bochunk2000
05-18-2012, 12:25 AM
Today When I went to pick up my Son from School with my Daughter in tow I asked them if they wanted to head out to the hills and go for a hike to see if we could see a bear. They both wanted to so home for some food and supplies and off we went. Now please note when I take my kids out my goal is fun and learning and not to pound the bush for a kill. My Son Austin who is 7 has ADHD and is hard pressed to keep quiet for more than a minute and my little girl Abby is only five. But we sure do have great times out there "hunting".
So we drive my little car out to the bush and up the hill, head down this one valley I love and park. Out we get for our walk down the road. I especially love this place with them as there is a strong creek by the road and covers a lot of noise. We head down the road with a good head wind. Maybe halfway to the bottom Abby is getting tired. No problem let s go back and get the car warm up a bit and we can slowly drive the rest. My hopes were to at least let them see one run away. We are chugging along not really being quiet towing Abby by the hand and Austin is farting around 20 yrds behind us and through the bushes I see a bear eating. We duck down and I do everything I can to quietly get Austin to stop what he's doing get low and come up to where we were. I let them know there is a bear and I swear boh their faces exploded with excitement. I can see the bear is eating facing away from us so I pull them out into the road so they can at least see it for a second. The quickly back to the side of the road.
Crouch down, stay quiet stay still I say as I drop my back pack and get an arrow in the rest. Out comes the range finder and it quickly tells me that the bear is 39 yrds. My self imposed max is 40 but I wanted to be way closer. I stil have not get a good look at the size but he was no cub so I didnt care one bit... this would be a first for the kids. Remember that great head wind? Ya well now its on the back of my ears. On a bit of an angle not directly at him so I start to slowly make my stalk. he feeds into the woods a bit and that changes the angle of the scent carying wind...Up goes his nose in the air and I think I have lost him.He jumped a bit and bounded off only about 15 yrds or so... I could see him a little and was slowly trying to find a window in the bush to see vitals... He starts huffing at me. What an awesome sound. My release hand comes down and undoes the snap on my pepper spray and I take a look at my kids sitting back down where I had left them...I could still see movement and then I notice...He's climbing. Up about 25 feet and staring at me huffing loudly.
I stepped into the bush to a clear spot drew and settled my pin. Then I thought what the hell am I looking at. His posture was all jacked up. He was holding himself up with his hinds and had turned his shoulders to me a bit and puffed way up. Following the lines of his leg and shoulder I found my spot and touched off my release. The arrow zipped through him so fast...He turned jumped down and ran up the hillside. then took a hard turn side hill and vanished in the woods. Back to the road I went called up the kids and we sat down for a bit while the adrenaline blew through me. They were so excited wanting to run in right away and get him. I heard a cpl more snaps and then the sound that screams success and we heard his death cry and one last crunch.
We went and got the car and peroxide etc headed for the blood trail. I am colour blind so they love to help me see the blood. taking turns standing on the last drop and helping we made our way along the hillside. Thick bush made it tricky for them but they did so well. I was a proud Daddy. We get to one spot and its Abby's turn to be the looker for blood and she hollers in my ear I see some and points out a good splotch...I look and askk her what that is about 18 inces away. Boom her head must have left her Body because she realises she is looking at the bear laying there. The two up them jumping up and down was so amazing it trumped my own feelings of success at only my second Bow bear. We got it to the road and into the tarped up trunk after a cpl pics. home and into bed for them and gut it and hang it for me. Turns out the angle he gave me was a bit quartering to but was hard for me to tell. My first out of a tree. I got near lung and liver he only went about 50-60 yrds so I am happy with that. I guess at about 4.5 to 5 ft no Monster but a story of a life time to a 7&5 yr old. I'll put up pics in just a minute.
Steve.
So we drive my little car out to the bush and up the hill, head down this one valley I love and park. Out we get for our walk down the road. I especially love this place with them as there is a strong creek by the road and covers a lot of noise. We head down the road with a good head wind. Maybe halfway to the bottom Abby is getting tired. No problem let s go back and get the car warm up a bit and we can slowly drive the rest. My hopes were to at least let them see one run away. We are chugging along not really being quiet towing Abby by the hand and Austin is farting around 20 yrds behind us and through the bushes I see a bear eating. We duck down and I do everything I can to quietly get Austin to stop what he's doing get low and come up to where we were. I let them know there is a bear and I swear boh their faces exploded with excitement. I can see the bear is eating facing away from us so I pull them out into the road so they can at least see it for a second. The quickly back to the side of the road.
Crouch down, stay quiet stay still I say as I drop my back pack and get an arrow in the rest. Out comes the range finder and it quickly tells me that the bear is 39 yrds. My self imposed max is 40 but I wanted to be way closer. I stil have not get a good look at the size but he was no cub so I didnt care one bit... this would be a first for the kids. Remember that great head wind? Ya well now its on the back of my ears. On a bit of an angle not directly at him so I start to slowly make my stalk. he feeds into the woods a bit and that changes the angle of the scent carying wind...Up goes his nose in the air and I think I have lost him.He jumped a bit and bounded off only about 15 yrds or so... I could see him a little and was slowly trying to find a window in the bush to see vitals... He starts huffing at me. What an awesome sound. My release hand comes down and undoes the snap on my pepper spray and I take a look at my kids sitting back down where I had left them...I could still see movement and then I notice...He's climbing. Up about 25 feet and staring at me huffing loudly.
I stepped into the bush to a clear spot drew and settled my pin. Then I thought what the hell am I looking at. His posture was all jacked up. He was holding himself up with his hinds and had turned his shoulders to me a bit and puffed way up. Following the lines of his leg and shoulder I found my spot and touched off my release. The arrow zipped through him so fast...He turned jumped down and ran up the hillside. then took a hard turn side hill and vanished in the woods. Back to the road I went called up the kids and we sat down for a bit while the adrenaline blew through me. They were so excited wanting to run in right away and get him. I heard a cpl more snaps and then the sound that screams success and we heard his death cry and one last crunch.
We went and got the car and peroxide etc headed for the blood trail. I am colour blind so they love to help me see the blood. taking turns standing on the last drop and helping we made our way along the hillside. Thick bush made it tricky for them but they did so well. I was a proud Daddy. We get to one spot and its Abby's turn to be the looker for blood and she hollers in my ear I see some and points out a good splotch...I look and askk her what that is about 18 inces away. Boom her head must have left her Body because she realises she is looking at the bear laying there. The two up them jumping up and down was so amazing it trumped my own feelings of success at only my second Bow bear. We got it to the road and into the tarped up trunk after a cpl pics. home and into bed for them and gut it and hang it for me. Turns out the angle he gave me was a bit quartering to but was hard for me to tell. My first out of a tree. I got near lung and liver he only went about 50-60 yrds so I am happy with that. I guess at about 4.5 to 5 ft no Monster but a story of a life time to a 7&5 yr old. I'll put up pics in just a minute.
Steve.