Hunter Doesn't Move a Muscle as Black Bear Climbs Tree Inches from Face
Canadian teenager Davin Grunow has grown up hunting deer and elk in the Alberta woods. But on his first bear hunting trip, the 14-year-old experienced an unnerving close encounter with a bear cub, and the video has gone viral.
Davin and his sister were accompanied by longtime family friend Mark White, who has been hunting for 45 years. Prior to the hunt, White prepared the siblings on hunter safety — namely, what to do if they encountered a bear.
“We always know, when we go in the stand, if the bear comes up the tree, stay calm,” White told Global News on May 14. “Show respect.”
According to CTV News, Davin was perched in a tree stand when two bear cubs ran into view, being pursued by a wild boar. One of the cubs ran up the very tree where Davin sat.
Davin said the next few moments felt intensely long. The cub spent about 40 seconds in the tree, sizing Davin up before climbing back down, but to Davin, those seconds felt closer to 10 minutes of fear.
“I knew he was coming straight for me,” Davin told CTV. “I was pretty scared.
“It felt like 10 minutes from when the bear came up,” Davin said, recalling how the bear looked at him and sniffed him. “I was shaking like a leaf.”
Without panicking, the teen looked silently toward his hunting mentor for advice. White whispered for Davin to stay still, and the teenager obeyed.
“I thought to myself, ‘If the bear didn’t know I was there, he’s not going to do anything,’” Davin later recalled. “So that’s what was going through my head mostly.”
Both Davin and White acknowledge something could have gone terribly wrong, but are thankful it didn’t. White was proud of the teen’s ability to remain calm, saying, “He learned everything that night that I could possibly teach him.”
The viral video has gotten some backlash from groups such as Bear Safety & More which feel that dangerous wildlife situations are not the time and place to be taking a video.
However, White simply saw it as an unforgettable moment that he wanted to share.
“It’s an experience me and Davin did, and why not share it?” White stated. “No one got hurt.”
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