After 5 years of hunting the one week, no scent no bait, MD bear season in the past without a single sighting even...I got a good shot at one and a lucky bear was educated.
The Terrain was a steep Mountain area that has a fire trail running parallel to the ridge line about halfway up. There is an old abandoned farm and orchard downhill from the fire road and steep hardwoods above.
3 of us went in the fire road at first light. Walt went uphill first and set up along the ridge. Brent and I kept going until we reached the access to the farm. I went uphill and set up in this bench area. Just walked in and straddled a blow down near the root ball. No cell service at camp but signal up on the mountain so I checked my phone, and of course that is when I heard a branch snap. Brent had gone down the fire road that turned around a bend from where I went up and was still hunting. He must have pushed the bear, but he never saw it.
I heard something running about 60 yards out and tried immediately to see if it was "brown or black". It was black! The good-sized bear looked like it was going to pass above me at about 35 yards on a good trotting gallop pace and I had a window. I thought this maybe my only chance at a shot so as he past a lane I actually pulled back to ¼ draw, but then let down. This is when it took a right and started coming down! I went from afraid it would never get close...to Oh my gosh it is going to run me over in a second! It was still quartering towards me and about to go parallel at only 10 or 12 yards when I drew and picked a spot behind the front leg and the arrow was on the way. I heard a crack and watched in horror as the bear looked towards me and I watched 2 halves of my arrow fly just over the bears back! I said "SH*T" out loud as I reached back and got another arrow on the string. The bear had meanwhile taken to or 3 fast bounds and stopped about 25 yards away quartering hard away and looking back at me. I was flustered by this point and I wanted to try another shot fast and forgot to pick a spot in all the excitement. This was the shot I want back! I aimed at the entire bear and watched my arrow go up over it's rear end and thunk into a tree. I watched the rumpling rear kick up leaves as it careened downhill out of sight towards the thick hedgerows of the farm below the fire road.
My view of the first shot.
Wow, you don't know excitement until you are at full draw on a predator that close on the ground! WOW~!
The results of the first shot. You can see the business end of my arrow stuck in that log behind the fletching end.
After I dug my second arrow out of the tree (having a pinned head really helps get them out of a tree without the glue line breaking). A doe actually came up and snorted at me from the tapping of my chisel tipped file to dig out the Hill head...I guess she thought I was a woodpecker and got in close to investigate. I tried to head way down the valley and head off the bear but never got to see it again.
I am pretty sure I caught a glimpse of another bear on the last evening hunt but again I could not get ahead of the animal i spotted way ahead in a valley.
Now I am excited to get back in 2 days for deer camp!
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