2016 Solo Spring Bear Hunt

[kush]

Day 1
I was all geared up and ready to go. Plan was to arrive at camp site around 5.
On the drive out saw some great county, fair amount of wildlife, birds, geese, an eagle and a heron up really close above me. And a doe along the road too.

My camp site was nice, grassy (read: soft), near a lake, secluded. Very comfortable, but not great for mosquitoes though.

I arrived around 6pm and took a look around, pitched the tent.

Lots of ducks in the water, geese nearby, but not in this spot too much it seemed.




I grabbed some basics and walked road the side road until dark. Was startled by a few flighty ground that didn't make a move until I was right beside them. Saw a Ptarmigan type of bird, and a rabbit also.
Only one pile of bear scat noticed on this walk.

[kush]

Day2




Morn drive from about 6am,
Saw about 4 Rabbits, saw a BIG BUCK. I have very little experience, but this buck seemed twice the thickness of a spiker I saw later. His antlers seemed heavy and at least 4 inches above the ears in length, each having 2 golf ball size nubs on the end where they would be splitting. I think that's the first buck I've seen actually.

~7am - Walked a road which contained what I determined was the 'prime spot' for the hunt. It's a grassy side road with about 10 meters of grassy-ish stuff on one side of it. It that opens up into about a 50×50m grassy opening, then narrows for ~200m and again opens into a slightly smaller area. Lots of scat here, good feelings! Bear central?



The print is wider than my hand width which is 5 inches

[kush]

The road narrowed for a couple of kms and had a couple more openings with more sign there at the end.







Saw some old deer sign, and some big and some really big prints. Are these moose prints?

Got back to car walking along same stretch. Had some food.


Around ~12 I thought I would explore a bit more, drove up high, no viewpoints from as far as I went, and road was more rough here, so i returned to my prime spot for an evening stalk.
Have the spot all picked out in my head, I'm just picturing the outcome.
*Dream sequence - Laying in wait, silent, wind in my face, a ginormous black bear woddles out of the bush, oblivious to his impending doom, plenty of time to line up perfectly, bam! drop him on the spot, no need for a body search, still light out to butcher him, sooo smooth.*


Well, we know how things actually go...


As I'm a bit early to by spot, getting settled in, checking my gear... I realize I've forgotten, at home, the battery for the infra-red laser on my long range infra red moa scope!
I'm so disappointed, but realize the ethical thing to do is pack up the hunt and return home, even if it is a few days early.
I guess I got to see some rabbits at least.

[kush]

Just kidding of course~


So there I sat, on the east side of an opening, partially in the trees, from ~7pm.
MOSQUITOES!!!
I've never experience mosquitoes like that. I covered most areas well enough with spray, but you always miss something right? And even though you're covered they still buzz and land in your face. I'm very happy I had big glasses on.
My hands got it the worst. The next morning 35 hand bites at this point.

Some squirrels chattered now and then in the forest, not right next to me, but not that far away either, so I wondered if something would come out from there or it was just me.
I stayed till black ~930.

On the way home (to camp), I saw this leg(?) bone. Didn't notice it in the morning, but it was dark.
What animal would this be from?

[wideopenthrottle]

nice work getting out there on your own being relatively new to it........the tan coloured scat looks like very old moose poop...definitely a moose track ....and the bone could be bovine but only a guess..are there cattle in the area?

ps....some nice pics

[Ferenc]

A rule I go by is to take the width of a bear track.. Add one to it... It most likely will give you the approx size of the bear nose to tail ... Say 6 " wide track + 1.... 7 foot bear : )

[RiverOtter]

A rule I go by is to take the width of a bear track.. Add one to it... It most likely will give you the approx size of the bear nose to tail ... Say 6 " wide track + 1.... 7 foot bear : )

Yep. You start seeing black bear tracks north of 5"s and you're into quality bears.

Enjoying the read so far...

[srupp]

Yup..bone is beef cow....great photos...correct on the math..should be a brute bear that made that.yes that envious 7 foot black bear..
Steven

[caddisguy]

Great pics and write-up. Had to send a PM to see if I know where that is!

[TheDuke]

which backpack are you rocking there?