Bears, bears, everywhere! We asked for Saskatchewan's stories

"If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because,
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic."

We all remember this one, right?

However, contrary to what nursery rhyme folklore would have you believe, if you go out in the woods today, in Saskatchewan, there's a good chance you'll see a bear.

At least, that's what the recent outpouring of Saskatchewan stories about thrilling run-ins with bears would have us believe.

Following an incredibly cute video of a family of bears meandering through a field, followed by the terrifying and harrowing story of a woman who fought off a bear, we decided to ask you for your stories on Facebook.

Here's a collection of the best of the bear tales (so far)...

Captured on camera

"So I have too many bear stories I don't know where to start other than here is a photo of me about 3 hours ago," wrote Kody Pritchard.

"This happened about 1 hour ago. That's my quad handle you see in the left corner," Pritchard wrote.

Fighting forest fires in the midst of bears

"Foresters fight off bears all the time. I have chased off six bears in my career, it's not uncommon," wrote Kristine Kissling. "Each company reports encounters and every week has a meeting regarding bear encounters and attacks. I chased two bears off by yelling and screaming and charging back. When you work in remote back country by yourself you adapt, foresters all have had bear encounters and attacks. Go figure, bears in the woods."

"OK, it was about 1 a.m. and my friend and I were leaving a cabin at the lake we worked at when we encountered a bear cub," wrote Peggy Welter Laurie.

Mad mama bear

"My friend (being not so bright and a bit inebriated so he) proceeded to throw rocks at the cub. Well, where there is a cub, there is a momma and she was not happy. All of a sudden she ran at us and our only open option was to start running. Luckily the road ahead was a steep hill and bears don't do well when running downhill as they are so bottom heavy. We managed to barely outrun it as it stumbled along behind us. We got to the bottom of the hill and the bear started gaining. Our only option was to head for the water. We ran into the water (I lost my shoe) and we swam to the deep dock and hid under it having only enough room for our heads between the barrels keeping it afloat. Every half hour one of us would swim out and check if she was still there. She kept us there until nearly 4:30 am. When we got back to the beach my shoe was shredded and the beach was a mess from where she had been swatting at the sand. We could hear her calls the whole time. Terrifying, but it makes a great story to tell every new group of students I teach."

• 5 tips to stay safe around black bears

Elk hunting trip turns bear rendezvous

"Out hunting elk up north 4 a.m. pitch black, the place I was camping at had one road in, same road out, waiting for legal shooting time and sunlight," wrote Brody Trombley. 

"I heard what sounded like someone walking down the grid road. I was sitting in at a pasture fence 10 yards from the road; as it got closer I could tell by the foot steps it was four-legged. Then I realized I was in a deer/elk blood covered sweater and probably smelt good as it got closer it let out a grunt growl and snort keep in mind it's pitch black and can't see five yards in front of me I could hear it get closer I then chambered my rifle and sat with it at my hip aiming forward I could hear it sniffing must have been within four to five yards away. I then yelled 'WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU DOING!' and heard it sprint away into the trees across. Later, my hunting partner managed to shoot an elk half mile down from me as I brought the quad and calf sled to load it up we returned to what I'm guessing that same bear helping itself to our elk when we got close it ran away."

Stories to share?

Do you have a bear story to share? Let us know. If you have good photos or videos, it is best to email saskphotos@cbc.ca. Or, you can join the conversations happening 24/7 on our CBC Saskatchewan and CBC Saskatoon Facebook pages, tag @CBCSask on Instagram, or tweet @CBCSask or @CBCSaskatoon.