| Author | Message | ||
| gobbstopper1946 |
I know Va. has a pretty good bear population, have any of you run into bears while turkey hunting. I hunt in the northern part of the Cherokee National Forest, a area called Paint Creek. Several years ago the TWRA made it into a bear preserve. I'll see on the average of two bears a year while spring turkey hunting, mostly sows with one or two cubs. I came close to having a problem only one year. On a very still morning I set-up on a ridge in front of a large thick treelap. I had been calling for about 45min when I heard something walking down the ridge behind me. I turned my head slowly and saw bits and pieces of black through the treelap just the on the other side. I thought it was an old gobbler slipping in quite. I sat tight. The black glob rounded the edge of the treelap and what a suprise! At only ten feet was a 15-20# bear cub. The only thing that entered my mind was....where's yo momma! There I sat flat on my butt with several calls laying on the ground beside me. I immediately started gathering my stuff and cramming it into any pocket that was open. I stood up and moved fairly fast across to the opposite ridge. To my suprise the cub just stood there and watched, guess it was because I was full camoed. Anyway, momma was standing on the other side of the treelap with another cub and watching very intensely. GS... | ||
| TScottW99
|
I see them every now and then. I called one in last month in an area I turkey hunt ALOT while predator hunting. Good size bear. I saw a cub last year on North Mountain but never did see his mom which made me very nervous. I had a face to face encounter one fall while fall turkey hunting. I was going through an old clear cut to get to another farm I hunt, it was VERY thick, about half way through the growth I moved some brush aside and came face to face with a bear. He was about 3 years old and not happy with me. I turned and ran, right through a whole thicket of blackberry vines... You can still see the scars on my hands  (my dad still laughs about that one) I've seen them more in Bland County though than I do in Craig County. They have never caused me any problems though... Though it seems me and Skunks like to happen on each other every Spring  | ||
| shopson |
I was deer scouting in Paint Creek this fall and started hearing something down off the logging road I was walking. It was pretty thickety, but I finally got to where I could see the noisemaker. It was a smallish bear working it's way up the ridge. I followed it a short piece on the adjacent ridge and then started hearing something else. Oops, here comes momma crossing the hollow and heading in my direction. I don't think she had detected me but just in case I didn't hang around. | ||
| gn |
Interesting bear info; Bears in southern appalchia are in realy good shape, population wise. Their are some who become panhandlers and garbage addicts around the Great Smoky Mtns Park and get an ear tatto and a collar and then if they are caught they get moved away from the park. Some have been moved a good ways up in to SW Va and have migrated home to the park aggain in a short time. I am involved with an organization that has paid for a lot of the bear research around the Park...the bears have almost as good a story to tell as the turkeys , as far as being "comeback conservation critters". I have never been afraid of a black bearin our part of the world, although any thing that big could be a problem if you get betweeen it and its cub(s). We had them break in to a cqbin I used to have and I can still see people swatting them in the face with brooms at the kitchen door as they tried to get to the garbage pail. | ||
| DoubleH |
Never turkey hunting as I'm fairly new at it, but I've run into a few deer hunting in the fall. Bears are fairly common on my lease and there are numerous sightings every fall and usually someone will kill a bear every couple of years. | ||
| Daddyjan |
The closest ive come to a bear was in Pa.While following a scant blood trail of a deer i had arrowed i was down on my hands and knees when i nearly put my hand into a steaming pile of crap all i knew was that it wasnt deer scat,so i backed out of there.Came back w/ my uncle butch and he saidim glade you backed out couse that is thebiggest pile of bear crap ive ever seen.We followed the trail till we found where my deer had bedded there was lots of blood and half my arrow in the bed and we could see the deer had left in a hurry,we never did find him eveven we looked for a day and a half.Only deer iv ever lost bowhunting,damn bear !It was that day i started saving for a bear bow huntsomewhere.JMF | ||
| Daddyjan |
I live just north west of the great Dismal Swamp and the bears there are spreading out there have been sightings every year as they move up and out of the preserve.A lady in my neighborhood saw a sow and two cubs turn her burn barrle over and feast on fish heads.I hunt a big swamp close to the NC LINE AND ANOTHER IN sUFFOLF VA. bears have been seen on both so one day im sure i will too. If it shows up on Suffolk during there short bear season he may get a Goldtip thru the lungs.JMF |