Bear climbs tree, says howdy to hunter

Not all bears are out to maul you. Some just want to say hello.

A hunter learned that firsthand while sitting high up in a tree in the forest. A bear approached the tree, apparently spotted the hunter and then began to climb.

We're not experts, but we'd wager that most of the time when a bear meets an armed hunter in the woods, somebody's going to get hurt.

Not so this time. The bear climbed the tree, stuck its nose into the hunter's perch, and then turned around and, we presume, trotted off to find another (unoccupied) tree in which to chill out.

The charming encounter reminded us of another unexpected meet-and-greet from earlier this month, when a baby sea lion hopped aboard a fishing boat and snuggled up to fisherman J.R. Gilkinson.