Other bears at other hunting sites Black bears have become very widespread across much of the United States.
trunks. “Go ahead, climb the ladder, and settle in while I repack and drive away.” Soon the ATV engine roared to life, and Todd motored back down the trail and toward the distant logging road that snaked through dark northern forests. Odd thing was that the ATV had
just faded out of sight when a small cinnamon-colored black bear emerged from the brush less than 20 yards away from me. That bear obviously had lurked and watched us replenish the bait site. This was the fi rst of nearly two dozen bears that I’d see coming to bait – or pausing to stare – during the next 14 hours on that stand. In fact, I’d been in the stand for
about an hour when I heard rustling. Suddenly, I saw movement through the cracks between the wooden treestand’s board platform under my feet. In a sec- ond, a 250-pound black bear was at the base of the ladder – and now looking up. During the next second, that bruin began climbing, and before I could stand up, he was at the top of the ladder and climbing onto the platform with me. I thought about swinging my rifl e with the stock for a thick club, but decided I needed to control the muzzle and keep it near the bear if things turned too wild. Now, the determined bear had a front leg on the platform as he looked up at me, showed a mouth full of sharp teeth, and hissed with a deep guttural growl. I was in trouble. I swung the rifl e and its attached
Harris bipod with brutal force. The forceful blow knocked the bear off the ladder, and the metallic clang of the bipod and barrel colliding on the side
Page 82 October — December 2011
of the bear’s head was so loud that a couple of other nearby bears turned and ran away. The dislodged bear hit the ground with a thud, rolled to his feet, paused to look up, and then he made two leaps. Now, he was at the base of a thick tree trunk that was an arm’s length away from me. A microsecond later that bear was up the tree trunk and just beside the stand where I perched. As the 250-pound black bear looked for a place to leap and land on the platform, I forcefully jabbed him with my Model 70 Winchester rifl e as I loudly cursed (OK, screamed). I wondered: Should I pull the rifl e trigger, or wait for a big- ger bear?
Luckily, this very determined
bear decided to live and slowly slid down the tree’s trunk. Nearly an hour passed before my heart rate returned to normal, but when I saw any bear after that incident, I re-checked the safety and gripped the rifl e stock tightly. Those were not the only close
encounters I’ve had with black bears while hunting them. A black bear sow – who had run her frightened cubs up a nearby tree – climbed a ladder stand in Saskatchewan a few seasons prior and nearly grabbed me by the leg with her teeth. I had already leapt onto the stand’s seat and had nowhere else to go. I jabbed that beast directly between the eyes with my rifl e muzzle as forcefully as I could, and she reluctantly retreated. About an hour later, a big boar that I had shot there suddenly roared to life and tried to climb a tree beside my stand. A second round put him down and stopped his dangerous climb.
also have tried to climb up the tree I was in and make a meal of me. No mat- ter how motionless you remain, how scent-free you are, or how carefully you conceal yourself, bears can recognize treestands and instantly note when someone or something is up there. The wooden ladder treestand and platform I mentioned in Alberta had numerous claw marks on the wood. Apparently some local bears used it as a look-out post. Recently, a photograph that made the rounds on the Internet showed a big black bear sitting in someone’s hang-on treestand. Being high in a treestand does not mean you are safe. Stay alert! WHERE THE VARMINTS DWELL Black bears are common in north-
ern California, widespread in the New England states, and prowling in the Carolinas. In fact, North Carolina has two black bear populations: an eastern (larger in number and size) and a west- ern population. The eastern population has more access to agricultural crops and 600-pound bears are not uncom- mon in the New Bern area. During the late 1980s, an 805-pound black bear was taken in coastal Craven County. Unfor- tunately, in North Carolina black bear hunters must pay fl uctuating fees based on where the buyer resides. This ranges from more than $225 for a resident from Tennessee to $175 for a resident of Virginia. Like all purchases of hunting licenses for popular huntable species, you should search for hidden require- ments for purchases of additional hunt- ing licenses, public lands access permits, and habitat stamps. Be certain that you are a legal hunter. Most bear hunting licenses are still cheaper than deer or elk hunting licenses. Black bear populations are also ex-
panding in Florida, may have possibly moved into northern Texas, and have become open to hunting (accompanied by great controversy) in New Jersey and other states in recent times. While most black bear hunts are held during the fall, some states like Montana, Idaho, and Alaska also permit spring black bear hunts. I was on a spring bear hunt when I clubbed that Alberta bruin. Several Canadian provinces now host spring bear hunters. BORES AND BEARS
While hunting camps are full of bear hunting tales and hunters who
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