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Thread: Mason's First Bear

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Kamloops
    Posts
    107

    Mason's First Bear

    Hey Gang, I’m excited to share my May long weekend adventures with you all. My 13 year old son Mason and I have a May Long tradition, we call it the Father-Son Annual Black Bear Hunt. This was our 4th. This year was extra special because we were bringing one of my nephews with us. He shows a keen interest in hunting and outdoors, so he was the choice over his two brothers this time. Not that the other two aren’t interested but I had to start somewhere. I have plans to bring each nephew on a hunting trip and I started with the 11 year old.

    Mason and I picked him up in 100 mile and brought him back to Kamloops and we headed out to our Honey Hole and set up camp Friday morning. The boys were very excited to be back in the woods. It was an unusual start to the year for me as this was my first bear hunt this year. I’m usually out numerous times prior to the long weekend. Regardless, we set up camp and were out for an evening quad ride and hunt. Lots of mule deer does, 4 bucks, 1 whitetail and a moose were seen over the weekend but no bears that night.

    After a calorie infused camp breakfast Saturday morning, we hit the quad trails again looking for fun and bears. The area we were in had a great network of trails, endless back roads and the weather was beautiful all weekend. I’m relatively familiar with the area. Last year Mason got his first buck out of there and I took a buck and a bear as well. Saturday evening we focussed on a spot I knew would have good sign as we hadn’t been seeing any where we had been hanging around.

    We left the quads at the entry to where we wanted to focus and hiked in along the moist, grassy trails. We started seeing scat and tracks. Boy’s excitement level went up. We hit a grass field I wanted to check out but it didn’t hold anything. We backed out and walked the trail again and as we turned the corner I immediately saw the shape of a bear. I stopped the boys and let them know what was ahead. Mason and I loaded our rifles and I got him set up on the trigger sticks we like to carry. The lone bear was preoccupied as we crept around the corner and the wind was right in our face. Mason was cool under pressure, and he fired on his first Black Bear at 60m. With both lungs hit, the bear charged directly at us (not aggressively, it was the exit route) turned into the woods and expired 30m in the thick, wind-blown mess of trees.

    We field dressed the bear and headed back to my house to skin and get it in the meat cooler. It was a nice Saturday evening at home but I knew I owed these boys another night in the woods. We headed back Sunday morning and It couldn’t have been better. I think we spent no less than 7 hours on the quads exploring the back country (and mud puddles).

    I’m very proud of my son who is becoming quite the successful hunter. He was lucky enough to have harvested a bighorn sheep on an leh ewe draw last year as well as his first buck. I’m also very happy to have given my nephew a memorable and positive introduction to hunting.

    These Father-Son Annuals just keep getting better.

    Montec











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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Kamloops
    Posts
    107

    Re: Mason's First Bear











  4. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Kamloops
    Posts
    107

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    I started a story about his sheep last year but was having trouble with my computer back then. Here are some pics of his leh ewe draw. It is currently at the taxidermist. We figured a 12 year old ought to have his first sheep hunt taxi'd.
    Montec




  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Sunshine Coast
    Posts
    2,830

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Mason, that's a nice bear!, congrats! So how did the ewe eat? Not BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD?

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    okanagan
    Posts
    3,061

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Beauty bear for that young fella! Good job dad!

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Horsefly BC
    Posts
    2,253

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Great adventure for all.
    The challenge of retirement is how to spend time without spending money.
    The worst day slinging lead is still better than the best day working.
    Look around is there someone you can introduce to shooting because that’s the only way we will buck the anti gun trend sweeping Canada! "tigrr 2006"


  8. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Maple Ridge
    Posts
    207

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Awesome job! Great story and pics.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    675

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Excellent write up! Congratulations to Mason!

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    P.G. 7-15
    Posts
    1,960

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Good story and pics, next best thing to being there.

    Interesting rifle set up on the handle bars, you make it or buy it?
    No one on their death bed ever said; I should have spent more time at work.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Port Coquitlam
    Posts
    170

    Re: Mason's First Bear

    Inspiring stuff for a fella with aspirations of bringing the kids hunting. Hats off to ya, thanks for the story!

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