For the last month I have been going out in search for my spring grizzly. Ive had yet to lay eyes on one. Never mind find any grizz sign.. The last 2 weeks ive been focusing more on Blackies, and going to other spots that is not in my grizzly zone. Its been real slim pickins up north in the terrace area. My motivation was at a all time low. But seems to me every week I would be on HBC, and I would see another bear down. So I would head out and drive, and glass, and drive, and glass.. Bears are starting to come out more now, but ive yet too see a decent shooter. My friend working on a powerline project told me for the last 3 days he has seen an aggressive black bear chasing off other bears, and hanging about 600 yards from their tower site. I figured if he was hanging out that close, and chasing other bears away it was probably a decent boar. The next day was a day off from work. I always check my bow before i go out with it, and make sure everything is shooting good. There is a field by my house where I practice with it, but today there was people working in it. So now its to my back yard, which is 17 yards.. I was shooting a little high on the target using my 20 pin so everything checked out, but that was the only pin i was certain to be good. I geared up, and hit the road to the nass. I arrived in the cranberry around 3:30pm. during my 30km drive to the spur road i saw a beautiful cinnamon bear, but it was too small. Around 4:40pm I arrived to the tower site (at least what i thought might be close to it), I decided to check for sign there before I sat down wind and glass for the next few hours. After looking around for awhile I have yet to find sign.. I start walking down a grassy hill near by, and hope to find anything. Nothing.. as I reach the bottom of the hill look who comes walking out 150 yards from me. I glass him for awhile, and decide he could be the bear. I make my way back to my pack, and grab my bow, rangefinder, and most importantly my GOpro. ( I read stone sheep steves comment on a bear thread about someone needing to go out with a bow, and get it on film, so here i am..) I make a stalk on this bear for a good 40 mins. He is feeding, and facing me, but he is moving fast to the side. I could not close under 40 yards on this bear, and eventually a twig snapped, and got the best of me, and he was gone. I waited there for about a hour, and a half until I gave up on him. I moved a few kms down the road, and started glassing. Sure enough another bear pops out to feed. I grab my gear, and im off. I glass him for awhile, and decide hes a decent size, and had a flawless coat, and i was pretty certain he was a boar. 60 yards in I turn on my GOpro. The wind is half in my favor for the first 20 yards. I slowly creep up every time he puts his head down and feeds. Then the wind stops, and he pokes his head up and sniffs, then the wind starts and he puts it back down, and i start to move again. Its just me, my bow, and the bear. No rifle, no backup, just a solo stick and string, spot and stalk. There is no cover around me, there is the odd stump, and shrub, but it is generally flat, and open. I wait for wind, and make my move, softly walking. multiple times the bear stares right at me. I stay perfectly still, and he puts his head down, and feeds. Some where around 30 mins later I have successfully closed from 60, to 20 yards. Now I just have to wait for a shot. He finally walks out from behind a stump, and without hesitation I draw my bow. I hold my draw for what feels like a eternity....... WHAP!!! The boar lets out a mighty roar, buckles down, spins, and starts taking off. I stay quiet, and still. He is facing the other way so i knotch another arrow, in case he charges my way. within that 60 seconds he walks about 30 yards from where I shot him, and flops over dead. I try to stay still, but still have to give a little fist pump, because im to over whelmed with excitement. He was shot at 7:15pm, and at 8:10 I was all done taking photos, and ready to start my knife work. Nothing about this was easy. He decided to die in a swamp, I tied some rope, and pretty much died myself trying to drag him out.. skinning was going fine, until the sun went down. Once it was dark it took about twice as long to skin the other side. I apologize to my taxidermist for the hack job I did, but skinning a animal in a dark swamp by yourself f***ing sucks. At 10:30 I finished deboning him, and had him packed up. I sank to my knees a few times during the trek out, and was on my way home with smiles.
A few things about the hunt:
GOpros have a fish eye lens.. Im going to try editing tonight, but from when i watched the footage last night, 20 yards looks like 100 yards..
and it doesnt pick up much sound. So sorry if the video doesnt live up to the hype..
It also shows how blind bears are, and if you play the wind, and stay still you can get pretty close. Also if you dont have the big bang of a rifle, you can sit still, and quiet and watch it bed down to die right in front of you. That being said it also shows how addicting bowhunting is!!!
You can not buy that kind of adrenaline.
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/...ps599ef244.jpg
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/...ps57169253.jpg
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