kastles
05-27-2010, 10:52 PM
I've been keeping real busy and have not had a chance to post up my first big game animal so here goes story and pics:
The first weekend of May my cousin, Nitwit, and I headed up to Princeton area to have a look around for bears. We had been up there a couple weeks prior and figured by this time it should have greened up. We did not get moving too early cause we had heard that bears don't even get up till after twelve and ended up exiting the far side of Manning Park around 8:30. We went up a couple FSRs north of the highway and were disappointed at how un-green it was. No sign. Nothing.
Back to the highway we saw an FSR headed south. Having never, over all the times we have been up there, gone down we figured to give it a go. Down we went and the road opened up on a nice green valley. Up with the binos to an old logging landing that had grown over with grass and to a stump that was just not placed right. With the naked eye it looked like a stump that had grown on the side of the landing, the part that had been built up. My cousin looked right to the same spot but figured it was a stump. When I called out "Bear" he almost did not believe me. Looking at the map book and the area we knew there was a road down to it. And the stalk was on.
When we found the bear again it was happily grazing away in the same spot. And looked huge. I left my cousin behind as I snuck down the open slope to get in for a closer shot. A few times the bear looked right at me and I thought I was done but it kept eating. About 150y away I found myself a place to lay out and line up for a shot. It took about five minutes for my heart to stop beating out of my chest, throwing my aim off. It turned broadside and I slowly squeezed the trigger for a shot I knew was going to be true. CLICK. Dud primer on my hand loaded 180gr Barnes TTSX. Waited 60 seconds, ejected the unfired round and loaded another. Wait five more minutes for my heart to slow and for a good broadside.
The bear took the round through the ribs and out the other side after putting a hole in the lungs and destroying the esophagus. After it got hit it jumped a 180 and the turned around again and ran twenty feet towards me before piling up dead. She ended up being a lot smaller than either of us had though she was. When I got home I measured 4'8" but really happy with the color.
About 25 pounds of meat went to Ennis Farms for sausage(they called and it is ready) and the hide went to get tanned by Ray Wiens.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/matt_kast/bear%20hunting/P5020076.jpg?t=1275026988
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/matt_kast/bear%20hunting/P5020081.jpg?t=1275026822
The first weekend of May my cousin, Nitwit, and I headed up to Princeton area to have a look around for bears. We had been up there a couple weeks prior and figured by this time it should have greened up. We did not get moving too early cause we had heard that bears don't even get up till after twelve and ended up exiting the far side of Manning Park around 8:30. We went up a couple FSRs north of the highway and were disappointed at how un-green it was. No sign. Nothing.
Back to the highway we saw an FSR headed south. Having never, over all the times we have been up there, gone down we figured to give it a go. Down we went and the road opened up on a nice green valley. Up with the binos to an old logging landing that had grown over with grass and to a stump that was just not placed right. With the naked eye it looked like a stump that had grown on the side of the landing, the part that had been built up. My cousin looked right to the same spot but figured it was a stump. When I called out "Bear" he almost did not believe me. Looking at the map book and the area we knew there was a road down to it. And the stalk was on.
When we found the bear again it was happily grazing away in the same spot. And looked huge. I left my cousin behind as I snuck down the open slope to get in for a closer shot. A few times the bear looked right at me and I thought I was done but it kept eating. About 150y away I found myself a place to lay out and line up for a shot. It took about five minutes for my heart to stop beating out of my chest, throwing my aim off. It turned broadside and I slowly squeezed the trigger for a shot I knew was going to be true. CLICK. Dud primer on my hand loaded 180gr Barnes TTSX. Waited 60 seconds, ejected the unfired round and loaded another. Wait five more minutes for my heart to slow and for a good broadside.
The bear took the round through the ribs and out the other side after putting a hole in the lungs and destroying the esophagus. After it got hit it jumped a 180 and the turned around again and ran twenty feet towards me before piling up dead. She ended up being a lot smaller than either of us had though she was. When I got home I measured 4'8" but really happy with the color.
About 25 pounds of meat went to Ennis Farms for sausage(they called and it is ready) and the hide went to get tanned by Ray Wiens.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/matt_kast/bear%20hunting/P5020076.jpg?t=1275026988
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/matt_kast/bear%20hunting/P5020081.jpg?t=1275026822