Long story short...I had just gotten down on the ground this evening and was packing up my Lone Wolf and gear. I heard a rustling (unlike a deer) and immediately thought coyote or fox. Then I looked up and noticed the darker than night silhouette. I shined my light and sure enough it was a bear and it walked by me at 15 yards. I guess my bright light spooked him and he took off and stopped at a base of a tree about 40 yards away, front paws up. He didn't climb the tree though and continued on his way. Pretty cool and honestly a little nerve-racking at the same time. Funny thing is, I had a sixth sense that I might see a bear this evening and I NEVER see bears while hunting. While on stand (before the encounter), I googled a bear's vitals to get a good idea where to aim in case I was lucky enough to get an opportunity. Also, I was dead tired when it was time to get off stand. I wanted to leave my LW there over the weekend but thought about a friend's stand that had been torn to sheds by a bear a few weeks back. So I decided to pack it out. Never have seen a bear on this property the 5 years I've been hunting it. I would guess the bear to be about 150 lbs. Not quite sure if I would have taken a shot if he had came by earlier. We'll see.
Awesome! I have two bears frequenting my parents property where I hunt a lot this year. One is last years cub, and I have a lot of trail cam pics of him through the summer (just saw him on stand the other evening as he ruined a good hunt :D ), and another REALLY big one. Neither are scared or apprehensive of humans, so it's super fun walking in and out in the dark. Ben will like this story.
Awsome encounter. Rarely come across bears here and when we do, they're little guys. That had to be exciting!
I'm thinking about putting a trail cam out in this area and see about getting some pics. I'm hopeful that some bigger bears are frequenting the area. As long as they come thru while I'm in the stand. :D You have to be lucky to take a bear if you don't bait (illegal in VA) and don't use dogs.
