2014 Idaho Bear Down!!

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

I've been spending as much time bear hunting this year as I can. its about a hour and a half to where I hunt than I cross a river in my raft and hike up the mountain to the bait.
 there has been quite a few bears but no big boys.
Last night this guy came in and I was able to put two arrows through him. I could tell a huge story about the drag out/ river crossing but will just say it was entertaining.
 the trail camera picture was one year and one day before I shot him. my trail camera this year hasn't worked.
centaur bow, Simmons heads, Easton axis and Surewood shafts
 
 

[BWD]

Nice bear you've got there.  

[NIGEL01]

Wow!  Thats awesome!!

[Hummer3T]

nice bear.

[pete p]

nice! id like to hear the drag story, looks like a big one!

[Pops]

Great job. Very nice Bear.

[JimB]

Wow! What a beast and beautiful too.Really a great blaze.I wouldn't mind hearing the story.It's tough to get a second shot on a bear.

[huntingarcher]

Great looking bear!Sounds like a well earned one as well.Congrats.....  

[D.Ellis]

Nice bear  
Darcy

[JimB]

Have you seen any rutting behavior going on there?

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Jim last week my wife shot a gorgeous blonde bear with her wheelie bow and a Simmons tigershark. The bear was hit about midbody and went around ten yards and was upsides down in six seconds. We inspected and she hit lung.  I have lost a bear before hitting the shoulder so decided I would hold back a bit. Well last night when this boar came in it gave me the same shot my wife took and I consiously held back from the shoulder. My arrow buried through and I instantly thought "guts". The bear turned around and just stood there like nothing happened. My fletchings were hanging from one side and my broadhead half was broke off in a log. I proceeded to nock another arrow and drilled him in the traditional " ten" ring. 15 yards later he was upside down! I was ecstatic to get the second shot cause the first revealed guts. It could have been a long tough track. He acted like he was never hit.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Pete p.  While I was snapping a couple pics I had another bear come in. I decided I didn't want to leave the bear overnight. I busted my butt dragging the bear about 300 yards to the edge of the river. My raft was about 200 yards up the river so I decided toraft down closer to the bear.  THe problem was it was pitch black with no headlamp on a river pushing 16000 CFS.  I drifted down and tried to land the raft closer but brush and trees kept pushing me out.  I was trying to hold on to brush for dear life but the raft was about to take on water. Finally I dove onto shore and landed the raft on a steep bank.
 Now I had to find the bear and my bow and get them to the raft. After a while I found bear and drug him above the raft. I had to slowly roll him down a ten foot cliff and try to land him in the raft without him slipping out of the rope I had tied around the neck and dissapearing down stream.  All this with only a small flashlight. Luckily that all went good and the bear ended up on the front seat of the raft. After this I had to oar my are across the pitch black river to the other bank and land where my truck was. Problem is I lost a hundred yards of river so I had to oar hard andit was pitch black and all iI had was a flashlights which is hard to oar hard with and use.  Somehow I got to the other shore and dove out and grabbed a bush while holding the raft rope,  So excited to finally be on the right side of the river! All I had to do now was drag my raft and the bear up a 15 foot hill and load them in the truck solo. Bears ain't easy to load solo! A twenty minute ride and I was back to camp happy but tired! No wonder more people don't hunt across the river...

[elkken]

That's a great story ... go get a good headlamp and I suppose you did not have a floatation jacket on either ....

Congrats on a smoker of a bear

[slivrslingr]

Great bear, congrats!  Take elkken's advice, btw.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

I haven't noticed any rutting activity yet. Nothing discernable I guess.  Elkken my knees were shaking even with my life jacket on. I regard the life jacket as important as a safety harness in a stand.

[pinky]

Love the bear's bib, congratulations!  Sounds like quite the retrieval.    

[ozzyshane]

Chris man what a hog of a bear great to see the trad bow in action .That must be a great feeling getting that bear when you had pics of him last year.
You had me in stickers with the pack out story i throught i were there watching you.
Thnaks Shane
ps did you get a good elk tag this year

[fnshtr]

Wow!! Great story and great bear.

An outfitter once told me to take only a broadside shot... to imagine the bear with the head off, and to hold 2" behind dead center of the body. Seemed far back to me (used to shooting whitetails in tight behind the shoulder). When my shot came, I did as the outfitter said. The bear went about 50 yards and piled up. He said to stay away from the shoulder. It worked for me.

congratulations...
       

[Caughtandhobble]

Awesome bear, he looks huge!!!

[oldway]

Congrats!