Sept 3rd 11ish AM

I am a fishing and hunting guide in north western Ontario and had a strange experience in the woods near a bear bait.

Bear baits are cut up barrels where I leave food scraps and pop corn inside for the bears to mess around with. I walk up to the barrel as depicted with the yellow line. Dump my food scraps (left overs from guests/clients) and start to walk back to my boat As I’m going along I find an arrow in the ground pick it up because I thought it was cool and kept going when I seen some brush pushed aside and a little game trail, so I decided to follow it to see if it’s a good bear judging by its droppings and prints (it was around average).

I walk maybe 20 feet into the bush on the trail and I heard 2 taps that sounded like drum sticks, stopped in my tracks and observed, seen nothing so I continued on thinking i was hearing things. Debated pulling out my phone but never did, big regret. Took 3-4 more steps and heard a groan/grunt come from straight in front of me, that was the “o shit I wasn’t hearing stuff moment” I was wearing sweat pants so I didn’t have my belt and knife and left the bear spray in the quad bike for when I do bear baits on the main land.

I decided life was pretty cool and started back tracking out of the area, 2-3 steps at a time, I didn’t hear anything else, untied my boat from the tree and sat around in the bay for a little bit to see if I see something, nothing came of it so I went back and told my boss I had a good spook, he gave a chuckle and I went on with my life.

• A is the sight of the bear bait.
• B is where I park my boat.
• C is where I heard the 2 noises where I back tracked out.
• Yellow was my walk in.
• Purple was my walk out.
• Offset purple a bit but walked the same way in as I did out only difference is I followed that track.