Another Black Bear Story....

Didn't want to bump that long one to the top so.......

My family is a NPS Concessionaire on the Buffalo National River in the Ozarks and has been for over 70 yrs.
Retired now, but years ago I was a licensed guide for hikes, hunts, canoeing/rafting, leaf looking, caving...

On one trip, I was guiding a group of Japanese guest on a nature hike.
Upon exiting a hedge thicket, there she was, with a cub, eating blackberries, the cub was between us and her, not good.
I had all the training, spray, whistle, bells and total orientated my group on do's and don'ts.

I had encountered many black bears, but they usually took flight before we got close to them.

Not this time.

I'm here to tell ya, when she stood up, eyes dilated, ears laid back, started puffing at me and lurching back and forth.....
All the training went out the window and may I add, very quickly.
"Here's my pack, plenty of snickers and slim jims, your welcome, have at it, buddy".
I still remember, with a laugh, the last guy in the line stating, don't run, don't run, as we blew by his a$$.

Once we backed off, cub went back over, she settled down and continued eating blackberries.

We, on the other hand, had to retrieve the shovel, get off the trail 50 feet and relieve ourselves of anxiety.

And another thing, the rolling up into a ball and letting them waller you around, well, that's a braver man than me...........