TheDark
12-05-2011, 08:07 PM
So this year has been a great year of hunting for me. I started out with a couple of goals. One was to redeem myself from my horrible year of hunting the two years before. I made a lot of newbie mistakes, although I learned a lot and found some great spots for mature Blacktails.
One of my other goals was to harvest a black bear up until this point I had always bought a bear tag with the notion of taking one, but never did. I always shot them with the camera rather then my gun.
I’ve been hunting for a few years now, first year was with my mentor who taught me a lot and helped me with two deer. The next two years after that I struck out on my own and struck out completely.
Next was to get a moose! A good friend and his family invited me to enter with them for a Bull Moose draw which we got. Yikes I can hardly harvest a Blacktail now I have to get a moose 1200km away from home? Talk about pressure.
Last but not least to throw a wrench in all my Blacktail hunting plans, my girl and I moved up to region 8 just outside Kelowna from Vancouver island.
So here I am at the end of my hunting season pleased to say I accomplished all this and much more!
Stories and pictures up next, keep reading!
Well let’s start with the first season, my spring bear. After reading a lot of post on here I decide against taking a fall bear due to the salmon run. After all we wanted to get an editable bear more than a trophy bear.
So I started hunting early in the season, didn’t see anything at all. Not until the end of May did we see anything, then started seeing five plus every time we went out. But same thing! Either I took pictures of them, or they were sows with cuddly little cubs.
So near the end of season it looked as if I wouldn’t find a bear this year (impossible on Vancouver Island not to fill bear tags) I was working graveyard for 4 weeks straight. No time off to hunt great.
So what the hell you only live life once right? Tired as hell I skipped out on sleep to go hunting more then a few times.
So my girl came out with me most times as I figured I’d need help after the shot.
We pulled into a slash and stopped for a few moments to see if we spooked anything before getting out and looking around. Before I even grab my binoculars she says
“Bear!” Great!
Look at the thing, man it’s small do I really want to shoot it? Well I didn’t come out here for nothing right? I grab my gun hop out and take sight, watch for a few minutes and make sure there are no cubs.
As it starts to make its way to the tree line it was now or never. Bam! Squeeze off a round. It was a short shot about 75yrds. Solid hit the bear takes off running it tries to climb a tree where it collapses.
This is the first time my girl has been there to witness an animal being harvested. After a couple of tears she jumps in a helps (What a girl!). We quarter it up in the field and head home!
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/007-4.jpg
Another picture from along the way I think a couple of hounds men tree this poor guy.
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/069.jpg
Next, we moved up to Kelowna, a day later I was off to a new adventure and a moose. In a very sad twist life throws at us all, my buddy’s dad (A member of the hunting party) suddenly passed away before we were to go hunting.
It changed things, but my friend decided the hunt was still on as it would have been what his father would have wanted.
So for ten days we were out in the middle of nowhere, McKenzie the closest town a few hours out of the bush.
I figured from the stories the older gents were telling us this place we were going was going to be moose heaven!
It couldn’t have been more wrong. Almost ever hunting party we ran into said the same thing, nothing moving, no sign or stighings anywhere.
Great.
Every camp we peeked into had nothing hanging. Even worse there were almost no deer to be seen up there. I guess my expectations were a bit too high.
None the less spirits were high and we had a great time, each morning we got up ready for that cranker!
Day seven was the day. I was hiking alone about a km from the road to the back of a slash. It was a beautiful day sunny and clear one of the few we got (later which would prove to be good)
I was standing over looking a lower potion of the slash one of many drops to the slash. In the last slash to cross before I hit the tree line. None of this could be seen from the road where I was dropped off.
I stood there for what seemed like forever wondering what the hell I was doing. Maybe I’ll return home without even seeing a moose man that would be embarrassing. Maybe I am just a lousy hunter?
Then out from behind a burn pile I saw a body moving! Shit that thing huge! I hit the ground glass bam I see what look like huge horns! Buck fever? Yep.
Laying prone on the bi-pod I watch from about two hundred yards. I place the cross hair behind the front legs.
I don’t remember the recoil or the shot but the moose takes a couple more steps and goes down on his front knees and disappears behind the pile of wood.
I grab for the radio in my pouch pocket and yell.
Moose down! I got one!
All I get back is way to go! Where are!
Shit! It’s up!
I turn off the radio again and hit the ground before it makes it to the tree line. Instead it runs straight towards me, I doubt it could have seen me. In hind sight I should have let it run closer. Oh well this time I place a bullet straight into the brisket, not a shot I liked but it dropped for good this time. I watch for a few seconds before getting up this time and turning on the radio again.
It took me about ten minutes to make my way down and over to the moose, ok it wasn’t even close to a huge cranker. But hey compared to a Blacktail it is right?
So back to the truck? Uh shit I am a loooong way from the road. Extremely long story short, we had to cut the moose into six pieces. We took the hind quarters out that night, and came back for the rest in the morning. Luckily it froze over night due to being a sunny clear day it was.
Rest of the trip was slack, we had our meat, we went out hunting as we still had tags to fill, but it was too early too warm so I am told. All in all we got what we came for had a great time doing so.
Seen the “Grizz” and a cub not too far from our camp as well as numerous blacks as well.
Best of all we honoured my friend’s dad, we knew he was smiling down on us.
Next year? Absolutely!
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/071.jpg
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/019-1.jpg
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/028-Copy.jpg
One of my other goals was to harvest a black bear up until this point I had always bought a bear tag with the notion of taking one, but never did. I always shot them with the camera rather then my gun.
I’ve been hunting for a few years now, first year was with my mentor who taught me a lot and helped me with two deer. The next two years after that I struck out on my own and struck out completely.
Next was to get a moose! A good friend and his family invited me to enter with them for a Bull Moose draw which we got. Yikes I can hardly harvest a Blacktail now I have to get a moose 1200km away from home? Talk about pressure.
Last but not least to throw a wrench in all my Blacktail hunting plans, my girl and I moved up to region 8 just outside Kelowna from Vancouver island.
So here I am at the end of my hunting season pleased to say I accomplished all this and much more!
Stories and pictures up next, keep reading!
Well let’s start with the first season, my spring bear. After reading a lot of post on here I decide against taking a fall bear due to the salmon run. After all we wanted to get an editable bear more than a trophy bear.
So I started hunting early in the season, didn’t see anything at all. Not until the end of May did we see anything, then started seeing five plus every time we went out. But same thing! Either I took pictures of them, or they were sows with cuddly little cubs.
So near the end of season it looked as if I wouldn’t find a bear this year (impossible on Vancouver Island not to fill bear tags) I was working graveyard for 4 weeks straight. No time off to hunt great.
So what the hell you only live life once right? Tired as hell I skipped out on sleep to go hunting more then a few times.
So my girl came out with me most times as I figured I’d need help after the shot.
We pulled into a slash and stopped for a few moments to see if we spooked anything before getting out and looking around. Before I even grab my binoculars she says
“Bear!” Great!
Look at the thing, man it’s small do I really want to shoot it? Well I didn’t come out here for nothing right? I grab my gun hop out and take sight, watch for a few minutes and make sure there are no cubs.
As it starts to make its way to the tree line it was now or never. Bam! Squeeze off a round. It was a short shot about 75yrds. Solid hit the bear takes off running it tries to climb a tree where it collapses.
This is the first time my girl has been there to witness an animal being harvested. After a couple of tears she jumps in a helps (What a girl!). We quarter it up in the field and head home!
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/007-4.jpg
Another picture from along the way I think a couple of hounds men tree this poor guy.
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/069.jpg
Next, we moved up to Kelowna, a day later I was off to a new adventure and a moose. In a very sad twist life throws at us all, my buddy’s dad (A member of the hunting party) suddenly passed away before we were to go hunting.
It changed things, but my friend decided the hunt was still on as it would have been what his father would have wanted.
So for ten days we were out in the middle of nowhere, McKenzie the closest town a few hours out of the bush.
I figured from the stories the older gents were telling us this place we were going was going to be moose heaven!
It couldn’t have been more wrong. Almost ever hunting party we ran into said the same thing, nothing moving, no sign or stighings anywhere.
Great.
Every camp we peeked into had nothing hanging. Even worse there were almost no deer to be seen up there. I guess my expectations were a bit too high.
None the less spirits were high and we had a great time, each morning we got up ready for that cranker!
Day seven was the day. I was hiking alone about a km from the road to the back of a slash. It was a beautiful day sunny and clear one of the few we got (later which would prove to be good)
I was standing over looking a lower potion of the slash one of many drops to the slash. In the last slash to cross before I hit the tree line. None of this could be seen from the road where I was dropped off.
I stood there for what seemed like forever wondering what the hell I was doing. Maybe I’ll return home without even seeing a moose man that would be embarrassing. Maybe I am just a lousy hunter?
Then out from behind a burn pile I saw a body moving! Shit that thing huge! I hit the ground glass bam I see what look like huge horns! Buck fever? Yep.
Laying prone on the bi-pod I watch from about two hundred yards. I place the cross hair behind the front legs.
I don’t remember the recoil or the shot but the moose takes a couple more steps and goes down on his front knees and disappears behind the pile of wood.
I grab for the radio in my pouch pocket and yell.
Moose down! I got one!
All I get back is way to go! Where are!
Shit! It’s up!
I turn off the radio again and hit the ground before it makes it to the tree line. Instead it runs straight towards me, I doubt it could have seen me. In hind sight I should have let it run closer. Oh well this time I place a bullet straight into the brisket, not a shot I liked but it dropped for good this time. I watch for a few seconds before getting up this time and turning on the radio again.
It took me about ten minutes to make my way down and over to the moose, ok it wasn’t even close to a huge cranker. But hey compared to a Blacktail it is right?
So back to the truck? Uh shit I am a loooong way from the road. Extremely long story short, we had to cut the moose into six pieces. We took the hind quarters out that night, and came back for the rest in the morning. Luckily it froze over night due to being a sunny clear day it was.
Rest of the trip was slack, we had our meat, we went out hunting as we still had tags to fill, but it was too early too warm so I am told. All in all we got what we came for had a great time doing so.
Seen the “Grizz” and a cub not too far from our camp as well as numerous blacks as well.
Best of all we honoured my friend’s dad, we knew he was smiling down on us.
Next year? Absolutely!
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/071.jpg
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/019-1.jpg
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/StephenR6/028-Copy.jpg