[Dragthor]

I went hunting w/JerseyJim again this morning. 6:40 AM I saw a lone hen walking towards me. I got ready... then watched her... then watched her disappear? WTF?

Sure enough... two minutes later here comes a bear! It was awesome. I watched him walk towards me... I think he was looking at my decoys.

Then, he got a little too close 25 yards walking right at me. So I stood up and said "hey buddy." He turned and ran like hell. JerseyJim said it sounded like a tree falling.

Anyway... if he was walking away from me... or just passing thru... I would have just hung tight and watched him. However, I was directly in his path (near the decoys).

He was definitely over 200 pounds. No collar or anything.

 

[MS22]

Thats sounds like a really cool encounter and i bet it got your heart beating a little bit! What town were you hunting in?

 

[Dragthor]

Rockaway.

Also, the weight estimate is my best guess based on three bears my aunt, my dad, and my grandfather killed in PA.

 

[Dragthor]

Man... if it was bear season and I had my muzzleloader or a slug in the 12 guage... the bear would have been in trouble.

 

[JerseyFJ40]

Hey, now wait a minute. Czar Campbell says there are no bears in Jersey... somebodies not telling the truth here.

 

[Dragthor]

JerseyJim was still out there turkey hunting when I left to go to work.

Hopefully, he did not get eaten by a bear. Although I hear JerseyJim tastes like chicken.

 

[bloodtrails]

How did you know his name was Buddy?

 

[Dragthor]

LOL. I guess I could have said "Easy big fella".

 

[JerseyJim]

Nope I saw the little name tag on his shirt that said Buddy ... you got it right

 

[JerseyJim]

My version of the same event...
I heard 3 gobbles between 5:37 and 5:45 then nothing. Then at about 6:45 I finally hear another gobble but it's pretty far away. While trying to listen for the turkey all the sudden I here a mans voice and what sounded like a tree falling. The racket was coming from Dragthor's area. We are hunting an area about 200 yards from some houses so in my minds eye I'm picturing someone yelling at Dragthor for hunting there and I'm still trying to figure out what the hell the tree falling noise was! I can still hear the bear running through the woods and I'm trying to listen for Dragthor when my phone (which is clipped to my vest) starts vibrating and scares the living sh** out of me! I answer and it's Drag Babbling about a bear heading my way and something about a disapearing turkey! I got out my camera but the bruin never came over the top of the knoll! It was quite a fun morning to say the least! I walked back down to my house with Drag and then went back out until noon...No turkey! I am hooked on turkey hunting![up]

 

[Dragthor]

LOL. No one should be bothering me... I know my safety zones... and I know for a fact that I am on the WMA.

LOL.

 

[BobM]

Awesome story!

 

[conan]

Same thing happened to me twice. Once at the Gap, 2 bears came into my calling, and were very interested in my deekes. The other at Wildcat Ridge. I was with my brother, and we had 2 toms gobbling and coming in, when breezly bruin came out of a dump, and up a draw. Well needless to say the gobblers took off. We called them back in after a while, but my brother launched an ICBM at one, then they were gone for good.

 

[JERSEY BOB]

yep..its a gas running into a bear in the woods. I hunt north of Rockaway and have had it happen several times. Had deer bed down near a stand during bow season then get up and move off...I didnt hear another hunter or someone walking their dog...then..a big black bear walking in..

 

[JerseyJim]

I've run into bears a coupls of times while hunting. It's always a blast to see them. This time I didn't get to see the bear but it was great to hear the excitement in Dragthors voice and the glow on his face...He is really into the outdoors and a lot of fun to hunt with... I had a real good week hunting with him and the bear episode just topped it off! The woods got a little crazy there for those couple of minutes and I smile everytime I think about the series of events. From hearing all that noise and not knowing what the hell was going on to the frantic phone call where he was talking so fast I could barely figure out what he was saying to the look on his face when telling me in person what had happened...Thats what hunting is all about to me...Not the kill but the experiences you share along the way... I had a great week Drag...Thank you![up]

 

[wojtowicza]

sounds like an awesome day in the woods. i'm jealous!

 

[JerseyJim]

Maybe next year you can get a couple of mornings off to do some hunt'en.......It's a lot of fun!

 

[JerseyJim]

I have to go get another permit! I miss being out there already!!!!

 

[yoda4x4]

You know that's funny. I was out Saturday when I heard and saw some branches moving ~ 30 yds from me. I slowly move so I can see what was going on. Then I saw a black object move. Didn't get a good look at it. Then a few minutes later I saw a bear ~ 50 yds straight ahead with another one following it. It was moving away. I didn't get too scared until I saw the third one. It was a mother and her two cubs. Man did that scare the brown out of me. There's no way that a mother bear would back down when her two cubs are around. Mind you, all I have loaded in my trusty 12 gauge are #6s. If I had buckshot, I wouldn't have worried so much.

Looking back at the event, is really cool though.

David

 

[JerseyFJ40]

It does scare the poop out of you doesn't it. I was fishing flatbrook opening day and I heard a bear huffing at me from somewhere up the hill behind me. I turned and looked but couldn't see anything. I told the guy across the stream to let me know if he saw a bear and told him why. He says "That was a bear making that noise?!" Well at least I know I wasn't crazy and just hearing things.

But remember one thing whenever you're in the bear woods... it could save your life. If a bear charges you or starts chasing you, you don't have to run fast than a bear... you just have to run faster than the people you're with.