raydaughety wrote:Tyler and I have been penned to our stand by multiple bears 3 different times.
I'm not surprised.
I've had a few encounters with sassy boars that would make anyone's butt pucker ... and I know other people who have had some nasty encounters with them, too.
The idea many people have that black bears are always scared of you and always run away is simply not accurate in my experience.
I have a zero-tolerance policy for bears that don't show fear of humans.
Talking about bears is one thing; living with them is another.
two suggestions. First, practice being alone in the dark. Take a flashlight and walk a few yards (metres) into the bush, away from light and people, and turn off the flashlight. You can always turn it back on or get out if you start to panic, but after a few tries you'll start to get used to the noises and the fear should start to deminish.
Second suggestion is to carry a can of bear spray. Psychologically it makes a huge difference to know you have something to rely on in case of an in-close emergency. It works well up close, isn't going to kill anyone if you shoot them in a state of panic, it's inexpensive, light and easy to pack. I carry one when I'm hunting, just in case I have an unexpected visitor when I'm cleaning my harvest. Just make sure you keep the trigger guard on at all times, unless you plan to use it.
When pressed for an explanation of why he suddenly stopped while on the way to the stand early one morning, my 5 year old grandson replied; "The Dark is looking at me!". I told him to just stick his tongue out at the Dark and keep up. It worked for him. LOL
Huddy
Rookie Equinox owner/hunter
already hooked not even season yet
An old army trick I learned back in basic is let your eyes adjust. Do this by exiting any light condition and just sit and let the pupils relax. After a few minutes your night sight will appear and with a half decent moon you will be able to walk before day break with little problem.
Another trick is to keep one eye closed before going into the dark. As you leave the light switch eyes only looking from the eye that was closed. After a few minutes open other eye and you should be good to go, depending on moon light.
Hope this helps. Cheers. I am off to the bush for moose bow.
TrapperBob wrote:An old army trick I learned back in basic is let your eyes adjust. Do this by exiting any light condition and just sit and let the pupils relax. After a few minutes your night sight will appear and with a half decent moon you will be able to walk before day break with little problem.
Another trick is to keep one eye closed before going into the dark. As you leave the light switch eyes only looking from the eye that was closed. After a few minutes open other eye and you should be good to go, depending on moon light.
Hope this helps. Cheers. I am off to the bush for moose bow.
Bob
Be careful with the closed eye trick... your depth perception will be non existant.
