No! Bad Bear!

[Tucker301]

I was fishing and Mrs. T was planting some flowers in one of the beds out front. It was getting late and the mosquitoes were biting more than the fish were, so I decided to call it quits.
Mrs. T had her back to the yard and field behind the house, and she had her earbuds in a listening to one of her books.

As I crested the hill something caught my eye, and there was 400 pounds of shiny black bear looking at me. He was maybe 70 yards from us both.
There was some forestry burning somewhere nearby and even though he was downwind of us he seemed unaffected.

I tried to give her a "Psssst", but the book and the marigolds had her full attention, and she seemed to have the bear's.
After several failed attempts at subtlety, and I went and shouted, "HEY!".
She looked around at me and I pointed in the direction of Yogi. He now had her attention.

Since the bear wasn't budging and seemed largely unconcerned, I waved my hands and shouted at it. It took several steps towards us and stopped again.

I told her to go for the front door and I'd be right behind her. I had a key and she didn't.

She stayed on the porch and watched him while I grabbed the 22 from just inside the door.

He was still unafraid and generally seemed to just not give a fuck, so I put a Center-X by his head. Still nothing.
So, and I hate that I felt compelled to do this, I then popped one in his left ham, and he was off and running like he'd gotten the message.

Need to talk to her about getting zoned out with those earbuds and not doing a look around every now and then.

As far as size goes for around here, he was about half as big as the biggest males get. They killed a 768 pounder not a mile from the house last year.

 

[oneshot86]

where was your dog?

 

[1J04]

Can't say I blame ya a bit. Should be thankful it was a rimfire. I'd a chose a magnum, but that's just li'l ole me being li'l ole me. Neighbor walked into a 250-300 pounder in his barn. Chased it off eventually only to come back while his kids were playing in the yard a couple days later. Wouldn't leave so he gave it a mag of SKS love he had parked by the front door. He had already called Fish n Game and they told him if it's 'threatening' shoot it. So he did. Sausage.........

 

[myronman3]

That bear was looking at you two as food. Ya shoulda put that round into his lungs. On of the biggrst bears i know was killed with a 22lr. Similar scenario....and the 22 was all the had right there.
I like bears....but if they are stalking....and have no fear...they got to go.

 

[tnichols]

Not a thing wrong with what you did to solve the problem. Here we have "problems" in the evening mostly. Undesirable critters are serviced, while those that have a season get their ear pierced surgically with a 22LR. It stings a bit I'm sure, but passes on the communique that there are other places more inviting than our property. Quite frankly, I've grown weary of replacing desirable hardwoods and fruit bearing trees.

That bear will think twice next time his belly growls and he needs a snack. Perhaps your neighbors property will suffice...problem solved.

 

[Veer_G]

Well, y'all humans gentrified they 'hood, expect some friction, knowwhatI'msayin'?

 

[sirhrmechanic]

There was a guy here on SH a few years ago who killed a grizzly bear with an AK. It was attacking him... somewhere out West. And he saved himself and, IIRC, one other person. But he got massive blowback from the greenies and lefties (not here on SH) because I think the story made national news. And he was made out to be the bad guy. But the thread was both interesting... a bit graphic, too. But the individual had a great back-story on the incident and went into a lot of background that the ;Lyin; lefties on the news would never report. It was a thread worth following!

It's an old farmers tale, perhaps, but supposedly clapping a couple of rocks together scares bears off. Never tried it myself. I have a hard time clapping two rocks together while also holding a slug gun.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[BearNaked]

for a min, i thought this thread was about me. haha.

22 in the ass is a lot better than a slug to the head.

i wouldnt worry about that bear getting me though since they wouldnt want something covered in shit.

 

[pmclaine]

There was a guy here on SH a few years ago who killed a grizzly bear with an AK.....But he got massive blowback from the greenies and lefties

Cheers,

Sirhr

Its because the gun was Russian....

I remember that thread......that guy did an outstanding job at a point in time his asshole was undoubtedly capable of forming diamonds.

 

[Jerrrrstanley]

They are snooping around this end of VA too, Tucker. Two weeks ago I had one in the bed of my pickup parked 10 feet outside of my bedroom window. About a 300 pounder I would guess. I ran out yelling and sent one past his head, as you did, and he left. We found out the next day he ate the neighbors goat that night as well.
One week later my dog is throwing a fit again and I look out and he is in the back yard this time 25 feet from the house trying to get into my storage building where I keep my feed. He doesn't even care about the dog attempting to eat him. When the flashlight hit him he ran about 5 feet and stopped to look back and I went ahead and unloaded the pistol I was holding as he trotted off. It sounded like the dog ran him a good ways before I called her back.
I haven't seen him again and the dog hasn't alerted to anything the nights I have been home so hopefully he got the message or caught a ricochet... who knows.

 

[NovaHunter]

Our neighbors told us a black bear was seen in our area a couple weeks ago. Went outside one morning last week and a big bag of trash bad been dragged our of our trash can on the porch and into the yard.

Haven't actually seen him yet but have been keeping an eye out for sure

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[MtnCreek]

This is mating season for bears. They'll act a little stupid this time of year and young males get pushed into areas where they may not otherwise be. Black bears aren't typically a threat to man, imho. That said, I wouldn't want to walk up on a large one in thick laurels.

 

[NovaHunter]

Nope, me neither. I was nightwatch in my early college years out at a camp near Colorado Springs. Turned a corner near our kitchen during a round, and there was a black bear chewing on garbage. I was about 15 feet from him. Scared the bejeezus out of me. He came around nightly for weeks. Even broke into the kitchen and found our dry goods section. He loved the 25lb boxes of marshmellows we kept in there....

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[pmclaine]

25 lbs of marshmallow must be a big box. Was it Fluff.

 

[NovaHunter]

25 lbs of marshmallow must be a big box. Was it Fluff.

Don't remember the brand. But, yeah they were big boxes. 400 campers/staff could go through one quickly too

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[Woodlanddude]

I generally like Tucker's posts, but suggest that this was not as good a decision as it seems. A WOUNDED and now probably infected wounded bear very possibly becomes a people killer. Especially if its an over 400 pound beast. If your going to shoot a dangerous animal next time I'd suggest putting it down. If it kills the neighbor or the neighbor's kids down the road now.... how would everyone feel. Kill it and call it in or shoot and shovel up after sending any radio collar down the river in a ziplock. I do understand not wanting him in the back yard. In the moment I totally understand how you came to the decision you made.

Birdshot or snakeshot would not leave the animal wounded seriously and would definitely say go away.

 

[Tucker301]

I doubt that subsonic in the ass cheek will prove to be any trouble for him, but duly noted.

 

[ZiaHunter]

We have a cabin in the Sacramento Mountains in NM. I couple of years ago I was carrying trash down the road to the dumpster at the end of it. I walked up to the dumpster and was ready to throw the trash in when a sow stood up and looked at me from inside the dumpster not two feet away from me. Scared the crap out of me. She looked at me and grunted a few times then went back to feeding in the dumpster. Threw the trash in and got the hell out of there. Plenty of bears in the Sacramento's and came face to face with one time when riding my mountain bike on a single track trail. Scared both me and the bear, I crashed and the bear ran off.

 

[tnichols]

I doubt that subsonic in the ass cheek will prove to be any trouble for him, but duly noted.

Agreed ^^^^

 

[Woodlanddude]

I could be and hope I am wrong, but I know I have had to put down a friends large golden retriever after it was shot in the rump with what appeared to be a 22 and an infection festered quickly. I also know of a couple of other pets and livestock animals over the years suffering the same fate (I remember at least hearing of a horse and a cow on different occasions). Assuming they were shot with 36 or 40 grain rounds, the difference in penetration between a standard power 22lr and one just under sonic would seem to be miniscule, leaving us with the same issue. (just guessing, min 3-4" penetration after going through hide?)To each his own, but I would not want that bear in the woods near my home after it got a lead injection. That would definitely leave it grumpy at the least, worse if its infection kept it from getting enough food. For me, birdshot or rubber buck, then slugs. My only goal here was to prevent the possible injury or worse of someone in the future. I really do understand how you could make that call at the time/place needing to move yogi along. YMMV.

 

[Hookturnr]

Just a couple thoughts, this is the time of year that yearling males will be seen in places you may have never seen a bear before. It's not a "stupid" mating driven behavior though. Bears rear their young over the course of a year, sometimes two years if the sow doesn't find a suitor in the following season. When she is ready to breed again, she will run off her now 1-2 yr. old children and they now have to go and find a territory of their own. These are the bears you tend to see in strange places mid spring to early summer. The vast majority of bears have no interest in humans, we are too much trouble to deal with.

 

[Tucker301]

The vast majority of bears have no interest in humans, we are too much trouble to deal with.

That is exactly the message I was attempting to convey to this one.