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+--- Thread: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! (/showthread.php?tid=20093)
I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - Paul F. - 10-06-2006
OK, so perhaps CHASED isn't quite right... more like asked nicely from a second story window..
I was locking the doors for the night, and see a great black shape moving in the front yard...
I turned on the porch light, and sitting at the base of the poor beat up apple tree, is a fairly LARGE california black bear! I say "large" in comparison to the normal size of them I've seen locally... they're not big as bears go... but this one was pretty good sized! I'd say nearly 6 feet long, maybe 3 feet at the shoulder. Kinda hard to be sure in the dark.
I beat a hasty retreat from the front door... even though it's closed and locked, 15 feet is a little closer than I'm comfortable with to a bear.
Now, I know what you're thinking.... "gun nut Paul F. probably went for one of his many rifles...".. Nope... He's outside, and I respect his space as long as he's respecting mine and not knocking on my door.
I went for my digital camera!
But, dammit... it's in my car and my car is outside. The bear is outside. So my camera is off limits...
I go into my office, and see the apple tree shaking.. and it ain't windy out there.
A large black shape is moving around in the apple tree!
The darn bear couldn't pick the UGLY apple tree in the other field, or the apple trees across the road that the neighbor doesn't care about.. he's gotta pick the nice tree in my FRONT YARD!
So.. (no, I don't grab a firearm... people are always ready to think the worst of me... )...
I grab a pellet rifle, open my UPSTAIRS window.. give the bear FAIR WARNING that he better get out of my apple tree!
(silence... then the sound of branches being shook for apples...).
Thoomp! goes the air rifle..
Urf! goes the bear. Probably thinking he sat on a pointy branch.
Another shot from the air rifle, and the large black shape starts climing down the tree..
Only to see that it's NOT the bear I saw on the ground! It's a LITTLE black bear! Probably this years cub. This is why I keep this old air rifle around... at 10 feet, it won't penetrate a racoons hide, much less a baby bear. Just sting a bit.
Little bear runs off into the darknesss.. presumably to tell mom there's "bees" in that tree.
Damn I wish my camera wasn't outside in the car!
I also wish those bears would molest a healthier apple tree.. this poor old tree is about on it's last season, it doesn't need any help from a couple of bears!
Well.. at least the bears aren't in my garbage can this time! (there's a thread from years ago somewhere on Dealmac about that...)
I gotta go pry my cat out from under the bed now... Wussy little house-cat.....
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - The Grim Ninja - 10-06-2006
Stephen Colbert would be proud.
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - Paul F. - 10-06-2006
Who?
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - pRON aHOLIC - 10-06-2006
It wasn't a bear and he will be back tomorrow.
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - mikebw - 10-06-2006
Good job with the non-killing shooting. Should make a gun that takes a picture every time you take a shot, might be kinda neat.
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - Paul F. - 10-06-2006
Actually, they make "camera stocks".... a rifle-stock with a camera mounted on top. Makes for (I assume) easier and more steady aiming for those used to rifle shooting more than camera shooting.
There is also a rifle scope that takes a digital picture when the rifle is fired, but the quality of the camera is supposed to be pretty poor. Too bad too... that would be a great training aid for a sport like metallic silhouette..
Finally got my cat calmed down... He's brave enough standing up to cows, but let's face it, how often to cows really attack cats (and he knows this...)? Other critters bigger than a squirrel, he goes all to pieces...
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - wave rider - 10-06-2006
I bet those apples are really sweet and getting good and ripe...
What flavor? I'm hoping (of course) for
MacIntosh!
=wr=
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - cbelt3 - 10-06-2006
Da Bears !
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - Racer X - 10-06-2006
Oh, be a man and admit Max was at the trigger.....
Re: I just chased a BEAR out of my apple tree! - OWC Jamie - 10-06-2006
Why eat ugly tiny bug infested apples, when the good ones are right over, there.
:-)