BCBairdo
05-13-2008, 10:13 PM
Well, after passing on several smaller bears over the past couple of seasons in search of a bonafide 6+ft bear with the bow I finally connected this past weekend in what can only be described as the biggest adrenaline rush of my hunting career to date, although my Grizz encounter was a close second.
The story goes like this.....previous weekend found an old skidder road that several bears had been feeding on along as there was sign everywhere. Didn't see a bear this time but knew they were in there....so I head in there early the follow Sat. and set up in a spot where I had called from the week previous. After about 45 min. and a little snooze I look down the trail to see a nice bear feeding about 100 yds. away. There was some cover between me and him so I slowly start my stalk...crawling on my knees 1 yd. at a time. Every once in a while he would look my direction and a couple of times I got caught in the open but just froze in the fetal position...maybe he thought I was a rock or something. At 60 yds. he finally feeds in behind a bush so I stand up and start walking towards him and then at 45 yds. I come to full draw as I see him turning around...he pokes his head out and busts me right away...one big blow from him and he bails over the bank (very steep bank, coastal cutblock). I let down and run down the road blowing back at him and hissing....I hear him stop half way down the bank. I then come to full draw again and step over the edge of the bank to see him 25 yds. from me but in some very thick alders...no chance for a shot. I hold for about 2 min. and he then blows back at me and then drops down to the bottom of the gulley about 55 yds. away. I can see him down there and he is growling at me and blowing so I do the same back to him and start thrashing an alder beside me...maybe not a great idea as he then start running up through the thick alders right at me full tilt so I turn and run to the other side of the skidder trail, come to full draw and wait for him to crest the bank...he stops just short and starts blowing at me again. Can't hold the bow back anymore and draw down...he then takes off down the bank to the bottom of the gulley so I ease back to the edge of the bank but this time he starts crossing a big fallen tree and stops when he sees me. I range him, 42 yds...steep downhill so I figure shoot him for 35yds. Draw back, he takes another step and I let the arrow fly. He springs ahead just as the arrow is released and so the arrow hits a bit far back...but a clean pass through. He then heads to the bottom of the gulley in the alders for about a minute and then takes off full tilt up over the little hill and then down the steepest terrain (heli-logging steep) I have ever hiked. I hear him go about 100 yds and then I hear a big crash....and then nothing. My heart is still pounding a thousand beats a minute...did I actually get this brute? After about 20 minutes to calm down and some serious prayer I go down through the alders and find my arrow, blood on the fletches but looks like a low hit, maybe liver?, however, there is a decent blood trail to follow. Well I start tracking this big guy downhill, very thick bush and every 3 ft. there is some blood. Go down about 200 ft. to the next bench where I found where he had bedded down (pool of blood) and then I must have jumped him again and he went tearing down another 100 ft. steep section. I continue to follow the trail until I get to a big dropoff. I am looking down the steep hill and into the next gulley when I hear crashing coming from my right....I swing over and HOLY CRAP he is charging right at me.....all in one motion I come to full draw and yell at him to stop.. he does stop but only 8 yds. away and is snapping his jaws and really pissed. I give him one more blow and he turns broadside and I release the arrow...perfect hit right through the heart! He flips over backwards, rolls down the next steep bank and comes to settle about 75 yds. below me. I drop to my knee, thank the good Lord for watching over me and go down to check out my bear...who is now completely motionless. When I walk up to him there is not a whole lot of ground shrinkage.....my second largest bear to date (his skull, boiled it out last night measured 18 13/16) and my biggest with the bow by far. Because of where it ended up we had to bone it out and pack it out on our backs...but like Brent always says....good training for sheep hunting. Special thanks to my hunting partner Ryan who helped me pack him out through the ugliest terrain imaginable.
Yes, I guess it is true...good things do come to those who are patient and wait for the big guy to someday come along....Yehaw!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/May10BigBlackBearSqueah019_1.jpg
The story goes like this.....previous weekend found an old skidder road that several bears had been feeding on along as there was sign everywhere. Didn't see a bear this time but knew they were in there....so I head in there early the follow Sat. and set up in a spot where I had called from the week previous. After about 45 min. and a little snooze I look down the trail to see a nice bear feeding about 100 yds. away. There was some cover between me and him so I slowly start my stalk...crawling on my knees 1 yd. at a time. Every once in a while he would look my direction and a couple of times I got caught in the open but just froze in the fetal position...maybe he thought I was a rock or something. At 60 yds. he finally feeds in behind a bush so I stand up and start walking towards him and then at 45 yds. I come to full draw as I see him turning around...he pokes his head out and busts me right away...one big blow from him and he bails over the bank (very steep bank, coastal cutblock). I let down and run down the road blowing back at him and hissing....I hear him stop half way down the bank. I then come to full draw again and step over the edge of the bank to see him 25 yds. from me but in some very thick alders...no chance for a shot. I hold for about 2 min. and he then blows back at me and then drops down to the bottom of the gulley about 55 yds. away. I can see him down there and he is growling at me and blowing so I do the same back to him and start thrashing an alder beside me...maybe not a great idea as he then start running up through the thick alders right at me full tilt so I turn and run to the other side of the skidder trail, come to full draw and wait for him to crest the bank...he stops just short and starts blowing at me again. Can't hold the bow back anymore and draw down...he then takes off down the bank to the bottom of the gulley so I ease back to the edge of the bank but this time he starts crossing a big fallen tree and stops when he sees me. I range him, 42 yds...steep downhill so I figure shoot him for 35yds. Draw back, he takes another step and I let the arrow fly. He springs ahead just as the arrow is released and so the arrow hits a bit far back...but a clean pass through. He then heads to the bottom of the gulley in the alders for about a minute and then takes off full tilt up over the little hill and then down the steepest terrain (heli-logging steep) I have ever hiked. I hear him go about 100 yds and then I hear a big crash....and then nothing. My heart is still pounding a thousand beats a minute...did I actually get this brute? After about 20 minutes to calm down and some serious prayer I go down through the alders and find my arrow, blood on the fletches but looks like a low hit, maybe liver?, however, there is a decent blood trail to follow. Well I start tracking this big guy downhill, very thick bush and every 3 ft. there is some blood. Go down about 200 ft. to the next bench where I found where he had bedded down (pool of blood) and then I must have jumped him again and he went tearing down another 100 ft. steep section. I continue to follow the trail until I get to a big dropoff. I am looking down the steep hill and into the next gulley when I hear crashing coming from my right....I swing over and HOLY CRAP he is charging right at me.....all in one motion I come to full draw and yell at him to stop.. he does stop but only 8 yds. away and is snapping his jaws and really pissed. I give him one more blow and he turns broadside and I release the arrow...perfect hit right through the heart! He flips over backwards, rolls down the next steep bank and comes to settle about 75 yds. below me. I drop to my knee, thank the good Lord for watching over me and go down to check out my bear...who is now completely motionless. When I walk up to him there is not a whole lot of ground shrinkage.....my second largest bear to date (his skull, boiled it out last night measured 18 13/16) and my biggest with the bow by far. Because of where it ended up we had to bone it out and pack it out on our backs...but like Brent always says....good training for sheep hunting. Special thanks to my hunting partner Ryan who helped me pack him out through the ugliest terrain imaginable.
Yes, I guess it is true...good things do come to those who are patient and wait for the big guy to someday come along....Yehaw!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/May10BigBlackBearSqueah019_1.jpg