That could have happened to any of us. That said, I've heard this exact story way too many times from reliable sources. I bet it was stunned, just like stated by others. I consider that sucker alive until I'm standing over it, esp. when it just drops. Never had to do it yet but I've always said...
Yikes! I stayed in Eastern N. Carolina for a while and permanent stands were frequently destroyed by bears, along with signs or anything left out. My brother lived in a trailer down there while building his house. A bear got under the trailer and tore up his ductwork.
As John and I got settled in the two-man ladder stand near an old stock pond, It was impossible to ignore the fact that there wasn't quite as much room as there used to be. I scrunched as far to the left as I could, to afford the young hunter that was now taller than me some more space.
What a...
I have seen deer" wake up" for no apparent reason on more than one occasion. The most notable probably because it was the first deer I ever saw from a stand was a buck. I was perched on a weirdly steep ridge overlooking a bottom. A natural stand. A decent buck appeared in the distance, nose to...