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View Full Version : 2 Rookies on a bear hunt bring home an animal



Good2bCanadian
05-28-2012, 04:59 PM
Hi guys.

I managed to bag my first animal.

An intro:

Got into hunting last year. Went up to Chetwynd at the end of september for a week long hunt.
My friend shot a nice 6 point bull elk in a 6 point zone. I helped field dress and pack out the elk.
This was my goal for the first season. To be involved in a big game animal. Goal achieved.

Went up to Kamloops end of Novemeber for mule deer, close, but no luck.

This year, got my black bear tag, and was itching to get out. Went out April first, to find major snow everywhere. Still a good trip, no animals.

Planned a 3 day trip with my rookie friend, may 4-6 for black bear up near his cabin on the edge of 5-01 / 3-30.

We arrived late thursday night, had a few pops then hit the hay. Friday morning we ventured to 3-30. Drove up the logging road and parked the truck. Started hiking, and right away found a sow and older cubs. We continued hiking to a large cut block, and hiked up to the hi-point, hunkered down behind some stumps and started wailing on my rabbit in distress call. 45 minutes later, nothing, so we decided to continue up the road. 10 minutes up the road we came into a turn of the road that opened up to a large cutblock. As I peered around the edge of the road, I notice a figure waay up the road, on the rise. Grabbed my binoculars, and holy shiz, a WOLF.

Heart pounding, breathing speeding up, I drop to one knee, wrap my sling around my elbow, dial up my vxl1 3x9x40 scope to 9 and take aim.
In front of me stood this awesome grey wolf, waay up the road.

Taking aim, and controlling my breathing I take steady aim, but the wolf is starring directly at me. Seemed like a minute or 2. It turned, I let the Barnes Vor-tx 180grain 30/06 blast from my Tikka t3 lite. Reopen my eyes from blinking on the shot, nothing there. Dam.

I ask my friend, did you see that? Did I hit it? He didnt know.
I left the casing where I shot and proceeded to hike up to where I thought it was standing.

As we approached there it was. It took 1 step from where i shot it and dropped in the ditch.

Holy shit! Wolf down!

High fives!!! Yeahhhh!

I was pumped.

Shaking. I walk up to it.

Remember this our first animal for either of us.

Poke it in the eye, and its done.

I pick it up, and the air lets out of the cavity and I jump. Not gonna lie, i was pretty nervous.
We sit down, relax a bit, and talk about our plan.

We drag it just off the road, cover it with a few logs and proceed to hike 20 minutes back to the truck.
We arrive to the truck just in time for a major hail storm. Its now Christmas outside, road is white.
We drive back up to the spot.

Now im alot more relaxed. We proceed to skin it to the best of our abilities. I think we did an ok job.
A couple things I will do differently next time. But totally proud of us taking our first animal, skinning it and packing it out.

I walk down the road, and pace out my steps to my fallen casing where I shot. 225 paces.
My gun is zeroed at 200 yards.

Bullet ended up going in just behind front shoulder thru the bottom of the spine.


http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/6b9d72dd.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/c4303d25.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/4ecf396b.jpg

We went back to the cabin, salted the hide and continued hunting for our bear.
Saturday night we were heading back to the cabin going thru a forest of birch trees, when I spot a big black bear.
At this point, we had hiked all day and were pooped. One sight of the bear and no longer pooped.
I yell at my friend "BEAR". He slams on the brakes, the bear takes off, we both look at each other. OK next time we drive by, then hike back. lol

Bear is gone. We grab our gear and go looking, no luck. We decide to drive down the road, and hike a ways around from where we saw it. 10 km later we get to a big meadow within a forest of birch and we spot another bear, but it sees us and bolts. No luck.

Whats with the birch trees and bears?
Tons of sign in the trees from the bears clawing. Crap everywhere. Its now getting dark, so we decide to follow the gps back to the truck. Half way there we decide on a short cut. Start beating thru the bush and get on a well used game trail, until we see some pop can size bear crap.
The forest closes in on us, so we decide to back track to get to the truck. But now we know where alot of bear sign is located.

Next morning we wake early and hike down to some ridges overlooking the meadow we saw the bear. We both take up a point and sit and watch. We saw a nice moose cow enetr the meadow, and about 5 minutes later it was as if the moose turned and nodded and out came a calf. We watched them for 20 minutes. Awesome.

Now we have to start heading home, so we hike out to the truck and start heading back.
In the exact same spot we saw the first bear in the birch trees, there it was again, but on the opposite side of the road. We get out to make a move, but no luck.

Awesome weekend. Want to thank my good friend Dave. An awesome hunting partner. We hiked over 40km in 2.25 days, learned a shit load of new things.

And I bagged and successfully skinned my first animal!!!!

And its a wolf......

Its at the taxi. The hide was a little spotty, some hair shedding. The head was in great shape, and im getting a head mount done.
The taxi took the time to show me how to skin the head out.
Im also getting the skull done, as well as getting the tail tanned.

Gonna hang it on my antenna of my truck lol

Thanks to all that contribute to this web site. Lots of info i have learned that helped make my first hunt successful.



I

TheProvider
05-28-2012, 05:28 PM
COngrats on the first kill. You did a favor for a lot of deer

monasheemountainman
05-28-2012, 05:53 PM
good job man! sounds like a fun trip!

quadrakid
05-28-2012, 06:06 PM
Great post,i could feel your excitement.

kennyj
05-28-2012, 06:10 PM
Congratulations on your first animal. Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. Great story.
kenny

TESKELLY
05-28-2012, 06:15 PM
WTG can't wait to bag my first animal. Came close last Saturday hoping to finish the job this Saturday.

anglo-saxon
05-28-2012, 06:16 PM
Well done. Only advice is to smile for the camera. A good psyche for non- or ant-hunters.

GoatGuy
05-28-2012, 06:20 PM
Congrats, good for you two.

REMINGTON JIM
05-28-2012, 06:20 PM
Congrats on your first KILL ! Big set of Ivory in that mouth ! LOL I have yet to shoot a wolf ! :-D RJ

Tikka270wsm
05-28-2012, 06:53 PM
Congrats on your first kill. Pretty cool that it was a wolf too.

Good2bCanadian
05-28-2012, 06:57 PM
It was a female. Skinned out to 6.5 ft nose to tail.
We followed her tracks along the side of the road for a few hundred yards.
She was definately coming our way. Not sure if my rabbit in distress call worked or not? Seems it did.

We went back 2 days later and the carcass was devoured.

Thats where I saw the spine shot in 2.

Also where I dropped her , another wolf had come in and crapped right on the spot.
That wolfs tracks came right down the center of the road for a hundred yards or so.
The picture of that track is on my avatar, with the lighter

Tons of wolf sign everywhere up there.

Sorry about the no smile.
I was just a little jacked up.

Never had anyone mentor me in hunting. Only the guys on here. I read endless posts.


Did not even feel the gun recoil when I shot. But I definately blinked.

Skull Hunter
05-28-2012, 06:57 PM
Good job! That looks like a good sized wolf!

anglo-saxon
05-28-2012, 07:11 PM
It was a female. Skinned out to 6.5 ft nose to tail.
We followed her tracks along the side of the road for a few hundred yards.
She was definately coming our way. Not sure if my rabbit in distress call worked or not? Seems it did.

We went back 2 days later and the carcass was devoured.

Thats where I saw the spine shot in 2.

Also where I dropped her , another wolf had come in and crapped right on the spot.
That wolfs tracks came right down the center of the road for a hundred yards or so.
The picture of that track is on my avatar, with the lighter

Tons of wolf sign everywhere up there.

Sorry about the no smile.
I was just a little jacked up.

Never had anyone mentor me in hunting. Only the guys on here. I read endless posts.


Did not even feel the gun recoil when I shot. But I definately blinked.

You done good. I envy you your adrenalin rush. May you have many more!! Going after mine in a week or so.

BearSupreme
05-28-2012, 07:14 PM
Ya I dont remember hearing my gun go off or feeling it the first deer I shot, pretty exciting walk up to that first animal!

ufishifish2
05-28-2012, 07:33 PM
Great post. I enjoyed the story immensely.
I wish I could go back and pull the trigger on a critter again for the very first time. That was almost better than the first time I ever had ........ well, not quite! Wish I could go back for that again too!!! :)

Good2bCanadian
05-28-2012, 07:50 PM
30/06 Spine Shot 2 days later

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/DSCF0774.jpg

guest
05-28-2012, 08:02 PM
Cool, congrats to you and buddy. Not many can say their first successful hunt was a wolf.

CT

deer nut
05-28-2012, 08:19 PM
That should earn you a deer! :-D

Rhyno
05-28-2012, 08:36 PM
Congrats on the wolf, sounds like a great hunt! Hope the hide turns out.

burger
05-28-2012, 08:37 PM
I'm reading the story thinking this sounds familiar then I see the photos. I'm the guy whos place was right next door to your buddy. Glad to hear the taxi is doing your hide. Glad too have met you and will be talking in the future.

That wolf crap must have come the day after I was up near the kill site as it was barren when I was there. Looks like we need to go back up there for a little dog hunt. :-)

91Jason91
05-28-2012, 09:19 PM
great post thanks for sharing a great story

nolimits
05-28-2012, 09:36 PM
Great story man. Congrats on the kill.

houndogger
05-29-2012, 11:50 AM
Awesome! Glad to see you wearing gloves...

Savage7mm
09-06-2012, 08:06 PM
Congrats, I wish i have that opportunity one day. I have had the chance to bag a lot of big came animals in BC but haven't had a Wolf come out for me yet.

skibum
09-06-2012, 09:04 PM
Nice story, got my heart pumping reading it (I obviously missed it from last spring)


That is the one animal I really really want - a wolf.

Good2bCanadian
09-06-2012, 10:24 PM
What's the odds this thread gets reopened, the day I got my skull back?

I will post some pics soon.

Good2bCanadian
09-06-2012, 10:26 PM
http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/DSCF0978.jpg?t=1346996607

The Silent Stalker
09-06-2012, 10:31 PM
Awesome story, nice wolf. I can't wait to get one myself. Great job.

Good2bCanadian
09-06-2012, 10:46 PM
http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/DSCF0976.jpg?t=1346996772

Good2bCanadian
09-06-2012, 10:48 PM
http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x415/mikesmith7/DSCF0972.jpg?t=1346996891

Spy
09-07-2012, 12:00 AM
Great story & big congrats on your first kill !Those are some scary looking ivory's that wolf had ! Anyway you could get a shot with an 06 shell next to the canines ?
Hope you get some meat for the freezer this season !