2016' Trad-Gang Bear Quest "A Successful GREAT TIME" with plenty of BEAR ACtion

[KAZ]

Originally posted by tippit:
I'm waiting to hear the story too.  But I'm sure Barry is because that was His stand!

Though there were some very large bears lurking around "Resurrection", the 305.6lb bear was not harvested there..........  

[Yellow Dog]

Originally posted by KAZ:
 

Originally posted by tippit:
I'm waiting to hear the story too.  But I'm sure Barry is because that was His stand!

Though there were some very large bears lurking around "Resurrection", the 305.6lb bear was not harvested there..........      [/b]

I have some inside info and let's just say I took a spill on the slippery rocks into the lake the last time I baited it    

[tippit]

Oops, I thought I read that...no matter sounds like a great Bear.

[KAZ]

Originally posted by tippit:
Oops, I thought I read that...no matter sounds like a great Bear.

Indeed.... A great bear  

[Tom Phillips]

Paul Lewis was the 3rd Trad-Ganger to join the 300 CLUB in last 10 years !!   329#,309#,305# & 301# personally weighted by me.
  It was good to hear that everyone made it home safe & sound.Bear Quest again was a team effort with everyone chipping in to track & skin bears,check baits.............etc etc.that is why the hunt is such a success & funfilled.Before we left camp 6/25 I spoke to Outfitter and am looking forward to him showing us more territory for NEW water baits as well as some land baits as well for 2017'.

[TwoArrows22]

Sorry guys I haven't had time yet to sit down and write the story of the 305 bear. I am writing this on my lunch break. when I get some free time I'll sit down and do it justice.

[Matty]

Originally posted by TwoArrows22:
Sorry guys I haven't had time yet to sit down and write the story of the 305 bear. I am writing this on my lunch break. when I get some free time I'll sit down and do it justice.

Yeeee hawww! Hey I was there for 2 of those 300+ bears. I must be the good luck charm!    :p    :p

[23feetupandhappy]

Originally posted by Matty:
 

Originally posted by TwoArrows22:
Sorry guys I haven't had time yet to sit down and write the story of the 305 bear. I am writing this on my lunch break. when I get some free time I'll sit down and do it justice.

Yeeee hawww! Hey I was there for 2 of those 300+ bears. I must be the good luck charm!     :p      :p  [/b]

Hay Matty, does your luck transfer to other game?!?!??
Say like Iowa Whitetails?
We should test it out, say first week in November!!!!!
       

[jsweka]

Hey Ben - You got a story to tell too.

[KAZ]

Originally posted by jsweka:
Hey Ben - You got a story to tell too.

Yep, bring on the story....  

[23feetupandhappy]

I'm on it  

[23feetupandhappy]

As the guys have alluded to, I too have a story to tell    

 

The First night I set up my trail cam and got all set for the 5 1/2 hour sit.

Two Snowshoe hares and multiple Red Squirrels were my only companions that night but I did hear a couple of sticks snap out at about 45 or 50 so felt curtain that there was a bear out on the perimeter.

The next morning we freshened the bait and pulled the SD card and there was a Big Oll Fatty there about 20 min after I had gotten down    

I was satisfied to be patient for a few days to see if I could get a peak at this bear.....
After the third night without a sighting I decided a change of scenery was in order.

So on Tues evening I sat Hillbilly!

This is a water bait and Bears had been shot off of it the previous week as well as one of our own who shot his on Sunday night with reports of other bears seen  

[KAZ]

   

[23feetupandhappy]

So Tuesday evening found me looking over HillBillys bait....

The evening was void of bears but I was entertained by a Very dominate/territorial squirrel that was claiming the bait site as his own.....

He would clime up on top of the barrel, throw his head back and let out the loudest 15 to 20 second chatter that would remind you of a lion or somthing  
On Tuesday Tom said it wasn't time to panic if we hadn't seen a bear, but this was EOD Wed......

With renewed vigor I signed the Boat Permit form on Wed evening which allowed me to operate the boat on my own.  The plan was set, I would be heading to Hillbilly in the a.m.
Id be lying if didn't say I was a little nerves   about logistics of getting me to my stand in the pitch dark in a boat going to a spot that id only been to twice in the daylight  
Did I mention that id never driven a  boat before.....

Nothing like the present to learn, besides, whats the worst that could happen    

Time to get down....

[23feetupandhappy]

Up till now I was staying positive knowing that it was just a matter of time but our 7 day hunt was winding down and I didn't feel like I was in the game at all.....

Plan "E" was beginning to take shape      

[23feetupandhappy]

Gary and I headed out to our spots and after I dropped him off I was on my side of the lake by 4:30.

 

Its about 100 yards to the stand from the lake and its a gradual up hill climb.
About halfway up I see something black about 75 yards uphill to my right, Its a Bear!!!!!
I stay really still and notice that its making its way down hill and angling my way   :eek:

I hunker down and nock an arrow but moments later it straightens out and goes straight down hill probably for a mid afternoon drink....
I proceed to my stand spraying my Bear Attractant Spray like it was going out of style  

All set in my stand with both thermocells going by 4:50.....
At 5:15 I'm looking at the ground just over my knees and something about the shadow of my tree looks funny, " Ill be darned if my trees shadow dosnt look like a bears head", then it moved   :eek:

[23feetupandhappy]

Yep, my buddy was back from the lake!
He walked around sniffing and licking where I had sprayed the attractant spray and then went to the bait...

 

 

   

All told he was around for 45 min.....

Now Brian had told me of two different size class of bears in here and although I was pretty confident that this was the bigger of the two sizes I knew it was early in the day and wanted to make sure, I let him walk........
He meandered off and bedded down about 45 yards up hill to my right, I felt confident that as early as it was that he would be back to the bait before dark if I wanted to take him  
My heart went into over drive when I realized my mistake, this wasn't the initial bear, this one was at least twice the size!!!!!!!

[23feetupandhappy]

Still in the brush I couldn't get a clear look at him until he walked around a tree and came into the open and sunlight at about 15 yards out in front of me........

As the bear walked from the shadows into the  sunlight it shrunk him back to the bear that I knew       but my determination did not falter, this bear was in trouble    

I was still seated but had already swiveled in the stand to get my left side pointed in his direction.  Upon seeing the shot that I desired I drew, touched anchor and the arrow was on its way!!!!

The opening in the top right of the pic is were he was at, just to the right of the clump of big trees....
You can see my yellow fletch if you look close but its a little bloody so its not as bright as it ounce was    

 

[23feetupandhappy]

At the shot he growls then takes off back to my right growling about every other step and then I hear a crash with several death moans intermixed....
I was elated and started packing up my stuff.
It was 7:43 and I knew that there were some guys at camp just waiting to help track  a bear  

I got down to check my arrow and for blood, I wasn't disappointed.....

 

 

[ron w]