Black Bear encounter east of Salem - Strange sounds?
Yesterday, my brother and I were in the cascade east of Salem hiking. We encountered a momma blackbear and her cubs. Things were handled diplomatically and we were able to afford each other the space we preferred.
On the hike out though, we kept hearing what sounded like more black bears. a short 1/2 second calm, deep "roar"-like sound -- not aggressive by any means, just a call of some sort. At first I assumed it was just more blackbears. Having just heard the momma black bear, the sound was fresh in my mind. However, throughout the hike out, we kept hearing that same calls from maybe 5-8 locations all around us every 2-5min. The idea of that many blackbears in 1 sq mile seems very unlikely and I am not aware of any exchange-calling behavior in those solitary creatures.
Any thoughts on what we were hearing?
I have listened to videos covering blackbear sounds, deer and raccoon. Nothing fits perfect, but the blackbear growl/roar is still the best fit.