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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Survival / Success
- Subject: Biography / Autobiography
- Published: 12/29/2019
Aloha StoryStar community. As you all know, I only write for StoryStar- but recently I joined a website for Veterans. And I have been posting stories about my Military Career and experiences. Jd has been kind enough to let me post a few on here too. So here is the latest one. This happened at Camp Grayling Michigan, where you go to fire your big guns (Cannons, Tanks, Mortars) without danger of hitting a Civilian. I was an inner city kid...and this story shows just what a "Tinhorn" I was. LOL Enjoy.
Camp Grayling Michigan.
Walking with Bears.
Jealous Hunters.
A break from Riot Duty and the Teamsters Strike.
Live fire with the Howitzers.
And Punji stakes put in the perimeter by overzealous Returned Vietnam Vets.
Life in the National Guard in 1969-70
First the bears.
I am from Cleveland Ohio...we don't have bears, we have the Browns. The biggest animal I saw in Nature was a rather larger squirrel we called Baby Huey. I was advanced Party to Camp Grayling with a Self Propelled Howitzer Unit.
We spent 12 hours a day getting the Quonset Huts, Oil Stoves, and Company Hq's ready. But we were free at night. So I decided to walk into town. I heard some rustling in the brush along side me. I thought nothing of it. I heard more. I started yelling into the woods: "Very funny creeps. Now, knock it off."
You see, I thought they were soldiers from other Units, or maybe even my own- trying to freak me out. You know, because I was from the City and had never hunted or fished. And those were both big black marks from the Locals and the Hunters.
I saw something covered with fur peek out of the woodline. It was a bear. I had never seen a bear outside a zoo. I swear - as God is my witness, I actually said:
"Nice Kitty. Good kitty. Go away, kitty."
A moment later, two more heads showed up, smaller, but also covered with fur. It was her cubs. In Cleveland, the only Cubs are up in Chicago. So I tried again. (and you Country Boys and Girls might want to set your coffee down before you spit it out...because this is exactly what I did.)
I left the road walking directly towards the Mommy Bear who was standing just outside the tree line. I waved my arms in a "shoo, shoo, go away" manner. All the while saying:
"Go away Kitty. Go away. Now SHOO!"
The bear didn't budge. But...the two cubs came out to see what was going on. They started to walk towards their Mommy. I heard a truck pull up behind me. It was a local. She had her rifle out and aimed over the hood of her truck.
"Walk backward to my truck. DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON THE BEAR."
Well, I was in the Army. And I was engaged at the time. So I knew how to take orders. Especially from angry women. And that lady was angry. I had no idea or clue why. So I backed up. The Bear just kept watching me. She kept watching the bear.
I got to the truck.
"Get in."
I always listen to a woman when she has a gun.
I got in the truck. She pulled her rifle off of the hood and got in too.
She looked at me like I was from another planet. We drove off. The Bear watched us go, her two cubs standing right beside her. It took a few moments for the woman to calm down enough to talk with me.
"What were you doing walking towards a Mamma Bear and her cubs?"
And she said it in a tone of voice that was mixed with pity, incredulous, and "how stupid are you?" all mixed into one.
"I wanted to shoo her away."
She shook her head.
"Are you one of those idiots from Grayling?"
"Yes. But we aren't idiots, we are soldiers."
She snorted.
"SOME of you are Soldiers. Folks like you are idiots."
"Why do you call me that?"
I was trying to stay calm. I was in her truck. She had a rifle (and who knew how many other guns) and on the seat was a big knife that looked a lot like a Kaybar.
"Because only an Idiot would try to approach a bear and her cubs, unarmed and this early in the Season. She would have torn you to pieces...and then all three of them would have had a nice lunch."
And that is when I realized a few things.
I know nothing about bears.
I now knew I was in grave danger for a bit there.
And...I am a complete Idiot.
She drove me into town. I got my snacks and sodas. She drove me back out to the Main Gate. During that hour, I learned all about bears, what to do, what not to do. And got a very stern lecture about taking an experienced hunter or woodsman out if I go hiking.
One of the things that made her laugh (not at me this time, but with me) is when she told me I should appear tall and confident if a bear is near.
"Appear Tall?" Ma'am, I had to get a waiver to join the Army because I am not five feet tall."
"Then wear big boots."
More on Grayling later. I have to go pick up my Daughter and Son in Law at the airport now. I will make them a home cooked brunch as we catch up on their lives.
Walking with Bears.(Kevin Hughes)
Aloha StoryStar community. As you all know, I only write for StoryStar- but recently I joined a website for Veterans. And I have been posting stories about my Military Career and experiences. Jd has been kind enough to let me post a few on here too. So here is the latest one. This happened at Camp Grayling Michigan, where you go to fire your big guns (Cannons, Tanks, Mortars) without danger of hitting a Civilian. I was an inner city kid...and this story shows just what a "Tinhorn" I was. LOL Enjoy.
Camp Grayling Michigan.
Walking with Bears.
Jealous Hunters.
A break from Riot Duty and the Teamsters Strike.
Live fire with the Howitzers.
And Punji stakes put in the perimeter by overzealous Returned Vietnam Vets.
Life in the National Guard in 1969-70
First the bears.
I am from Cleveland Ohio...we don't have bears, we have the Browns. The biggest animal I saw in Nature was a rather larger squirrel we called Baby Huey. I was advanced Party to Camp Grayling with a Self Propelled Howitzer Unit.
We spent 12 hours a day getting the Quonset Huts, Oil Stoves, and Company Hq's ready. But we were free at night. So I decided to walk into town. I heard some rustling in the brush along side me. I thought nothing of it. I heard more. I started yelling into the woods: "Very funny creeps. Now, knock it off."
You see, I thought they were soldiers from other Units, or maybe even my own- trying to freak me out. You know, because I was from the City and had never hunted or fished. And those were both big black marks from the Locals and the Hunters.
I saw something covered with fur peek out of the woodline. It was a bear. I had never seen a bear outside a zoo. I swear - as God is my witness, I actually said:
"Nice Kitty. Good kitty. Go away, kitty."
A moment later, two more heads showed up, smaller, but also covered with fur. It was her cubs. In Cleveland, the only Cubs are up in Chicago. So I tried again. (and you Country Boys and Girls might want to set your coffee down before you spit it out...because this is exactly what I did.)
I left the road walking directly towards the Mommy Bear who was standing just outside the tree line. I waved my arms in a "shoo, shoo, go away" manner. All the while saying:
"Go away Kitty. Go away. Now SHOO!"
The bear didn't budge. But...the two cubs came out to see what was going on. They started to walk towards their Mommy. I heard a truck pull up behind me. It was a local. She had her rifle out and aimed over the hood of her truck.
"Walk backward to my truck. DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON THE BEAR."
Well, I was in the Army. And I was engaged at the time. So I knew how to take orders. Especially from angry women. And that lady was angry. I had no idea or clue why. So I backed up. The Bear just kept watching me. She kept watching the bear.
I got to the truck.
"Get in."
I always listen to a woman when she has a gun.
I got in the truck. She pulled her rifle off of the hood and got in too.
She looked at me like I was from another planet. We drove off. The Bear watched us go, her two cubs standing right beside her. It took a few moments for the woman to calm down enough to talk with me.
"What were you doing walking towards a Mamma Bear and her cubs?"
And she said it in a tone of voice that was mixed with pity, incredulous, and "how stupid are you?" all mixed into one.
"I wanted to shoo her away."
She shook her head.
"Are you one of those idiots from Grayling?"
"Yes. But we aren't idiots, we are soldiers."
She snorted.
"SOME of you are Soldiers. Folks like you are idiots."
"Why do you call me that?"
I was trying to stay calm. I was in her truck. She had a rifle (and who knew how many other guns) and on the seat was a big knife that looked a lot like a Kaybar.
"Because only an Idiot would try to approach a bear and her cubs, unarmed and this early in the Season. She would have torn you to pieces...and then all three of them would have had a nice lunch."
And that is when I realized a few things.
I know nothing about bears.
I now knew I was in grave danger for a bit there.
And...I am a complete Idiot.
She drove me into town. I got my snacks and sodas. She drove me back out to the Main Gate. During that hour, I learned all about bears, what to do, what not to do. And got a very stern lecture about taking an experienced hunter or woodsman out if I go hiking.
One of the things that made her laugh (not at me this time, but with me) is when she told me I should appear tall and confident if a bear is near.
"Appear Tall?" Ma'am, I had to get a waiver to join the Army because I am not five feet tall."
"Then wear big boots."
More on Grayling later. I have to go pick up my Daughter and Son in Law at the airport now. I will make them a home cooked brunch as we catch up on their lives.
JD
12/29/2019What a cutie pie that bear in your pic is!
I can't believe you referred to the bears in your stories as 'kitties'. But it was dark... so you didn't see them clearly, right? Silly you! I'm very glad that there was a lady with a gun who saved you from yourself. While bear attacks are rare, they do happen, and most often when a mom feels her cubs may be in danger, threatened, or cornered. She may have decided you were harmless and turned and left, as you trying to force her to do. OR, when you got too close, she may have ripped you to shreds! Luckily you didn't get a chance to find out!
My home backs onto undeveloped forested land within the city limits. But Florence, Oregon sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Siuslaw National Forest, so we are blessed to have a lot of wildlife here. Because I feed the birds, have no fence, and back onto habitat, I see a lot of wildlife here, and have had a LOT of encounters with black bears over the years. I absolutely love them, but feel it is my duty to prevent them from coming to my bird feeders without a challenge, so they do not think that bird feeders in someone's back yard are an acceptable food source, and also do not lose their innate fear of people, which keeps them from getting into trouble with Fish and Wildlife. I take my feeders in at dusk, but if a bear approaches my feeders during daylight, and I catch them, I go out with two large pots and clang them together over my head while shouting, NO, and physically chase off the bears. Most of the time they take off flying like the wind and are gone before I get close. But every once in a while they run a short distance and then stop and stand there, daring me to come closer. OR, they turn around and come back as soon as I stop chasing them, so I have to do it a few times before they get the hint and leave and stay gone. Anyway, I could tell a lot of stories about my encounters with the bears in my back yard, and one of these days I will....
Thanks for sharing your stories, Kevin! :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
12/29/2019I can't help but think of a news story I saw on TV about a year or two ago, in which a woman was walking alone on a paved bike and foot path through a wooded area and came upon two young teenage bears on their own. She stopped and started filming it with her phone as she talked with them in a very calming voice. So calming that one of the two bears thought it was 'safe' to approach her. She didn't yell at it or leave or do anything as the bear came right up to her and put it's mouth around her leg. I assume it was hungry and was trying to see whether or not she was acceptable food. In the video she calmly said "no no bear, no no". Amazingly it decided not to eat her and went back to it's sibling, and she was able to then leave without them 'tasting' her again. If, when she first encountered them, she had waved her arms above her head and yelled at them, I'm sure they would have been scared off and run back into the woods. But obviously 'nice talk' or 'baby talk' does not 'calm' bears in any way that is 'healthy' for the human being trying to do so. That video reminded me that wild bears, even little ones, can be extremely dangerous and are not to be messed with. So I am always careful, and if they stop and stand their ground, I back off and do not go any closer. Being TOO brave can get you invited to lunch.
I think you are right about what that bear was thinking, Kevin! I'm really glad you did not go any closer! :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
12/29/2019First, Jd, what a great story you told. No way am I brave enough to bang pans together to scare off a bear!
Second, my default voice, when talking to any wild animal, is the same voice I speak to scared children or pets with. It seems to calm them down. But not in this case. I think the bear was thinking: "Just a little closer and we can skip the berries. " LOL
I am such a city kid.
Loved your story...and you are one brave lady!
Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Jason James Parker
12/29/2019Love bears and I love your stories, Kevin. Your writing style is always a pleasure to read. I had a similar experience with a lioness in South Africa (luckily my wife stopped me from wandering into danger).
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
12/29/2019Aloha Jason,
I think women are smarter than us. LOL I have never been to South Africa, but man, it looks incredible in videos and documentaries. I have only seen lions in Zoos (and strangely enough I no longer think any animal should be kept in captivity. But seeing them like you saw them...where they belong, that would be a treat. But I would never leave the Land Rover - and I would sit next to the guy with a gun. LOL
Smiles, Kevin
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