Bear attack during Turkey Hunting

It's a little unnerving walking in for a turkey hunt when it's still quite dark. I've heard my share of strange noises and things scurrying away in the dark but realistically you have a better chance of getting hurt from a fall than a wild animal.

A bear or coyote or rabid animal that gets too close is not common. But it does happen.
Test your turkey load at 15-20 yards. And you won't be worried any more.

Grab a pair of binos and go start scouting/birdwatching/enjoying the woods before turkey season. Once you spend some time in the bush you will become more comfortable and your bear fears will go away.

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Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers

Mateo put the fear of a bear attack out of your mind. Stop preparing for that bear attack that won't happen better spending your time learning to hunt turkeys. The reality is bears do not see humans as food so they won't be hunting you down. Therefore any chance occurrence the bear will rather run than fight. All you have to do is alert the bear to your presents before they have no choice but to fight. If you must protect yourself carry a rape whistle or simply fire a shot in the air if you believe a bear is near that way it won't be surprised.
All the years turkey hunting never hear of an incidence with a bear. That includes personal experience from last year where the farmer warned me the previous day a bear was grazing in the field I intended to hunt. Never saw it got a nice turkey though.

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Thank you sir. It is a great advice. I will concentrate on learning the skill to hunt Turkeys rather than worry about an improbable attack by a bear.

I will have the bear spray just in case I guess but otherwise not really worry about it.

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Originally Posted by RobB

I was walking out of the field edge I was turkey hunting and had a bear snooping around the drainage ditch near the truck. I was only about 70yrds from the truck and had already unloaded. After making sure it was a bear I was looking at I reloaded quickly and walked into the field and waited for 20 mins. After I gained the nerve to finish my walk out I got into the truck as quickly as I could and glad I didn't see that bear again. This was just north of the Shelburne area.

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Glad you made it back in one piece. Walking back into the field to wait until the bear goes away seems to be a good idea. I wonder if anyone would do anything differently in such situation?

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Originally Posted by warpipe

It's a little unnerving walking in for a turkey hunt when it's still quite dark. I've heard my share of strange noises and things scurrying away in the dark but realistically you have a better chance of getting hurt from a fall than a wild animal.

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Thank you for the reassurance

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Originally Posted by glen

A bear or coyote or rabid animal that gets too close is not common. But it does happen.
Test your turkey load at 15-20 yards. And you won't be worried any more.

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Thank you sir. I hear today at Silverdale gun club that even a regular bird shot at 20 yards hits almost as hard as a slug. So I will definitely try it out especially with the Turkey ammo I will be using. Thank you for the reassurance as well

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Originally Posted by Downwind

Grab a pair of binos and go start scouting/birdwatching/enjoying the woods before turkey season. Once you spend some time in the bush you will become more comfortable and your bear fears will go away.

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Thank you sir. This is a great piece of advise. I really need to get out there and get my feet wet so to speak. Just like you said, I'm sure a lot of my worries will go away once I actually spend some time in the bush.

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Originally Posted by warpipe

It's a little unnerving walking in for a turkey hunt when it's still quite dark. I've heard my share of strange noises and things scurrying away in the dark but realistically you have a better chance of getting hurt from a fall than a wild animal.

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Mateo.
Like thousands and thousands and thousands of other guys who walk into stands before sunrise, or out of stands after sunset. Ive done that for year in S Ontario with nothing but a camera............I'm still here.

I do recall one incident one morning, sitting in the bush waiting for sunrise and WTs, when a coyote pretty much walked into my lap. Honestly it was close enough to touch. I'm not sure who was more surprised, and startled. It or me. It had a funny look on its face and Im pretty sure I did to..........I'm still here.

There are thousands of guys who hunt bears, with bows...not guns..bows. Still recall the first time I did that and my first evening in the stand. There was about 10 minutes of light left, when it hit me...Now I need to get down and walk out of the bush in the dark, with nothing but a toothpick in my hands. Not so bright that I was thinking, given the whole idea of a bait barrel is to draw a hungry bear in, just before last night...just before I need to get down...Still here, as are the thousands and thousands of other guys who hunt bears with just bows.....So are the thousands of outfitters and guides who bait those barrels, every other day.....

As a friend said to me about Bears. Really, they are little more than overgrown racoons. Do bad things happen occasionally? yes they do.
There are likely statistically more self inflicted accidental shootings, and grievous injury each years, than bear maulings.

Once you start hunting and start spending time in the bush, those feeling of uneasiness will pass. Not unlike the first time a person gets behind the wheel of a car and gets on the 401. In time...............

I hunt Bear with my cross-bow only & we only hunt the afternoon hunt. It's a bit unnerving like others have said when you have to climb down & walk out @ dusk with my bow in it's case & only a knife to defend myself. I figure most Bears are scared of humans and want nothing to do with us while we are walking out in the dark. That's what I tell myself & it seems to be working... LOL