Well that got the ticker pumping!
Just took the dog out for a pee before hitting the sack. I just started putting her on the leash first thing in the morning and after dark, after we opened the door the other morning first thing to take her out to be greeted by a big frigging bear standing over the bird feeder 20’ away at the pine tree off the deck. She took off like a shot chasing the bear into the woods and thankfully never caught it.
We walked right past the pine, within feet, and I had checked to make sure the bird feeder was still up (my ******* raccoon & bear detector). I waited while the hound did her business and then we both started back to the nest. Suddenly the dog runs to the end of the leash toward the pine tree, barking like a maniac. I can hear a hissing sound and scratching on the bark. The porch light just reaches the base of the tree before fading to black. I live out in the sticks and it is dark at night, especially overcast nights like tonight.
I assume it’s just a **** looking for a late night snack of black oil sunflower seeds, so the dog and I head towards the pine to tree it. All of a sudden I am seeing what the dog sees… a bear standing with 2 feet on the ground and 2 feet in the tree, hissing like a pissed off ****… and a bigger bear on the ground behind the tree that start’s huffing! The dog is going more bezerk by the second, both bears are making weird noises, and I am hollering, “Get the F@*! out of hear! Do you want to get shot!”
I manage to get the dog up on the deck and in the house. I grab the flashlight from beside the door and back out on the deck to try and see what the hell is going on. I can hear one bear up in the pine, 20’ away, and the other one is pacing back and forth behind the tree huffing and puffing and popping its jaw. I stomped on the deck, beat on the railing and yelled at them to “GET OUT OF HERE!” but the one on the ground wasn’t going anywhere without its compadre in the tree.
After I came back in the adrenaline started to subside and I am kind of freaked out. I have seen a ton of bears, both here and out west. But that is as by far the closest and most unsettling (after the fact) encounter I have ever had. We were literally within swatting distance had either one been so inclined, both going out and coming back to pee the dog. I am very thankful that I had my dog on the leash, as I am sure she would have provoked an ‘attack’ as she is only a border collie but thinks she’s a lion. She is only about the size of the hind leg an hip of the big one she chased the other morning. Chasing them is one thing. Bringing one back pissed off, or provoking one up close is a whole other matter!
I have never hunted bear, as I am not a huge fan of the meat (taste is fine, psychological hang up over eating a bear), and wouldn’t shoot one just for the hide. But I am thinking I am going to start getting my tag. Buggers get into my garbage container a few times a year, they’ve destroyed countless bird feeders on me, ripped the door off my baby barn once, and are generally becoming a nuisance.
The other morning when my dog chased the bear, my neighbours across the street had a bear (I assume same one?) go through their electric fence after their 2 lambs and a goat, running them off. Luckily and amazingly they got all three back after three days… on the lamb.
I can hunt them right from my house, and Linnie will happily take the meat as he really likes it but doesn’t hunt them either.
I know I am usually long winded at the best of times, but that close encounter got me stirred up. I was exhausted when I took the dog out, but I don’t think I will be nodding off anytime soon after that. Exhilarating to say the least! Glad my dog never got her block knocked off!
Frigging bears!
Just took the dog out for a pee before hitting the sack. I just started putting her on the leash first thing in the morning and after dark, after we opened the door the other morning first thing to take her out to be greeted by a big frigging bear standing over the bird feeder 20’ away at the pine tree off the deck. She took off like a shot chasing the bear into the woods and thankfully never caught it.
We walked right past the pine, within feet, and I had checked to make sure the bird feeder was still up (my ******* raccoon & bear detector). I waited while the hound did her business and then we both started back to the nest. Suddenly the dog runs to the end of the leash toward the pine tree, barking like a maniac. I can hear a hissing sound and scratching on the bark. The porch light just reaches the base of the tree before fading to black. I live out in the sticks and it is dark at night, especially overcast nights like tonight.
I assume it’s just a **** looking for a late night snack of black oil sunflower seeds, so the dog and I head towards the pine to tree it. All of a sudden I am seeing what the dog sees… a bear standing with 2 feet on the ground and 2 feet in the tree, hissing like a pissed off ****… and a bigger bear on the ground behind the tree that start’s huffing! The dog is going more bezerk by the second, both bears are making weird noises, and I am hollering, “Get the F@*! out of hear! Do you want to get shot!”
I manage to get the dog up on the deck and in the house. I grab the flashlight from beside the door and back out on the deck to try and see what the hell is going on. I can hear one bear up in the pine, 20’ away, and the other one is pacing back and forth behind the tree huffing and puffing and popping its jaw. I stomped on the deck, beat on the railing and yelled at them to “GET OUT OF HERE!” but the one on the ground wasn’t going anywhere without its compadre in the tree.
After I came back in the adrenaline started to subside and I am kind of freaked out. I have seen a ton of bears, both here and out west. But that is as by far the closest and most unsettling (after the fact) encounter I have ever had. We were literally within swatting distance had either one been so inclined, both going out and coming back to pee the dog. I am very thankful that I had my dog on the leash, as I am sure she would have provoked an ‘attack’ as she is only a border collie but thinks she’s a lion. She is only about the size of the hind leg an hip of the big one she chased the other morning. Chasing them is one thing. Bringing one back pissed off, or provoking one up close is a whole other matter!
I have never hunted bear, as I am not a huge fan of the meat (taste is fine, psychological hang up over eating a bear), and wouldn’t shoot one just for the hide. But I am thinking I am going to start getting my tag. Buggers get into my garbage container a few times a year, they’ve destroyed countless bird feeders on me, ripped the door off my baby barn once, and are generally becoming a nuisance.
The other morning when my dog chased the bear, my neighbours across the street had a bear (I assume same one?) go through their electric fence after their 2 lambs and a goat, running them off. Luckily and amazingly they got all three back after three days… on the lamb.
I can hunt them right from my house, and Linnie will happily take the meat as he really likes it but doesn’t hunt them either.
I know I am usually long winded at the best of times, but that close encounter got me stirred up. I was exhausted when I took the dog out, but I don’t think I will be nodding off anytime soon after that. Exhilarating to say the least! Glad my dog never got her block knocked off!
Frigging bears!