[Kingfisher]

I've had the opportunity to see many, maybe too many bears while fishing and hunting.

I grew up in an outdoors family and every year we would go up to the Caribou in BC and go fishing for our holidays. I'm talking back in the 60's and 70's then once old enough I did my own fishing and hunting excursions that also included bears from time to time.

I can remember at Nimpo lake fishing with my brother. We were both about 13 - 14. I was driving the boat and my brother said he needed to take a pee. We reeled in and I slowly motor to a nice area for him to jump out. He was ready with the bow rope and we notice a movement in the bushes in front of us. Remember at this point we are motoring slowly to shore. 15 feet from shore we see a black bear poke his head out of the bushes. I'm not sure who ****e their pants first. The bear, my brother or me at the back of the boat. I hit reverse and we got out of there. I'm sure the bear was just as scared of us as we were of it.

I can remember one of our trips to Wellsgray Park watching a black bear walking through our campsite and seeing a guy with a camera chasing the bear down the road trying to get a good picture.

Many years later I was in Vancouver Island fishing near Campbell River with a buddy of mine. We had gone up the Quinsam River to fish. I had found a nice opening to the river. I waded into the river and maybe made 2 casts. My friend says to me in a very quiet voice that there was a bear. He said look up. I looked up and only about 30 feet away from me was a mother black bear and her cub. She was staring at me. I wasn't sure if she was ****ed at me for fishing her section of river. Or if she was ****ed at me because she wanted to cross there and I was in her way. Either way I left in a hurry. That same trip we probably saw a dozen bears along the river. You tend to get way too complacent after you see that many and they just wander off as your walking down the trail beside the river with half eaten salmon everywhere.

I have come across black bears up in Smithers while fishing the Bulkley River. They just kept their distance. Or maybe it was me keeping my distance.

I was hunting in northern BC and my buddy shot a moose and we were gutting it. No I was gutting it. He was supposed to be on bear duty. We had a small grizzly come over and try to take our moose. I say he was going to try to take our moose But he didn't last long with 2 nervous very young hunters with loaded rifles. He was quickly dispatched. We then had to take him into town and reported it to Fish and Wildlife. We actually had to take them back with us to the location and were both seperately questioned as to how it all took place. My version was that my buddy was ****tin his pants and the bear was coming at a walking pace directly at us. We sent a warning shot first to scare him off. He backed up about 100 feet after the first shot. Then he circled us for half an hour. Then he casually walked towards us. At 40 feet I had enough and it was at that point that I put 2 shots into it from my 30/06. That was another way too close moment. They said it was a 2 year old and was probably away from mother for the first time and looking for an easy meal.

Hiking around Upper K with a buddy of mine. We were coming back way too late. My buddy stopped and I bumped into his pack. I asked why he stopped. He just pointed. There 20 feet in front of us was a black bear, AKA Mr. Furry Face. I yelled and waved, my buddy yelled and waved. We had no bear spray. The bear took off and so did we in the opposite direction. Luckly he was going west and we were heading back east to the parking area.

Another scary incident we both had was up at Rainy Lake. We saw a grizzly across the lake. It started to head around the lake and towards us. We both high tailed it out of there. But kept looking back to see if he was following us down the trail.

There were too many more bear encounters to put them all down. I can say that I am glad to carry bear spray and an air horn these days.

I am so with Edmhunter. As you get older you tend to be a lot more caucious. No way do I want to end my time here by being mauled by a damn bear.