Black Bears while turkey hunting

[30_06]

Called in a few in western NC.

[g8rvet]

I hunt in North Florida and see bear tracks pretty regularly, but have never seen a bear in the spring. 

[El Pavo Grande]

While squirrel hunting with my dad as a teenager in the Ouachita Mountains, we walked upon a black bear about 35 feet up in a white oak.  It was snapping small limbs off to get the acorns.  There was bear sign everywhere in that area that fall.  It heard is in the leaves and the best analogy I can give is that it looked like a fireman sliding down a pole.  It slid down to the ground in what seemed like a half a second.  Then it walked right past us at about 30 steps.  We were standing still in the wide open, but it never knew we were there.  It walked over the ridge and out of sight.

I have probably seen bears on 10 or so occasions in my life in the Ouachita and Ozark mountains of Arkansas.  We have a good population of them.  More so now than we did 25 years ago.

[Fieldturkey]

I see them every year, they are harmless