Darren Davis from Hare Bay, Newfoundland, found himself in a hairy situation last Sunday.
While fishing with a group of friends, Davis decided to stay behind for one last chance of catching a salmon while the others left for the night. Before long, he began to hear a trotting noise in the water.
“I heard the water splashing behind me. To be honest, I thought it was a warden coming out and telling me it’s getting close to dark now it’s time to get off the brook,” he told CBC.
“I turn around and five feet away from me is a black bear staring at me,” he told The Beacon. “He was close enough to hit him with my dip net.”
He tried to make contact with his net, swinging and yelling at the 700-pound bear to back off. While the bear backed away about 15 feet, he didn’t leave the area.
“He started growling at me, jumping on the ground,” said Davis. “I was bawling at him for about 15 minutes to try and get him to move on.”
“I’m a big lad—300 pounds, six foot three inches, and I’m always in the woods by myself, so not much scares me,” he said. “But this bear gave me a fright. I’ve never seen a bear this aggressive, and he meant business.”
Luckily, Davis was in an area with cell service, and was able to call in some reinforcements. His friend brought a shotgun, and it took four warning shots to startle the bear enough to give Davis time to make his exit. The entire encounter lasted about 45 minutes.
“Me personally, I know that I’ll never be caught out on the brook without a can of bear spray ever again. I certainly wish I had it on me that day.”
