Terrible weekend. Messed up two shots and lost my bear.

[caddisguy]

Chapter One: It should have ended here

All started about 30 mins after arriving at camp making my rounds when I spotted a bear while about to walk back up there spur we were camped up. Caught a glimpse of a bear through the brush just where the spur curves. Thermals coming down hard in my direction. I'm only 15 yards away as it is but need to get closer for a shooting lane. I "thought" I had a shooting lane, so I go for the double lung from about 12 yards away. Well, just like some guys shoot the roof of their car, I blasted a stump right in front of the bear. The bear startled a bit and I rushed up thinking I might still have a second chance. Well, I would have if I didn't rush up, because he was back to eating grass until my then loud / fast foot steps approached, then bolted.

I walked back up to camp to talk to the wife. I'm confident that stump got the bulk of it, but wanted to fetch caddisgirl so we could check for any sign the bear took a piece of it. After about 10 paces walking down the spur to go check it out, we see a huge bear on the side of the little mountain adjacent to us, about 120 yards away. After what just happened, I didn't want anything to do with it, after all, seems there's bears all over the place that aren't spooking despite us being quite noisy, oh and the gun shot too. I just want to go down and have a closer look at the stump and check for any blood with two sets of eyes. After about a half hour of CSI, concluded there was zero chance that bear got anything other than getting startled, more so by me than the gun shot from 12 yards.

Chapter Two: There should not have been Chapter Two... and it gets bad

So, we walk back up to camp. Sure enough that other large bear is still across the way and appears to be conspiring to head down to feed. caddisgirl films it a little more and I am trying to resist the temptation. I know we're going to see more bears, I don't particularly want a bear that big and it's going to be dark in less than an hour, and we're all ready pretty darn tired after a long work week. Still, I couldn't stop looking at this bear. Then went half way down the steep slope and turned broadside. Okay I can't take it anymore. We'll tough it out tonight, have this bear all packed up, head out in the morning, grind and relax the rest of the weekend.

I check with caddisgirl. Should I do it? It's up to you she says.

I lay down prone in the brush on the top of a little hill while caddisgirl is filming the whole thing. It took a bit of angling to get comfy and a good sight picture. Once I had that, I gently squeeze the trigger... and nothing... dang safety. So, I flick off the safety and repeat this all again. This time it barks. Now, the bear that was half way down this steep slope (more like a cliff) scoots back up to the ridge, hangs a brief right and bolts off to the left.

Omg this did not just happen. At this point, I am reflecting on the shot and will fully admit my mistake. After struggling with the sight picture and the safety, I was getting more and more eager. I'm certain I jerked the trigger. How bad? I don't know, but this is all going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Chapter Three: The blood trail that never ends, until it ends

Woke up (well, "got up" I suppose, hardly slept) to head up there to check for blood. It didn't take too long to find the trail. There was A LOT of blood. I started flagging everything using little bits of shop towel because there was rain in the forecast and it's a good idea anyway. The amount of blood I am seeing, I'm certain I'm going to find a dead bear soon. Even 15 yards into the trail, I'm shocked something can bleed that much and not die. I keep following blood (it's like someone poured an entire cup of blood every 6 - 7 yards, and after 70 yards of "flat" but up and over logs, I'm starting to get worried, because now it really starts to go up hill. Sure enough, the trail goes up. I keep following, bits of shop towel I'm using to flag are getting smaller and smaller... didn't think it would go this far.

I know this little mountain well and I know what's up ahead. It's going from "steep" to "very steep" with some sketchy parts where a misstep on the moss covered shale could go very bad. I don't take these routes. And this bear just keeps going up stuff I struggle with. I'm not the most athletic guy on the planet, but I'm not shot with a 30-06 and still get tired and need breaks / water heading up this route. If I do find the bear, I am sure as heck not heading down the same way, even without a load, forget it.

As it keeps going up and up, the blood is starting to be less and less. It went from patches of blood, to the occasional drop. From drops it went to specs, and from specs it went to nothing, just as the little mountain plateaus.

So now I'm up on this plateau and no direction of where the bear went, let alone logical path of travel. I grid searched for a couple hundred more meters for blood or dead bear, looking down off the ridges, checking every pile of deadfall, rock overhang or anywhere it could have holed up. Nothing.

Saturday night (another mostly sleepless night, but being exhausted helped get me a few winks) I'm scratching my head wondering if the bear backtracked on it's on trail and then diverted elsewhere. Maybe he's not fatally wounded? Blood on the leaves looked dark, but on the moss it looked light, and the big spills every 6 - 7 yards, I really have no idea where it is bleeding from. At first I thought maybe liver, but bouncing back and forth between that and flesh wound.

This morning, on the chance he might have double backed his trail, took a different direction and went back down somewhere, I checked a snow run-off drainage that goes through the old growth timber adjacent to the mini-mountain as I have heard liver shot animals will head to water (and once I did hit a bear and found him there) Nothing. And and give me other angles to look up instead of down and see things I couldn't see before. Nothing.

I was just about to head out and ran into another couple guys. One of them I have been trying to help get a bear and the other from what I understand a fairly seasoned hunter just tagging along but not hunting. I told them what happened and they were both on board with hiking up and checking around as another couple extra sets of eyes. I was so happy for the help. They took time out of their hunt to scurry up there on a hot afternoon into mosquito-tickville. We didn't turn up anything new, but I feel better knowing I didn't miss anything obvious. Big shout outs to some guys I'll just call J and D.

Chapter Four: Reflection

If I had more patience to stalk into that first bear for a better / clear shot rather than through brush / stumps, second one wouldn't have happened and the mistakes wouldn't have cascaded. I thought I was long over target panic, but it seems it can still happen if I'm worked up. It's bad enough not being able to "redo" an event, but I'd settle for "undo". Neither are happening. I feel sick. I deserved the tick bites this time. All I can do is hope it wasn't fatal and suffering is minimal and that it's out eating dandelions and grass. Maybe head up next weekend. If I don't see birds having a party, I might feel slightly better.

Lastly, I would like it if maybe someone could way in on the blood trail. We filmed "almost" everything (caddisgirl was all zoomed in her top notch camera but flinched at the shot, maybe can slow it down to see where it hit) ... filmed the bear several minutes prior to the shot too... and then I filmed a lot of the blood trail... so maybe someone out there might be able to at least suggest to me where it was hit? I'll post of up the footage if anyone thinks they might be able to guess with any level of confidence.

[Ron.C]

Mistakes happen and we've all made them. All we can do is learn from it. Sounds like you did everything in your power to find the animal.

Chin up Caddisguy.

[Treed]

Thanks for being upfront and telling the story. You could have stayed silent and let it slide. It’s a good reminder to listen to that inner voice. My friend had a similar experience last year. We never found blood or bear but it took a hit we think. Totally sucks when it happens but it does, and it happens to all of us. You did what you had to after the shot, which shows what kind of hunter you are. I like your stories, sorry this one don’t have a happy ending but don’t let it stop you doing what you do or telling us great stories we can all learn from.

[caddisguy]

Video of some blood trail coming up soon. Just uploading the raw stuff now. I video'd bit of the trail along the markers. Hoping that somebody might be able to recognize the blood pattern (size, distance, color) keeping in mind it's about 12 hours old and had a slight rain mist of rain overnight. Really wish I knew where the hit was... couldn't get a still-frame of the hit since caddisgirl flinched at that shot

[VLD43]

In my experience in most cases if an animal after being shot heads up hill without reversing direction, it is not fatally injured. If you put a bullet into the lungs, the bear would probably have run down hill before it packed in. As others have stated these things sometime happen. Best advise i can give is to spend more time at the range or on a logging slash practicing your shooting technique. As you have just experienced, when you are in an awkward shooting position, everything changes. Either that or be honest with your self and pass on shots that are beyond your skill level. Good luck and I wish you success in future.

[boilerroom]

Thanks for being upfront and telling the story. You could have stayed silent and let it slide. It’s a good reminder to listen to that inner voice. My friend had a similar experience last year. We never found blood or bear but it took a hit we think. Totally sucks when it happens but it does, and it happens to all of us. You did what you had to after the shot, which shows what kind of hunter you are. I like your stories, sorry this one don’t have a happy ending but don’t let it stop you doing what you do or telling us great stories we can all learn from.

x2

I'm sorry for you and the bear - the fact that you feel shitty shows good character and I respect you for that. ...and really appreciate you sharing this - As a novice hunter I learn from others experiences so although this didn't turn out how we'd all like when it comes to clean kills, you may have saved others a similar fate.

cheers,
BR

[caddisguy]

Here's a bit of Blair Witch going over the first part of the trail. Any guesses on the hit would be appreciated. I think we can rule out heart or lung given the stamina, perhaps liver/but too (but it REALLY looks like a liver shot on the leaves) This bear wasn't pushed at all for about 10-11 hours and I crept in through moss from a long way away, so I would have heard it if I was pushing it up the next day.

I am wondering about how the blood goes in 6-7 yard blotches like that, if it's out the mouth or building up and dripping off fir. Bear wasn't phased at all, just shot up the hill like it was startled at the gun shot. I have no idea, but if any smart people have a good theory I would like to hear. A lot of the blotches on the moss seem like foot prints. You can see claws in some. It seems to happen enough I might wager it's not just stepping over blood but the blood is going down the leg.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdpBFfbBvxA

[VLD43]

If I had to guess, I would say you grazed a leg or shoulder. Every time the bear puts pressure on that muscle group, a spray of blood exits. It also looked like when he went through the tight stuff in your video, there was blood on the side of a tree. More evidence of a leg wound

[caddisguy]

If I had to guess, I would say you grazed a leg or shoulder. Every time the bear puts pressure on that muscle group, a spray of blood exits. It also looked like when he went through the tight stuff in your video, there was blood on the side of a tree. More evidence of a leg wound

Thank you for that. I think that might be the best scenario. I "think" any wound to a limb would have been flesh rather than mechanical (bone, tendon) based on the way it ripped back up the near vertical terrain where the shot was taken. If it is limb and not mechanical, if not a major artery maybe that bear is back to eating up the grass and dandelions while I'm stressing out about it. That's what I want to think anyway.

If I do see that bear again, it gets a hall pass from me.

[landphil]

Oh, man. That’s enough to make me feel better about working the weekend. But, don’t let it get you down too much, you didn’t set out intending to have this result, and even IF that bear died / dies, nothing really goes to waste in nature.

I am certain you’ll do your best to try to prevent a repeat, and that is all any of us who have been in these situations can do.

[albravo2]

That sucks, but I wouldn't have done anything different.

Your stories over the years have painted a pretty clear picture of an ethical hunter. Shit happens. Don't beat yourself up.

Here's hoping it was a muscle injury like VLD suggests.

[KodiakHntr]

To me from your video that looks like a through and through on a leg. Smaller droplets separated from a larger pool of on quite a few of those in your video. Entrance vs exit wounds, with only a few inches separating them. And the fact that it is low and concentrated like that consistently says it might not be body cavity.

Doubtful that is a liver hit though in my mind, nothing shakes off a liver hit. For there to be that much blood on the ground there would be ten times as much in the body cavity and with leaving him for 10 hours before follow up he wouldn't have gone too far before getting sick and holing up in the brush. You didn't mention anything about finding a bed anywhere, so it is pretty unlikely he has a hole in his body cavity.

Was the shot up or down? Or just a level poke?
Regardless, don't beat yourself up too hard over it. You put in some good effort and did what you could. Sometimes something goes wrong and it doesn't turn out the way you want.

[caddisguy]

To me from your video that looks like a through and through on a leg. Smaller droplets separated from a larger pool of on quite a few of those in your video. Entrance vs exit wounds, with only a few inches separating them. And the fact that it is low and concentrated like that consistently says it might not be body cavity.

Doubtful that is a liver hit though in my mind, nothing shakes off a liver hit. For there to be that much blood on the ground there would be ten times as much in the body cavity and with leaving him for 10 hours before follow up he wouldn't have gone too far before getting sick and holing up in the brush. You didn't mention anything about finding a bed anywhere, so it is pretty unlikely he has a hole in his body cavity.

Was the shot up or down? Or just a level poke?
Regardless, don't beat yourself up too hard over it. You put in some good effort and did what you could. Sometimes something goes wrong and it doesn't turn out the way you want.

Slight incline... bear was higher, maybe 30 yards up and about 120 yards away. I was going for dead center double lung. I think (know for a fact) I jerked the trigger that it would have gone a bit right, so maybe armpit or limb near by.

Thinking more hindsight, I never would have taken the shot with a bow at 15 yards. I guess that is my takeaway. Have to follow the same process with breathing and being zen, not anticipating the shot. I got flustered after forgetting to switch off the safety (another mistake, goes to show the mindset) on the first go.

I know what I did wrong and appreciate all the experienced and observant replies with regard to the blood trail.... and the chin up too posts. I'll get there but it will take some time.

[whitlers]

Thats hunting man. Happens too all of us at some point. All you can do is try your best to locate the animal and you definitely did. Shake it off and get after the next one!

[Rackmastr]

As has been posted already, most likely the outer parts of the bear or one of the limbs of the bear. Often can result in quite a bit of blood drying up. However, I've also seen bears bleed really good and then stop over time due to fat/hair/etc stopping some of the blood loss. I've recovered bears that have bled really good and then trickled to a stop before expiring. I've also trailed bears when I guided that were hit on the 'outskirts' and bled like crazing before drying up and never to be found. Worst one I saw was a grizz likely over 8' that was shot standing straight up and the bullet hit the right side of the arm. Never recovered after a long tiring search.

[elch jager]

I hunt with a Drahthaar.

Think about a dog... That much blood, it should lay down an die. Dog would find it.

I have been there. I chose not to post about it. Too many unfriendly eyes.

Sorry for your loss. It will weigh on your heart. Worse when it is a moose.

[caddisguy]

I hunt with a Drahthaar.

Think about a dog... That much blood, it should lay down an die. Dog would find it.

I have been there. I chose not to post about it. Too many unfriendly eyes.

Sorry for your loss. It will weigh on your heart. Worse when it is a moose.

Thought crossed my mind wishing I had a trained dog at my disposal. They can do some impressive tracking. I don't recall the YouTube channel but there is a guy helps with tracking frequently. Pretty impressive.

[boxhitch]

Tough hunt, just another example of a bears tenacity.

Thats it though, from now on you are Candorguy

[Ohwildwon]

Lost a beauty Buck in a somewhat similar way last fall.

He was mortally wounded though...

It sucks

Not to worry to much,

the local wildlife would thank you if it could

[dustycool]

That’s tough man. I had a similar experience two years ago. I still wonder if that bear is out there. It doesn’t feel good to wound an animal and not know. It’s also really hard to diagnose a hit without hands on the animal. The next two bears that I was present for (one for me and one for my dad) both had previously healed bullet wounds to the shoulder and were big healthy brutes despite a limp. So, they can continue to survive well.

The experience has made me slow down and focus more during shot opportunities. Not that I was rushing before, but I don’t want to do that again. I’ve missed one or two chances at a shot as a result. I’d rather continue hunting though, with hopes of a better chance, than spend the day(s) searching and regretting.

[45freezer]

Man that's rough. Hunt long enough and it's bound to happen eventually, hopefully that bear will shake it off and be cruising for sows next month. Keep us posted on your findings if you get up there this weekend!

[finngun]

Old people say,,,,bear fat is covering bullet hole and stop bleeding that way....maybe true..f..g

[Bubbacanuck]

Too bade someone with tracking hounds wasn't able to come out and lend a hand. That's a shitty feeling but as hunters it will happen to us all at some point in time. It isn't a matter of if....it's a matter of when.

[LBM]

Well since it seems this post is here for learning a few things that come to mind is on first bear you mention you caught a glimpse of it at 15 yards and shoot. Doesnt seem like much time to identify if had cubs or not.
Then at this distance you miss by a few feet sounds like. One would maybe think rifle should be checked after that before proceeding after another. You decide to shoot at another even so you say you didnt really want it,
results turned out not that great there either. Now many of the comments seem to suggest thats ok it happens thats part of hunting, I feel the wildlife deserves a bit more respect then that. So when you see there is over 100,000
hunters in B.C. that is a lot of animals that are out there wounded, that may die.

[Ohwildwon]

Well since it seems this post is here for learning a few things that come to mind is on first bear you mention you caught a glimpse of it at 15 yards and shoot. Doesnt seem like much time to identify if had cubs or not.
Then at this distance you miss by a few feet sounds like. One would maybe think rifle should be checked after that before proceeding after another. You decide to shoot at another even so you say you didnt really want it,
results turned out not that great there either. Now many of the comments seem to suggest thats ok it happens thats part of hunting, I feel the wildlife deserves a bit more respect then that. So when you see there is over 100,000
hunters in B.C. that is a lot of animals that are out there wounded, that may die.

LMAO, Holy Fcuk, your really, uhm, entertaining?

In a certain way perhaps.. :roll::roll:

[daniel73]

Mistake made, Lesson learnt!. Come back stronger bud

[caddisguy]

That's fine. I'll entertain it. When I see a pile of assumptions or "things that didn't happen", crafted into a "kick him while he's down" post, I feel slightly obligated to defend my character even though many have known me on here and in person for several years.

First is the bear crossing the spur road while walking back to camp. Now remember, I am walking UP the spur road. And though front end partially obstructed by brush, I had plenty of time to see not only a "wang", but the sack that goes along with that. For the next few minutes, I am seeing the bear virtually the entire time. It was down in a little dip a ways off the spur feeding at the time I was waiting for enough for a double lung. When I saw the shot, I took it. I did not account for a stump that was in front of me in the path of the barrel but not visible in the scope. Yes, mistake #1 which I fully own, admit to and even posted publicly. But apparently if you don't explicitly mention every detail (though I am verbose and long winded enough as it is and think I described the stump situation thoroughly) there's always someone that will reach to find fault or in this case fault beyond what was actually made. I'm used to it. I have a youtube vid with around 2mil views, just a reality of posting things.

It's kind of funny that getting flung in my direction... same guy who has passed on dozens of bears I am not sure about, because I want to know for certain it's a boar (probably pass on 5 for every 1) I have taken over a half dozen boars and not a single sow. And for those who have read my posts over the years will remember why I never take a chance on sows, because I watched and filmed one for two evenings in a row and as tempted as I was, it just felt wrong. On the second day, about 4 hours of watching her in total, I caught a brief glimpse of her two little fuzzballs quite a ways back in the timber. Personally I cannot fathom how anyone is "driving along", sees a bear in a cut or similar, jumps out and takes a shot. I think we can agree on that. Cubs aside, if I dont know for certain it's a boar, I pass. Because if there is any amount of cover that could hide or obstruct a small black thing smaller than a football, it's a bad move. One could spend 4 hours (as I have) and only catch a glimpse for a few seconds that entire time... but yeah "caddisguy bad, should wait longer to watch for cubs, needs more lessons"

Anyway, back to bear #1, rifle did what it was supposed to do. I had absolutely no doubt or need to question it. I knew where the bear was, I saw what happened to the top of the stump.

Bear #2 was simply a bad shot. I knew I jerked the trigger. And in addition to that, though I knew I made a bad shot (and I wish I missed by "a few feet" as the poster suggests, since that would have been a clean miss) I set up a target in the exact place the bear was and shot from the exact position I was. I shot 4x. 3 were 1" left and another was 1.5", so I gave it 3 clicks, but just another example failure to mention every detail and those looking to find fault (in addition to the fault admitted and lesson conveyed) will do so. Gotta love social media.

Anyway I just circled back to post the update that there was no "bird activity" or stink in the area. Either the bear is alive munching grass and dandelions or crawled into a deep dark place. I'll never know. That's the update. Didn't expect the hit piece post though. I own and fully admit my mistakes and mistakes were made... no need for people who weren't there to make up their own version to add additional criticism. Though the advice is solid and I agree with it (it should not be discounted) it's barking up the wrong tree here so to speak.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Well since it seems this post is here for learning a few things that come to mind is on first bear you mention you caught a glimpse of it at 15 yards and shoot. Doesnt seem like much time to identify if had cubs or not.
Then at this distance you miss by a few feet sounds like. One would maybe think rifle should be checked after that before proceeding after another. You decide to shoot at another even so you say you didnt really want it,
results turned out not that great there either. Now many of the comments seem to suggest thats ok it happens thats part of hunting, I feel the wildlife deserves a bit more respect then that. So when you see there is over 100,000
hunters in B.C. that is a lot of animals that are out there wounded, that may die.

So he Phucked up a Little - We ALL do sooner or later ! :sad: Anyhow its just a POS Predator black bear - No BIG Deal ! :razz: RJ

[VLD43]

That's fine. I'll entertain it. When I see a pile of assumptions or "things that didn't happen", crafted into a "kick him while he's down" post, I feel slightly obligated to defend my character even though many have known me on here and in person for several years.

First is the bear crossing the spur road while walking back to camp. Now remember, I am walking UP the spur road. And though front end partially obstructed by brush, I had plenty of time to see not only a "wang", but the sack that goes along with that. For the next few minutes, I am seeing the bear virtually the entire time. It was down in a little dip a ways off the spur feeding at the time I was waiting for enough for a double lung. When I saw the shot, I took it. I did not account for a stump that was in front of me in the path of the barrel but not visible in the scope. Yes, mistake #1 which I fully own, admit to and even posted publicly. But apparently if you don't explicitly mention every detail (though I am verbose and long winded enough as it is and think I described the stump situation thoroughly) there's always someone that will reach to find fault or in this case fault beyond what was actually made. I'm used to it. I have a youtube vid with around 2mil views, just a reality of posting things.

It's kind of funny that getting flung in my direction... same guy who has passed on dozens of bears I am not sure about, because I want to know for certain it's a boar (probably pass on 5 for every 1) I have taken over a half dozen boars and not a single sow. And for those who have read my posts over the years will remember why I never take a chance on sows, because I watched and filmed one for two evenings in a row and as tempted as I was, it just felt wrong. On the second day, about 4 hours of watching her in total, I caught a brief glimpse of her two little fuzzballs quite a ways back in the timber. Personally I cannot fathom how anyone is "driving along", sees a bear in a cut or similar, jumps out and takes a shot. I think we can agree on that. Cubs aside, if I dont know for certain it's a boar, I pass. Because if there is any amount of cover that could hide or obstruct a small black thing smaller than a football, it's a bad move. One could spend 4 hours (as I have) and only catch a glimpse for a few seconds that entire time... but yeah "caddisguy bad, should wait longer to watch for cubs, needs more lessons"

Anyway, back to bear #1, rifle did what it was supposed to do. I had absolutely no doubt or need to question it. I knew where the bear was, I saw what happened to the top of the stump.

Bear #2 was simply a bad shot. I knew I jerked the trigger. And in addition to that, though I knew I made a bad shot (and I wish I missed by "a few feet" as the poster suggests, since that would have been a clean miss) I set up a target in the exact place the bear was and shot from the exact position I was. I shot 4x. 3 were 1" left and another was 1.5", so I gave it 3 clicks, but just another example failure to mention every detail and those looking to find fault (in addition to the fault admitted and lesson conveyed) will do so. Gotta love social media.

Anyway I just circled back to post the update that there was no "bird activity" or stink in the area. Either the bear is alive munching grass and dandelions or crawled into a deep dark place. I'll never know. That's the update. Didn't expect the hit piece post though. I own and fully admit my mistakes and mistakes were made... no need for people who weren't there to make up their own version to add additional criticism. Though the advice is solid and I agree with it (it should not be discounted) it's barking up the wrong tree here so to speak.

Caddisguy
No need to explain your actions. Most of us understand what happened, and qudo's to you for bringing it forward and trying to understand what happened. You made a great attempt at recovery, and the fact you never saw the bear again, is pretty good evidence in my mind the shot did not hit vitals. Over the years I have harvested game that has healed over bullet wounds. What happened to you was not unique, and happens to a number of other hunters. It is seldom if ever intentional, and is probably a good learning experience. Best of luck on your future hunts and straight shooting.

[LBM]

So he Phucked up a Little - We ALL do sooner or later ! :sad: Anyhow its just a POS Predator black bear - No BIG Deal ! :razz: RJ

Huh with comments like that no wonder its so hard to get non hunters on side of hunting.

[montec assassin]

So he Phucked up a Little - We ALL do sooner or later ! :sad: Anyhow its just a POS Predator black bear - No BIG Deal ! :razz: RJ

Yeah, pretty disgusting comment.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Aw Guys - I'm Sorry ! :cry: RJ

[caddisguy]

Aw Guys - I'm Sorry ! :cry: RJ

All good RJ. I know you were just trying to make me feel better.

Was a tough week thinking about it, but I feel better'ish now. Just wanted to post the update and rebuttal to the presumptuous post.

[REMINGTON JIM]

All good RJ. I know you were just trying to make me feel better.

Was a tough week thinking about it, but I feel better'ish now. Just wanted to post the update and rebuttal to the presumptuous post.

Atta Boy ! Keep after them ! :wink: RJ

[caddisguy]

Caddisguy
No need to explain your actions. Most of us understand what happened, and qudo's to you for bringing it forward and trying to understand what happened. You made a great attempt at recovery, and the fact you never saw the bear again, is pretty good evidence in my mind the shot did not hit vitals. Over the years I have harvested game that has healed over bullet wounds. What happened to you was not unique, and happens to a number of other hunters. It is seldom if ever intentional, and is probably a good learning experience. Best of luck on your future hunts and straight shooting.

Appreciated VLD. Thank you for that. I gave it my all for a couple days. Boss man even gave me an extra day off I was so hurting. imagine texting your boss in New Jersey "hey man stuff happend, need another day". Slight possibility another member tagged it a couple days ago, just waiting to hear back on details.

Just felt obligated to reply to that other post. I'm sensitive to doing the right thing. Integrity to me is "doing the right thing while nobody is watching". For years before I had ample video of WT in R2 I was saying be careful to ID and guys would say "there's no WT in R2, you can shoot anything with wood and if you don't think so you don't deserve a hunting license". It's just more of the same. There will always be oddball remarks.

My takeaway from all this is pretty simple. You gotta be relaxed and zen no matter what the distance. Little flinch or anticipation and you have a blown shot, period. Hunting with a bow made me a much better shot with a rifle. Going forward, I need to make sure I stick to the same discipline. That's my personal lesson from all this.

And LBM... that was pretty presumptuous, but I'll just chalk it up to creative imagination with a cynical twist. I appreciate you and your posts too.

[LBM]

Yeah, pretty disgusting comment.

Yeah sure not what the BCWF is pushing right now but guess there members have different thoughts
can sure cause them to lose ground.

[LBM]

Appreciated VLD. Thank you for that. I gave it my all for a couple days. Boss man even gave me an extra day off I was so hurting. imagine texting your boss in New Jersey "hey man stuff happend, need another day". Slight possibility another member tagged it a couple days ago, just waiting to hear back on details.

Just felt obligated to reply to that other post. I'm sensitive to doing the right thing. Integrity to me is "doing the right thing while nobody is watching". For years before I had ample video of WT in R2 I was saying be careful to ID and guys would say "there's no WT in R2, you can shoot anything with wood and if you don't think so you don't deserve a hunting license". It's just more of the same. There will always be oddball remarks.

My takeaway from all this is pretty simple. You gotta be relaxed and zen no matter what the distance. Little flinch or anticipation and you have a blown shot, period. Hunting with a bow made me a much better shot with a rifle. Going forward, I need to make sure I stick to the same discipline. That's my personal lesson from all this.

And LBM... that was pretty presumptuous, but I'll just chalk it up to creative imagination with a cynical twist. I appreciate you and your posts too.

Good you learned something from it hope others do as well.

[Bugle M In]

It happens.
I have reflected upon similar situations.
Twice, i kick myself "for rushing"

A WT buck that was damn big, but far off (365m).
He saw us, and there was no chance to stalk closer.
My mistake, having a piss poor rest and knowing i had a few mere seconds to shoot before it left the area.

A bull Elk, that i should have allowed to walk a little further out into the open rather then taking the shot between 2 bushes.
The gap was there, but he was standing low due to a worn in game trail he was on (that i knew about), so that was going to
make it a hard shot, and it was a 295m shot, of which i have taken plenty of elk on this same distance and within 10m of
this exact spot.
Why didn't I wait? (and again it was due to lack of patience).
Because all week there were other hunting parties around as well as GO, and they were constantly riding up and down the river
past us.
And there quite often was a set pattern as to what times they would be in the area.
This elk was bugling and was coming in right around one of those times.
I should have waited, as it could have been only seconds until a better shot, or it could have been 1/2 hour????

Only other loss was a bull elk, same location but at much closer range.
Basically as ideal as it gets.
Dont know what happened?
Lots of blood at first, and bull ran about 150m away from me and into timber with his cows (reason why there were no follow up
shots as the cows were too close running away).
Bad shot i suppose.

My big mistake!.....
Was that i tried to cross the river with less than 10 minutes of light to check for blood and also mark where i best saw him run
into timber for the next morning, and to be honest, see if he expired just inside the timber.
Got across without taking boots off (that was a miserable 12km walk back to camp!!).
Saw all the blood, so took to the area where he walked in.
Got there and suddenly saw 2 cows standing there.
And could smell the bull!
Then there was crashing in all directions as elk scattered.
Next morning, went in, and found where the bull had been standing in a spot and drooping a blood pool.
I walked his trail for 2.5km, with just a spot of blood here or there in the end, and sometimes taking 15 minutes to move
10m from one drop of blood to the next as it was damn near impossible to find.
In the end, lost his trail.

Spent 2 days, looking, and nothing but thought he may have gone up a mtn side.
Last night and packed to go home, and riding out just before dark, i saw raven heading out of the mtn side, another .5km
beyond my furthest seeking.
I was on the wrong side of the river, and almost dark.
I just reported the loss and and where the elk may lay.
All i could do as i was 10hrs away and the following week would be too late.

My mistake, is that i should have "not gone looking" just before dark!!

Mistakes happen, especially hunting.
Why do I make it public knowledge?
Because the "truth" can benefit others.
Lying about it, or "preserving Ego" does not benefit the hunter nor the wildlife.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Yeah, pretty disgusting comment.

Try and Get over it Snowflake ! :lol: RJ