Scouting Adventures

[BWallace10327]

     I woke up early this morning, drank my coffee and grabbed my pack, pistol, binos and dog and headed off to the mountains.  Two miles up the trail yielded several wildlife sightings.  There were some good looking bucks bunched up and two does with small, spotted fawns nearby.  Turkeys were out, but they weren't so eager to be viewed; Those big chickens can sure cover some ground when they feel the need.

Towards the end of the trail, before I came across a serious road block, I had found what I'd been after.  An elk super-highway cutting through a thick stand of aspen.  I continued on up the trail, to better familiarize myself with the area and found some bearshit.  A quick poke with a stick proved how fresh it was.  This wasn't surprising, as they are thick in the area and bears are more afraid of me than I am of them, right?  Thirty or forty yards further down the trail a few more piles revealed themselves as an unmistakable stench filled my nose.  My dog flared up and snarled.   

I looked up just in time to see a mature, stocky broadside bear raise up on his (clearly) hind legs less than 20 yards away  .  I draw my pistol and backed out slowly, telling the bear to stay there and enjoy his berries in a calm a voice as I could muster.   5 yards of careful back peddling and the bear went back on all fours, turned away and continued to forage.  The hike back to my truck was a brisk one.  Talk about adrenaline.  That is the most exciting scouting trip I've had this year.  What you you Tradgang?   Please share your scouting adventures. 

[Wannabe1]

Wow, now that is some exciting scouting! Glad things turned out calmly with the bear and, looks like you found the area where the elk are travelling. Good luck and stay safe out there my friend! TW

[Trenton G.]

Jeez, sounds exciting. Always fun to see bears but I like to be a bit further away than that.

I remember when I was younger almost getting run over by a spike bull elk once. It must have been laying along the logging road that dad and I were walking down. He sounded like a freight train when he came flying out of that brush in front of us.

[Sam McMichael]

I've never had an issue with bears in the woods, as we don't have that many around here. I did run into a pack of wild dogs once, and that was a bit scary. The most frightening was bumping my head against a low hanging hornet nest. Luckily, I got away with it.

[BWallace10327]

I'll take bears any day, they are much more reasonable than hornets. 

[Lakerat007]

No bears in my neck of the woods, but last scouting trip I found a handful of bird points in the bend of a creek bed. That always makes for a nice day.

[BWallace10327]

A multi-point day is a great day by any standards.