The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (VR) – Last October, Andy Chapman was bow hunting in Botetourt County and arrowed a doe. However, soon afterwards a black bear came by, and though Chapman repeatedly yelled at the animal, it refused to leave for over an hour. Finally, the athletic trainer for Lord Botetourt High School decided he had to descend to search for his whitetail, even though the bear was still nearby.
Chapman soon found the doe; the problem, however, was that apparently the same bear that he had earlier encountered had also located the deer and was already eating it. Again, Chapman screamed at the creature, but, frankly, the bear was not intimidated by the human. Indeed, when the Botetourt resident walked toward the bear, it “huffed” and made a bluff charge.
In short, what should hunters do when they encounter bears in the woods this autumn? Katie Martin, the Deer, Bear, and Turkey Biologist for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), offered some advice.
“We get reports of bears behaving similarly each year toward hunters that have shot a deer and a bear has ‘found’ the prize first,” Martin said. “It’s a common defensive tactic for the bear to want to guard a food source, particularly as the acorns begin to wane and food—especially valuable protein—becomes scarcer.
“If you approach and yell and the bear doesn’t leave, honestly the best thing to do is to back away and leave the area,” Martin continued. “If someone is carrying a firearm (a sidearm or if it’s during a firearm season) you could shoot away from the animal to see if that loud noise will deter it. But at times, depending on the bear, it may just decide this has become its food and won’t likely leave. Unfortunately, as a hunter, your best option is to leave the area and not recover the animal. Trying to approach too closely can lead to the bear bluff charging, which is a defensive maneuver and not aggressive, but your heart likely won’t think so in the moment!”
Martin added that for the sake of the hunter’s safety, it’s much wiser to not pressure the animal to try to recover the deer. Bears are in survival mode with winter coming and a good, easy, protein-packed meal is hard for them to pass up.
Martin emphasized that her advice applies not just to hunters but for anyone afield. And her tips are also the same whether the encounter involves a lone bruin or a sow with cubs.
“If the bear notices you, then making noise. Clapping and/or yelling is good, but if the bear doesn’t seem to know you’re there, then simply just walking away or giving the animal a wide berth will suffice,” Martin said.
“Most encounters with black bears that result in actual contact with the bear are actually defensive encounters where the bear feels threatened and generally gives warning signs before making contact,” Martin noted. “Aggressive encounters with black bears are extremely rare. The best way to de-escalate these defensive encounters is to simply give the bear space.”
