We are out of the woods, so to speak. The bear camp was about 60 miles, mostly on dirt roads, out of Kamiah, Idaho. We stayed at forest service cabins and worked several different baits in some extremely rugged, mountainous country that we accessed by atv and then on foot.
Bears were abundant. I saw several bears, and had them on baits at ranges of 10 to 15 yards. I was holding out for a color phase bear, so I had great, easy shots at two blacks that I did not take. One day, sitting on a ground blind (I was on the ground the whole time), I had a beautiful chocolate/red bear come to the bait from directly behind me, and he almost stepped on me before figuring it all out and leaving after huffing and popping his jaws.
I had a shot at another chocolate mature bear and missed. All I had for a shot was through brush at an uphill angle, and I shot right over his back.
The last night, I had a young and badly rubbed bear come to my bait, and I couldn't get it to leave. Talked to him, squeaked at him, got up and waved my arms at him, and he would run off about 10 yards and then come right back to the bait. Very much fun, but not the kind of bear I wanted to put an arrow in.
Although I didn't score, it wasn't because there weren't a lot of bears. The trip was an absolute blast and I have already booked for next year. Awesome place, great food, fun hunting, and a really great guy for the guide/outfitter. The guide, who is not a sponsor so I won't post his name or outfit, but is a lifelong trad archer, and really knows bears and the country.
When I get home, I will post some pics of the awesome country that the Clearwater drainage is.
Topic: 2013 Spring Bear Hunting Thread (Read 4954 times)
