this whole time, the mosey zig-zag indirect approach seems intentional and the sniffing at things seems like BS to me. It's maybe 20 yards now.
I stand up, bear spray ready to rip, caddisgirl follows, both shouting now ... "Hey Bear!" ... quick look from the bear, back to mosey zig zag toward us, "HEY BEAR!", nothing, "HEY! GET OUTTA HERE" ... bear pauses at 15 yards facing square at us as we're yelling our lungs out. F*** this... I see a few dead branches a few yards in front of me and decide to give the bear a false charge and finish by jumping on that pile of sticks all the while yelling, failing that I'm closing the gap a few more yards peppering him up with a good half canister.
False charge, crash through the sticks, probably 3 or 4 near simultaneous cracks with dry 2-3 inch branches breaking. It was good and loud. Bear scampers to my 10 o'clock to my 2 o'clock which is down wind and faces off again. Gave another false charge and he scampers (moving with purpose but not full tilt) 20 or 30 yards away, then walks off into the distance)
me: "Well that sure was.... something"
caddisgirl: "Is that what you call it"
me: "For lack of a better term?"
We decide we'll just set up the one cam right here and make our way back out. Enough excitement for one day. I set up the cam site while caddisgirl does security. Hang the cam, set the waypoint in my inReach and iHunter... name it "F'ing bear cam" and off we went.
Not sure what all happened there. Most bears are wusses, but you get the odd one that is indifferent, dumb, etc. I can't say if that bear actually wanted to chew on us or if it was just one of those indifferent/ballsy/dumb bears that happened to big moseying our way. My BS meter was through the roof right from the get go, but then again, it's easy to be paranoid and assume the worst when you know all you can do is bluff hard with only some spicy seasoning to back it up.
How would you have reacted?
Wonder if this will cam will get chewed up:
https://i.imgur.com/V3nvmZ0.png