Bear Quest III >>---> Start Your Engines

[Fletcher]

Great stuff so far and we're really looking forward the the rest so the stories.

Congrats on your first bear, Shaun!, and thanks for the short trail prize.

Doc Tippet, I can only imagine how great you feel. It must take a stout rope and big rock to keep you from floating away. You have put a lot of time and effort into your bear and I'm sure it's coming back to you.

[RRock]

Doc, Only one word, "OUTSTANDING"!!!!!
By the way, I hope you win the knife.

[RRock]

PV, How are you going? Hope all is well.

Nate, tap tap tap, waiting for the rest of the story.

[swp]

Great stories guys, congrats to everyone!

[tippit]

Just got back from my MRI.  I'll find out tomorrow if there will be any repairs needed for the old rotator cuff...but rest assured if needed, it will be after my Elk Hunt with Doug & Claudia    

To finish up on Mr Big:

After skinning him out and quartering the meat, I did a necropsy on his chest.  The front half of the arrow was still in the chest.  The entrance was mid chest level just behind the elbow.  The tippit head cut through both lungs and the right atrium & left ventricle of the heart.  Finally lodging in the off shoulder.  The broken part of the arrow was over a foot long.  The reason it looked like I had so little penetration was the allusion of a brilliant white arrow showing on a black garage door  

As to the death moan, I have been lucky enough to hear that in 4 of my 8 bears.  One of which actually died 5 yards from the shot and captured in it's entirety on video.  The moan is caused by involuntary contraction of the diaphragm pulling air into the chest along with the relaxed exhaling of air over the vocal cords.  This just seems to happen in a sudden death situation.  The animal is actually expired during the moan.  I see this occasionally when I have to euthanize a pet.  If a client wants to be present during euthanasia, I always warn them of the potential of the moan happening in a dog or a cat. It can be just as unnerving especially from a loved pet.

Last comment:  Mr Big is still being good to me.  My Big Bear Pool Winnings just made a handsome deposit on next years bow...the 2007 St Judes Shrew Hunter Classic 54" 53#@28.  This the same weight of my 58" Griffin but this little bugger should fit quite nicely as I sit right next to Paul (pv) in the La Tuque woods 2010  :D  Doc

[tippit]

RRock,
I already made a deal on the knife.  Just to increase my odds of winning I enlisted some cheering help from Master Thomas Reeves.  If I'm lucky enough to win a tippit knife...Thomas gets the knife as the youngest successful Bear Hunting Veteran      Doc

[4runr]

Outstanding bear Jeff, congrats!!

Congrats to Shaun as well. I think alot of a fella who fills his tag when it all "feels" right. Sometimes holding out for something bigger just doesn't feel right.

[Charlie Lamb]

Congrats to all you bear killin', story tellin sons a guns!

Really disappointed the yellow bow didn't make the hunt Doc. But understand you have to take care of that shoulder... bow howdy do I understand.

By the way, I don't see anything wrong with the way the story tellin' is going. Ain't that the way you tell a good story?
   :D    

[meathead]

I'm not much of a story teller but here goes.  

Saturday Lloyd and I spent the afternoon baiting and hanging a couple last minute stands including mine, The Cardiac.  By the time I was ready to head to the stand it was about 6:00 PM but it was a new bait site only about 2 miles from camp.  It was getting late and I noticed a bear already on the bait when I was about 30 yards from the stand.  He hadn't noticed me and since it was the first day I decided to just slip back out and try it again tommorrow.

I was dropped off Sunday about 3:30.  At 5:30 in strolls a bear.  It doesn't take him long to be standing broadside to me at about 8 feet.  It was a pretty steep angle and as we later found the arrow centered the left lung and just clipped the right lung.  He ran just a few steps then stopped and ended up just walking off.  

After about 30 or 40 minutes I got down and checked the last place I saw him and did not see him.  Since it was early I decided to give him more time.  I walked back to camp and rounded up Lloyd, Matty and Kevin.

It was about 2 hours after the shot when we took up the blood trail which was ample with the low exit.  Lloyd and I took the lead with Matty runnign the video behind us.  We cought up to the bear ater a long trail of about 200 yards.  Lloyd noticed him first when we were about 15 yards from him.  I put an arrow on the string.  Lloyd said to make sure he is dead.  Apparenttly dead is the word that brings a bear back to consciousness because he picked his head up and took off uup the hill.  

I have to say that it was pretty depressing to have him alive after 2 hours.  We left and decided we would try to get Susy on the track the next day.  

Back in camp we looked at Matty's video and he caught the bear getting up.  He struggled to get to his feet and that helped to give us a little more confidence in finding him the next day.  

The next day we were rebaiting that stand and Lloyd talked me into at least going over to wherE we jumped him the night before and taking a peek around.  We walked about 5 yards from where he jumped and he was laying right where we last heard him the night before.  Quite a relief and a downhill drag out to the road.  Spent The rest of the week running baits sitting in stands videoing and skinning bears.    

I'll figure the picture thing out one of these days but Shaun put a pic of him up already.  Nate

[Novaln1975]

I came back yesterday from a 3 day visit to the Bear Quest camp. I took a few pictures that I will post tomorrow. All is well and bears have been killed. I won’t give any details, I’ll let the hunters write their own tails.

I would like to publicly thank Tom and all who attended for their hospitality and sharing knowledge with a local newbee. I learned a great deal. Thanks.

Simon

[Chris Surtees]

Great stories fella's and congrats on some nice bears.

[Curveman]

Congratulations once again Doc!
I have to say that I have been on four of these week long hunting trips with Jeff. He has been so consistently fun, helpful, pleasant and generous toward everyone that it's enough for me to believe in karma on his taking this beautiful bear! It seriously just couldn't happen to a nicer guy! Just to give you one of many examples: Jeff had ordered a warm, Predaor cammo jacket. The sleeves just didn't fit right. He thought about cutting the sleeves off for a vest but then thought about how it would fit me-so he just gave me the jacket!
Salut Jeff, I am in your debt!    
Steve

[leatherneck]

Totally awesome guys! Congrats to all! Ready for some more stories folks.

Mike

[PV]

Doing well RRock. Mostly healed up. You still coming east this summer?

2nd day

Set up the blind 5 yards from the crib and settled in for the night. No bears first night.

3rd day

Set the blind up while rebaiting and returned around 5 pm.Heard a slight noise behind me around 7 pm.Peeked out the back flap and turned the camera on..........

[leatherneck]

So Barry, did you drop the string this year or didn't you see one that tickled your fancy?

[tippit]

Alright Paul...this is why I used Mr Big's winnings for a real short Shrew  :eek:  Doc

[Tim Fishell]

Awesome guys.  Congrats on all the success this year!!

Doc, That is a haus of a bear!!  Congrats buddy!!

[turkey522]

Congrats on a great Bear Doc,thanks to all for sharing your stories and pics.
 Terry

[4runr]

Paul, just tell me the rest at Denton  

[Ken E.]

Congratulations guys and keep the stories and pictures coming.