Case: I was looking for turkey feathers and ran into bear fur – Chattanooga Times Free Press

I come to you hat in hand, faithful readers of “Guns & Cornbread.” For those who don’t know, that “hat in hand” expression means you are humble, contrite and hopeful that those you are addressing will accept your message with an attitude of compassion.
There may very well be those who would occasionally look at my columns and think “Does he ever get a turkey?” Well, for the record, I do — but certainly not with the regularity of “Once upon a time …” It’s hard to explain, but it seems that in this whole column-writing business, I just don’t want to come off as the guy who talks about coming home with a truckload of turkeys (or deer, squirrels, whatever) all the time.
Those who measure their outdoors experience by the poundage of feathers and blood and meat in the freezer are certainly free to do so. I’m just not on that bus, OK?
(READ MORE: Some hunters who say they ‘got it done’ may have missed the mark)
Now that we have that out of the way, here is what is on my mind today. (Might want to get that coffee warmed up right about now.)
Besides reporting to you what is new and interesting in the outdoors world related to guns and gear (which I probably need to do more of), I think I need to talk about the whole experience of the day. What we see out there, all the little mini dramas that can occur every time you set foot into the wildwoods. What you see, what you hear, your interactions with the birds and beasts you may encounter.
Make sense? I hope so.
Here are some of the sights and sounds of this spring turkey season that will soon come to an end. (How did it go by so fast?)
For some reason, this seemed to be the spring of running into bears. Twice while sitting and calling for a gobbler, and with the turkey nearby, a black bear visited me. Bears are not uncommon in areas I hunt in Virginia and West Virginia, as they are in much of the eastern United States. So seeing a bear is not always a stop-the-presses event, but it does add a little spice to your morning.
The first instance occurred while a friend and I were set up on a traveling gobbler we had been conversing with most of the morning. Mike was sitting to my left, and about 50 yards away, I was planted in what I thought was a good vantage point hoping to see the turkey top a small ridge in front of me.
After a few minutes, I tensed up when I saw a large dark object appear. For just a second, I figured “Here comes this turkey,” but soon I saw it didn’t look just right. The reason it didn’t look kosher is because it was a little yearling bear; I gave him about 85 pounds on the scales.
In my mind, I immediately named him (or her) Boo Boo and watched as it proceeded within about 20 yards of me. The bear started to appear a little agitated and began swinging its head back and forth. I figured this bear was getting wind of me and probably didn’t like my choice of soap. About this time, my partner made some noise on his raspy box-style turkey call, and let’s just say the bear was not impressed. I watched as he laid his ears back and got out of there as fast as he could.
It was downhill, crashing brush, caution to the wind!
Mike didn’t seem offended when I told him the bear didn’t like his calling very much.
A week later, I was in another county, calling for turkeys and getting zero, nada, zip for a response. From the turkeys, that is. After about an hour of sitting there and thinking maybe I needed a few lessons in calling (I figure I’ve only been doing it for around 50 years), I heard some twigs snap down the ridge from where I was sitting. I knew it didn’t sound right for turkeys, but I was juiced up a little bit; something was coming my way. I peered into the cover in front of me and soon saw a piece of mountain laurel bush moving erratically.
Something was there, and it didn’t seem like anything of the turkey kind. Seconds later, I saw the familiar blacker-than-black pelt of a bear ambling my way. This bear was a little bigger than the first one mentioned, but he wasn’t really a giant. Stopping about 20 yards out, he soon got wind of me. (I’m thinking about changing to some kind of soap they may like better, or not).
For a second, I thought I might be treated to a display where the bear would stand up to see better before departing, but it was not to be. In about a second and a half, this bear raised his snout, gave a low little woof, then proceeded to leave the area, quickly and with a lot of noise. I wished him well.
Like I said, we should enjoy and look forward to whatever the day brings, be it turkeys or not.
(READ MORE: What’s brewing with the good news, bad news on bears?)
Bears can be a nice distraction. If you can’t enjoy whatever a day in the turkey woods brings, maybe you should think about a new hobby of some sort.
Line dancing comes to mind — or even worse, golf.
“Guns & Cornbread” is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.
Copyright © 2025, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc.
All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc.
Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. All rights reserved.

source