VIDEO: Bear Climbs Up Treestand, Surprising Hunter

Two hunters in a treestand got the surprise of their lives when they noticed a couple of black bears on the forest floor.  One of them gets his phone out just in time to see the bears rush the treestand.  In a flash, they're up the tree and feet away from the two men.

 The fear on the face of the man taking the video is palpable, but it's mixed with shock and humor, too.  Whether because of the inherent weirdness of the situation or because the man laughs when he gets nervous, he develops a big grin that is evident even though his face mask.

The oddest moment of the video comes when the bear begins to descent the tree stand and the man laughs, perhaps out of relief.  The bear, hearing the noise, turns his attention to the man, staring at the back of his head.  The man, aware that the bear has caught him in a chuckle, blanches white.  

But the bear's not in the mood to shred any hunters today, so it continues its descent.  

The incredible speed with which the bear gets up and into the tree illustrates how foolhardy it would be to run from a bear.  In almost every instance, the bear can cover the distance between you quicker than you can make the distance -- and climbing a tree's not going to help, either. 

But everything turned out ok for our hunters, who got to have a very close encounter with a bear and live to tell the tale.  They may have needed a change of laundry when they got home, though -- God knows I would!  

See the whole video below, and for more bear content check out this curious bear trying to get into a car in Yellowstone, and this bear who really really wants some barbecue.