Comments on: 99% of Bear Encounters Take Place Without You Ever Knowing the Bear Was There

By: Evelyn Vincent

Evelyn Vincent — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:07:00 +0000

Great article! I’d like to add what I’ve found… When I lived in the mountains of central PA (for 15 yrs) I had many black bear encounters on my property while working in my gardens in the woods. I would have never known they were so nearby if it weren’t for the fact that there was always a crisp twig snap sound when they walked, which always alerted me to their presence. Sometimes they would be as close as 40′ away from me, neither of us knowing the other was there.
I’ve yet to hear any other animal make the same twig snap sound while walking, I guess it has to do with the size of their feet??? It’s a very distinct sound. Of course this only applies when the bear is walking and if it’s walking in a wooded/somewhat wooded area.
Another sound, which I found very distinct among black bears, is the loudness of their breathing. Late at night while sleeping during the summer with windows open, I could hear a bear walking on the small gravel pathway directly outside my bedroom window. One night the bear paused for quite some time (about 5-10 minutes). I could hear every inhalation and exhalation he made… he sounded huge! Needless to say, I on the other hand tried ‘not’ to breathe or move for fear he’d bust through the window to get me; just my own fears as I’m sure he had no intention of doing so He wasn’t more than 3′ from my head and I knew he could smell that I was right there – YIKES!

By: 99% of Bear Encounters Continued – Some End in Scat : Wildlife Promise

99% of Bear Encounters Continued – Some End in Scat : Wildlife Promise — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:49:11 +0000

[...] story and pictures were sent in by Jeffrey Willius in response to an earlier post about Milo (the dog) and my encounters with bear sign and scat. The story and pictures are all taken directly from Jeffrey’s’ website, where he [...]

By: Jeffrey Willius

Jeffrey Willius — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:09:00 +0000

Amazing claim, but I don’t doubt it. I had a memorable — and hilarious — blind encounter with a black bear in N. Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness a few years back. I’m happy to share it if there’s a vehicle for me to do so.