billrquimby Report post Posted August 12, 2012 This is a story about a large brown-phase black bear that has been hanging around our cabin in Greer for the past week or so. About 8:15 this morning, our neighbor called to say that hunters' dogs have "cornered" the bear in the turn-around in front of his cabin. He wanted to know if any laws were being broken and if he should call the game department. I explained that it was bear season and the dogs probably had run the bear off the forest above us, and that as long as the hunters didn't shoot the bear within 1/4 mile of an occupied dwelling -- and if the guy they saw with a gun had a hunting license and a tag for bear -- everything was OK. Immediately after that, another neighbor called me with the same question, and added that he has the license number of the hunters' blue Dodge Ram 2500 truck parked near our gate at a forest service walking path's trailhead. Over the next half hour, the bear came to bay a couple more times on forest land about 100-150 yards or so from our cabin, and my wife and I caught glimpses of the dogs and bear moving between the trees. By then, all the cabin owners in our area were talking with one another by phone. I kept hoping that the hunters wouldn't shoot. At least ten years ago, a family watched while someone shot a small bear that had taken refuge under a vacant cabin thirty yards from their cabin. The wife called AZGFD, the forest service and the newspaper in Show Low and raised a ruckus. People here still talk about those "nasty, bloodthirsty, inconsiderate" hunters who shot Smokey the Bear. This morning's bear hunters did the right thing. They didn't shoot, although they could have, and the bear and hounds eventually headed higher on the hill and farther from the cabins. A while later, the three hunters returned to their truck and drove off. We heard no shots. I hope those guys eventually got to tag that bear. They certainly worked hard enough for it. More importantly, in all that excitement, they avoided what could have been another much-publicized incident that would put all of us in a bad light. Kudos to them. Bill Quimby 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jcubed Report post Posted August 12, 2012 Good to hear that. I was actually up at the Grayling campground this weekend and heard the dogs baying EARLY on Saturday morning. The dogs eventually moved out of hearing distance but as I was hiking down from Sheeps Crossing towards Greer, I briefly heard them again. One thing about hunting with dogs is that you really can't control where they decide to follow the scent to. Beautiful country up there, even after the burn. Sure does look different than a few years ago though. My only complaint was that one of my friends backed out at the last minute and we didn't have two cars, thus we couldn't hike from Sheeps Crossing all the way into Greer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted August 13, 2012 Hey Bill, Thanks for posting this. If anyone knows these hunters, please congratulate them for their restraint. Lots of people aren't either for-or-against hunting, when it's done right. But we've all seen how homeowners get really upset and a bad taste for hunting when it ends up in their back yard. I'm sure everyone on the mountain remembers the debacle a couple years back when a big bull was shot basically in a neighborhood and it ended up in the newspapers, etc., some charges filed and a lot of people upset with how the hunt was conducted. Kudos to the hunters on this one for doing the right thing. This is a perfect example of what defines ethics. There were probably times where it would have been legal to take the bear, but they opted not to until it was further away from residents. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted August 13, 2012 This is a perfect example of what defines ethics. There were probably times where it would have been legal to take the bear, but they opted not to until it was further away from residents. My thoughts, exactly. Well said. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwoGuns Report post Posted August 13, 2012 This is a story about a large brown-phase black bear that has been hanging around our cabin in Greer for the past week or so. About 8:15 this morning, our neighbor called to say that hunters' dogs have "cornered" the bear in the turn-around in front of his cabin. He wanted to know if any laws were being broken and if he should call the game department. I explained that it was bear season and the dogs probably had run the bear off the forest above us, and that as long as the hunters didn't shoot the bear within 1/4 mile of an occupied dwelling -- and if the guy they saw with a gun had a hunting license and a tag for bear -- everything was OK. Immediately after that, another neighbor called me with the same question, and added that he has the license number of the hunters' blue Dodge Ram 2500 truck parked near our gate at a forest service walking path's trailhead. Over the next half hour, the bear came to bay a couple more times on forest land about 100-150 yards or so from our cabin, and my wife and I caught glimpses of the dogs and bear moving between the trees. By then, all the cabin owners in our area were talking with one another by phone. I kept hoping that the hunters wouldn't shoot. At least ten years ago, a family watched while someone shot a small bear that had taken refuge under a vacant cabin thirty yards from their cabin. The wife called AZGFD, the forest service and the newspaper in Show Low and raised a ruckus. People here still talk about those "nasty, bloodthirsty, inconsiderate" hunters who shot Smokey the Bear. This morning's bear hunters did the right thing. They didn't shoot, although they could have, and the bear and hounds eventually headed higher on the hill and farther from the cabins. A while later, the three hunters returned to their truck and drove off. We heard no shots. I hope those guys eventually got to tag that bear. They certainly worked hard enough for it. More importantly, in all that excitement, they avoided what could have been another much-publicized incident that would put all of us in a bad light. Kudos to them. Bill Quimby Bill, we were staying in the Honeybee lodge the third week of July, and had a brown phase bear working on getting in our dumpster. We watched him from about 30 yards for quite a while, our kids thought it was great. Found out the owners named him Henry as he is a frequent guest in the neighborhood. Maybe same bear... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted August 13, 2012 Could be. From the stories I hear here, there are at least three other bears "working" Greer now. Two apparently are adult litter mates that are running together. The other is a yearling from the descriptions I've heard. That brown=phase bear, incidentally, had climbed into the back of my pickup truck on Sunday night a week ago. I'd forgotten that the Eagar transfer station is closed on Mondays, and loaded the truck with household garbage and some trash. Its tracks were all over the place, and the back of my truck looked like a load of scrambled eggs. Two bags were carried at least 30 feet from the truck before the bear tore them apart. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
