Intro: Hill Country's Miss Hope and Faith....(roster added on page 2)

[Shedrock]

She will shoot 75# spine just fine cut to 29". I had these shafts made just for her, and they are full length. I started full length, and don't need to cut them down.

Nice shot Shedrock! Good luck on the speed goat!

Bisch

[chinook907]

Been prowling around with the lefty St Judes Bow, Faith...

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Just got in after a long day (and night) with the Faith bow.  

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Getting closer now.
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Almost 3 am here, need to go to bed.

[chinook907]

Thanks for your patience, I really did have to get to bed.

To back up a bit, I got the St Judes lefty bow, Faith, in the mail about 10 days ago.  I was hopeful that I could take the bow in the mts for black bears, ptarmigan, spruce, and there's some other seasons that would be opening.

Sweet little bow, shot well for me from the get-go, and it came rigged for silence.

So after a few days of shooting with it, I got out last Saturday for the first time.  A pretty good day.

[chinook907]

Took several hours to hike in to one of my regular spots.  Not much sign, but had enough clothes, food and water to keep me going until late, and I figured if I moved and glassed, moved and glassed enough, something would shake out.

Here's a pic at the bottom of one of the hills along the ridge. I climb up to the ridge, then go up and down some hills like this one.  I think just this hill is about an 800' elevation change.  The Faith bow blends right in, except for my fletching.
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[chinook907]

It's hard to tell from the first pic, but right now that hillside is covered in wildflowers.  Here's a pic while going back up that hill.
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[chinook907]

Prior to taking those pics, had spotted a small bear in waist high grass and flowers at the bottom of the slope.  With the noise from all the veg, I knew I couldn't sneak to him, so I tried sneaking to where he might end up.

Well, he went where I thought, but the bear got there about 3 minutes before I would have.  Strike 1 ?

[chinook907]

Did some shooting with a judo into clumps of lichen, great practice.  Ate some, drank some more water, then headed further along glassing other slopes as they came into view.  The wind was pretty stiff, sometimes 30-35 knots.

Starting raining after a bit, pulled on my rain gear and hunkered down out of the wind, still eye-balling different slopes. Did that for a couple hours.  Then it was time to hunt my way back.

[chinook907]

Spotted this guy at about 7:30 pm.  He was about a 20 minute hike from me.  I was very happy to see another animal, but I was gassed out !
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He made the decision for me though.  After watching him for a few minutes, he took off into the brush like a scalded cat.  Not sure what spooked him, wasn't me, maybe he got a whiff of a brown bear.

But I figured next time I got out I'd hang in the rocks above, so I'd be close if he showed again.
     

[chinook907]

It was a few days later that I was able to get out again.  A lot nicer day, very sunny and light winds.

As planned, I parked in the rocks above where I had seen the last bear on the previous trip.
Here's my perch, and the Faith bow.
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[chinook907]

And the bow with some crowberries, what the bears are after.
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[chinook907]

Waited and glassed, waited and glassed.  Finally something showed, on the other side from my perch.

Moose !  And a nice bull at that.  The season opens in 5 hours, and I've got a tag.
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[chinook907]

Moved closer, glassed him carefully, and judged him sub-legal.  Likely mid-forties for spread (needs to be 50"+), and not enough brow tines.  If he gets thru another year of winter, wolves, and brown bears, maybe he'll be big enough.

[chinook907]

Was about done with watching the moose and then this guy shows up a few hundred yards away.
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He quickly moved on to the berry slope below me.  I took off some of my layers, put on my leathers, and went after him.

Got within 20-25 yards and I think he heard me.  Gone in a poof.  Strike 2 ?

[chinook907]

Time to head home.  Less than 2 hours of light left and a lot of ground to cover and elevation to lose.

I was already trying to decide were to hunt next time and when I could likely get out when this guys shows up across from me.
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I've got time and energy left for him !

Now wait, now there's two.  Another one walks out of the brush.
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[chinook907]

So I swapped my clothes and leathers out again and started hustling over there, mindful of the wind and staying out of their sight.

Swung around the little valley, got to my landmark above them, and headed downslope slowly, looking for the black spine of a bear, usually the first thing I see of them while sneaking.

And there they were !

[chinook907]

They were clearly both adult bears.  It's not uncommon to see two fairly close together.  I picked out the bigger one and slipped things down a few gears.

And now we're back to the start of this thread, the two pics where I'm trying to get stickbow close.

Here's a reminder.

 

[chinook907]

Ended up stalled with only open ground between us.

Looked around, and hoped he would move behind a little knob, then I could move right up to the knob without being seen.

It did move behind a knob, but when I got to the edge of it he was a bit too far off, but not much.

Then it happened.

[chinook907]

The other bear appeared a hundred yards away or so, headed straight towards this bear.

The bear I was on looked right towards him, stiffened, got his hackles up, and started popping his teeth.

The bear I was on was facing straight away from me, distracted,  This-Was-My-Chance.

I stood up, bow in hand, walking right towards him.  When he noticed me and turned enough for a shot, I would take it.  

Sure enough about 12 steps from him he heard me, and turned slowly to see what I was.  He still had a snarl on for the other bear, as he turned.

Well that was one of his last acts as the Faith bow was drawn and released, I just remember thinking focus-focus.

[chinook907]

Saw my arrow low behind his front leg as he jumped back a few step, then bolted for the trees downslope.

He only got 10-15 yards before he cart-wheeled, stumbled a few more and was done.

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Looking back at the sun threatening to set.
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