NMO
05-24-2014, 10:24 PM
A bit of a backstory, moved to BC last fall from ON, never hunted bear before, but lots of deer, ducks, turkey etc..
I have been glassing a particular cut for a few weeks now, seeing lots of bears, some that are the same, and learning their patterns.
I was out Wednesday/Thursday night with the .45-70, my goal was to get a nice bear at 50yds. Got stalking 4 bears over the two nights, but couldnt close within 80 of them. Tonight I decided to take out the .308, and here is what happened.
I headed out at 6:15, on the cut by 6:30. Crest first big hill, bear at 40yds. I put my rifle up on a log infront of me, and start watching said bear that's staring at me. It's not big, but not tiny.. Up pops baby bear, so it's not a shooter. I move abit so they run along, and I continue up the cut into the northeast corner (winds blowing south east)
I get about 100 yds over the next big ridge, and there's the big bear I stalked on Wednesday night. Same trail, just making his way south down the slope. I drop my pack and low crawl another hundred yards, glass him, drop my binos and go another 100.. At this point I'm behind a big log pile, he's heard me but I stayed behind it for a few minutes till he went back to feeding. I get my rifle bench rested on a log, and wait, he is behind some ferns. He steps up onto a stump perfectly broadside 120yds and I pull the trigger.
Took off like a racehorse down the slope. I see him run 80 yards and he's behind the ridge, I can here brush crashing, but no tell tale final loud crash, no classic death moan. But I'm sure I had a good shot, my breathing was good and I was steady, but it sounded like he ran a long ways. Chamber a round and safety is back on, I head to where I took the shot on him. I can see where he walked to the stump, and where he took off like snot. No blood, no hair, nothing, continue to follow his trail, where he tore up the earth.. still nothing. Lots of dead brush around to see blood on, but there isn't a single drop. I ended up spending the next three hours scouring this hillside, going back to where I shot at him, retracing where he ran. Thought my scope was off, I pick a chest sized chunk of granite 150yds away, get settled and squeeze one off ( it had a solid backstop before anyone goes haywire..) dead on. And then it hit me hard, for the first time on big game, and for my first black bear, I missed.
I went back to the log i benched off, and there was a bunch of twigs muzzle high 3 feet infront, that weren't in the line of my scope. Maybe it deflected, maybe I just missed.
Thought I would share my pain with you tonight, good luck and safe hunting!
Edit: Didn't sit right that I missed, was confident in a good shot. Got out early the next morning and recovered my bear. Apologies for the blurry pics, it was pissing rain and I had the shakes upon find him :)
http://i.imgur.com/G61VhzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4B4y3Cn.jpg
I have been glassing a particular cut for a few weeks now, seeing lots of bears, some that are the same, and learning their patterns.
I was out Wednesday/Thursday night with the .45-70, my goal was to get a nice bear at 50yds. Got stalking 4 bears over the two nights, but couldnt close within 80 of them. Tonight I decided to take out the .308, and here is what happened.
I headed out at 6:15, on the cut by 6:30. Crest first big hill, bear at 40yds. I put my rifle up on a log infront of me, and start watching said bear that's staring at me. It's not big, but not tiny.. Up pops baby bear, so it's not a shooter. I move abit so they run along, and I continue up the cut into the northeast corner (winds blowing south east)
I get about 100 yds over the next big ridge, and there's the big bear I stalked on Wednesday night. Same trail, just making his way south down the slope. I drop my pack and low crawl another hundred yards, glass him, drop my binos and go another 100.. At this point I'm behind a big log pile, he's heard me but I stayed behind it for a few minutes till he went back to feeding. I get my rifle bench rested on a log, and wait, he is behind some ferns. He steps up onto a stump perfectly broadside 120yds and I pull the trigger.
Took off like a racehorse down the slope. I see him run 80 yards and he's behind the ridge, I can here brush crashing, but no tell tale final loud crash, no classic death moan. But I'm sure I had a good shot, my breathing was good and I was steady, but it sounded like he ran a long ways. Chamber a round and safety is back on, I head to where I took the shot on him. I can see where he walked to the stump, and where he took off like snot. No blood, no hair, nothing, continue to follow his trail, where he tore up the earth.. still nothing. Lots of dead brush around to see blood on, but there isn't a single drop. I ended up spending the next three hours scouring this hillside, going back to where I shot at him, retracing where he ran. Thought my scope was off, I pick a chest sized chunk of granite 150yds away, get settled and squeeze one off ( it had a solid backstop before anyone goes haywire..) dead on. And then it hit me hard, for the first time on big game, and for my first black bear, I missed.
I went back to the log i benched off, and there was a bunch of twigs muzzle high 3 feet infront, that weren't in the line of my scope. Maybe it deflected, maybe I just missed.
Thought I would share my pain with you tonight, good luck and safe hunting!
Edit: Didn't sit right that I missed, was confident in a good shot. Got out early the next morning and recovered my bear. Apologies for the blurry pics, it was pissing rain and I had the shakes upon find him :)
http://i.imgur.com/G61VhzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4B4y3Cn.jpg