I'll throw out some more pictures out for Bowdoc from the first week.
I was able to spend some scouting time out at the Blowdown stand (one of the water baits) after I had kill my bear. A big bear had been seen at Blowdown but wouldn't commit to the bait. He had kept Kip on his toes for several nights before Kip decided to go on to another big bear
. I sat the stand on the sixth night out after killing my bear on the fifth day. I still couldn't get enough of watching bears.
Blowdown didn't disappoint as the large bear circled the bait on the ridge above the crib for over an hour. Several time he snuck in without me seeing him only to blow out of there woofing and popping his teeth. It was as cool as any evening I sat on stand including the night I killed my bear.
I felt I had a good idea about a spot the bear kept returning to as his vantage point. Upon getting back to camp I told Tom Porter about the situation. As a three year vet to BQ I knew Tom was holding out for a good bear. Or at the very least a unique bear that would have a lot of meaning. Porter is one of the few guys I know that can go home empty handed from a big hunt with no regrets. Having been in that situation more times than not myself I realize that is easier said than done. Tom puts in as many hours and hunts as hard as anyone I know, but manages to avoid becoming obsessive compulsive. Most guys that love to hunt have been there and know what I'm talking about.
Porter decided to jump ship from his other stand for a last ditch tag team effort at the Blowdown. I would sit in the stand at the bait in hopes of causing the bear to focus on me and get him to go through the same routine that he had in three previous evenings. The plan was for Porter to be sitting 45 yards up the hill in an ambush stand.
Hopes were high as we went to bait the stand that morning. Figuring out an animal and trying to out maneuver them is a something we both enjoy.
Unfortunately, the best of plans didn't come to fruition. A frog strangling rain came in complete with enough trees falling to make the Blowdown live up to its name. It put a serious damper on the evening. At one point I put my hands inside my rain jackets pockets only to find them completely full of water. The Gore-Tex inside the jacket actually caused the water to pool in the pockets. After two hours of steady rain we got back into the stands. I started getting cold shortly and put my thermocell inside my jacket so the butane burner could keep me warm. If you look close you can see Porter in his stand. This was taken BEFORE the rain started.
I was rooting for Tom to kill that bear about as much as I had during my hunts. Actually I was rooting for Tom to kill the bear so I could be happy for him AND so I could get back to camp and warm up in some dry cloths
Porter, I wish it would have worked out for you. It would have been a blast!
Topic: Bear Quest V -- Stories for all Posts (Read 36038 times)
