So where do we start…well actually before the beginning…For me it starts with planning & that includes several scouting trips to check for snow melt, road conditions & grass greening. Susan & I went out 3 times & unfortunately my long-time bear area was in the process of being logged. So I found an adjacent valley & the new camp spot with some trails to get back into uncharted territory. I headed out on May 16th with my 27 foot travel trailer, Ford truck, ATV, & all related hunting gear I thought I would need. I had contacted Tyler & James to inform them of where I would be with GPS location of camp. Arriving there, I set about getting the camp & ATV ready. Later that afternoon I headed out in a bad windstorm ~ when it started to rain I parked under a big cottonwood tree when suddenly something hit me from behind on my helmet, pounding me off the ATV & on to the ground. Slowly getting up I realized a lower branch/limb had broken off in the wind & fallen, hitting me on the head ~ subsequently breaking some switches on my quad. I was sitting there a little dazed when I noticed movement off into the cut block & out stepped a beautiful elk ~ I had never seen an elk in Horsefly. Then I caught more movement & out stepped a magnificent reddish-brown (auburn) boar bear. I spent nearly 30 minutes observing him ~ I really wasn’t interested in shooting another bear & promised James I would not shoot a bear before they got there. However, this bear had almost everything ~ a magnificent coat with not a rub when glassed in the round. It had a well- rounded head with a yellow muzzle, big paws with wonderful claws & certainly mature. The bear was at 120 yards, so I chose my 338 with 225 grain Barnes TSX & aimed for the heart, as this bear was for meat. So with just 45 minutes left until the end of the first day I slowly squeezed the trigger & the bear raced off as never been touched…WTH? Shot looked good, it felt good, but apparently that wasn’t enough for the bear. Because it was getting dark I decided to back out & go back to camp. After a long restless night, at 7:00 on the morning of May 17th I slowly walked in to where I’d last seen the bear. And only 40 feet from where I shot him, there he lay. One and only shot had taken out the top of his heart. I took 3 or 4 pictures after I had cut my tag & proceeded with the gutting process, caping the bear & securing the meat. That afternoon I raced home to Williams Lake & put the hide & meat into the freezer & headed back to camp. The next couple of days were spent making my camp more comfortable & waiting for Tyler & James. Once the gentlemen arrived they set up camp & we started looking for bears for them. We used the 3 ATVs to enter secluded logging cuts via remote trails & other hidden areas I had found over the last 25 years ~ sometimes we travelled 13 km. to get from one valley to the next. We saw plenty of bears…one large grizzly, brown coloured ~ Braden & I had seen this bear several years ago ~ he was now an 8 foot, 500 pound plus adult grizzly! 20 minutes later we saw a 6.5 foot silvertip grizzly & minutes later, another black bear. There were plenty of moose & moose sign. Part of hunting is getting back into these remote areas & enjoying the serenity & isolation…well, we call it self- isolation…LOL One evening I was headed with Tyler from one area to another. We rounded the corner & off in the distance I spotted an amazingly big black bear ~ we actually had seen his tracks several days before. As this would be Tyler’s first bear, I knew he would be feeling anxious & strung out so I neglected to mention to him the size of this brute on purpose…I merely said “get ready…shoot.” Tyler made a very good shot & then the three of us proceeded to search for the bear & TYLER ended up recovering his own bear! Upon seeing the bear I commented that this would be one of the biggest bears shot this year ~ it ended up being the biggest bear being brought in to Stephen Rutherford’s taxidermy studio. If you look at the picture of the bear on the ATV you notice the distance between his massive shoulders, with a beautiful yellow stripe V on his chest, straight arms with no wrists. The pad width on the front was between 5 ½ and 5 ¾ inches. The claws were long & not worn down. This bear was fresh from hibernation – his head was wide & his teeth worn down to the gums in front. The shot was perfect ~ right on the point of the shoulder. For Tyler’s first bear I don’t know how he’s ever going to best it! Tyler took his brute into Stephen Rutherford’s. The meat was washed down in vinegar & water, then put on ice. We continued hunting & found a nice bear for James & he harvested his second bear ~ his first being last year. We saw numerous other bear hunters & none had even seen a bear, let alone harvested one. We ended up with 3 bears for 3 hunters. I try to pass along & mentor other hunters ~ I never guess ~ I don’t bullshit & I share everything I have, everything I know. I know the gentlemen enjoyed the hunt, scenery, the animals & experience. I hope they learned & improved upon their hunting knowledge & love of the outdoors. I know that many hunters here don’t appreciate the use of ATVs, however, they have their place if used correctly & responsibly as a tool. I honestly think (know) that a lot of our success was by being able to access a large area with hidden accesses on unknown trails & in the process use less than 5 gallons of fuel in 12 days! Thank you Tyler & James for being so respectful, courteous & helpful. I know I am old and ill, however, I did the best I could. And the results speak for themselves ~ look what we did! As with all successes, the size of the animal & numbers don’t tell the whole story; as the photos do not do justice to the magnificence of the animals, whose lives we harvested. Skulls will be kept as trophies & hides preserved, with meat utilized as food. I’m sad this bear hunt is over…and I’m looking forward to next spring.
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