Video: Black bear comes up to check on a hunter in a tree stand

I was struck by how much the bear's eye contact and body language resembled that of a dog. Definitely more curious than anything else.
 
WOW....I am amazed that the OP thinks everyone has a Facebook account. Guys here are paranoid about letting people look at their PAL, yet have FB account.

He never said he thought everyone had a facebook account ..... he said
"I know it's a facebook link, but it should work for everyone."

I don't have facebook and the link worked for me.
 
crackbook is something I stay away from, but not in the case of a video like that!!! That bear reminded me of my dog SAM soooo much, I'd have had a hard time resisting the urge to slowly reach out and pet it's head. (albeit with a stun cane in my other hand!!! JIC)
 
I'm no hunter but that is too close to let the bear near you. Being a bowhunter means there is difficulty in using the tool against the bear?
 
I had a small bear climb my ladder stand and smell my boots before. Its weird to watch them in the bait pile and one just scoot over and climb the ladder. But I had the rifle so I wasn't too worried.
In the video when the bear gets to where the hunter is seated his eyes is what makes me chuckle. There either saying " Oh no I'm in the wrong tree" or " Something up here smells like crap and I better get down from here"
 
In a past life I worked on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) in a logging camp. There were plenty of times black bear would come right up to me without me knowing. They always had this same curious, non threatening expression to them. I never reacted, and neither did the bear. Maybe I am lucky, but I feel otherwise. Black bears not hungry, not protecting cubs... They have always been very docile in my experience. They can read you as well as you can read them. IMO
 
If you sit and watch, most animals display these qualities. Remember, WE are animals too. We're all slightly the same, in different shapes.

I was struck by how much the bear's eye contact and body language resembled that of a dog. Definitely more curious than anything else.
 
This happens more then some people think. Bears climb up our stands all the time. I dont let them get that close, a small poke in the nose with a broadhead and they leave you alone. Whats really scarey is when you have a small cub rocket up your tree and sit above your head calling for mom, haven't had this happen to me but a guy at camp did.
 
Whats really scarey is when you have a small cub rocket up your tree and sit above your head calling for mom, haven't had this happen to me but a guy at camp did.
Jeesus. Not sure what I would do ...with a rifle I suppose you might be able to scare mom away with noise long enough to get out of the stand and scram (although the poor cub would be screaming!).... bow-hunting would be a different story..and not one I would want to experience.


It reminds me of an incident from when I was a kid. Was out west - bears (brown - mom and cubs) at the side of the road had found something to eat and a few cars were parked watching this (I think it was Glacier National Park). My father always thought these were the best times of a road trip so he pulled over. Parked farther back was a Ranger in a half ton watching as well.

Eventually the Ranger decided he should disperse the crew of bears and so he drove quickly at the bears with horn blaring ... mom ran into the scrub bush at the side of the road but the three cubs all ran for the nearest jack pine and shinnied to the top .. as a result the tree bent over almost double touching the ground with the poor cubs hanging on for dear life!!! Only now they were about 3 feet off the ground. They bawled and mom quickly came back to see what was going on and convinced one of the cubs to let go ...... well the other two cubs got the ride of their lives as the jack pine straightened up ... I am pretty sure their eye balls were rattling as the tree swung vigorously back and forth with the two cubs still hanging on for all they were worth!!

Everyone was frozen wide eyed in amazement except momma bear who's head swung back and forth watching the cubs. Her bawling seemed to get the cubs out of the tree pretty quickly and the four of them took off - although the cubs weren't exactly steady on their legs!
 
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Unpredictable, that's what they are.

I once asked the sole operator of my local garbage dump if it 2-3 bears close to him at all times makes him nervous. He said he has never had any problem with them. But he said he never lets them to go behind him when he is sitting on his lawn chair (his outdoor office)! They are unpredictable. A friend who lives in rural interior B.C. used to regularly chase black bears and even a few grizzlies from her backyard. That is until an aggressive black bear turned on her. She barely made it back to her house that night.

personally, anything above my weight with fangs and claws and a taste for meat is a potential threat this close.
 
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