Bear Encounters While Fishing

[Cdn Angler]

Americans seem to think they are always in danger of being robbed or murdered. What's up? Like you are seriously concerned someone is going to pirate attack you on the local lake? And then take your boat to the ramp and load it on their trailer and take off? Is that realistic? I just can't see any reason to carry on a bass boat.  

 

Anyways...

 

I wade fished Phelps in NC and just on shore there were loads of black bears that I could see and hear.  I've been around them enough in Northern Ontario not to be too scared so it was fine and I kept fishing. 

 

Now anything near an alligator. No thanks. I'm out.  Not used to them.

[JediAmoeba]

I have had many at night while catfishing.  I tend to go out by myself to remote places and one night I fell asleep on the bank.  I was using chicken liver and some cut bait that I had laid on next to me...

I fell asleep and woke up to a horrible stench...I was trying to get my bearings and literally touching me and slurping down my livers was a pretty big black bear.  As soon as I started moving he took off like a bat put of hell knocking down one of my rods and my whole container of chicken livers gone.  That was interesting.  

[Smells like fish]

7 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

I have had many at night while catfishing.  I tend to go out by myself to remote places and one night I fell asleep on the bank.  I was using chicken liver and some cut bait that I had laid on next to me...

I fell asleep and woke up to a horrible stench...I was trying to get my bearings and literally touching me and slurping down my livers was a pretty big black bear.  As soon as I started moving he took off like a bat put of hell knocking down one of my rods and my whole container of chicken livers gone.  That was interesting.  

If that had been me, Mr. Bear would have smelled something bad too and instead of lures I'd been adding new pack of boxers to the bait monkey list.

[Bankbeater]

I screamed like a little girl when a doe and fawn jumped out in front of me on a trail.  I'd imagine that I would be hoarse for a week if a bear came up on me.

[JediAmoeba]

21 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

If that had been me, Mr. Bear would have smelled something bad too and instead of lures I'd been adding new pack of boxers to the bait monkey list.

Black Bear really aren't aggressive.  My dogs tree them frequently which is really funny.

[Quarry Man]

I got bluff charged by one the other day. Was hiking in remote area and came up a cliff with a know den nearby. We both scared each other, he charged until he was 5' away and ran off. I was too startled to think clearly and tucked myself off a small ledge to escape. 

 

 

That being said, I live in a bear area. Have seen 10 or so, likely the same one(s) several times over the last few weeks. Over the course of my time in the wilderness, I have seen close to 50.

 

Funniest story is when I was 5 I went down to my lake to check my minnow trap at like 6 am. Only other fisherman out there was a 400 lb black bear, according to my hunter neighbor, who was standing on the shoreline about 15' from me. Funny thing was he had a tracking collar made of leather and I confused him with a dog for this reason. It wasn't until he turned and looked at me from about 10 feet that I realized it was a bear. I remember screaming and running home to tell my parents, when my neighbor came outside.

[Dogface]

3 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Black Bear really aren't aggressive.  My dogs tree them frequently which is really funny.

We probably have more black bears in NE PA than any other area in the US. Most people up here consider them pets or pests depending on how much of your property they have damaged.

 

This guy walked up to my neighbors door while I was sitting at his table. He is a local celebrity. 

[Quarry Man]

3 minutes ago, Dogface said:

We probably have more black bears in NE PA than any other area in the US. Most people up here consider them pets or pests depending on how much of your property they have damaged.

 

This guy walked up to my neighbors door while I was sitting at his table. He is a local celebrity. 

he has a DOGFACE

[Dogface]

All of my encounters with bears ended peacefully but bears can be very dangerous and should respected and not taken lightly. My neighbors have had problems with aggressive bears and the Game Commission trapped and relocated them. 

 

In 1978 we were bear hunting in Ontario. A game warden came into camp and spoke with our guide. The guide then informed us that we would be hunting in Algonquin Park for the next few days. He never provided an explanation. 

 

We made the long drive to the park and we hunted it for at least three days. There were stands and baits prepared. None of us saw a bear while hunting there.

 

When were were leaving camp we learned that we were hunting a bear that had killed 3 kids in the park. The guide never told us why we were hunting in the park and we should have been told. 

 

This link mentions the 1978 incident: https://www.times-news.com/sports/local_sports/black-bears-kill/article_8a49bdd8-6cfa-51d1-b12f-c1c2a1cd539e.html#:~:text=The bear was killed.,in Algonquin Provincial Park%2C Ontario.

19 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

he has a DOGFACE

He is cute!! ?

[Cdn Angler]

On 6/23/2020 at 4:24 PM, Dogface said:

All of my encounters with bears ended peacefully but bears can be very dangerous and should respected and not taken lightly. My neighbors have had problems with aggressive bears and the Game Commission trapped and relocated them. 

 

In 1978 we were bear hunting in Ontario. A game warden came into camp and spoke with our guide. The guide then informed us that we would be hunting in Algonquin Park for the next few days. He never provided an explanation. 

 

We made the long drive to the park and we hunted it for at least three days. There were stands and baits prepared. None of us saw a bear while hunting there.

 

When were were leaving camp we learned that we were hunting a bear that had killed 3 kids in the park. The guide never told us why we were hunting in the park and we should have been told. 

 

This link mentions the 1978 incident: https://www.times-news.com/sports/local_sports/black-bears-kill/article_8a49bdd8-6cfa-51d1-b12f-c1c2a1cd539e.html#:~:text=The bear was killed.,in Algonquin Provincial Park%2C Ontario.

He is cute!! ?

I was just in Algonquin the other day for a trip. No bears. That's a fascinating story and a unique one as it must be the worst bear attack in Canadian history and you were let loose in the park like Captain Ahab. Can't be many people that can say they were sent to Algonquin on such a mission!  I know the Park aficionados would find that story interesting. Thanks for sharing. 

[geo g]

I once saw a black bear swimming to an uninhabited island in lake Nantahala in NC.  It was early in the morning and I was the first one out on the lake.  The bear seemed to know exactly where he was headed.  Once on the Island I lost site of it.  One of the Native Americans living close bye told me it's not unusual to see them swimming in the morning.

[Scott F]

I once shot a bear in my pajamas.  What he was doing in my pajamas, I’ll never know!  Credits to Groucho Marx for that 100 year old joke. ?

[Dogface]

15 hours ago, Cdn Angler said:

I was just in Algonquin the other day for a trip. No bears. That's a fascinating story and a unique one as it must be the worst bear attack in Canadian history and you were let loose in the park like Captain Ahab. Can't be many people that can say they were sent to Algonquin on such a mission!  I know the Park aficionados would find that story interesting. Thanks for sharing. 

Like I said we had no idea why until we were leaving for home. In hindsight I think the game wardens did not want us or anyone else to know we were in the park. It was all kind of strange.

 

BTW the three kids were the sons of soldiers stationed at the Petawawa Forces Base in Ontario. We drove past the base on the way home. It must have been very bad event for them losing three kids.  

[Cdn Angler]

23 hours ago, Dogface said:

Like I said we had no idea why until we were leaving for home. In hindsight I think the game wardens did not want us or anyone else to know we were in the park. It was all kind of strange.

 

BTW the three kids were the sons of soldiers stationed at the Petawawa Forces Base in Ontario. We drove past the base on the way home. It must have been very bad event for them losing three kids.  

I was just paddling and fishing the Petawawa River.  The paddling portion ends at the base as it is out of the park and a firing range. Beautiful river and great muskie fishing. Of all places for a bear rampage...hard to figure it out via google other than the bare bones. 

[Kdizzle]

Here in the Ozarks you get the rare sighting of a black bear in its old native range by some farmer or country yokel every six months or so.

 

Id have to be honest here.  If I were in full grandpa fishing gear out on the river wade fishing, and I saw a bear hunting for breakfast in the morning, I'd probably **** myself.  Then after cleanup I'd take a picture for posterity and something to tell my grandchildren, if I ever had any.