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

[bill langer]

Mr. kissner, How about posting the pic of Matty licking his eyebrows...

[Bill Kissner]

Did you ever see anything like it?!! Theres no way that this could be considered bow or hunting related!          :rolleyes:  

I really don't know in what context to post it and if I really said what I want, I know it would be deleted!

Aw what the heck, y'all draw your own inferences! I ain't touchin it with a ten foot pole. You gotta get a load of Jon in the background.    :p    


 

[Randy R]

So many things happened that week of the hunt.  The photo of the guys working on Lloyds truck made me laugh.  Barry, Thomas and I were pulling up to the turn around, a fork in the road,  just past the resurrection stand when we saw something blocking the road.  The conversation was like, wonder what that is?  A log or something, looks like a tailpipe.  Wonder whose truck that came  off of.  About that time Barry looks over, the same time the thought went across my mind, wonder if its off this truck?  Barry stopped the truck, I checked under the truck, uh oh!  it didn't look like anything broke, just came off the hangers. The conversation reminded me of something off the Andy Griffith show or the Three Stooges.  Lloyd was a great sport when we got back to camp..

[BlkDog]

Sorry guys as I am a little late finding time to post.  

Upon arriving in camp we drew stands and quickly set out on baiting runs and later the first hunt.  I drew the LongTrail.  A stand with a great history and one I was familiar with.  This was same stand I had drawn at the beginning of last year's Bear Quest.  

My first evening hunt was filled only with red squirrels and hares.  I entertained myself by quickly learning the pecking order of the local red squirrel clan.  I think I even began giving a few of the buggers names after the first 3 or 4 hours on stand.  There was Guido, the Thief, and the Diaper squirrel (who shed all his winter coat except for the part covering his rear end).  What can I say, after being awake for over 36 hours, I needed to be pretty inventive in ways to stay entertained and awake. No bears were sighted the first evening.  In reality, the ocassional head nods and jerks from dozing off could have easily spooked any bears that silently crept in.

As every night, I anxiously awaited returning to camp to hear the encounters experienced by others.  This was a highlight every night.  Many had thier first encounters that first evening and to start us off right, Bob connected with a nice bear on the Black Label.  

We may have seen this photo before but I don't think Bob will mind....congrats again Bob!
 
 

[BlkDog]

With Bob taking his bear the first night, I  contemplated changing locations and hunting the Black Label the following day.  The Black Label was the hot stand the prior year with four bears taken between the two weeks, including Matt's Stubby. Although I had hunted the LongTrail on multiple occasions, I had never seen a bear from the stand.  The next day, we checked the Long Trail and there at the crib I discovered a clearly defined and very large front paw print.  The width of the pad, not the entire print, was 5 1/2".  I am no expert, but I knew this was a big bear and probably in the 250 - 300 lb range..maybe more.  

The decision became very easy at this point.  I would stick with the Long Trail and hope for an opportunity at the bear that left that track.  I knew this was a long shot and it also meant passing up smaller bears if opportunities were presented.  JC inspired me last year when he spent nearly the entire week passing up bears with hopes of an opportunity on a monster he had seen.  It was early in the hunt and I made up my mind to see what the week had in store.

I also decided I would take my digital camera, camera arm and try capturing some video.  This was something I had never tried, but something I had always inspired to do.  With crib only 5-6 yards away and me only about 4 1/2 feet off the ground, I had doubts of how successful I would be, but I was willing to give it a go.

[d. ward]

Great read Jay keep it coming.
As for Matts tounge we were using it to core apples that day....bowdoc

[RRock]

Jay, good to hear from you. Was beginning to wonder what happened.

[Curveman]

Great bear Bob! Gotta love that Long Trail with a stand only 4 1/2 feet off the ground! I took my so far favorite bear there (QBI). Let's go John-finish the story!

That shot of Matty-I was wondering why we didn't have many flies this year in the cabin! Nice job Matty!   :D

[Yellow Dog]

Keep it coming! I just mailed in my deposit for Bear Quest IV.          

[Bill Kissner]

Another pic of my bear.

 

A zoomed in pic of the Trad Gang wraps on the arrows.

 

[bill langer]

Hey Uncle Bill, Thanks for posting Matty's tongue! Gene Simmons is jealous...
Nice bear-good to share a camp with you.

[bill langer]

P.S. Jons tongue came up a little short...

[BlkDog]

Monday afternoon arrived and I was again off to the Long Trail.  I settled into my stand about 4 pm and quietly set up for the evening.  I strapped my camera on to a tree on my right, centered he crib in the view finder and locked everything into place.  With no zoom, I should be able capture plenty of action with minimal movement.  I settled in for the evening.

Again, the squirrels provided plenty of entertainment.  A hare raced in, but soon backed away, uncertain if he wanted to take on the bossy red squirrel that ruled the crib.  Chipmunks raced about, occasionally rustling the foliage just enough to make your heart miss a beat.

I found myself trying to gaze deeper into the dark shadows on the hillside in front of the stand.  I was hoping the bears would approach from this direction although the large paw print lead into the swampy tangles immediately behind me.  If the bears approached from behind, I would not spot them until they were about 6-8 feet away. The prior year I received an "up close and personal" initiation by a large, aggressive bear of about 250-300 lbs.  The possibility of my first glimpse of a Big bear at 6-8 feet had me a little uneasy, but this year my tag was unfilled and ready to be used.

I continued searching the shadows of the hillside.  I stood up to gain a different perspective on my surroundings.  Then, a shadow moved.  My eyes strained.  One leg emerged from the shadows and then another.  I slowly reached for my camera and pressed the shutter button and adjusted my grip on the riser as I waited to see what was to unfold.  

 
 
Not the bear I was looking for, but you can tell by the dancing Zwickey that my ticker was working just fine.  Although the video appears much more distant, the barrel lies only seven steps away.  

His continual glances up the hill only made me wonder if a larger bear was near.  It was only 6:30pm and a good three hours of light remained.

[BlkDog]

An hour later, I turn to my left only to discover another bear barely 20 yards away.  I have always been amazed how quiet bears can be.  At times, they seemingly appear out of thin air.  Still not "the bear" but a welcome encounter.  After 10 minutes, he departs.

 

Light began to fade around 8:30 or 9.  Close to 9pm, I am startled by a sound.  Uff-Uff-Uff-Uff. At that moment, I also spot movement to my right 15 yards away. A quick glance reveals a bear approaching fast.  He wasn't the bear that left the huge paw print, but he was well into the mid 200's (lbs), with big head and good enough to spend the rest of the week fishing.  One problem.. he seemed to be on a mission and was not slowing down.  I believe he was trying to catch up to a hot sow.  He was quickly approaching on the same trail that I walk in on. If he stayed on course he would pass by at 2-3 yards.  Murphy's Law prevailed and he soon veered up hill at the worst location for a shot opportunity.  He paused once broadside at about 12-15 yards, but a single branch centered the lower two thirds of his chest.  "He'll turn and come to the bait" I thought to myself.  Nope, soon he was off again.  He angled up the hill at a brisk pace, huffing with every step.  As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.  A small tree shook 50-60 yards off in the distance which told me his course did not vary.  He was gone.  

Later that evening, I heard limbs breaking in the alders behind me.  First, 50 yards to my left in the direction the big bear was last seen, and later much closer behind me and to the right.  He may have circled back to the bait using a different approach..?  Unfortunately, it was now dark and it was time to head back to camp.  

I wish I had video of this bear but it all happened very quickly.

[d. ward]

great stuff Jay I love those video's they made me feel like I was right there with you nice work.bd

[Novaln1975]

Jay

I remember you saying that the moment you decided that you would not shoot the bear in the first video, the dancing Zwickey stopped dancing. Would that be at around 1:40? Great footage. Keep it up!

Simon

[PV]

         Jay!
Thanks for sharing. Looks much better on a bigger screen.
Paul

[meathead]

Come on Jay keep it coming.  Nice video.  Nate

[Whip]

Cool stuff Jay!  

[Ken E.]

Come on Jay lets hear some more.