roa@davinci.acc.virginia.edu ("Robert O. Anderson Jr") (05/18/91)
Steve White writes: > Just Call Me "Lucky" Great Story!!!!! I bet that "was" nerve-racking trying to sneak up on that bear!!! Reminds me of the time last fall when I was in a treestand in the mountains. It was getting towards evening and we'd seen a lot of bear sign around the area. The leaves had fallen and it was getting the right time of the evening for deer to start moving. Ten minutes go by.....nothing. "It's ideal conditions....just the right amount of light......" Ten minutes later... nothing. "What's going on??? It's still light!" I looked around and the full moon had cleared the ridge! "Well, it's not going to get any darker!" So I climbed down and started back to the jeep. Whoa...It's dark under these white pines! So I was sneaking along the trail trying not to make too much noise when I heard all this racket below me in some grape vines. "Damn, I flushed a turkey!" But I didn't hear his wings beating. I was looking, trying to see what was knocking all those limbs and leaves down, then I saw him. A BEAR!! He'd climbed a white pine that was about ten yards below me and now he was eye level. "Man, what a shot....I'll just stick you with an arrow!" I pulled an arrow out of the quiver as the bear climbed up one section of limbs. "It's a small one", I thought as I nocked the arrow. He climbed another section of limbs and his outline against the sky would made a perfect shot. I slipped the release on the string,"He's a real small one...." He climbed two sections of limbs, about a 30 degree angle up hill shot now when I realized how small he was. He fit in between the sections of limbs and was about the size of the trunk (10")of the tree. "Oh, he's just a baby! A BABY!!!!" My heart leaped in my throat. All I could think about was MAMMA wondering who'd scared the hell out of her cub! I couldn't decide whether to haul ass or stand there and not make a sound and maybe she wouldn't know where I was. I chose the former! I moved as quickly and as quietly as I could and reached the barbed wire fence about 25 yards from the bear. I didn't want to set my bow down to climb the fence.... I didn't want to climb the fence and make a lot of noise.... the bear is in the tip top of the tree now and I couldn't decide what to do. Finally,(probably 4 seconds later) I stuck the bow through the fence and made two "L's" in my camo getting over.... Down the woods road I went.....If I'd flushed a grouse then I probably would have died! Whew! Out of breath. Heart racing. I was a nervous wreck! I've never enjoyed the sound of the jeep door closing so much in my life! Ricky gets to the jeep a few minutes later and says, "I stuck a buck. Let's go track him." "Here, take my flashlight. I'll stay here." Well, something about safety in numbers.....we tracked the deer until 9:30....no avail. When back the next morning and hunted for about an hour....got a late start....can't understand why ;-). Then spent 3 hours looking for Ricky's deer......no avail. It's fun...... making memories..... Bobby