Something new for me to deal with

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Roadkill

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Went out coyote hunting yesterday, covered a lot of ground, on one of my best areas located on a mountainside there is a point overlooking the Tennessee River. I have camped there many times, have also called several coyotes up using a distressed fawn bleat. I could see immediately the place looked differently. Finally a two watt bulb lit up my brain, a bear had been up there. Two very large deadfall pine trees had been ripped apart in several places. They were actually shredded. There were also holes dug like something had been rooting but ony eight or so inches deep. The give away was a large pile of bear crap. All I ever take coyote hunting is my AR and fifteen or so rounds of 55g soft points. Except for walking up on one last year on the Blue Ridge Parkway I have no experience with them whatsoever. Do they come in to predator calls?

rk
 
That sounds Scary! What part of Bama did you see the bear sign in? I'm in North Alabama right on the Tenn river.
 
Union Grove, this place is west of Guntersville Dam on the north side of the river.

rk
 
Bears will respond to predator calls, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you see one and don't have/want to kill it, scare it by standing up, waving your arms and talking...that is if it is 100 yards or farther away! If shots are usually closer than that...bring another gun.
-Mike
 
Yikes! I know that area pretty well. I'm from Albertville and work in Arab. I've heard of some bear sightings up in Jackson County where I used to be in a hunting club at.
 
Hey Roadkill!

Been awhile, hasn't it? Anyway, I've seen some bear tracks on the south side of the river, too, in the Greenbriar Cove area. Also, down near Parches Cove, too.

You know where the spring is? Pretty much there.
 
A hunting mag had a story of some of the oddities that can happen when varmint hunting. One story was of a guy who'd set up in a bush on a rather steep hillside with a good view across an open valley. He started blowing on his wounded-rabbit call.

He heard noises above him and when he turned to look, he saw a black bear that had lost its balance coming down the hill and was rolling: Right at him. And right over him went Mr. Bear, and on down the hillside.

A buddy of mine and a friend were out calling one late afternoon. They'd set a dead jackrabbit out in a clearing and were set up in some tall grass by some bushes. During a pause after blowing, a tawny shape ghosted past, about six or eight feet in front of them. One of those critters with a tail as long as its body, y'know? In the 100+-pound category? Goosebump city...

:), Art
 
I've been surprised several times with coyotes nearly running over me or coming from the least expected direction. I called in a mountain lion on a bluff several years back. It was summer and everything was grown up. I sat up below a bluff edge on an outcrop with about a 20 yd opening below me. Since any shot would be real close all I brought was a Browning High Power. I started calling, soon something started coming very slowly down the bluff edge behind me. I turned and followed it with the pistol. The mountain laurel was blooming, wind was right, and I could'nt see anything behind me. It got about twenty feet behind me when the breeze shifted. It let out a slow low nasty growl and jumped to a rock below me and screamed. Looked more black than tan but it was moving like a F4 down low down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Then it jumped down two more times and screamed again. I went home (stopping regularly to cough, sing, chant old army cadences loudly, smoke a cigar, play my harmonica, ect.). That trip was sort of like me taking a guy cottonmouth hunting who didn't tell me he'd panick when he saw a snake or the time when another stellar example of Alabama redneck decided he was going to catch a gator and got treed by the damn thing. I got a few good stories.


rk
 
They come to a "bacon " call from great distances !! Remember that this is the mating season for bear .That means the young ones are out on their own for the first time .They look for new territory and being young they're like teenagers and can get into mischief !!!
 
hows the fishing up there on the river, i would like to see a bear, but i dont want to call him in, he might be hungry,:D *csa*
 
Roadkill, I'm not too far away from you near Fayetteville, TN..
When I lived out west and I'd use a distressed rabbit call, I got not only coyotes, but a couple times cougar came in and once a bear. They'll respond, but those two animals are really wary of humans and much more than likely will beat feet once they realize you're around. Just keep your eyes open, look for fresh sign going in, and check your backside, and you'll be ok.
Likely, too, any bear in this area won't be of any serious size. If 15 rounds from your AR won't stop him, it'll sure discourage him.
Frankly, I'm surprised and glad to hear that there are some around.
 
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