So yesterday Fish & Game picked up their traps after two nights of nothing. They'd gotten a call about a bear a few miles away and thought maybe it had moved on as this particular bear has been ranging pretty far. They later confirm its a different bear as they got it on some camera and saw there was no radio collar, so nobody knows where it ventured. Then around 8:30pm I'm going to let my dog out for his last piss of the night, flip on the outside lights as I open the door and catch a huge dark blur about 25 feet in front of the door. Huge thing that spins and charges to the tree line and then sounded like stampede of elephants breaking through the bush. I was calling my wife over to look since she was walking by right behind me just as we hear something huge jump into the river and splash its way across and then more sounds of bushes being rustled.
Anyhow, pretty crazy experience. Even knowing we have bears, having a bunch of chickens eaten and having two traps that are the size of a small boat parked in my yard for two days, it was still a bit of a shock. It was fairly dark and had it not been for the extended sound of the thing charging through the bushes and across the river, I would have doubted even really seeing it. We did note that usually if you sweep my pasture with a flash light at night you can see the eye glow of a dozen or more deer bedded down and last night there was none.
Also, the thing was so freakin fast! I can honestly say that if it had charged in my direction instead of to the tree line, its very unlikely I could have done anything in time even with a bottle of bear spray and a shotgun about a foot beyond arms reach and a large pocket folder clipped to my pocket. Being honest with myself, even having a holstered gun on my hip probably would not have made a difference unless the thing decided to hesitate for a moment. I think to have gotten a shot off, you'd literally have had to have a shotgun in hand, safety off at the low ready and possibly, you'd have been able to bring it up and fire off a shot. It was that fast and I was that close.
In any case, pretty amazing and eye opening experience. Figured I'd keep updating you guys of the latest.