I saved this part of my recent Idaho bear hunt because I felt it deserved a post of its own... On the second day of our hunt, John, a friend of my friend joined us to try out a predator call just for the hell of it... This made 3 hunters and 2 cur dogs. Not the best for still hunting bear. As luck would have it we spotted a female black bear with three cubs at a good distance despite the thick cover. John hit the call and to our amazement the bears started coming our way with the cubs climbing a tree. However, momma bear kept coming. At around 25 yards we started yelling and waving our hands with no reaction from the bear. The top picture shows her at this distance. Between us we were armed with a 300 Win mag rifle a 475 Linebaugh and a 45 Colt. The bottom picture show`s her at 5 yards when the camera was dropped.
It was when the bear closed in even further that the 2 cur dogs went to the right and left of their master and the bear stopped nose to nose with "Gator". With jaws popping and saliva dripping from its mouth the bear took a swipe at the dog which he ducked but never moved. The distance apart was a few feet. Even though the standoff lasted a few seconds it seemed that a full minute passed before she slowly backed up. This encounter proved good for all involved as no one was hurt and momma went back to her cubs. It was at this point that my hands started to shake. That night Gator was given a double size dinner for the love and courage he showed
for his master....
