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

[chinook907]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
OK guys....he's got it all moved over, so if you would...please repost your remarks on the Hope n Faith thread stickied at the top of the PowWow.

T

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.

[pdk25]

Awe, c'mon.  Tbis is looking good.

[jcar315]

[59Alaskan]

Beautiful country!

[Lin Rhea]

I got a good feelin about this!    

Better turn your flash off Tim.  

[DennyK]

Tim, hope you add him to your Black Bear collection! Keep walkin' by Faith.

[4runr]

I think I'll follow along!  

[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 !

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.
   

[59Alaskan]

Nice reading so far!

[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 ?

[Blaino]