Being charged by a wounded black bear

[huntingaddiction]

In WA most of us don't get to bear hunt until August every year. In the 7 year I have hunted bears, they have quickly become my second favorite animal to hunt, right behind elk. Last year, I got put in a situation that was, um, let's say not ideal.

Opening morning I found myself sitting on a glassing knob overlooking a clear-cut my buddy was hunting. He was about 800 yards away. I saw a bear in a cut behind him and it wasn't long before he was setting up for a shot. He rolled the bear first shot. I couldn't see much after that but my buddy decided to wait for me. About 5 miles of logging roads and an hour and a half later I make it there.

He explains what happened and we go looking for the bear. 6 hours after the shot we have lost blood and find ourselves in the creek bottom just hoping to find some blood in the thick brush.

As I am working my way through the bottom, I notice some torn up ground. I walk over and find blood in the moss. Still wet, so I yell to my buddy that I have found blood. I heard something behind me and turn around to a wounded black bear charging at about 15 feet.

Somehow I got safety off and gun to my hip as I shot the bear in the chest at about 2 feet. Then quickly followed up with one to the head. I honestly can't think of a time when I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Looking back it was funny, but I was a little wigged out and the pack out was exhausting.

 

[Ntuttle15]

Any pictures of the aftermath? That's a crazy story! Never had a run in like that..

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[GetWestern]

Crazy story for sure, what side arm and caliber did you use ?

 

[huntingaddiction]

Crazy story for sure, what side arm and caliber did you use ?

Actually got her with my rifle...I'm still not sure how to this day. Had a .40 on my hip, just happened to have my rifle in my hands.

 

[huntingaddiction]

You can see from the pictures she had burrowed herself in under the tree roots and the one with my rifle in it is the ground that was torn up. Didn't take a ton of pictures due to my state of mind at the time.

 

[Ntuttle15]

You can see from the pictures she had burrowed herself in under the tree roots and the one with my rifle in it is the ground that was torn up. Didn't take a ton of pictures due to my state of mind at the time.

Thats really incredible actually. Thanks for sharing that story and pictures!

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[jaslam]

Thanks for sharing. Definitely a very close call.

 

[castnblast44]

This story makes me re-think the times I've crawled around and through the bushes on my hands and knees looking for blood/sign while tracking a wounded bear.

 

[MallardSX2]

Wounded bears are dangerous.

I had a similar experience in SE AK.

The woods was pretty dark and I was pretty nervous the entire time.

 

[Packin_packout]

Same experience. Medicine bow 3 years back. crawled up under a the canopy of a low spruce and I did not realize it was there until it came out running at me. Will definitely get your heart rate going. Scope set low mag when stalking wounded critters..in your hands ready to go.

They seem to go for the nastiest darkest hole they can find ( I cannot blame them ).

Pigs are about as bad...crawling around in thorn tunnels trying to find a wounded one is all fun...use a revolver for that...semi's will stove pipe if you don't have a solid position.

 

[rclouse79]

My experience last year wasn’t quite as exciting as yours, but I had to take a follow up shot at my bear who was standing and looking at me inside 40 yards. The fact I was by myself increased the pucker factor by a factor of four. Bear is the one animal I don’t love hunting alone.

 

[madcalfe]

definitely a shitty feeling tracking a bear through thick stuff.
I shot a bear and it ran off a logging road through 20ft high willows
then it started to pour rain so bad it was bouncing off the ground
lol so not only couldn't i see no more than 3ft in front of me it was raining so bad and there happen to be a raging stream running through a culvert right where it went in so couldn't hear anything either.
lucky he was piled up 40ft off the road.

 

[black dawg]

Had one a couple years ago, about the same sized bear, stepped on her in super thick brush in the dark. Luckily she took off the other way (as did I)

 

[huntingaddiction]

My experience last year wasn’t quite as exciting as yours, but I had to take a follow up shot at my bear, who was standing and looking at me inside 40 yards. The fact I was by myself increased the pucker factor by a factor of four. Bear is the one animal I don’t love hunting alone.

Every time I am by myself something goes wrong...luckily my buddy will be there within the hour if I call.

 

[rclouse79]

Every time I am by myself something goes wrong...luckily my buddy will be there within the hour if I call.

I was on the phone with my bear hunting buddy when I was at the location of the first shot and I saw willows thrashing back and forth below me. I almost pulled back, but hated the idea of leaving him overnight.

 

[FortuneTeller]

Love the stories!

The first bear I killed was in Canada, shot him in the spine and walked up while he was crawling around in the middle of a logged area, alone. I was using my dad's semi - had little experience with the gun. I raised my rifle to finish him off and realized the gun was jammed.... Needless to say I got the hell outta there!

 

[crossone]

Cool pictures and story! Thanks for sharing!

 

[lyle_destroys]

That's awesome! Good reflexes, an experience many people don't ever get a chance to have. I had a big sow with cubs bluff charge me to about 10 yards once.
On another note, what cartridge and bullet was your buddy using??

 

[DersOnFire]

In WA most of us don't get to bear hunt until August every year. In the 7 year I have hunted bears, they have quickly become my second favorite animal to hunt, right behind elk. Last year, I got put in a situation that was, um, let's say not ideal.

Opening morning I found myself sitting on a glassing knob overlooking a clear-cut my buddy was hunting. He was about 800 yards away. I saw a bear in a cut behind him and it wasn't long before he was setting up for a shot. He rolled the bear first shot. I couldn't see much after that but my buddy decided to wait for me. About 5 miles of logging roads and an hour and a half later I make it there.

He explains what happened and we go looking for the bear. 6 hours after the shot we have lost blood and find ourselves in the creek bottom just hoping to find some blood in the thick brush.

As I am working my way through the bottom, I notice some torn up ground. I walk over and find blood in the moss. Still wet, so I yell to my buddy that I have found blood. I heard something behind me and turn around to a wounded black bear charging at about 15 feet.

Somehow I got safety off and gun to my hip as I shot the bear in the chest at about 2 feet. Then quickly followed up with one to the head. I honestly can't think of a time when I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Looking back it was funny, but I was a little wigged out and the pack out was exhausting.

Awesome story, glad it all worked out!

 

[sndmn11]

Actually got her with my rifle...I'm still not sure how to this day. Had a .40 on my hip, just happened to have my rifle in my hands.

Whose tag went on the bear?