2012 Spring Bear Hunt Thread

[Bel007]

Wednesday brought warmer weather and my desire to have a shot at a bear only increased as the temperature rose.  Good bear hunting and warm days seem to go hand in hand.  Besides, when I left my wife back at home, I looked at the 10-day weather calendar and pointed to Wednesday and announced I would shoot my bear on Wednesday.  She gave me that look that she does some times, half doubting me, half surprised that I would be so bold as to pick a spot on the left field wall.  Well if Babe could get away with it, why couldn't I?  I am, after all, a veteran bear hunter now right?  My rookie year was over and now this bear hunting stuff was becoming routine.  Well, I did not fool her either.

I asked Ryan about a stand called TOO CLOSE.  I liked it last year but did not have the courage to hunt it.  I had thought about that stand almost every day since I left Manitoba last year.  And it was Wednesday after all.  The chemistry seemed right.  The stand had been visited heavily the last few weeks Ryan stated.  He had trail cam pics of bears, big bears, on that bait throughout the day light hours, with multiple visits daily by at least two bruisers. I asked Ryan if I could do a morning sit at TOO CLOSE and if it felt good, I'd stay all day.  He thought the wind would be good and OKed the plan.  Oh, the best part about TOO CLOSE, the reason I had thought about it every day for the last 360 days....   It is on the ground.

[twowolvesarchery]

Thanks "BIG SEXY" for telling about the great recovery.  It will be one of the greatest night of my life and 80% of it happened after I shot the bear.  Its awsome to be in a camp when you roll in at 3am wet covered with mud frozen and everyone has a huge smile on their face from the adventure they were just on. Something I learned never leave home without your leatherman.  Ill try to put some pics on in the next day or two. Mike

[Dirtybird]

This is getting good.

[coaster500]

 


 

[jeanpaul3006]

:dunno:Don't stop now, the story is getting mighty interesting.

[jeanpaul3006]

Originally posted by jeanpaul3006:
::Don't stop now, the story is getting mighty interesting.

[Bel007]

I got to the blind about 9am.  The single bait barrel laid in the middle of what looks like an old logger's road with thick sapling growth down the road and large 10 foot banks flanking the sides.  On one of the sides a small brush pile was constructed and fresh evergreen limbs had been added a few weeks ago.  Ryan reminded me to scrape the ground clear of twigs and debris that might snap under foot and alert the bears to the intruder lurking behind the cover.  Once in the blind I indicated to Ryan that a practice shot was needed. He placed a target on the ground beside the barrel.  I skewered it with my practice arrow.  He brought me my arrow back, we discussed a signal to place by the road for a pick up, and Ryan asked me once again what I was going to do before I let loose an arrow at my furry target.  "Pick a spot" was my reply and just what he wanted to hear.  ( I had a little issue with that last year -  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=104915;p=4)

The sun climbed higher in the sky, the temperature rose.  Shadows changed as the sun made its march across the sky.  Every new shadow became a bear, sitting, watching me, liking its chops.  Ground blinds ARE more exciting.

At 12:45 a new shadow appeared across the way, behind the barrel and up on the other steep bank.  This shadow moved.  And it was huge. It also had feet, tiny feet under its large blocky mass of pitch black fur.  It looked like a wall of darkness moving in on my sunny day.  It zigged its way through the mid sized trees on the ridge and moved toward the barrel.  Still 10 yards behind the barrel it dwarfed the 55 gallon plastic drum.  Fortunately I was sitting down because my legs turned to jelly and I forgot how to breath for a few seconds.  My plan was to wait until the bear was occupied with the grain spilling out of the barrel and slowly rise and draw the bow.  

Slight wind gusts had been puffing on my neck from time to time and now another decided to cough up a little burst that sent my smell into the nose of the lumbering giant.  He never made it to the barrel but turned 160 degrees and headed left and back into the cover of the trees.  By his angle, I thought he might be trying to circle me so I stayed put in my seat ( like my legs would have worked anyway).  I was hoping after a good circle, he would consider it safe to return to his noon snack and we could resume where we had left off.  I caught movement from my right .  The bear returns.  Walking straight down the opening between the ridges toward the bait barrel.  But wait, this is not the same bear.  A bit smaller and not black.  Brown, dark brown.  The bear was the color of a beer bottle holding captive a nice porter.  It glistened in the sun.  Red sparkles from the hair tips.  This was a dream bear.

It made its way to the barrel without much caution, laid down FACING me, and began eating with its back to the opposite ridge that just held the big black bear.  I was debating making a move and starting to stand when the bear's nose went up into the air.  Two or three good sniffs to each side and it was back on its feet.  It moved behind the barrel and part way up the slope and out of my life.

[Bel007]

Feeling a bit frustrated by what just happened, I figured if I was going to kill a bear today, Wednesday, the day I had felt in my gut, I needed to move to a different stand.  The wind here just was not cooperating.  I went to the road and waited to Ryan or David to pass.  The bugs loved this swampy little area beside the road and I did not have my head net.  I decided to walk a bit and burn off some frustration knowing I would get picked up soon enough.  It felt good to stretch the legs again after sitting around for a few days.

When I met up with Ryan and David we discussed other stand options.  There was still a good bear back at the Ladder Stand and a couple other baits had not been hunted yet.  David suggested that the wind was light so the little puffs were gonna be erratic until the evening but then should die down.  He suggested going back into TOO CLOSE, three guys in making noise and freshening the barrels with grain and grease while making a bunch of noise and banging the barrel and buckets, but only two guys come out.  Now not only is David tough enough to roll around in an icy river but he is cagy  when it comes to outsmarting bears.  Ryan looked at me and asked what I wanted to do.  TOO CLOSE and Wednesday, it just had to work this time.

[Bel007]

I was back in the ground blind by 4pm.  The sun was angling down but now shinned directly in my eyes.  I was hoping if anything showed up it would wait until the sun dropped some more or I was going to be squinting through the shot.  The snowshoe hares and squirrels kept my mind of the events from earlier with their rugby game over the bait.  The huge hares outweighed the squirrels 3 to 1 but the squirrels made up for it in tenacity and vocabulary.  It was quite a show.  Skippy, the three legged hare, made an appearance.  I figured maybe he donated a lucky foot to some hunter or trapper in the past.  It was a beautiful evening.

At 6:30 pm a new shadow appeared.  It was right in the same spot as the previous bulk of a bear earlier in the day.  I saw right away it was smaller, so not the same bear.  But it still looked good.  The bear worked his was down the same trail as had the earlier behemoth.  David and Mike had left the barrel standing after their "bait run" and the bear quickly stood and started licking the top of the barrel clean of the grain and grease it offered.  It stood well above the barrel while on its rear legs but below the barrel while on all four.  I figured maybe it was a 6 footer but no larger.  I surveyed its coat.  It was in perfect condition, shimmering black and not rubbed. I wanted a solid black rug in the 6 foot range.  This bear was now endangered.

I quit looking at it.  I surveyed the ground for any twigs that may have fallen ready on the floor ready to send alert.  I slowly rose and tensed the string.  I was calm.  I was confident in my shot.  I had practiced this 13 yard shot ten thousand times.  I saw the his chest open and unprotected as his arms were holding the barrel.  I knew if he pulled down and lowered his body as his arms went up the shoulder blades would go down and intrude but his arms were 90 degrees to his body.  I found my spot and  no longer saw the bear.  My 52# 60-inch one-piece Blacktail Snakebit was up.  I pulled back on the string drawing my orange crested and fletched hand-made Surewood shaft tipped with a VPA Terminator 3 blade 160gr broadhead.  I saw only that spot and the flame orange arrow cut a path to then through that spot.  Just like I had envisioned the arrow flying true it did.  Just like I had pictured the spot colored by my fletchings for a brief second, it did.  I saw the arrow strike the dirt behind the bear.  The bear leaped and dodge up the hill and into the safety provided by the higher ground.  It stopped and looked back over its right shoulder at the barrel.  It did a double take.  I know if was wondering "what just stung me"?  It looked forward again for a brief second like it was choosing which path to take out of there but its knees buckled and its legs liquefied.  It dropped right there, right atop the ridge looking over the barrel not 7 yards away.  I watch and heard it die.  The wilderness was quiet and I stood on the ground taking it in.

I left Ryan a signal at the road and went back in to see my bear.  It was not the full 6 footer I thought it was.   I guess my field judging still needs some work.  He squared  5.5 feet and should yield a 16 inch skull.  I took some pictures before Ryan came on the scene and together we snapped a few more.  I gave Ryan a bit of a hard time about not helping me with the tracking job so I made him do most of the dragging 10 yards to the  ATV trail.  I am pleased with my bear and know the rug he will provide will be admired by me for many years to come.  He is not a book bear, or maybe not even a trophy to some.  But two predators met in the woods one day, on the same ground.  I will remember that hunt always.

Thank you Ryan and David !  See you again next year.

View from barrel where the bear stood to the blind
 

Picture from blind, note barrel, arrow to left of barrel, bear on hill to right of barrel
 

 

 

 

 

[Bel007]

   

   

   


P.S.

On Friday night, the trio from Colorado all connected with bears and all three were recovered.  Joe took a twin to Mike's coming in at a trimmer 300lb but same length and skull size.

Stickflingers 2012 week II - 6 for 6.

[wapiti792]

Brian, what an excellent story! It made me miss that place so much...as well as all of the great people. I am a little jealous as I know I was 'sposed to be there with you. I have my regrets as just being in camp when the hunters roll in with cheesin' grins are worth the price of a ticket    Congrats on a great bear brother!!! I am super pumped for you my friend.

Stickflingers is a special place with special people. Ryan and David are the most easy going fellas to bear hunt with and not only know their biddness...they work hard! Having Ron around as the Events Planner and Chief Story Teller is also worth going, and Ms. Bea is the glue that holds it together with food and charm that keeps you plump and happy    

360 days and I am back. Can't wait!

[Big Ed]

Awesome pics and read along,Congrats!!

[coaster500]

Yea !!!

That's a good looking son of a gun Brian....  great looking coat, actually from the pics looks perfect!!!

Looks like Ryan has this bear thing down!!! Good shot brother  

Thanks for the story and pictures!! I just wish I could have been there with ya  


 

[Bel007]

Thanks fellas.

Mike - I moved my week next year.  We will be hunting together again along with Tim, Joe, and Mike.

Kip - Someday brother, we are gonna get together on some kind of grand adventure too.

[steadman]

Congrats Brian!! Sure miss hunting bear this year  :(  Thanks for the stories!!

[Bel007]

I figured out how to add a video clip.  I took this from my ground blind.  First you will see (out of focus -sorry) the bait barrel with my arrow next to it, then the bear up on the ridge, then my feet standing on terra firma.

 

[Dave Pagel]

No way I can be as eloquent in my recap as my esteemed tentmate, but here goes.

I was by far the least experienced bear hunter in camp.  In fact, I had hunted bears two other times with a bow in Wyoming and had never had a bear come into the bait.  While the Colorado boys and Mike had specific types of bears they were looking for, I was looking for a representative animal and a great experience.

Sunday night I settled into the stand after a one hour quad ride to get there with multiple river crossings.  Those rides are a story in themselves.  At 6:30 I had a bear cross a fire trail and circle me about 40 yards out.  It spent about 5 minutes sizing up the site before it came on in.  What a pretty bear!  Long hair, very chunky and huge blaze on it's chest, at least 4 x 6.  The bear fed for over 30 minutes while I watched and sized it up.  It looked good to me, but again I am not the most experienced bear hunter.  I let it leave and 2 hours later it appeared off my right shoulder at 10 yards.  I never heard it coming.  The bear walked right under my stand eyeing me up every step.  It went to the bait and fed for another 30+ minutes.  Again I let it go.  About 9:45 here it came again on the same trail.  This time it laid down about 6 yards from my tree and just watched me for about 5 minutes.  It then fed until 10:05.  I was to get down at 10:15 so when the bear left I boogied out of there so I didn't spook it.  As I walked to the quad the bear was about 50 yards in front of me on the trail.  It just stepped about 15 yards off and watched me walk by.  I picked up Mike and the ever exciting quad ride back to the truck passed without incident.

When I described the bear back at camp Ryan and Dave thought it might be a bear I should consider.  It was a beautiful bear.

As Brian mentioned, Monday was a washout.  Tuesday Dave accompanied me to the stand so he could look at the trail cam.  As he went through the pictures he pointed to one and said "that is a good bear".  I asked him when it was taken and it proved to be Sunday night while I was in the stand.  I now had some idea that at least I wasn't completely crazy in my initial thoughts.

Dave left and I settled in.  The barrels were 10 and 12 yards from the stand and I was 12 feet up.  It was a beautiful setup and a beautiful night.
     
The setup

     
Lila Lou ready for action

At 6:45 I saw a nice looking bear coming in from the NE.  It moved in a semi-circle until it was straight in front of me and then walked straight to the barrel, laid down and began to eat.  I had stood up and slipped the lower limb of my Silvertip into the pocket sewn on the leg of my pants.  I spent the next 15 minutes assuring myself that I had made this shot thousands of times in preparation.  One of the many snowshoe rabbits around the site finally aggravated the bear until it stood and gave the shot I wanted.  My 625 grain arrow with a 160 Snuffer on the tip went through the bear right where I was looking and stuck a full inch in one of the logs on the far side of the barrel.  The bear loped off in the direction it came from and I thought I saw the hind quarters sag about 75 yards out.  I was very confident of the shot, but I never got a death moan.
     
     
My arrow buried in the log

Ryan had asked us not to track the bears without him or Dave so I just verified the hit and blood and climbed back in the stand since I wasn't to pick up Mike until dark.  Little did I know he had killed his monster a bit before I shot.  I will let him tell the story, but suffice to say the recovery and trip back to camp was epic!  Muskeg, beaver dams, quads skewered by logs and phenomenal team work to say the least.

The next morning Ryan, Dave and I headed back for my bear.  The rivers were still swollen from Monday's rain, but we tried that route anyway instead of fighting the same route Dave and I had fought the night before.  When we got to the bait, blood was harder to come by than anticipated.  I finally found a long strand of fat hanging from a bush.  The three of us followed fat and grease smears more than blood.  Dave stopped at one point and said he smelled dead bear.  Later Ryan did the same and just seconds later we were standing next to the beautiful animal.  We were admiring what Ryan felt was a solid 6 foot boar or a bit more and rolled it over to look at the blaze.  Much to everyone's surprise it was an old dry sow!  Her coat was perfect, she had no neck and a crease in her forehead.  Oh well, she was a beautiful bear.
     
     
     

We had to skin and quarter her where she fell.  There was no way the 3 of us could carry her out whole through the maze of blowdowns between us and the quad trail.  She had gone a bit over 100 yards from the shot, but in the worst direction possible.

I was curious about the lack of blood.  My entrance hole was perfect, 2-3 inches behind the shoulder, but the exit was higher than the entrance just at the diaphragm.  A plug of fat over an inch in diameter kept the bleeding internal.  She had to have been twisted strangely for the arrow to have taked that path as she looked perfectly broadside in my sight picture.

I shot my 56# Silvertip, "Lila Lou" on this hunt.  I had it made when my Mother passed away and this was the first kill with the bow.  The hunt was a great experience all around.  Ryan, Bea, Ron and Dave do a great job.

D.P.

[Dirtybird]

Great bear Brian, I've never been bear hunting bu dream about it.  Thanks for the great story.

[Dirtybird]

Congrats to all hunters in camp!!!!

[coaster500]

Wow you guys had a great run up there!!!

Congrats to all!!!