Well Ralph, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you… 😯 😆

The place we bear hunt in the N GA mountains is about a 3.5-4 mile hike so you have to start it about 1.5hrs before daylight to get in there on time.

The first time I did that hike in by myself, I stopped to take a break about 3 miles in, and a bear started growling at me from 30 yards off the trail. I couldn’t see anything so I just nocked an arrow and stood my ground until it got daylight.

That bear whoofed and growled for about ten minutes and disappeared right before daylight. I thought he/she was following me around all day!:D

So I’m walking out of the woods one night after sitting till dark deer hunting. As I come to a clearing I have the very felling you mentioned. Someone or something is watching me. I took a few more steps and stop and I swear I hear foot steps and they stop too. Now I’m on high alert !!

I slowly make my way out to my truck and go back next morning to find 5 wolf tracks in the snow, 2 circled to my right and the others to my left within about 25 yds. Never did see them but it sure made me more cautiousness about my surroundings from then on!!

I too have some long walks in the dark. Coyotes don’t bother me nor do distant wolves howling. But when they start that nonsense 50 yards away from you in the dark, well, some dormant gene from ancestors long gone wakes up! You see these shows with guys on foot in Africa with lions roaring in the dark…Holy Maria the heck with that!

R2 wrote: Neil, I dreamed it was women tailing me once but when I woke up I knew it was one of ausiejim’s pipe dreams :D:D

Happens to the best of us mate!

On my NM bear hunt I was told by my hunting buddy to wait until good light to go in and to leave my hunting spot early enough to be back at the truck before dark. Better to avoid the chances of running into a sow bear with cubs in the dark.

Anyway on my way out the first day I was following my track in from the morning. At one point I had a small sand bar to cross.

As I walked back accross the sand bar I noticed “BIG” cat track inside my trcks from the morning walk in. Needless to say the rest of my walk out had me looking over my shoulder about as much as looking forward.

Some years ago I camped with friend in Glacier NP. When I found out I didn’t need a license to fish, I grabbed my fly rod and hiked the mile or so up to the lake. There are bear signs ( the man made type ) everywhere, so those of right mind keep an eye out. I tried to find my way through the brush to a pool under a waterfall and soon realized I couldn’t see more than five yards. I back tracked and when back to the lake. An older fellow as fishing so I talked to him about fishing the lake. He said the best time was late evening, but.. “then there’s the bears.” So after a few brave casts I started my way back down the trail. Man it was dark in the woods by then. Ever notice how hard it is to whistle with a dry mouth?

A few of us took a hike for a few miles. I noticed on our lunch break how little time there was that our group wasn’t seated in a way that we could watch all directions, without anyone having to say a word.

My hat’s off to you guys who like being in the woods where something might eat you before you’re dead. Maybe I’d get used to it. Maybe. dwcphoto

dwcphoto wrote: Some years ago I camped with friend in Glacier NP. When I found out I didn’t need a license to fish, I grabbed my fly rod and hiked the mile or so up to the lake. There are bear signs ( the man made type ) everywhere, so those of right mind keep an eye out. I tried to find my way through the brush to a pool under a waterfall and soon realized I couldn’t see more than five yards. I back tracked and when back to the lake. An older fellow as fishing so I talked to him about fishing the lake. He said the best time was late evening, but.. “then there’s the bears.” So after a few brave casts I started my way back down the trail. Man it was dark in the woods by then. Ever notice how hard it is to whistle with a dry mouth?

A few of us took a hike for a few miles. I noticed on our lunch break how little time there was that our group wasn’t seated in a way that we could watch all directions, without anyone having to say a word.

My hat’s off to you guys who like being in the woods where something might eat you before you’re dead. Maybe I’d get used to it. Maybe. dwcphoto

If you spend enough time with black bears, you get to where you lose the fear of em. The angry ones are a little different story, but 99.9% of them just want to go the other way.

The biggest one I ever killed climbed up to my treestand and sniffed at it. That was fun!:D

Well, black bears I’m not too afraid of. I know they could whip my real bad, real quick, so I use caution. But I’ve been within a few yards of them when I spooked them up trees. I then back away. I don’t try counting coup or anything dumb. And I do keep an eye out for bears with cubs. It’s the stuff that wants to hunt me down and eat me for supper that makes me nervous. That would include the big bears and big cats. dwc

dwcphoto wrote:

It’s the stuff that wants to hunt me down and eat me for supper that makes me nervous. That would include the big bears and big cats. dwc

We have healthy populations of both here. Trust me, it’s never far from my mind when I’m out hunting solo in the woods (which is most of the time), doing the exact opposite of everything they say you should do in grizz country.

Well, then fatten up! If you’re going to feed them, feed them well. dwc

Lol.

Yeah, grizz would be on my mind a lot if I roamed in their hills!