Down to the Wire Grizz

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Swampman called me up to head over for the last weekend of his grizz draw...so what could I say?? For some reason I just can't seem to say "No" to a grizz hunt in the mountains.
We first headed over for Easter weekend as he had tracks on his ATV but we found that winter had not released it's grip on the mountains as the slides were just letting go. We had some great weather and some grands views but no bears were found. The only set of tracks that we cut were those of a black bear and those were over 7000' in elevation.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Easter_2011_Grizz_hunt_025.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Easter_2011_Grizz_hunt_071.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Easter_2011_Grizz_hunt_076.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

Always prepare for the worst......
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Easter_2011_Grizz_hunt_080.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

Cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

So we headed back for the final 2 days of the draw......
With the arriving heat, Sat morning found us up early to try to catch the bears on the slides before the heat of the day drove them into the shade.....but noon came and left without a single bear sighting so we decided to hike up one of the valleys. We barely got 100 yrds from the ATV when we spotted a really nice blackie emerging from the timber. Despite the pending end of his grizz draw, Swampman just couldn't resist and downed the wary boar just before he slipped back into the timber.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_005.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_010.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

After a quick drag back to the quad.......
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_012.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

.......we processed the bear, burried it in the snow and were planning to continue our hike up the valley when grizzlies started to emerg from everywhere. By the end of the day, we ended up seeing 8 grizzlies on the very same slide(not including a grizz carcass from some lucky hunter a day or two before we arrived). With swirling winds, one failed stalk on the only single bear on the hillside left us heading back to camp at dark. Getting charged by a sow with cub while filling up our water bottles added to the excitement of the day.

The next late morning saw us heading back to the same valley but not before a quick "glass" before heading back in. Parking the ATV, we soon spotted the same grizz that we stalked the previous evening but this time he was in a much better stalking position. Just as we were co-ordinating our stalk he silently slipped back into the timber. As he was only an "okay" bear, Swampman found himself wanting to see new territory further up the valley......so up the valley we went.

After several kilometers of hiking through the timber, we started to break out into the slides.................
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_025.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

It wasn't long before we spotted two adult bears on a snowpatch just above the river. Conditions couldn't have been better as the wind was blowing steadily downstream and there was a snow bridge ~200 yrds downstream of the unsuspecting bears.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_104.jpg

cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

As we crossed the snowbridge we found ourselves in a perfect position and quickly relocated the bears which were now feeding in the alders just above the snowpatch. After watching them for 1 1/2 hours we were confident as to which one was the boar. Swampman was itching to squeeze the trigger but we had to make sure the boar was in a good spot so he didn't end up lost in the raging river. Finally the bears escaped the heat and "plopped" back to onto the cooling snow just above the river.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_101.jpg

(I'm in the middle of trying out a video conversion program to convert my video to a more upload friendly format. Just deciding on whether to purchase it or not...hence the watermark)

http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h281/StoneSheep/?action=view&current=MOV007.mp4


Here's the final moments caught on tape...unedited...as it really happenned.(warning....this video contains the death of a grizzly bear and little profanity. Usually I'm very aware of my language on film but somehow I got caught up in the excitement). My apologies.

http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h281/StoneSheep/?action=view&current=MOV00F.mp4

cont'd

[Stone Sheep Steve]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_028.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

The bear came to rest less than 25 yrds above the river....

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_041.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Darren_s_Grizz_and_Blackie_045.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

After processing the bear we made it back to camp just before dark and headed for home. We arrived home just in time for a one hour nap before getting up for work.............my favorite part of these kinds of trips.

Can't wait until next yr!

SSS

[Bighorn hunter]

Great job on the re tell of the hunt SSS, looks like a total blast!

Congrats

BH

[whitetailsheds]

Great buncha pics...very nice!

[moose2]

Great stories and pictures a couple nice bears there , congratultions. These are the first bear pictures I have seen of a guy in his swim trunks lol at least I hope he had shorts on.
Mike

[kuiu]

Cool videos and story! How far was the first shot? Your buddy missed it by a mile. Had to of bin 2 feet below the bears ass.... What cal is he shooting?

Also sounds like his gun jammed a couple of times...

[ElectricDyck]

Nice, looks like you had some good weather!

I used magic dvd ripper (free online, no water marks) when I used to use my mini disc camcorder which recorded in dvd format and had to be recoded to upload or edit.

[shadow1982]

Thanks for the videos, Great Griz congrats

[RiverOtter]

Good job boys, enjoyed the vids.

[Movingdirt]

Gotta love those valleys around Revy. Nice hunt story.

[demlake]

Thanks for the pics, the clips and the story.

Looks like a great adventure.

[d6dan]

Well done boys!.. Nice pics, Good black bear and Great Griz!. Vids were great!. Congrats to both of you and thanks for the story Brent.:-D.

[kootenayelkslayer]

Good stuff, congrats guys!

[srupp]

Grat adventure,,,better results...well done...

cheers
Steven

[blueboy]

Thanks for the Vids boys ,and well done on the team work

[nature girl]

Nice Grizzly and nice country to. Glad you had a good trip.

[Steeleco]

Beautiful bears, great story. Thanks

[BromBones]

Looks like a good time! Nice photos and story.

Congrats.

[srupp]

@ 2:15 of the second video..it looks like the CNS is on the verge of collapse??as evidenced by the "loss of bowel control..via the rectum"..???

steven

[Krico]

Good griz. Nice job on the video. Thanks for sharing!

[chinookkiller]

it's so nice work,congrates!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Gave Swampman heads up that I was hanging him out to dry:-D...but he must be away this weekend?


Cool videos and story! How far was the first shot? Your buddy missed it by a mile. Had to of bin 2 feet below the bears ass.... What cal is he shooting?

Also sounds like his gun jammed a couple of times...


Shot was around the 200 yrd mark. Other than knowing it was a "botched shot" we're not sure what happenned.
Funny...I watched a hunting show the other day and the same hunter blew a shot on a mtn goat and a rocky mtn bighorn on back to back days. He did, however, make up for it on the next shot on both animals. Sometimes shite just happens.

Swampman is shooting factory TSX's out of a Ruger in 7mm mag. Not sure which model.

Short-stoked in the heat of the moment??:confused:



Nice, looks like you had some good weather!

I used magic dvd ripper (free online, no water marks) when I used to use my mini disc camcorder which recorded in dvd format and had to be recoded to upload or edit.

Thanks for the tip! I'll check out that software.



Great stories and pictures a couple nice bears there , congratultions. These are the first bear pictures I have seen of a guy in his swim trunks lol at least I hope he had shorts on.
Mike

It was stinking hot and Swampman left his zip-off pants back at camp. Anyone else shoot a grizzly wearing just underwear???:mrgreen:
There's a story behind the lack shirt in the pic but I'll let Swampman tell that one if he chooses.


@ 2:15 of the second video..it looks like the CNS is on the verge of collapse??as evidenced by the "loss of bowel control..via the rectum"..???

steven

Good observation Steven!! The bear received a "TSX spinal tap" on the third shot.
Only bummer part was that it wasted the best part of the backstrap on one side.

I packed out the deboned hind quarters and backstraps...other than the ruined portion. Shoulders were shot up pretty good.

SSS

[Steeleco]

I packed out the deboned hind quarters and backstraps...other than the ruined portion. Please tell me the meat tastes good? I can't imagine why a grizz from an area like that would taste much different to a blackie on the same diet.

[180grainer]

@ 2:15 of the second video..it looks like the CNS is on the verge of collapse??as evidenced by the "loss of bowel control..via the rectum"..???

steven
Can someone have a loss of bowel control via somewhere else?...I'm probably opening myself up to something here ....:)

[srupp]

Yup....absolutley..epileptics when they have a major siezure, grande mal... brain..major disfunction..results in loss of control of bladder and feces.....one of the signs and symptoms associated with a genuine siezure...

I have had grizzly roast..from a interior spring bear..it was suprisingly good...

on the loss of bowel movement..... voting for the Liberals comes pretty close...

cheers
Steven

[notellyridge]

amazing story,pics and video...congrats!!

[mark]

Thats a great bear hunt, nice story and pics!

[Rattler]

Nice bears, pics and movies. Looks like it was a fun hunt and great weather to boot....

Congrats to both of you....

[Riverratz]

Great hunt, pics and vids. Well done boys, Congratulations.

[Laurence_Erickson]

swampman congrats on both bears ,it looks like the waether was just awesome .SSS that is some awesome footage and shame on you for the language ;) .

[NaStY]

Great job guys. Makes me want to try that some day......

[BCrams]

Great story, pics and video!! Its the way it rolls and it was a great hunt to wrap up the spring bear season.

[cavebear]

great footage and story congrats on a couple of nice bears. Rugs or mounts? :)

[Freshtracks]

Nicely done gents ... some great video SSS ... which camera u using? Congrats Sman on a v nice 1st g-bear.

[hunter1947]

Wow what a great story as for the pictures and the hunt ,the colors on this Griz are sparkling will look great on the wall or floor by the looks of this hunt you worked hard to get this Griz ,congrats to the two of you on making it happen at the last moment http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.png http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.png..

[gbear]

Congrats on a nice Grizzly! Thanks for sharing

[kennyj]

Nice Griz. Really enjoyed the story and video. Thanks for posting.
kenny

[mrak]

a bit of grizz fever there , Texas heart shot and work your way up ; the grizz is supposed to be bigger than the black ...But getting out is what it is about practise makes perfect and shooting becomes like driving. Looking forward to next years clip.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Please tell me the meat tastes good? I can't imagine why a grizz from an area like that would taste much different to a blackie on the same diet.

Meat smelled pefectly neutral with just a tinge of sweetness.
Bear had zero fat on him.

I think Swampman took the meat in to get hams made and something else?


Great story, pics and video!! Its the way it rolls and it was a great hunt to wrap up the spring bear season.
Now that I have the technology I may just have to post of a few sheep hunting clips. Speaking of language :mrgreen:.


a bit of grizz fever there , Texas heart shot and work your way up ; the grizz is supposed to be bigger than the black ...But getting out is what it is about practise makes perfect and shooting becomes like driving. Looking forward to next years clip.

Hmmmmm...grizz fever???...most likey.......no TH shot:-?...just a clean miss then shoulder/lungs, upper front leg/lower chest and then spine.

Grizz is indeed bigger than the blackie. Grizz squared just under 7'. Never did put a tape on the blackie but used my arm span to figure he would square in the 6'6" to 6'8" range.

Grizz had absolutely zero fat while the blackie had a decent layer.

SSS

[Rackmastr]

Very cool video and great pics!

[kwasky]

Looks like it was a good time! congrats

[Hammerhead]

that will be a first for him to remember, i know that i won't soon forget mine
Congrats
Good job on the video
HH

[Shade Tree]

That sounds like a hunt to remember, with lots of unreal action. Those are rare. Very nice bears.

[Ambush]

Awesome job guys!! Congratulations to the shooter and camera crew.
It's not often you can put a day together better than that.
Thanks for the entertainment. :-D

[ThinAir]

Great write up and pics SSS. Beauty bear too!

It's not often a guy gets to see good video footage of a grizz hunt.... it's usually too shakey!:)

[one-shot-wonder]

Good Shootin Brent......oh and to D too....:smile:
Nice to get that all on video.
Looks like some gorgeous country!
Congrats to both of you!

[358mag]

Thanks for the video + puictures Brent brings back lots of good times spring Grizz hunting can hardly wait till next year
Ps what hapeened to the left rear track on the quad ???

[TSW]

Thanks for taking the time to load and post video along with the pics and story!!! Video is the next best thing to being there yourself IMO! It's always sweet to see live footage of the bear.

[fireguy]

Loved the video, reminded me of my first Grizz, back in the bush, snowslides coming down on us, and a damm tough bear.
Can't wait till I go again..

[BiG Boar]

Great write up and video! Congrats to you and the shooter. A job well done. Thanks for posting up the real video and the pictures. Lots of things to be learned from this thread. Good job guys.

[tomahawk]

Great story and pictures, don't sweat the language or the kill, its a normal reaction to the situation and its hunting which results in death at times!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Awesome job guys!! Congratulations to the shooter and camera crew.
It's not often you can put a day together better than that.
Thanks for the entertainment. :-D

Ambush-I think someone needs to follow you and your pointy sticks around full time with a video camera. Now that would be entertaining! Could be a full time job and TV show!





Ps what hapeened to the left rear track on the quad ???

Broken "thingmajigger bracket"(bracket the holds the shaft that keeps the entire track from rotating...can't you tell I'm a fully qualified mechanic??:confused: ). Snapped in two but Swampy was able to "MacGiver" it back together good enough to make it back to camp. Luckily we were only a few kms in the bush and not at the top of that mtn.

SSS

[doubled]

Awesome trip, beautiful scenery and a greate ending. Well done SSS. One of the best videos I have seen hear yet. And even throw in an avalanche for good measures.

[steepNdeep]

Right on Brent!! Just saw teh thread... cool to eventually see the vid'. I guess you didn't get any vid' of the charge? ;)

[Camp Cook]

Very cool...

Thanks for posting...

CC

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I guess you didn't get any vid' of the charge? ;)


Actually, that would have been pretty entertaining too!
I hiked across the slide we were sitting on to fill up our water bottles as it was stinking hot. Slide had to be at least 100 yrds across with some pretty good contours of snow.
As I climbed down off the slide(which was a steep slope) I noticed the sow and this year's cub walking towards me.
I gave her the heads-up that I was there while she was still 80-90 yds away and as soon as she heard me she began to charge.....stopped and stood on her hind legs......I yelled at her some more then she dropped down and charged again...I yelled some more...she stopped again. This time I fired a round off to the side of her ...followed by some more yelling. Finally, she decided that I was bad news and turned and ran. Suddenly, Swampman appeared right beside me huffing and puffing. How he got there that fast had me bafffled:confused: but looking at the skid marks coming down off the slide gave me a clue:mrgreen:. In fact, he got there fast enough that he could see the sow running away.
I guess when you're sitting down glassing and the hear your buddy yelling followed by shooting and then some more yelling, you put it in high gear!:)

Good times for sure!

Hey Swampman! Where the heck are you??

SSS

[SHAKER]

Actually, that would have been pretty entertaining too!
I hiked across the slide we were sitting on to fill up our water bottles as it was stinking hot. Slide had to be at least 100 yrds across with some pretty good contours of snow.
As I climbed down off the slide(which was a steep slope) I noticed the sow and this year's cub walking towards me.
I gave her the heads-up that I was there while she was still 80-90 yds away and as soon as she heard me she began to charge.....stopped and stood on her hind legs......I yelled at her some more then she dropped down and charged again...I yelled some more...she stopped again. This time I fired a round off to the side of her ...followed by some more yelling. Finally, she decided that I was bad news and turned and ran. Suddenly, Swampman appeared right beside me huffing and puffing. How he got there that fast had me bafffled:confused: but looking at the skid marks coming down off the slide gave me a clue:mrgreen:. In fact, he got there fast enough that he could see the sow running away.
I guess when you're sitting down glassing and the hear your buddy yelling followed by shooting and then some more yelling, you put it in high gear!:)

Good times for sure!

Hey Swampman! Where the heck are you??

SSS

Great stuff guys! Spring bears just too much fun and o'l long claw makes it better yet!
Cool video too.

[BCbillies]

Really enjoyed following this adventure . . . it's about getting out there, making things happen, breaking sweat, seeing some skin (mainly the bear skin :)) and telling it like it really happened!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Please tell me the meat tastes good? I can't imagine why a grizz from an area like that would taste much different to a blackie on the same diet.

Swampman droped off some pepperoni and a ham for us. Pepperoni was a combo of the blackie and grizz and it's some of the best pepperoni I've had. Kids loved it! Of course, that has a lot to do with the maker(Penninga's in Kelowna) but I certainly wouldn't want to leave 'good' grizz meat in the bush.
Still have yet to try the ham.

SSS

[Geo.338]

Nice hunt and nice bears guys .Do you think fall Grizzly meat would be as good or not as the spring bears ? I have a draw for 7 A this fall and can't wait.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Nice hunt and nice bears guys .Do you think fall Grizzly meat would be as good or not as the spring bears ? I have a draw for 7 A this fall and can't wait.


Do you think they'll be on salmon this fall or berries where you'll be hunting??
Berries=good......salmon=bad.

SSS

[luckynuts]

Right on another grizz adventure ending with a tag cut, congrats Swampman. Good on you guys sticking it out to the end. Love the scenery hey can I trade some rain for that sunshine????? Thanks for Sharing

W.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Right on another grizz adventure ending with a tag cut, congrats Swampman. Good on you guys sticking it out to the end. Love the scenery hey can I trade some rain for that sunshine????? Thanks for Sharing

W.

Ha Wade!! Would if I could but June 4th and 5th were pretty much the last nice days in the southern half of the province:-?....although we don't have to boat to work like some places around the province.

SSS

[Grizzly Squirrel]

Great pictures, great story and great video. Thanks!

[rocksteady]

Great video.....Cool to see amateur video, with the swearing etc, as compared to the "professional" stuff you see on WIld TV etc....The emotions (language) are one of the best parts of any hunting video.......Shows that its the real thing, not a staged/canned/edited television production....