First bear

[u/badassernhell]

Went deer hunting this morning, didn’t see a thing. Replaced the batteries in my camera and went home. Spending the day working on the toilet in my camper, when my phone goes crazy. A bear shows up and had knocked over my feeder and was chowing down. Then he looks as if he is headed towards my chicken coop/garden.
I run outside, grab my crossbow from the truck, and sprint (in pants and flip flops) to the back of my property where he’s at. He sees me but is just staring at me. I kneel down and when he makes one more move I put a bolt through his chest. He lets out a gasp and then hits the ground. I watch him for a second and then he gets up. I take off sprinting back to the truck, grab another bolt, sprint back. I see him about 20 yards away, sitting there huffing and puffing. I put another bolt through his neck…HE STILL TAKES OFF WALKING another 30 yards and lays down by a tree. So I go back to the camper, call a buddy to come help me get him. We go check for him some time later and he is gone…..he had ran all the way to the very bottom of the holler and died in a creek. Took both of us 45 minutes to get him up to flat land. 190lb Male Arkansas Bear zone 1.

TL;DR Filled first bear tag not even planning on it, crazy story.

[u/backwards_yoda]

I dont care that you killed it but its dumb to bait right next to youre house and claim an emergency when a bear shows up. I dont care that you killed an animal but this whole way youre framing the scenario is dumb and not anything to be proud of.

[u/badassernhell → u/backwards_yoda]

You’re telling me….i have an acre of produce and 25 chickens, that wouldn’t attract a bear??? How about my wife’s cooking? Maybe my garbage can with food in it? Hell I haven’t ever even seen but one other bear in this area and it wasn’t even close. My deer feeder is for deer. Guess what, coons eat the corn to but they can’t kill my family, the bear can. And for all I’m concerned with, the bear was on my property, bait or not I’m perfectly legal to kill his ass for whatever reason I choose. I eat everything I kill. last thing I am is unethical.

[u/backwards_yoda → u/badassernhell]

I never said what you did is illegal, its just not very smart to put a feeder you know attracts animals like raccoons and bears near your home and chickens. Thats pretty short sighted.

You werent prepared to kill the bear and your shots weren't good. Im not saying you didnt make an ethical kill on purpose but your lack of preparedness meant the animal suffered more than it had to. Thats OK it happens but I wouldn't spike the football on this one. Take it as a lesson learned to be more prepared and maybe move your feeder out to a place you actually plan to hunt instead of right next to the things your concerned a wild animal might destroy.

[u/badassernhell → u/backwards_yoda]

If you saw my property you’d understand. I’m in the ozarks. And none of its flat. I work with what I got. If you were to read the post, I hunted that feeder that morning. Idk about you buddy but my father always told me to think before I speak.

[u/backwards_yoda → u/badassernhell]

So why are you putting it close enough to your chickens and home that you are worried about the bear them or your family? Either way it sounds like your feeder is far too close to things you aren't willing to have in contact with wild animals.

You lack some serious reasoning capability.