Ok I had the wildest experience hunting today......

[Emcm2]

Sat in the stand today seen 6 turkeys ease on by me a bobcat and now for the wild about dusk a big bear comes in to the clearing slowly walking around snorting the air several times it came within 25 yards never looked up to see us just kept going in and out of the brush sniffing the air. It's now almost 7pm and I'm freaking out about this bear and what's it gonna do when and if it does find me the scariest part was the last time I seen it enter the brush was in the same direction as my truck. I had my light on my knife out and kept my bow on ready that had to be the wildest hunting trip I've ever had.

 

[Seanpcola]

Are you still out there?

 

[Seanpcola]

Is it legal to carry a sidearm during bow season for stuff like this?

 

[Emcm2]

Hell NO and I'm gonna let that spot sit for about a week before I go back

 

[Emcm2]

I don't know about Eglin but you can bet I'm gonna be asking if you can

 

[Snow Bird]

Saw all that stuff on one hunt. Sounds great to me.

 

[FrankT]

LOL welcome to FL and no bear season. I left my first lease here because of that very thing!

 

[Emcm2]

Snowbird eglins archery areas are loaded with turkeys you can see six to eight at a time mostly hens and jakes gobblers are rare finds wish Eglin would open something besides gobblers only

 

[Emcm2]

Yea frank I've seen many in Eglin this is the first one that has left my wondering wtf lol

 

[Va boy]

It happened to me on Eglin too. Bear walked out the same way I walked in. I made some noise on the walk out. Pitch black (except a small light) and bears; the best kind of camo. Add to that the 100 or so coyotes howling at once and the gazillion spiders crawling over the ground and it makes for a pretty cool event.:spider:

 

[fishingjean]

Nature at its best!!!!

 

[Calculated steps]

Yes you can carry a sidearm when hunting during archery season. 8884043922 there's fwc number if you don't believe me.

 

[SAWMAN]

Hope this will help.

While guiding in Maine,I had several hunters in camp that had bear tags. One evening,after seeing some good sized sign,I took a archery hunter into the thick spruce/fir woods for an afternoon hunt. About dark he called me on the radio and stated that he had stuck a "huge bear".

There was a nice blood trail,and myself and another guide tracked the bear for about 400yds thru the thick stuff and down into a cedar swamp. We backed off to retrieve other guns and a tracking dog. The guns were a 44mag Desert Eagle for me and a pump 12ga for the other guide. The dog was a Black & Tan that had a great rep for tracking wounded bear.

By this time it was well after dark and was black in the cedars. We started down the trail of the wounded bear with the dog on a short leash,the dog handler(guide),and me in that order. After only about 75yds the dog started getting really nervous,stopping and starting and unsure of which direction to go. Strange behavior for this dogs reputation.

Just as we came around an old blown down cedar tree the dog stopped and stood still. In the glow of our white headlights we could see a giant black hairy arm come out and swoop he dog off the smallish trail. The guide either let go of the dogs leash or it was jerked out of his hand. We took several steps backwards and we separated in order to be able to shoot. The sound was as if a horrible gang fight was taking place. Dog squealing and howling and bear roaring.

As fast as it started it was over. We never got off a shot for fear of hitting the dog. We heard the bear go crashing thru the swamp and the dog came back out on the trail and to the guide. The dog was fine except for several flesh wounds and it looked severely traumatized. It was shaking like it was shitting peach seeds.

We left the swamp the way we had come in. The next day we found the bear with the help of another dog,about 200yds from where he had snatched the dog. It was dead. It weighed 335lbs and was a boar.

I told this story to several Maine wardens and biologists and they basically stated that black bear do not "wait in ambush" for either dogs or humans. Me and the other guide recounted this story around the campfires for the next several years that I worked as a guide,carefully not letting any of our clients hear.

Good Luck with them bear. --- SAWMAN

 

[Seanpcola]

Yes you can carry a sidearm when hunting during archery season. 8884043922 there's fwc number if you don't believe me.

I believe you, just didn't know, that's why I asked the question.

 

[FrankT]

I am not sure on Eglin, certainly ask them, they all have strange rules on WMA's

 

[FUPAGUNT]

Carrying bear spray may not be a bad idea either

 

[SAWMAN]

Yeah ..... good idea ..... bear spray ..... that way when they find a steaming pile of bear shit with a can of partially discharged bear spray in it,they will also find your pocketwatch and wedding ring to return to your next of kin. ---- SAWMAN

 

[HughJoergan]

 

[gendoc]

I believe you, just didn't know, that's why I asked the question.

sean, fl might let this go, but bama won't allow it at all....only during general gun season.
I asked the warden the other day when I ran into him.
he said, it don't make much sense but its the law.

 

[Seanpcola]

sean, fl might let this go, but bama won't allow it at all....only during general gun season.
I asked the warden the other day when I ran into him.
he said, it don't make much sense but its the law.

OK. So, that means if I go.hunting with you during bow season then I don't need to worry about carrying a firearm as long as I can run faster than you, correct?ound: