THAT'S THE BEAR

[3RRL]

Thanks for sharing those great pictures. I wish mine turned out better. But getting up in the middle of the night during an emergency it's hard to find a good camera man.

I've been thinking a lot about this now, wondering if he's coming around the camp or not. Instead of waiting until Aug 18th, I've decided to go up this Tuesday to check on the camp. I need to pick up my wife and kid's 20 gage shotguns at the gun shop up there anyway. Not only that, I can also check out the progress on the log home. I'll bring Coco along for sure to keep me company for the one night I'll spend at camp.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Rob,

Great story!!! We don't have any bears around here, but there are starting to show up about a hundred miles south. They are very rare and from what I've read and heard on the news, there are probably less then a dozen of them, if that.

I tried to put myself in your position while reading your story and don't know if I would have done the same thing or not. I love the idea of letting him be and knowing that he's out there, but also hate the thought of him knowing your camp is a source of food and he will be back. Since your son is grown and your home is being built, the danger level is minimal.

I'm not a believer that animals attack for no reason. But once a bear becomes comfortable around people and considers a home his food source, he can become dangerous. Not that he'll attack, but that he might choose to run away in a direction that you or your family happen to be. He could be startled or just in a bad mood. It wouldn't have to be an attack, but just running away that could lead to problems.

You gave him his chance, but the next time he comes around, you have a problem animal that you need to take care of. Nobody else should ever know about how you do this, but like all problems, the sooner you deal with it, the better off you'll be.

My prefered method would be a 12 gauge with slugs. Nothing else will do as much damage up close with the same degree of acuracy. Leave the pistols behind. There isn't one out there that can compete with a rifle or a shotgun with slugs.

Eddie

 

[LMTC]

Ditto and ditto on what Eddie said. Even the most powerful handgun is very unlikely to do any quick damage. Classic story in Outdoor Life or similar mag in the 60s of a couple of new uneducated hunters who left their guide....they were found dead with handguns empty, all but one round I think hit the she-bear (who had a cub with her). Bear was found dead some distance away. Take the right tool(s) and eliminate the problem. My advice, and worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[3RRL]

Update:
When I got to camp on Tuesday night, the first thing I did was unhooked the chain leading into the campground. Then I checked my freshly smoothed road for any bear tracks leading down the road. I was hoping not to find anything, but sure enough, there were bear tracks leading down there. They looked like the same ones I had seen during our bear encounter, so I was betting the same bear came back after all.

I pulled into camp slowly, looking over everything before I got out of the jeep. I had my 11 year old son Wesley, his 14 yr old friend and Coco my dog with me. I got out and then let Coco out too. I told the kids to wait in the jeep until I found everything was clear. I went up to my tent and got my 357 mag and then searched the campsite for any sign of the bear. Fortunately, it was not there so I let the kids out and we unpacked. But I knew we all had to be on the lookout again that night.

 

[3RRL]

On the last visit, I had moved one of the game cameras to where it was about 25' away from the ATV tent the bear got into. There was still some bird seed in there so if he came back to get it, I would catch him on the camera.

Anyway, I went to recover the card from the camera and replaced it with another. Normally when Loretta comes up, she brings her laptop and we view the camera card that evening. Well, I did not have the laptop with me so I had to wait until I got home to see what the camera caught....adding more suspense for that evening.

We picked up the shotguns we bought and shot several hundred rounds of clays that day and Wes really liked his "Youth" over/under. He got pretty good with it during the next 2 days of practice.

 

[3RRL]

Anyway, that evening I kept alert not knowing what was on that game camera card. But as luck would have it, it was pretty quite. I did get up when Coco started huffing. She made about 5 or 6 loops around the campsite and then went back into her doghouse. So I went back to bed too. The next day was more of the same fun shooting clays with the kids, but every night we loaded the shotguns with slugs and kept them at our sides. That last night was quite too. Then we went home.

When I got home I uploaded the game camera pictures and these are what we got.







Looks like the same male cinnamon colored bear we saw in the tree. He is back visiting the camp when we are not there. The first photo is not too good since there was dew or something on the lens, but the others are more clear. It seems like he might recognize when we are there and stays away, especially with Coco patrolling the camp. I also left two hurricane lanterns burning in our fire pit. That way I could see better and it may also have deterred him a bit. So it looks like we might be able share that place after all...at least for now.
I'll keep you posted on future visits to the camp...see what happens. Bear season is right around the corner too.