If you venture into the Missouri woods as the weather warms up, you'll need to try hard to not see a bear based on the recent rush of encounters with these predators that are being shared. There's yet another showing a hiker who had a big ole bear cross the trail he was on.

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No mention on the video of what part of Missouri this happened in, but safe to assume the southern part of the state. Simple description was "Walked Up on Big Missouri Black Bear". Yep. That about sums it up.

This guy does just about everything right. Almost. When he sees the bear, he starts saying "Hey bear" in a calm voice. What he does next isn't advised though.

So, what did he do wrong?

I'm not judging because I'd probably do the exact same thing, but he starts walking TOWARDS the bear instead of backing away. He did a good job of calmly letting the bear know he was there, but it was at this point I'd advise giving the animal some space.

I've heard it said that when you see a bear start to move their head from side to side acting distressed, that's an indication that you could be in for a bluff rush or even worse an attack. A bear attack is rare and only happens in extreme circumstances like a mother protecting cubs or a bear that thinks it's cornered or near a food source.

Fortunately, this Missouri hiker and bear safely went their own way and now he has a story (and video) to share and tell.

10 Photos of Bears I Saw In the Wild

I was privileged to take a trip to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park with guys that have been there before to look for bears. That experience paid huge dividends. I am nowhere close to being a professional photographer, but getting these bear shots was a huge thrill.

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