In my neck of the woods, long shots are uncommon. In the north where rifles are legal for deer hunting the woods are thick and there are a lot of glacial hills and eskers. A carbine will do the trick. In the south where it is slugs only, you have to wait until the deer gets within 100 yards to have a safe shot. I'm speaking in generalities, as there are exceptions in the local terrain of course.

Wow, those must be some very intellectual bears. I thought they were just climbing the tree to go eat the guy. How silly of me.

Just smarter than the average bear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK8QNsW9Z5k

BTW Bears don't eat people, there are more documented cases of people eating people and bears don't kill people for sport.

Not hard to shoot a bow with better accuracy than a handgun.

Doesn't take much practice to be competent to 40 yards with
a bow, 50 or 60 if you take it seriously.

All the bow hunters I know use a range finder, you can get them
now for as little a $70.

Another unprovoked black bear attack.
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Bellevue...-104419118.html

quote] Just smarter than the average bear

BTW Bears don't eat people, there are more documented cases of people eating people and bears don't kill people for sport. [/quote]



We all love Yogi and Boo Boo, and Bambi too. Unfortunately you will probably have a hard time convincing the Huffmans' next of kin that all they are looking for is a pik-a-nic basket..............

" NEAR KAKTOVIK: The Anchorage rafters' food was properly stored, officials say.
By JEANNETTE J. LEE The Associated Press
Published: June 27th, 2005

Two people camping along the Hulahula River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were killed by a grizzly bear, officials said Sunday. Officials discovered the bodies and an unused firearm in a tent at a campsite near the river. The couple, whose names were not released, were believed to be in their late 50s or early 60s, North Slope Borough police said. They were from Anchorage and had been on a recreational rafting trip down the river, Alaska State Troopers said. The victims were in their tent when the attack occurred, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain.The campsite was clean, with food stored in bear-proof containers. "The initial scene indicates that it was a predatory act by the bear," DeSpain said. The bear was at the site Saturday night when public safety officials arrived. They shot and killed the animal but did not remove it. A rafter had seen the animal at the site and notified authorities in Kaktovik."

That said, as most hunters know, when it comes to hunting, the killing is not the sport. It is about preparation, tradition, skill, luck, and family ties. For every deer that lived free and is harvested quickly and humanely by me for my family, a cow that waited in fear in a line at the slaughter house, died at the hand of a stranger, and now comes wrapped in cellophane to hide its origins, is spared.