Bear encounters while fishing

[Hook_Jaw]

Had numerous close bear encounters the last few years while fishing. Saturday was only 7-8 feet from one in the bushes it didnt hear me coming I thought it would be a deer when it came out scared the hell out of both of us was to close for me was praying there were not little ones around. Just curious to hear about if you have had close calls with bears

 

[Swattie87]

Came across one at about 30 feet in northern Lebanon County. I was walking upstream in a small stream and it looked like he/she was crossing the stream. We saw each other at about the same time and the bear immediately turned around (back in the direction it was coming from) and bounded away. I did the same as I was close to my planned stopping point anyway and I wasn't sure if there were any little guys around.

 

[afishinado]

Here's two bear stories I posted a while back:


A few years back I made a trip to Hickory Run Park to fish Mud Run off organized camp area road. I parked all the way at end of the area next to the gate, suited up and began walking down the trail to the stream. There are dense laurels along the trail, and I heard rustling in the bushes not too far in. I peered into the bush the to see if I could spot anything as I continued walking. When the brush thinned a bit I spotted a good sized bear about 20 yards away walking parallel to the trail. I stopped and he stopped. We studied each other for about a minute.

I’ve seen quite a few bear in the woods and found them to be extremely wary. My experience has been that they run the other way with your slightest movement or when they catch just a hint of your scent. This bear had no fear at all.

We walked “together” for quite a distance. Just to see what would happen, I yelled to see if the bear would react, he just stood there peering at me. I picked up a stick and hit it against a tree; again he had no reaction. I thought to myself that bear is going to be trouble for the campers in the area.

Eventually I lost sight of the bear when I arrived at the stream, and my thoughts shifted to trout. A few weeks later I read of a bear mauling a camper in that very spot in the park. I wasn’t surprised. That bear completely lost his fear of people and I would bet it was the same bear that attacked a camper in his tent.



Another time I was bow hunting at my cabin in Wyoming County on Forkston Mountain. It was a real windy night. I woke up early, as usual, and the wind was still howling. I geared up, and began walking on the trail behind my cabin to my treestand.

It was a moonlit night, and I decided not to use my flashlight because it ruins your night vision and I’ve found you can actually see better in the semidarkness without one.

Up ahead in the middle of my trail I spotted what I thought was a root ball from a blowdown resulting from the high winds. As I walked up to the blowdown it absolutely exploded in the darkness. The blowdown was actually a bear, feeding or lying in the middle of the trail with his back to me. My first reaction was to raise my bow and put in between me and the creature. I was so close I could actually feel the bear hit the stabilizer on my bow as he bolted.

I later surmised that the wind masked my sound and scent, and the bear had no idea I had come up on him. I’m not sure which of us was more scared. “My heart was in my throat” doesn’t even come close to describe literally walking right into a bear in the darkness.

 

[LehighRegular]

Fishing Penns one summer and I was up in Rainbow Riff, working my way up stream on the left side (Mtn side) and had a bear come across the flood plain and into the grass along the stream. He/she was the stream width away from me. She/he stood up on two legs, gave me a sniff and walked back into the woods. 10 minutes later i saw the bear swimming across the stream down in the flat pool.

Came closer to a grizz in Alaska, but that is an entirely different ball game.

 

[pete41]

Walked right up on a grizzly sitting on the banks of the yellowstone in Paradise valley-somehow my .38 suddenly seemed puny-fortunately I didn't quite get into its discomfort zone.It just watched me go by with bored indifference.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

My encounter a couple years ago was somewhat similar to that saw a bear below Coburn 2 times in he same day coming back up fishing it saw me in the clear stood up on its back legs I just walked out around out of sight it never moved from the spot

 

[GreenWeenie]

One time I was walking back to my car after dark and I was approaching the back of my car from the passenger side. Simultaneously a black bear was walking along the driver’s side of my car towards the truck but neither of us knew the other one was there. We both met at the trunk about 5 feet apart – me on the passenger side and the bear on the driver’s side. Quite surprisingly it happened so fast and unexpected that I didn’t get scared right away and simply took a few steps backwards and the bear just turned his head and kept walking.

About 10 seconds later I realized I was lucky the bear just decided to leave me alone. If I’m in bear country after dark I now make noise.

 

[bjb27_99]

While we're on the bear topic, what are good items of protection other than a gun - my wife is extremely liberal and hates guns, so a .50 caliber is out of the question

Would mace or pepper spray be a deterrent? Any others? I have run into bears while camping near the streams that I fish (mostly Hickory Run), but never ran into one on the stream. When I'm fishing these areas, however, the thought of a bear encounter definitely crosses my mind quite frequently and makes it difficult to completely relax and enjoy the fishing.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Every year I come closer to bears and also see more. I take nothing for protection figured if its my time its my time. It may be a dumb way to look at it but I also fish in hard thunderstorms lol

 

[JackM]

I have considered taking the following items while in bear country: a boat signal horn, pepper spray, firecrackers.

Most bears are ready to be afraid and run. Now, if you get yourself between a protective female and cubs, first try to clamly back out of that situation so the mother can have direct access to her cubs. Then, if you want to stand your ground or if mommy gets aggressive, light a pack of firecrackers or blow your horn. The pepper spray would be only for a very close encounter or bluff-charge.

All advice I've ever read, with regard to black bears, is the NEVER turn tail and run. Something tells me, even among us that know that, we will probably want to do that very badly. This is why I always have a change of underwear in the vehicle.

 

[wildtrout24]

I was fishing the green drake hatch one evening on Fishing Creek in the narrow's section a few years back. I hear something coming down the far hillside through the heavy brush......those of you fimiliar with the stream i was just up from the bridge that crosses entering the narrows and that mountainside is really steep. All of a sudden out of the brush appears a pretty large black bear that wanted to cross the stream right where i was fishing. As it put its front paws into the creek i shouted at it and the thing stopped and kinda looked around , i really think it never saw me.....it backed up onto the bank again and just looked at me....i had a camera with me so i eased it out and took a quick picture.....as soon as the flash went off that bear when crashing up through the brush and straight up the hillside. All my experiences have been with very skitterish bears.

 

[rrt]

Never that close! Of my encounters with bears, the only one where I was uncomfortable was when one came out into the creek on the same rock where I entered the creek. He was a large animal, raised his head sniffing the air in an apparent effort to locate me -- I was 40 or 45 yards upstream. I was glad when he slowly turned around and went back where he came from.

 

[buffalo]

I have seen a few while fishing Penn’s but none really close or confrontational. On Clarks a few years back I had a ’change your underwear’ moment. It was late summer in the special regs section and I was in the middle of the creek intent on midges. I look up and on the bank above me (less than 10’ away) stood a mature black bear. All I could do was try to avoid eye contact and not look threating (or good to eat). It was standing on its back legs trying to figure out what I was. Although it was probably less than 30 seconds until it decided it would cross the creek up stream it seemed like a lifetime ‘cause there was no way I would have been able to do anything. I caught a lot of grief the last time I posted this ‘cause I said I don’t go to Clark’s without a sidearm …. I still carry anytime I go there.
Buffalo

 

[martin0206]

I've never had any close encounters on the stream only from a distance but I am heading to Yellowstone Friday morning so I hope I don't bring back any bear stories there. I want to fish in some of the meadows and apparantly they are frequented by bears. I did just get bear spray at Cabelas but it ran $40!...for freaking bear spray. Rather have at least some line of defense.

 

[JackM]

Grizzly are a whole 'nuther story. For those, you play dead-- and say a quick prayer.

 

[pete41]

or climb a tree-smart hikers in serious griz country always kept one eye on the nearest one.

 

[JackM]

Really, Grizzlies can't climb? I never knew that. For the black bears, they do not recommend climbing away.

 

[troutwilleatflies]

There is a bear spray repellent on the market,don't know what it is called but I heard it mentioned on some fishing programs in Alaska.
Most black bear would rather leave your presence when you encounter them,but there is that .05% that might want you for a snack so it pays to be carefull.

 

[butch645xzm]

Thought you might enjoy....

 

[Coughlin]

Was in Yellowstone last August. The Rangers hand out a map of the park and in the center is a red circle, which is the area reserved for the bears! We saw a couple in the park but not while fishing, though we were in a few places that had me talking very loudly to myslef.
Coughlin