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10-06-05, 11:48
DULUTH, Minn. - When bear hunter Joel Klinke climbed up to his hunting stand recently, he found it already occupied.
By two bears.
"Here's two bears about 10 inches away from me, looking me directly in my eyes," said Klinke, of Cottage Grove, Minn. "One opened his mouth and did this spitting noise. That's when I let go."
Hunting on Sept. 12 near Duluth, Klinke, 35, fell about 10 feet from the 16-foot-high stand, catching himself on one of several 2-by-4s that had been nailed to the tree for climbing purposes.
Klinke's guide, Rob Parrott of Duluth, was over at the bait pile adding more Gummi Bears, candy hearts, sweetbread and potato chips for the evening hunt.
"I hear him yell a death-curdling yell, like he fell out of the tree," Parrott said.
Klinke hit the ground, scrambling to grab his 7mm Winchester short magnum rifle.
"I said, 'Look, they're right there. They're in my stand,"' Klinke shouted to Parrott.
"He hit the ground going crazy," Parrott said. "I've never seen a hunter so excited in my life. He said, 'What should I do?' I said, 'Shoot him."'
The bears both had scurried higher in the twin trees above the permanent stand built on private property. One went up one trunk, another up the other trunk, Klinke said. They both appeared to be 2-year-old bears, said Parrott, who operates Bear Down Guide and Outfitting with Todd Haedrich.
Klinke frantically untangled his rifle from the rope he had planned to use to haul the rifle up to his stand, and then shot the largest bear, about a 125-pounder, Parrott said. The other bear clambered down the tree and scampered off.
Klinke, who was hunting bears for only the second year, said he plans to have his bear mounted.
"I'm going to have them put it in a tree," Klinke said.
Not that he'll have trouble remembering the experience.
"It was awesome," he said. "I've got it videoed in my brain."
Contacted recently, he was going out to the woods again, but with a video camera instead of a rifle.
"My wife says, 'Maybe you want to look up in your stand tonight,"' Klinke said.
Klinke thought he might.
By two bears.
"Here's two bears about 10 inches away from me, looking me directly in my eyes," said Klinke, of Cottage Grove, Minn. "One opened his mouth and did this spitting noise. That's when I let go."
Hunting on Sept. 12 near Duluth, Klinke, 35, fell about 10 feet from the 16-foot-high stand, catching himself on one of several 2-by-4s that had been nailed to the tree for climbing purposes.
Klinke's guide, Rob Parrott of Duluth, was over at the bait pile adding more Gummi Bears, candy hearts, sweetbread and potato chips for the evening hunt.
"I hear him yell a death-curdling yell, like he fell out of the tree," Parrott said.
Klinke hit the ground, scrambling to grab his 7mm Winchester short magnum rifle.
"I said, 'Look, they're right there. They're in my stand,"' Klinke shouted to Parrott.
"He hit the ground going crazy," Parrott said. "I've never seen a hunter so excited in my life. He said, 'What should I do?' I said, 'Shoot him."'
The bears both had scurried higher in the twin trees above the permanent stand built on private property. One went up one trunk, another up the other trunk, Klinke said. They both appeared to be 2-year-old bears, said Parrott, who operates Bear Down Guide and Outfitting with Todd Haedrich.
Klinke frantically untangled his rifle from the rope he had planned to use to haul the rifle up to his stand, and then shot the largest bear, about a 125-pounder, Parrott said. The other bear clambered down the tree and scampered off.
Klinke, who was hunting bears for only the second year, said he plans to have his bear mounted.
"I'm going to have them put it in a tree," Klinke said.
Not that he'll have trouble remembering the experience.
"It was awesome," he said. "I've got it videoed in my brain."
Contacted recently, he was going out to the woods again, but with a video camera instead of a rifle.
"My wife says, 'Maybe you want to look up in your stand tonight,"' Klinke said.
Klinke thought he might.