Just now, as I was writing some blather to the List, I
looked out the window into the hillside garden beside the
house where I am vacationing.
A large black bear was climbing up the hill to the orchard
on top. I've seen other black bears. This one was mature,
large, and quite fat with a very shiny coat.
I left the blather on the computer, grabbed a 12-gauge
shotgun and a couple rounds of shotgun slugs, and went up
the hill after it.
The bear was sitting in a patch of tall grass on the
northern side of the orchard. I stood about twenty-five feet
from it. It moved away a few feet and turned to look at me.
I stood my ground and said, "Hi!"
It cocked its head. I waved and said "Bear!" The bear
stepped forward a bit, and settled down again in the tall
grass, facing me. I stood there for half a minute watching
it, then came down the hill to write this.
Extremely odd behavior. Black bears are nonaggressive and
scare easily. When I said "Hi" to it, I expected that it
would take off into the mountain. Instead it showed some
curiosity, settled down, and kept an eye on me. Must be
getting used to people.
I'm glad there's a bear in the orchard. May it grow even
fatter and have a good sleep this winter.
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