Watch a Man Play a ‘Game of Chicken’ With a Charging Bear… And Win

The game of chicken is a dangerous undertaking and one that is usually driven by a sense of pride. However, it’s not always pride that has you face-to-face with an opponent. Sometimes, it’s just a chance encounter, and your options are limited.

Click Play Below to Watch a Live Bear Encounter:

In some cases, the best recourse is to run and get to safety. But in other situations, like the one you’re about to see in the clip below, it’s better to keep still. The good news in this setting is that the man filming is armed.

However, he’s not there for the bear. He’s got other sights in mind. But this curious black bear is in the mood to charge. The video opens with the hunter’s view. He’s posted up against a tree with camouflaged equipment. Straight ahead, a black bear starts approaching.

It’s a tiny blip in his view for a second, but the hunter knows what’s coming. He repositions himself and holds his rifle steady. The bear has its gaze set on him, and the man coughs and then starts telling the bear to “Get!”

However, he’s using a low tone because he’s not trying to scare away the animals he’s there to hunt. He continues to command the black bear to get away, but the bear is not listening. It’s keeping its attention on the man and moving forward without pause.

The man does a shooing motion with his right hand, trying to dissuade the bear from approaching any further, but the bear just stops, stares, and then continues forth. As the bear approaches even closer, the man positions his rifle in case he needs to shoot.

He lifts it up, clearly not wanting this encounter to escalate, and keeps commanding the bear to get out of there. The bear stays still for several moments and then decides that it’s going to charge. It starts running toward the man, and you can see how the man’s body responds with the shakes.

He’s still commanding the bear to go, but he’s got his hands on his rifle, knowing what he may need to do. Although the bear makes it within just a few feet of the man, it’s a perfect example of a bluff charge. The bear was simply curious, and the man expertly held his ground.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © BGSmith/Shutterstock.com