I went out to the gamelands nearby on Monday night and noticed a big fresh pile of bear poo on the grassy access road near the corner of a field....maybe 150 yards from the parking lot. Then on Tuesday night as I was headed back to the parking lot in the dark, using a red headlamp, I heard a noise just off the side of the access road that passes through some super thick hemlock and pickers. I stopped and looked toward the noise in the dark....and saw a red dot, maybe 7 feet high...ish... I thought it was a reflective tack, but then it turned into two. I noticed right away that it definitely wasn't a deer because of the height....and the eyes were a little closer together. Then I saw another one about 2 feet off the ground. Whatever it was, was just 10 yards away from me in the cover. I stood still for a few seconds and then heard what I thought was popping teeth. I let out a soft "Whoa bear..." and it immediately charged me! It came within just a few feet of me, then headed away for a few yards, crashing like a herd of moose through the thick cover! I've never encountered a bear before, except from a car, and had no idea what to do....it was right on me in less than a second when it charged, and I knew it didn't run far. I just walked as quickly as I could to the parking lot, which was only 100 yards away, calling out "Hey bear.....Whoa bear....." all the way back.
Scared the heck outta me! I'm getting ready to head back out there now.....gonna carry two maglites and talk to myself all the way back to the truck tonight. So much for a discreet exit! I can't believe this season.....
![bigeyes00 [bigeyes00]](images/smiles/Wow.gif)