He'll probably just pick up some smoke in town and be back tomorrow... Or maybe he did it on purpose? GWR "biggest bee bearded black bear?"

Some of your anecdotes are great, wish we had pictures!

Matthias

It is not like I go around picking all the blueberries where he lives! Oh, wait a sec, I guess I do. But that isn't the point. I save the bees some smoke because they are our bees. You should treat them nice. After they work their little bees butts off for people. They pollinate like mad, without them crops would be a lot harder to grow. In the last few years since we increased the number of hives the fruit trees have be going gangbusters, ditto with the grape vines, and berry bushes. I saw a show on tv about these giant hornets in japan that attack honey bee hives and kill them all. After the massacre the beekeeper and all the farmers in the area have a funeral for them. At the temple, pictures of the bees up on the altar, monks, gongs, the whole nine yards. I saw that and thought "I don't blame them, that would suck. Anyway, as long as you go easy you don't need the smoke that often. I usually go into them about noon, when it is hottest. Then the most bees are out doing their thing. I usually only wear gloves, and the hat, and veil. They don't just attack all of a sudden. You just have to be gentle, like when you pull the frames out and they are covered in bees, you just shake them off, back into their hive. Nice and easy.

I hadn't seen this bear before, he looked pretty young and hopefully he heads off to greener pastures elsewhere. It is one scruffy, sneaky, old bastard that is my nemesis. He is one of the biggest browns I've ever seen, must be real old, he's going gray around the muzzle, and has a real rugged appearance. Picture nick nolte's mugshot, only a bear. He has a big hole in one ear where my boss shot a .303 as a warning shot. Sonner or later I'll get him, either he will come and try to eat my pears, or bear season will open and I'll go track him down.


hmm, after reading all that I'm starting to think that I kinda sound like sound nut after an uncatchable animal. Like this bear is my moby dick.

I'm not really that off-kilter, a little.

Good point. I guess I never even thought of that. At the time my bow was back at the workshop on the other side of the orchard, and there wasn't any guns close by. Usually there is, one by the front door, back door, barn, kennel, workshop, etc. I guess it is like my gandpa always said "The things you see, when you don't have a gun."

*points to the man next to him with a hook for a head* Yarr, there be old Jim There. HA! Nary a man there is that could tell you a better story than when He Fought the Old Marmot on the Mountain, and the terrible price 'e paid. But got the marmot, 'e did. And wears its hoary hide as pantaloons!
Seriously though. I don't know that I would run after a bear that was coming near some beehives, and anyone who has been around me in the vicinity of a bottle of honey would tell you I could give a bear a run for the money. Still though...

But imagine you are a bear, and all these bees are stinging your snout, then this crazy creature in a spacesuit, starts yelling and running around like a maniac. 

What the...who told you about that dream I had...

Anyways...my best friend had a wolf for a pet, no idea where he got it. Her name was Caru, and she was the nicest thing you could ever want. I remember sleeping over once at his house and I fell asleep in his living room, and I had just woken up and I had that feeling you get sometimes when someone/something is stalking you.
I look up and right then Caru leaps at me and bites me on the ear. Ok it was a "love nip" , and besides it only bled a little. But she was sooo nice besides that , if you've ever seen Dances With Wolves, she looked exactly like Two Socks, except she had no white feet.

But as for pitbulls those suckers are mean... A fellow missionary I knew got his arm torn up by one of those.
I think it was an American Bulldog, a mix between a Mastiff and a Pitbull.