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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Whitetail Addict on August 30, 2015, 02:56:00 PM
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I'm no big bad bear hunter. We can't use bait here in NY, and I've only managed killed a couple bears over the years.
I've had them make the death moan, but one of them sobbed just like a man after he'd been hit, and made it out of sight. I'm assuming he was down at this point, but like I said, I couldn't see him.
When I say he sobbed like a man, that's exactly what I mean. If I'd heard it under different circumstances, I would have been convinced that there was a man crying, just out sight of me through the woods.
Have any of you more experienced bear hunters ever heard a bear do this? Is it common? I've told several different people about what I heard, and All but one acted like they thought I must be lying, and I think the other thought I was crazy.
Bob
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I've heard it, another reason I'm not keen on killing more bears.
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Yes, it is very sad to hear for me. I had to finish one off up close and it was very hard to stand there and hear it as it went on for several seconds.
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The last one that I killed almost sounded like a deer snorting, or like a sneeze. 4 times in fairly rapid succession.
A friend of mine filmed his and it wasn't a death "moan", but a hair raising growl! Very, very spooky!
Best of luck and God bless,
Rodd
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My bear in June was down in 10 seconds and made no noise at all.
The "Death Moan" is an involuntary action as air escapes the lungs and moves past the vocal chords sometimes. Not all bears do it apparently when fatally hit.
If someones bear was sobbing like a man...that is not a death moan...which is a single (usually) low gutteral moan.
Heard bears do lots of things...teeth clacking, snorting, huffing, roars, growls and the hyperventilating styled quick successive short bursts......
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Your post reminds me of a buddy, Brock. We were up north hunting, and he was carrying a gun. When I heard him shoot once, I just assumed he'd killed a deer. We weren't far apart, and when he shot, I waited a few minutes and headed over that way. He'd actually killed a nice bear. He was all excited, and straddled the bears back and sat down. When he did, a burst of air came out the entrance wound, making a loud hissing sound, and my buddy went about three feet straight up in the air. :bigsmyl:
Bob
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Originally posted by David Mitchell:
Yes, it is very sad to hear for me. I had to finish one off up close and it was very hard to stand there and hear it as it went on for several seconds.
I agree. It wasn't something I'd ever expected, nor will I ever forget it.
like I said, I don't have a lot of experience with bears and wondered how common it was. If you and Izzy have both heard it, as well as myself, it must be a fairly common occurrence. Or not uncommon, at least.
Bob
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The problem of attributing human characteristics to animals is in large portion why we have so many animal rights activists...the more I am around non human animals the more I am convinced they do not feel pain the same way that we do...I am also convinced that an arrow in the right spot is a very uneventful death compared to the way many animals die...the only bear I have shot lived close to a major highway and my guess is that had I not shot it it could very well have eventually been hit on the road...that often results in a prolonged death
DDave
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Originally posted by damascusdave:
The problem of attributing human characteristics to animals is in large portion why we have so many animal rights activists...the more I am around non human animals the more I am convinced they do not feel pain the same way that we do...I am also convinced that an arrow in the right spot is a very uneventful death compared to the way many animals die...the only bear I have shot lived close to a major highway and my guess is that had I not shot it it could very well have eventually been hit on the road...that often results in a prolonged death
DDave
After re reading my original post, I realize that I should have worded things differently. I didn't intend to give the impression that I think animals have human characteristics. I don't. And I didn't mean to imply that I thought the bear was actually crying as a person would. Only if others had had a similar experience. I don't know what the sound means coming from a bear, though it may be. And I agree with you in regard to an animal shot in the right place, being an uneventful death. I'm often surprised by how little reaction is actually shown, when my presence isn't discovered by an animal at the shot. I've had deer jump at the initial sound/impact, go back to feeding, or to slowly walk away as if nothing happened. then fall over a short distance away.
Bob
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Originally posted by damascusdave:
The problem of attributing human characteristics to animals is in large portion why we have so many animal rights activists...the more I am around non human animals the more I am convinced they do not feel pain the same way that we do...I am also convinced that an arrow in the right spot is a very uneventful death compared to the way many animals die...the only bear I have shot lived close to a major highway and my guess is that had I not shot it it could very well have eventually been hit on the road...that often results in a prolonged death
DDave
A sound is a sound, if it sounds like a human made sound, thats how Id describe it. If the bear had pretty brown eyes , long, blonde, wavy hair, red lips and an Adams apple Id say he looked like Bruce Jenner.
I don't think Bob was humanizing his bear or implying that the moan was due to pain, but the sound sure reminded him of one. I totally agree.
Ive killed 3 bears, one was brain shot so no sound other than skidding in the leaves, one was 150 yards so I couldn't hear what sound he made if anything. The last was a big boar and did hyperventilate and finished with again, a most human like moan. Ive seen and heard a lot of ugly things in my life and that moan was one of them regardless if it was pain induced or not.
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Exactly Izzy. :thumbsup:
Bob
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Never heard of this, interesting. The first buck I killed with a bow I was 16 and alone. Good hit, and he took off. Didn't go far. When I found him I took my belt off to wrap around his modest rack in order to drag him up to a trail so I could walk back home and get the tractor. I got it around him and gave a tug and thats how I learned about a death moan. Scared me crap-less. I assumed what it was after a minute or two of thinking. I know that story has little to do with what Bob described here, except to say that it would be unnerving. Anything anthropomorphic about an animal can be I would suppose. Like said, not sure it means the bear is suffering per say, but all the same I'd take the angry growling like a coyote I arrowed last year. Now anger, that I understand.
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Im assuming that those of you who separate humans from "other animals" are religious. I wont try to debate you but we are all animals and black bears are on a level that is nearly as highly evolved as us. They are the only other animals that regularly adopt young of non related individuals and show extreme caring for each other for no reason that has anything t do with their own survival. A death moan is the result of a bear knowing that it is dying. They also make similar sounds when a cub is killed or a multitude of other sorrowful events. Black bears are as intelligent as the higher order primates.
I still hunt them but I respect them more than anything else out there. A deer is a pretty stupid creature. A bear lives in a world much like ours. It involves emotion.
Anybody who wants to learn about how highly cerebral they are should read Ben Kilham's books.
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Originally posted by damascusdave:
The problem of attributing human characteristics to animals is in large portion why we have so many animal rights activists...the more I am around non human animals the more I am convinced they do not feel pain the same way that we do...I am also convinced that an arrow in the right spot is a very uneventful death compared to the way many animals die...the only bear I have shot lived close to a major highway and my guess is that had I not shot it it could very well have eventually been hit on the road...that often results in a prolonged death
DDave
Wrong
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I shot a nice bear in Minnesota several years ago. Watched him for half an hour before I was given a good angle at about 7 yards. Beautiful animals and yes I heard the death moan. It was very errie, almost spooky. I don't have an interest in shooting another one. I didn't really care for the taste of the meat and that is why I hunt.
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Bear are my favorite to hunt. Have heard them make lots of sounds. They are the most interesting animal in the woods for sure.
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bears are something I would hunt more if able.... in their absence it is deer and hogs instead...but something about being that close to a large bruin with a longbow, wooden arrows, wearing plaid wool clothing, and taking the shot without it knowing what happened...and then hearing it crash less than 10 seconds later... very emotional and very exciting all at same time.
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This is a great campfire discussion. Not so much here though.
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My Wife and I were in a tree next to each other and she shot a bear it died at the base of the tree and it gave a death moan. It was kinda sad to watch. Had to step over the bear to reach the ground. We gave it an extra minute or two to make sure the bear was dead.
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Originally posted by John Scifres:
This is a great campfire discussion. Not so much here though.
I actually thought about that before I posted John, but decided to go ahead with it. If my thread isn't appropriate for the forum, I apologise, and hope the Mods will delete it.
Bob
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Originally posted by Whitetail Addict:
Originally posted by John Scifres:
This is a great campfire discussion. Not so much here though.
I actually thought about that before I posted John, but decided to go ahead with it. If my thread isn't appropriate for the forum, I apologise, and hope the Mods will delete it.
Bob [/b]
I respectively disagree. The antis reading this, if that's what concerns you, don't need our online conversations. They don't generally rely on truths but rather fabricate truth so nothing we say will hurt us for the most part. My opinion only.
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Originally posted by Whitetail Addict:
Originally posted by John Scifres:
This is a great campfire discussion. Not so much here though.
I actually thought about that before I posted John, but decided to go ahead with it. If my thread isn't appropriate for the forum, I apologise, and hope the Mods will delete it.
Bob [/b]
I respectively disagree. The antis reading this, if that's what concerns you, don't need our online conversations. They don't generally rely on truths but rather fabricate truth so nothing we say will hurt us for the most part. My opinion only.
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Originally posted by Whitetail Addict:
Originally posted by John Scifres:
This is a great campfire discussion. Not so much here though.
I actually thought about that before I posted John, but decided to go ahead with it. If my thread isn't appropriate for the forum, I apologise, and hope the Mods will delete it.
Bob [/b]
I respectively disagree. The antis reading this, if that's what concerns you, don't need our online conversations. They don't generally rely on truths but rather fabricate truth so nothing we say will hurt us for the most part. My opinion only.
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I for one am glad this post was started. I'm going bear hunting for the first time next week and am glad I am now aware of it. It might have really freaked me out otherwise. So I thank you.
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Originally posted by pukwana:
I for one am glad this post was started. I'm going bear hunting for the first time next week and am glad I am now aware of it. It might have really freaked me out otherwise. So I thank you.
Good luck on your hunt!! :thumbsup:
Bob
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I hope the wrong people don't read this it gives them more ammunition
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Originally posted by Etter:
Im assuming that those of you who separate humans from "other animals" are religious.
Wrong.
That would be quite an incorrect assumption.
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I've killed 4 Bears and don't care to kill any more purely based on the Death moan.
I have had one cry like a man and the other three moan and cry like a child.
It's creepy and really troubling. I feel terrible for days after killing one it's almost haunting.
They also look just like a man after you skin them. No more for Me!
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I've killed 4 Bears and don't care to kill any more purely based on the Death moan.
I have had one cry like a man and the other three moan and cry like a child.
It's creepy and really troubling. I feel terrible for days after killing one it's almost haunting.
They also look just like a man after you skin them. No more for Me!
The Eskimos at Barter Island AK say that that A BEARS death moan cry IS NOT CRYING but they are calling mother earth to replace them with a new bear and to have a good crop of berries waiting for them .
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I guess that's a more positive way to view it Bowheadhunter.
But its still creepy to hear
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yes agree we only shoot bears up here when they walk into villages and threaten dogs and people we don't sport hunt them here very much just for local village pot lashes (cook-outs)the ladies use the fur and the meat eaten/elders show the kids how to clean from hide to bone use for flour paste for Eskimo Donuts, ...
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I guess maybe I'm a little weird. The death moan of a bear is a sound that I love. Even though I have only heard it once. I will remember it forever even if I never hear it again. It is part of what I love. Much like the bugle of a bull elk, or the call of the western Meadow Lark They are all part of my hunting life. From my youth til present. They are all a part of me. I wouldn't change a thing!
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I've heard them squeel like a pig after being shot dead,they usually don't show that on the hunting channel.
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death is just a part of life -A Hunters Story -we JUST PLAY A VERY SMALL PART IN,,We just need to respect each other and the animals we hunt ,,
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Bear Lives Matter.
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Respect and revere nature. Plain and simple. The outdoors are the spice of life, along with children/parenthood.
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Question, is this just black bears that are known to do this, or is it all bears?
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Polar
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polar bears yell and moan sound like a baby cow very loud, sorry hit send key ...also up here brown bear kill polar bears ,polar bears run when they see brown bears walk up the beach at Barter Island AK,
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I think as hunters, we may understand the cycle of life and death better than many people do, and I don't take it lightly.
The sound I heard on the day that I mentioned wasn't the death moan. I don't know for sure what it was, but it surprised me, and It's not something I care to hear again.
I wasn't my intention to open a big can of worms with this thread, but I appreciate all your replies. Thank you.
Bob
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I believe the death moan is a true vocalization. I believe it is an involuntary moan which happens at that period where death/unconsciousness is overcoming life. I have witnessed death moans and cries in dogs, cats, livestock and other animals. In almost every case I would judge the animal to be semi- or unconscious, but not fully dead. In some cases they were breathing sporadically and struggling to live...though just seconds from death.
I think the reason some of us have difficulty with a bear's death moan is that it can sound almost human-like. It's only normal to identify with that and perhaps feel a connection. Most of us (I assume) believe that the experience of dying...that time where life declines quickly and then ends...is uncomfortable and a struggle. I think the 'death moan' is a vocal indicator of that final stress, just before death ensues.
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I think the reason some of us have difficulty with a bear's death moan is that it can sound almost human-like. It's only normal to identify with that and perhaps feel a connection. Most of us (I assume) believe that the experience of dying...that time where life declines quickly and then ends...is uncomfortable and a struggle. I think the 'death moan' is a vocal indicator of that final stress, just before death ensues.
The Bear stops Knowning that what death all about we stop knowning,,,,
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might be good idea to delete this Thread,,,
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Well put Kevin... couldn't have said it better. I have seen the same and believe the same.
Understanding this, is not a weakness. I beleive its part of what seperates hunters from killers. I have, and do, know both.
Jeff
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God created the animals, then He created man and gave him dominion over the animals. We are his stewards, the caretakers of His creation. To deny that intimate relationship and connectedness is to deny ourselves of a great gift that only man has - compassion. In the same way God created life, he also created death. It is natural for death to occur making way for new life. Nevertheless it is somewhat painful to see life go. Especially so if it is by our choice. It is a great responsibility. The moan of a bear or the bleating of a deer or any number of sounds we hear when life ends is simply a reminder of the gravity of the situation. The necessary weight of our obligation. I'm glad people stop and give pause. It's so much better than the high fives & fist pumps of those who've lost the gift of being connected to the creature and the creator.
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Originally posted by nineworlds9:
Bear Lives Matter.
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Respect and revere nature. Plain and simple. The outdoors are the spice of life, along with children/parenthood.
:rolleyes:
nice one...)
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Originally posted by Jedimaster:
God created the animals, then He created man and gave him dominion over the animals. We are his stewards, the caretakers of His creation. To deny that intimate relationship and connectedness is to deny ourselves of a great gift that only man has - compassion. In the same way God created life, he also created death. It is natural for death to occur making way for new life. Nevertheless it is somewhat painful to see life go. Especially so if it is by our choice. It is a great responsibility. The moan of a bear or the bleating of a deer or any number of sounds we hear when life ends is simply a reminder of the gravity of the situation. The necessary weight of our obligation. I'm glad people stop and give pause. It's so much better than the high fives & fist pumps of those who've lost the gift of being connected to the creature and the creator.
Could not have said it better myself.
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Nice topic Bob.
I'm not sure how I would handle that situation. I still want to bear hunt but I am not certain I would want to kill more than one.
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If you think a bear's death moan that sounds like a man sobbing is unnerving, wait until you hear the sound a cougar makes, it's like a baby crying and unlike anything you'll ever hear again.
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Kinda like sound my wife makes when I get no over time on my pay check,,
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Originally posted by COMPOUNDLESS IN CONCRETE:
If you think a bear's death moan that sounds like a man sobbing is unnerving, wait until you hear the sound a cougar makes, it's like a baby crying and unlike anything you'll ever hear again.
they swear we dont have swamp panthers here in South Carolina but you only have to hear what sounds like baby crying in a burn unit deep in the swamp one time to never forget that sound....it is very unnerving.
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Three bears in four years in Quebec but never heard the death moan. None went more than 60 yards but all three were liver shot, actually hit every one in the exact same spot. The result of trying to avoid the shoulder by not tucking it in tight. Don't know if a lung shot may have produced a moan. My best friends son killed a dandy bear last year in Ontario. He had it all on video, the moan was beyond creepy..
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they swear we dont have swamp panthers here in South Carolina but you only have to hear what sounds like baby crying in a burn unit deep in the swamp one time to never forget that sound....it is very unnerving
Sounds like you have Nutria in them swamps,