![]() The young boar, "woofing" in a staccato-like fashion, charged up the cliff at me, stopping only a few yards from my crouched position, and began swaying his head back and forth in front of me. What happened next left my palms sweaty for days. Whatever was going through his head, the young boar clawed his way up a nearby tree for a better look at me, and then slid back down to the ground. He was obviously angry over something maybe he thought I was another bear. A moment later a young boar, probably 125 pounds, emerged from the undergrowth and began feeding on the discarded bones and meat scraps.Īll of a sudden he looked straight up at me, his beady little eyes burning holes through me like laser beams, and began popping his jaws. As soon as it settled down I heard a twig snap behind the bait, and then another. The first time you sit over bait is often the most exciting, and my first stay on the cliff was no exception. Although I was cornered up there as there was no exit other than the entrance trail I used to climb the cliff, it seemed like an ideal setup. I took my bow and crawled up the cliff to a small shelf where I had an easy shot straight down at the bait barrel and waited. In this case the bait had been stashed at the base of a cliff about a half-mile from an old logging road, and was being hit regularly by several bears including one with 5-inch front pads. It is one thing to hunt black bears from a tree stand, it is quite another to ambush one near a bait site from ground level. Nerves of steel I guess, but I never hunted near that stump again. He had been there all right, and I had tip toed within a few yards of him as I made my exit! To my horror, the bait was untouched, but the spot where I thought the Swamp Bear was hiding was all matted down. 450 Marlin), and sneaked back towards the stump. I grabbed an axe, (today I would take my. I had to find out if the Swamp Bear was at the stump that evening. I slept uneasily for a few hours, but at first light I got up and dressed. Was the Swamp Bear lying next to the bait, or was I imagining everything? ![]() By the time I got back to my cabin I was soaked with sweat. I was terrified, and the sounds of the bear breathing nearby were almost too much for me to bear. I could feel the hair on my neck stand straight up as I eased away from the stump a few inches at a time. I elected to descend quietly, and then tip toe back to my 4X4 with all the caution I could muster. The Swamp Bear was just too big to fool with. However, if I managed to crawl out of my stand quietly, I might get a second chance, but I sure as hell didn’t want to bump into him as I made my exit, either. If I made too much noise getting out of my stand I could spook the Swamp Bear away, and I would never get a shot. I was hunting alone, so no one was going to come in and shoo the bear away, at least not this bear. The Swamp Bear did not show himself, however, electing to stay near the bait but in the shadows until it got too dark to see. ![]() I could not see him, but I could hear him breathing, and the air was alive with his presence. I suddenly realized the cause for his concern. There he stayed, looking over his rump on occasion, hissing and shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. He dropped to all fours, turned his back on the bait, and then walked briskly into the bush for a few yards. He seemed to be having an anxiety attack for all he could do was hiss and back up, hiss and back up. Just as the small boar was about to lick the stump, he turned around and stood up to face the bush. He was very cautious, and it is a good thing because the Swamp Bear was on the prowl that evening, and he wanted his honey - all of it. Ten minutes before dark a small boar nervously worked his way towards the bait site, stopping often to listen and to test the wind. And I've had bears sneak to within ten yards of me and stand on their hind legs, look me straight in the eye - and then disappear into the darkness with a loud "woof." I even inadvertently stepped between a Pennsylvania sow and her two cubs one morning, and she was not pleased with me! These bears all left me with a racing heart and a story to tell back at camp, but the Swamp Bear and the Cliff Bear really scared the pudding out of me - and left me questioning my sanity. I've had bears pad up behind me as I was exiting a tree stand, and then run like hell when my foot slipped. I've had bears walk within inches of my head while I lay awake in my cot, and pay me no heed. Over the past thirty years or so I've had hundreds of close encounters with black bears. Fortunately for us, most bruins avoid man at all costs which is one reason why pursuing them with a bow and arrow, a muzzleloader or even a modern firearm can be so challenging. And for four very good reasons: They are intelligent, they are agile, they are powerful and they have no soul. ![]()
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