I'm a pretty excited fellow this morning, waking up, realizing that I finally did it, after 18 years of fondling grandads old rifle, which I inherited when he passed, I finally harvested it's first animal, since being in my hands. Iv hunted with it off and on over the years, for moose mainly, but one thing or another has always got between the rifle and the harvest, generally weather, as it only comes out on bluebird days.
I always buy a bear tag, every year. Just incase I see that one unique bear. Yesterday early afternoon, I loaded my daughter in the pack and headed out to check a trail cam, the whole time, thinking how cool it would be to see a nice bear, and be able to break in grandads rifle, that's been sitting nearly dormant the passed 18 years.
We got home about 4 o'clock, and I had the itch. Just a feeling, you know? Like something was giving you that extra nudge, to get out doing what we love to do. I made fast work of getting things ready, and out the door I went. 99% sure I was just going for a afternoon drive, but something in my gut was saying, something's going to happen.
This was for most people, a regular bear hunt, drive down the road, shoot the bear. But for me, it was a lot more. The deal breaker, I had to use grandads old rifle, iron sights, hand loads, AND, had to be within 100 yards. Another special about this hunt, was my partner, bean, my 1 1/2 year old pup. She's been in the bush a lot, but limited on her interaction with wild game, so this was also, a training test for her.
It only took about 20 km of driving, when we came around a corner, and about 700 yards down the road in a block, there was a bear. Part of my wait on shooting a bear, is it has to me unique, either huge, colour phase, scars, something, there has to be something, that makes me want to pull the trigger. It's been nearly 20 years since I took my last bear, and all these things, the gun, my dog, the bear, they were all unique, to me, it only took a quick look in the binos to know, this was the bear, and the time.
Bean knew something was up, but wasent sure what. I was able to park behind a clump of trees, so I could get my pup and everything ready. The ditch, was a nice soft green grassy ditch, very quiet for stalking. The wind, howling in our face, it was perfect. It only took the matter of minutes until we were close to the 100 yard mark, but, what the heck hey, let's get closer. Bean was getting antsy, she could hear, and smell I'm sure, but she couldebt see the bear. I could make him out behind some willows, and we tip toed in, wind still in our faces, bean let out the odd light growl, knowing there was something there.
We managed to sneak in to about 20 yards, the bear having no clue that we were there, the bear was behind the willow patch still, so I crouched, and bean stood beside me, ears up, tail wagging, she was as excited as I was I think.
It only took a minute or two for the bear to make the 2-3 steps into the clear, I had beans leash attached to my belt, so was hands free. The second he stepped out and bean got her visual, she let another light growl out, the bear heard that one, and looked right at us. All in one motion, slowly standing from my crouching position, pulling in the set trigger on my mannlicher, lining up, and then the recoil of the steal butt plate in my shoulder. Bean, dident even flinch, the bear, let out a WOOF, and headed for the tree line, but piled up 20 yards from where he was standing. 220 grains of .375 lead, square in the ticker.
Besides moose, a animal has to make me want to take it, it has to be unique, in some way. In a bear, he had to be mature, he had to be of decent size, and he HAD to be taken, using grandads old rifle, and yesterday, those stars aligned. From the gut feeling earlier in the day, to whoever was behind me, keeping my dog calm, this hunt was a very special one for me, for a lot more then just the bear. Just something about hunting with a family heirloom, that makes a hunt, just that much better. It's almost like, I was hunting with grandpa again (☺️)
The rifle in story, is a mannlicher schoenauer, chambered in 9.5x57. A dream to shoot. 48 grains of 3031, pushing a 220 grain hornady bullet. Performed flawlessly. With good weather, and a bit of luck, I'll have a moose story to share this fall, with a special rifle as the story piece.
A 9.5x57 beside a 375 h&h for comparison.
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Originally Posted by hunter1947
