Bear sounds like a dog?

[rollingrock]

I have never been real close to a bear, so I have no idea how a bear sounds like when you both stares in into each other's eyes. But a friend told me that sounded more like a big dog's roar?

[johnes50]

I have never been real close to a bear, so I have no idea how a bear sounds like when you both stares in into each other's eyes. But a friend told me that sounded more like a big dog's roar?


Black bears don't usually make a lot of vocalization when they're alone. You might hear them huff and puff a little if they're tearing up a log or stump, but that's about it. I listened to one last year that sounded like he was a one man wrecking crew tearing up the bush. Huffing and puffing. I never saw him, but It was strange being in the bush all alone listening to the power of that bear. My little .243 felt like a pea-shooter in my hands.


I never had one roar at me and I've been pretty close to a few. If you have one huffing and puffing at you and chomping their jaws, then your way to close and he's giving you a warning. You better take the safety off your rifle real quick and back off a little, cause bad things can happen pretty quick. Mostly nothing will happen and they'll leave, but you never know if it's a Momma with cubs or if the bear is having a bad day.

And when your staring into each other's eyes don't kiss them on the nose. They hate that.:grin: John

[Barracuda]

I have been close enough for them to woof or huff . i have heard them snuffle and i have even heard them make a whineing sound but i have never heard one roar .

[Dayto]

When I got charged by a blackie it let out a few big barks that did sound like a dog , So I let out a even bigger bark that sounded like a Winchester 1300.. lol..

But ya If you get one pissed off enuf they do Huff and Bark .

[Foxer]

I've heard them huff once, but never bark. (black bears that is). I think most of the time when they're 'acting tough' that's their way of saying they don't WANT a fight, and if you're willing to leave that'd be ok by them, but they're not afraid to go at it if they have to. That whole macho slapping the ground teeth popping thing isn't agressive behaviour apperently, but rather fear and apprenention (which CAN become violent i guess, but isn't itself a sign of their desire to attack). If you leave, they're just as happy to see you go.

Note - all bears are different and no one can say 'this behavior ALWAYS means 'x'. If your gut tells you you're in trouble - deal with it with whatever you have available.

The ones you have to worry about the most are the silent ones who're trying to sneak up on you :)

When they're really pissed i'm told they make a kind of pulsing 'drum like' warbly sound. I've heard it on tape, but thankfully never in the wild.

[rollingrock]

last week I went alone to check a spot out. I saw a lot of deer tracks on the side of road, fresh. And I saw fresh cougar tracks too, quite a big one. But what most bothers me is a track that does look like a bear, but not a big one though. So I sat down and waited. When it was about to get dark, somewhere behind me in a small grown slash I heard something like a huff which sounded like a pissed dog. But cuz the bush is so thick, I chose to stay motionless and kept my eyes on that spot. Nothing moved.

There had been birds singing everywhere, but all of sudden it just got dead quiet. I knew something was in there. So I waited for another hour, still didn't see anything coming out. It was getting really dark and quiet, so I decided to head back to my truck slowly and quietly with my guns safety on.

After I got back home, I talked to my neighbour who had hunted all his life until he got really sick. He told me it might be anything and a bear could make a sound like that too. He said what I did was right, just stay put and keep watching closely cuz that thing was also scared too. :)

[Iron-Head]

I was just at the top of my road this morning at 5:30am for the first bus and I started hearing cracking twigs and such, when all of a sudden this little black face pokes out of the tall grass on the side of the road......Then not 10 seconds later another little black face...:frown: It was 2 bear cubs and when a big truck went by the cubs bolted up a tree and the mom came and had a looksi of what made her cubs bolt and when she saw me on the other side of the road (about 30' away) she let out a few "Huffs".
I find the closest comparison is if you blow out hard so that it makes a whispey sound. The other thing that a sow with cubs or a boar that has been spooked will do is chatter there teeth and that is a very scary sound when all by yourself.
There is a resident bear on chapman creek and he is a very old cinnamon boar with a slightly distorted face from fighting...Anyways I was walking back from my "secret hole":wink: when I saw him on the trail ahead and he had an old chum carcass that he was munching on. But when he saw me he had no intentions of letting me pass so I had to do my best to get away with him turning on me...... With no succes of getting by him I ended up having to cross the river (thank god for the low water) and then passed him on the other side of the river. Heres the interesting part, When my friend Jim and I where driving back up to the highway that same bear was standing on the road and when we got close to him and stopped he started to role his shoulders and chatter his teeth so loud that we could almost hear it in the van with the windows up. Talk about feeling singled out, Two encounters with a moody bear in one day was enough for me.!
Sorry for the long post, Symon.

[rollingrock]

I was just at the top of my road this morning at 5:30am for the first bus and I started hearing cracking twigs and such, when all of a sudden this little black face pokes out of the tall grass on the side of the road......Then not 10 seconds later another little black face...:frown: It was 2 bear cubs and when a big truck went by the cubs bolted up a tree and the mom came and had a looksi of what made her cubs bolt and when she saw me on the other side of the road (about 30' away) she let out a few "Huffs".
I find the closest comparison is if you blow out hard so that it makes a whispey sound. The other thing that a sow with cubs or a boar that has been spooked will do is chatter there teeth and that is a very scary sound when all by yourself.
There is a resident bear on chapman creek and he is a very old cinnamon boar with a slightly distorted face from fighting...Anyways I was walking back from my "secret hole":wink: when I saw him on the trail ahead and he had an old chum carcass that he was munching on. But when he saw me he had no intentions of letting me pass so I had to do my best to get away with him turning on me...... With no succes of getting by him I ended up having to cross the river (thank god for the low water) and then passed him on the other side of the river. Heres the interesting part, When my friend Jim and I where driving back up to the highway that same bear was standing on the road and when we got close to him and stopped he started to role his shoulders and chatter his teeth so loud that we could almost hear it in the van with the windows up. Talk about feeling singled out, Two encounters with a moody bear in one day was enough for me.!
Sorry for the long post, Symon.

Sounds like bears in your area are like fish in a barrel!:shock:

[Iron-Head]

Lol theres no bears here....Right Elkhound:wink:, At least none worth shootin.!
Symon

[000buck]

the bear in the great bear no gun post tolerated approching to within about 15 to 20 feet. The sounds he started to make at that point were more like a hard pant, I took 6 photo's before he turned to walk away and it almost sounded like a growel very low gutteral rumble, at which point you guys would have to do with the pics i got.

[ryanb]

I had a bear hiss at me once, sounded just like a cat...He was bouncing up and down on a log like an angry chimpanzee, This was right before he charged at me.

Heard a sow woofing at me and popping the teeth plenty of times.

[Silent Wolf]

I have been 5 feet away from didn't know he was in a bush:roll: It made a rrrrruuuuuffff, plus I have had one snap its teeth.


But when you hit one with a bullet, man oh man sounds like Chewee but louder and meaner:eek:

[Elkhound]

Lol theres no bears here....Right Elkhound:wink:, At least none worth shootin.!
Symon

Nope, no bears here.......nothing to see here, move along:wink:

But same for me......heard lots of huffing and puffing......jaws snapping and popping. Especially with cubs around......the only roar I have ever heard was last weekend when MooseSpotter shot that big boy. Now thats a sound:shock:

[johnes50]

[QUOTE=Elkhound]Nope, no bears here.......nothing to see here, move along:wink:

Yea, don't bother coming to the Island to hunt bear, there's none left here either, the wolves and cougars got em all.:wink:

[BOOMSTICK]

If you've ever heard the snarl of a pissed off Grizzly, that is something else! Sure makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up!

[Hunter's Dad]

Bears make a variety of noises. A black's "roar" is more of a whine than a roar. They also whoof more of a flushing attempt. They want you to go or they think something is there but can't put their paw on it. When they are truly pissed their bark sounds more like a clap or the sound of two rocks being struck together. If you ever want to hear their full range of noises go with someone who chases them with dogs. Oh yeh the roar on the old Walt Disney movies is pure Hollywood. That being said, I heard a Grizzly do a deep roar that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was shortly after my wife introduced it to two 180 grain .300 Weatherby pellets. With only two legs (on on side) the bear still went 200 yards. Bears are amazing creatures.

[Elkhound]

Oh yeh the roar on the old Walt Disney movies is pure Hollywood.

Than the bear we shot was vacationing from California and has watched too many movies. Cause he roared just like in the movies. Sounded like the Grizz in the movie "The Edge"

[CHilko21]

If you've ever heard the snarl of a pissed off Grizzly, that is something else! Sure makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up!

Amen to that. I've spent a lot of time in the Bella Coola Valley..you can't avoid them there. As for blackies, I've heard them huff and puff, I scared a young one once on my horse ( he scared us too!! He fell down a bank and onto the side of the road, we were all a little shocked:eek:). Never heard one snapping it's jaws though.

[Hunter's Dad]

If you ever want to have fun, find a dominant boar and if he's got a lady with or if he doesn't know you're there clap your hands together twices and make the woofing sound then watch. Be safe though. Their game of who are you and come out where I can measure you starts. Quite interesting.

I never meant the a black bear doesn't roar, I've only ever heard a high whine type sound. If you watch the old Walt movies they use what I believe is a lion's roar. Cool if your blackie roared it's a neat sound, that deep gutteral roar. I hope one day to hear it from a black bear.

[Elkhound]

I never meant the a black bear doesn't roar, I've only ever heard a high whine type sound. If you watch the old Walt movies they use what I believe is a lion's roar. Cool if your blackie roared it's a neat sound, that deep gutteral roar. I hope one day to hear it from a black bear.

Ahhhhh, gotcha. I reread your original post. Oooops. Know what you mean about the lions roar though. I would like to hear it again as well. As long as it's not the last thing I hear:wink:

[elkster]

[quote=Elkhound]Nope, no bears here.......nothing to see here, move along:wink:

Yea, don't bother coming to the Island to hunt bear, there's none left here either, the wolves and cougars got em all.:wink:
I agree, there's no bear left on the Island. The ones that are left have names tags on them. They don't huff or puff or whine, they whisper into the wind, johnes and elkster here we are, come and get us.:grin: :grin:

[OGGIE]

Hey Everyone,

Around '96 I was fishing in Roche Lake, near Kamloops. Made the mistake of not putting my pan water from hotdogs down the outhouse in the forestry site there, but in the bush next to my truck, the skeeters there were eatin' me alive! That night a big black bear came to visit. To cut a long detailed and hair raising story short, this bad boy saw movement in my canopy when I sat up to see what all the noise was and he stood up on two legs and I swear to you this thing barked like a dog and then let out a loud sharp roar that scared the livin, bejesus outta me. I had no gun, silly me. Now at the very least I ALWAYS carry my 30-30 Marlin.

Only takes once to learn! :redface:

[scoot]

Agree, one does not ofter hear a bear make much more than a grunt if anything at all. On the other hand though, I have herd bears make some wild sounds. One I spooked and was no more than 20 feet away, appeared to have just woke up from a loooong sleep, sounded like a whining letting out a grunt at the end of each breath. Another making almost a whistling noise with each breath, like a dog whining.

[xcaribooer]

One I will never forget happened when I was a kid. I was creek fishin near Big Bar lake with my buddy and his dad. Buddy and his dad were 50 yards up creek while I was fishing alone ,concentrating on trying to coax some little brookies from underneath a log jam. 30 years later I can still remember clearly the Huff Huff Huff sound right behind me.I didnt look back,my feet grew wings and I did the 50 yard dash up to my buddy in no time .So I would say it is a distinct sound not really like a dog ,much deeper than a dog could make.

[Walksalot]

They do let a short bark when a sow wants the cubs to scamper up a tree but I wouldn't describe ti like a dog's bark. Huffing, jaw popping, salivating and slapping the side of the tree are the sounds and actions I have seem the make and do. I usually don't stick around to see if they have any other vocalizations or actions as I like all my facial features and bone structure just the way they are.