Phil
03-08-2010, 01:27 PM
This past spring I spotted a nice honey bear. Unfortunately, it spotted me first and bolted for the brush after giving me the once over. I carried on past the area it was feeding as if I never saw it. I impatiently waited about five minutes out of sight and down wind, wanting the bear to relax and return to feeding on the grass and dandylions in what was the best and greenest spot.
I then climbed a bank hoping to get a good vantage point looking down and across to where I hoped the bear would return. Twenty long minutes passed and no bear. My ass was soar from sitting on a jagged rock and I had to move. The wind was right and the sun was setting fast, so I had to make a move if I was going to get another chance. I crept off the hill, through the ditch and ninja walked up the road, stopping every five or so steps to glass ahead.
I was covered in sweat from the anticapation and from being in stealth mode with every muscle tense. I relaxed my back and brought my binos to my eyes to immediately spotted something I did not recall seeing on the way down the road. It looked like a rusty barrel. I was about eighty meters away and trying to make some kind of connection as to what this object was. It seemed to have a much darker colour than the bear I had last seen.
Then it moved! Holy $#@%! It was instantly obvious that I was looking at my bear. It's head was down and it was just below the road on a grassy landing. I moved as quickly as I could to get in full view.
I wached it feed for several minutes with its hind end facing me. I was now so close that I could to see the coat without the aid of binos. I could see the shimmer of colours and the roll of the under layer of body fat as it moved into a broad side postion. My closest shot yet. The rest is history.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1714_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18485&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1713_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18484&size=big&cat=)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1711_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18483&size=big&cat=)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1707_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18482&size=big&cat=)
I then climbed a bank hoping to get a good vantage point looking down and across to where I hoped the bear would return. Twenty long minutes passed and no bear. My ass was soar from sitting on a jagged rock and I had to move. The wind was right and the sun was setting fast, so I had to make a move if I was going to get another chance. I crept off the hill, through the ditch and ninja walked up the road, stopping every five or so steps to glass ahead.
I was covered in sweat from the anticapation and from being in stealth mode with every muscle tense. I relaxed my back and brought my binos to my eyes to immediately spotted something I did not recall seeing on the way down the road. It looked like a rusty barrel. I was about eighty meters away and trying to make some kind of connection as to what this object was. It seemed to have a much darker colour than the bear I had last seen.
Then it moved! Holy $#@%! It was instantly obvious that I was looking at my bear. It's head was down and it was just below the road on a grassy landing. I moved as quickly as I could to get in full view.
I wached it feed for several minutes with its hind end facing me. I was now so close that I could to see the coat without the aid of binos. I could see the shimmer of colours and the roll of the under layer of body fat as it moved into a broad side postion. My closest shot yet. The rest is history.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1714_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18485&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1713_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18484&size=big&cat=)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1711_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18483&size=big&cat=)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_1707_1_.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18482&size=big&cat=)