Nature, man, nature… it’s one cruel and unforgiving beast.
These animals know one thing and one thing only… survival.
It’s a humbling thing to see and think of the benefits we’ve gained over time by being humans. Almost everything else in our world is constantly on edge waiting for something to go terribly wrong or fighting for their next meal.
Our intelligence has given us comfort to exist around these animals, and for most people, without even a trace of thought of what could go on if animals weren’t generally afraid of us. We are fortunate to be able to be at the top of the food chain most of the time.
Black bears are omnivores, that means they will eat just about anything. And I mean everything from the heart right out of a moose to the asshole of a dead skunk.
They aren’t as known for their hunting abilities like their larger relatives in the grizzly, or especially the even more savage polar bear, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good at it.
They often target the young of deer, moose and elk but could also have their way with a mature animal if they really wanted to have a good fight. For them, its all about getting food as efficiently as possible.
This video shows how crazy it can get out there. A black bear at Yellowstone National Park eats away at an elk calf still kicking and screaming as the mother watches from afar, knowing that the risk for herself is not worth it.
You can clearly tell the motherly instincts are there as you can pretty much see the sadness. However, they need to survive and let go sometimes.
It’s a hard life out there for these beautiful creatures.
Tourists Watch Black Bear Maul Wild Boar At Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This one is not for the faint of heart.
Nature is just as ruthless as she is beautiful, and that was on full display near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Some folks were driving around Great Smoky Mountains National Park when they came across a rare sight – a black bear mauling a wild boar, while simultaneously trying to drag it into the woods.
Multiple groups of motorists stopped to view that savage battle, and according to the Charlotte Observer people were stunned at the sight:
“This is unbelievable. This is crazy. Man, he’s got blood all in his mouth… he about got his whole neck bit off.”
This video isn’t short, it’s a hefty 10 minutes and loaded with fight and struggle.
Take a guess on who wins this battle.
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Black Bears Across Tennessee
According to TN.Gov, Tennessee has two main black bear populations: the Appalachian Population along the Tennessee-North Carolina border and the Cumberland Population in the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau along the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
Because black bears are very mobile and travel across state lines, we not only manage a Tennessee black bear population, but a shared population with many neighboring states.
Collectively, this interstate population is known as the Southeastern Black Bear Population, and is shared with Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.
Bear populations in Tennessee are growing, and re-colonization of former range continues.
And as for wild for wild hogs:
In 2011, new regulations were enacted that changed wild hog management. Wild hogs are no longer regarded as big game animals in Tennessee.
In order to remove the incentive to relocate wild hogs, they are now considered a destructive species to be controlled by methods other than sport hunting.
It is illegal to possess, transport, or release live wild hogs.
Black Bear Tackles Moose
Warning: this one is pretty graphic…
Here we have big ol’ moose laying injured on the side of a road in Sweden.
A driver comes to a stop to video the ginormous creature, when a bear comes creeping out of the woods. And you know right away, the bear isn’t looking to play…
Nope. Not at all…
“My wife and I went by car on Wednesday night. In front of us, we saw something dark beside the road. When we approached, we saw that it was a moose lying down with the bear next to it.
The bear was a little disturbed by our presence and walked from the moose and over to the other side of the road.
Then we backed the car up to give the bear the opportunity to come back to the moose and finish what he started.”
“Finish what he started?” Gee, not one to interfere with the circle of life are we?
Granted, the moose appears to have possibly been hit by a car and wasn’t going to make it much longer anyway, but still, folks in Sweden definitely aren’t shy about getting out of the way and letting nature take its course.
The bear eventually drags the huge moose off the road with ease and takes some gnarly bites as the moose is too injured to fight back. After the bear finally realizes there are people watching, or just got bored, he steps away and stares straight at the person videoing.
Honestly props to that guy… if a bear just got done having its way with a moose and then noticed me watching, I’d be outta there ASAP.
All I know is I will never under estimate the strength of a bear for as long as I live.
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Massive Black Bear Walks Right Into Bowhunter’s Arrow
Nothing like crapping your pants in the woods, eh?
Hunting bear is always a controversial topic. Some folks are all in favor, some vehemently opposes it, and others don’t quite know where they land. Make no mistake, a bear will easily rip your face off, but there is something cute and cuddly about them (hello teddy bears) that gives many of us an uneasy feeling about hunting them. But that being said, black bear tastes DAMN good.
Traditional bowhunter Clay Newcomb was out on a black bear hunt a couple years back when a big old boar walked right up into his kitchen… so close that it literally bumped his arrow. Clay joined Steve Rinella’s MeatEater podcast to talk more in-depth about the crazy encounter.
“Up until he touched the end of my arrow, I thought I was in the driver’s seat… when my arrow touched his nose, that’s when I said ‘Oh crap.’ It was scary.”
Clay made a good clean shot, followed up with another, and filled up his freezer, but after folks saw the video, they had some complaints. Clay revealed that he took a ton of heat, even from fellow bowhunters, about the kill. Many people felt like the bear spared Clay’s life and that Clay took his… not to mention, they claimed that he put a bad first shot on him.
But at the end of the day, Steve Rinella explained it like this:
“You’re hunting. The objective is to get a bear. You got a bear. Does it remove the objective if the bear touches your arrow?”
Pretty sound logic. I’ve never hunted bear, but as long as it’s a legal, ethical kill, a well-placed and efficient shot, and it’s a mature, old bear… what difference does it make if the bear is close to you? Especially, when using a traditional bow…. the closer the better, for both you and the bear.
The encounter kicks off at the 9-minute mark.
