Rackmastr's Drizzly Grizzly Adventure!

[Rackmastr]

Hey All,

Just got home last night from my first ever grizz hunt. Hell, it was my first ever LEH pulled in BC! After moving to BC last January, I've spent the last several months planning and preparing for this spring and this coming fall. I moved to BC with the plan of hunting grizz, Stone's sheep, Dalls, goats, caribou, etc, etc and drawing a spring grizz tag was a priority for me this year with the impending election and the outlook of an NDP government closing things down. Seeing the results as drawn this fall on our second choice area was amazing. Buying and holding a grizz tag alone was a truly special feeling.

Timing was a BIG consideration for me, having to drive over 20+ hours to get to where we'd be hunting. We mulled over benefits and cons of going early vs late and talked to several people who had hunted the area, watched the weather, snowpack, etc and finally made a decision to go a bit earlier than we had originally talked about. The forecast for weather was decent, with a bunch of rain scattered in. We went up prepared for snow drifts, rain, warm weather, hiking, driving, etc.

The first few days were great as we started to learn the country. A long road detour due to avalanche cautions, a moved camp to be closer to what we figured was the good action, and we were hunting. Hell, we even saw a small doober grizz that first full day of hunting. He was on the road at about 100 yards and we got a good look at him as he trotted off, checking his back trail as Norm squawked on the predator call to stop him.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/Rackmastr/IMG_3121_zps62f58bea.jpg (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/Rackmastr/media/IMG_3121_zps62f58bea.jpg.html)

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To be continued.....just hanging with daughter and trying to upload pics

[Mr. Dean]

Early season hunting means packing a swimsuit and a fur coat...

[scott_karana]

Beautiful! I look forward to more pics :)

[Call of the Wild]

Working on your story that early wow!!! Can't wait for more...

[srupp]

looking good Trev....

cheers
Steven

[Rackmastr]

We started seeing good black bear numbers and the occasional bit of grizz sign. The slides were clear of grizz however, and all that we could find up high was black bears, moose, and some goats way up there. Daily from camp we would glass in the morning, drive logging roads and glass other slides, green areas, and hike into some roads to check out different areas.

About mid way through the hunt the weather started to turn. We had rain throughout the evenings and it started getting dreary. Not the typical 'bear' hunting weather I'm used to in chasing black bears. However, the grizz seemed to be okay with it, so we pushed on and kept looking.


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On the 21st, we decided to head down for some fuel as it was our mid-point of the hunt. Fuel management was important being so remote, and it was a rainy miserable day. With snow up on tops of the mountains and working its way down, we poured ourselves some hot coffee, hopped in the truck and headed down the road.

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The road turned a bit 'miserable' but we figured it was a good thing that we had picked that day to head to fuel and not 'waste' a day of hunting. We turned up the 'Alabama Greatest Hits' and kept rollin....

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[Philcott]

How long a trip into "town" to get fuel?

[Rackmastr]

As we made our way through the snow and rain, we figured we'd make some miles and get down there and back to camp for an evening hunt. As we rounded a hill, we looked ahead and there was a bear about 300 yards down the road. Instantly we knew it was a grizz, and looked to be a good size as he was headed straight on. We parked and headed into the trees to make a play on him as he fed towards us into a wet swampy area.

We lost sight of the bear as there was a couple 'dips' in the road that didnt give us a good vantage of him. My buddy Lane made a move back towards the truck to see if he could re locate the bear. The wind was good with a slight 45 degree cross wind and we were in a good position with good rests. Lane returned and had pinpointed the bear feeding in the ditch of the swamp. We made another move to a closer hill and popped over to see a nice looking grizz at about 185 yards. I put him in my scope as he walked up the road and could instantly tell he had a 'swagger' to him, with big forearms and a good blocky head.

The area he was feeding in....

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I got settled in prone and had a hard time finding a spot for my Bog Pod to lay down nicely and still provide me a clear shot through the underbrush. I felt a lot more confident shooting from a prone position, so I budged forward as he fed in the swampy ground. He had turned broadside and I flicked the safety off once before realizing I had willows still blocking a perfect shot.

I got positioned and the bear remained broadside. Now at 140 yards, I readied myself again and felt very calm and collected as I squeezed off the shot tight onto his shoulder. A great 'whack' greeted my ears and the bear fell hard and flat on his back. The 338 WM with 210TSX had done its job well. I shot again as he struggled on the ground. Air was pouring out of him indicating a strong lung shot. We ran up and closed the distance and ended up putting a finishing round in him as he was still able to lift his head.

I HAD JUST KILLED A MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY BEAR!!!!!

Yep....years of dreaming of moving to BC and chasing all these critters and I now had a grizz down and got to share it with two new hunting friends. High fives, hugs, yips and hollars, and trembling hands were all that remained. The rain continued to come down as we took pics and soaked up the moment (in more ways than one). What had been a 'wasted' hunting day turned into one of my best days of hunting ever.

He squared out right around the 6.5' mark and had beautiful 4" front claws. His front pad measures an honest 6" across and his back pad was 9" long. Skull looks to be somewhere in the low 21s or so.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/Rackmastr/IMG_3208_zps62820ac2.jpg (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/Rackmastr/media/IMG_3208_zps62820ac2.jpg.html)

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We saw one more bear that evening that never gave us a good look. The weather cleared up and we never did see another grizz as we tried to fill one last tag. We saw several black bears but couldnt bring ourselves to shoot one while we kept the search up for a grizz in the final days. Plenty of time to kill some blackies on another trip!

I cant say enough about the guys that I hunted with and the laughs we shared. Some great country, and some great people. To the other guys up in that country we ran into from HBC, it was a pleasure spending some time around a fire and a drink in the evenings. I hope you knock down a monster!!

Thanks to EVERYONE on here who I talked to via PM, phone, etc for info on the area, grizz hunting in general, timing for the trip and all sorts of other fun stuff like that.

[Rackmastr]

How long a trip into "town" to get fuel?

About 200-250km or so....and yes, using the word 'town' would be a VERY strong use of the word. Haha

[Philcott]

What a great way to spent the town day.... Congrats on the nice bear.

[Rackmastr]

One more....just cause!

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[moosinaround]

You maybe short changing us on those dimensions a bit?? Nice bear, good color, claws look wicked!! Quite the meat hooks on him!!! Congrats!!!! Moosin

[ruger#1]

Nice color. Awsome story. Thanks

[Wild Images]

Well done Trev, looks like you can try your hand at a little life-sizen !
Great Bear !!

[Mr. Dean]

Awesome colours!
High 5.

[hunter1947]

Looks good so far waiting for the continuation of your story..

[fester]

excellent!!!!!

[mpotzold]

Enjoyed the story & the photos. Love that mtn scenery. Well done!

[MB_Boy]

Very nice!

[Elkaholic]

Way to go! Nice bear. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[Good2bCanadian]

Wow!

Super pumped for you!

congrats pal!

[coach]

Outstanding story and pics! I know how much time you spent researching areas and planning your LEH and hunt. Looks like things paid off big time. Great looking bear. Congratulations!!

[Walking Buffalo]

YES!!!!

I'm thrilled for you Trev!

Did you put some of that Grizz fat in the freezer?

[d6dan]

Awesome Trevor!, Beautiful griz. Now I know those buddys of yours in Alberta are jealous!!!!:-D

[Rackmastr]

YES!!!!

I'm thrilled for you Trev!

Did you put some of that Grizz fat in the freezer?

Thanks man! He hardly had any fat on him...was actually surprised how lean he was.

[hunter1947]

Trev dandy story and a fantastic Grizzly to boot I love the color of this bear ,,the claws are still long the hibernating lets the claws grow over the denied up months from the winter,,congrats to you and your partner making this LEH dream bear come true..

[srupp]

Congrads Trevor...wicked looking bear...I am very happy for you..lol I think we discussed this area as being very high likelihood of success..no kidding huh...laughing at your descriptive terminology to judge his size...hmmmmm heard those before.. WELCOME TO BC.....did you e-mail a photo to Springer??he got one while out flyfishing with me...he's going home with trout and a new smoker you my friend are taking home a lifesize.. well done...

cheers and congradulations

steven

[gcreek]

Great story and good bear. Proves to show that "grizz is where ya find him"!

[Duk Dog]

Awesome Trevor!, Beautiful griz. Now I know those buddys of yours in Alberta are jealous!!!!:-D

Buddies in Alberta? Ha! Trevor who?

(Kidding of course)

[dana]

Very Nice! Congrats on fulfilling a dream!

[Duk Dog]

A big congrats Trev, glad all your work paid off and it all came together for you. Nice job as well to the other guys on the hunt and to those that helped out with all the planning and research.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Congrats on a Very NICE Bear ! Well Done ! :-D RJ

[wicket]

a huge congrats very nice job on a beautiful animal super happy for you

[todbartell]

very very nice, congrats

[Hillbros_96]

Very nice bear, congratulations.

[Ambush]

You can second guess timing, locations or size, but there's no second guessing on this outcome!!

In a very short time you've lived and fulfilled a dream that many BC residents will never succeed in.

Congratulations!! A lot of work, due diligence and a good shot of luck makes for a winning combination.

[Coop]

Awesome story and bear!!! Great pics too. Grats to all involved.

[Rust]

Way to go Trevor!!!! Thats wicked awesome man!!!!!

[Everett]

Sweet looking Bear looks like nice country as well. Going to rug him or full body mount?

[kootenayelkslayer]

Wicked Trevor, congrats! Killing a nice grizz probably helped ease the pain of what happened to us in the playoffs...

[fyffer]

wow wicked job, I dream of taking a grizz one day.

[kennyj]

Very nice Grizzly, and great story.
kenny

[Geo.338]

Nice bear ! Congratulations ! I hope to hunt spring grizz again one day .

[monasheemountainman]

Your the man!! What a beauty! Congrats buddy!

[Rackmastr]

Wicked Trevor, congrats! Killing a nice grizz probably helped ease the pain of what happened to us in the playoffs...

Haha damn Bruins!!

[knightcc]

Congrats on a beauty! Thanks for sharing and getting everybody all pumped up on this site!

[Rackmastr]

Sweet looking Bear looks like nice country as well. Going to rug him or full body mount?

Leaning more on a lifesize right now, but need to look at a few options to make the decision final.

[gbear]

Congrats on a great looking bear!

[gerrygoat]

Very nice, glad it worked for you. That's a good looking bear.

[Call of the Wild]

What an awesome hunt and story, thanks for sharing!!! A great read before hunting season kicks in high gear. I can understand how you're feeling with this achievement from the hunt it self and on your decision of relocating to BC for the hunting. I wish you as much luck on your next BC quest, stone sheep!!

[Bear Chaser]

Great looking bear and nice pics. Congratulations.

[Sitkaspruce]

Awesome Trev!!!

Congrats on a great bear and a fun trip!! Nothing like getting a road grizz!!!

Again congrats on fullfilling a dream!!

Cheers

SS

[Bigbullsh$tter]

Congrats Trev......way to get the job done!

[sheephunter17]

Awesome job man! Hopefully one of these days I can tag along on a BC adventure.

[BromBones]

Congrats on a nice bear.

Pretty country up there and I recognize a few of those photos. No shortage of bears around there.

Well done.

[North Star]

Congrats, nice bear! Great story and pics. Got any more of the beautiful country?

[goathead]

that is a very nice grizz.
this Is BC at its best.congrats on filling A dream.

[Lillypuff]

Thanks for posting great job

[Caribou_lou]

Great bear. Beauty hide on him!

[yama49]

Nice bear, congrats.. Thx for sharing

[BlacktailStalker]

Good deal nice looking bear congrats.

[outdoorsk]

Thanks for sharing the story. Congrats on the nice looking bear.

[IslandmanDan]

One more....just cause!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/Rackmastr/IMG_3174_zps6594646b.jpg (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/Rackmastr/media/IMG_3174_zps6594646b.jpg.html)

Damn right! Awesome. Great story and pictures, way to go!

[325]

Nice bear! Thanks for taking the time to write such a great story. Stories like yours keep HBC great!

[GoatGuy]

Good job - yes definitely can be wet country.

[Weatherby Fan]

Awesome story and pictures, the claws on those things never cease to amaze me !
Great work Rackmastr
WF

[Brez]

Congrats, Trev. Nice bear. Just goes to show - no day is a wasted day.

[rocksteady]

Congrats Trevor... Welcome to hunting in BC.... Sure Alberta has big Whiteys, but we got grizz!

[Wild Images]

Congrats Trevor... Welcome to hunting in BC.... Sure Alberta has big Whiteys, but we got grizz!

AND Stone sheep,Dall sheep, Mtn Goats and Caribou, Blacktails ! Guess we do live in Paradise :-D

[ElliotMoose]

Beautiful animal! Love the colour phase. Good show buddy, great read

[trigger]

Nice bear man. Congrats

[Grizz59]

Congrats Trev, nice bear and great to see you put in the effort to go way up north.

[Duck Buster]

Nice Bear good for you....

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Great story, pics and griz!!

You wanted to hunt grizz so put in for a decent odds draw, were willing to travel and did your homework....and made it all happen!
That's what it's all about!!

Congrats!

BTW-Definitely make the life-size happen. You won't regret it.

SSS

[markt308]

Congrats! must been a serious high.

[dirtyminer]

Trev, It's going to be a full mount. Lane and I already decided. Can't wait to see it!

[Rackmastr]

Trev, It's going to be a full mount. Lane and I already decided. Can't wait to see it!

Agreed! I should know better than to question you two anyways.

Yep, lifesize it is!

[MacMtnHunter]

Hey Trev,

Good work buddy! The hide on that bear is just awesome! Congrats again!

[Dale]

Congrats buddy! Sure do miss hunting in BC! Caribou and goat next fall?

[albertadave]

That's wicked Trev!! Big congrats. You seem to have thing for hunting in the rain lately LOL!!

[Rackmastr]

Congrats buddy! Sure do miss hunting in BC! Caribou and goat next fall?

We need to go kill some caribou for sure!! I've got the caribou itch big time!!!

[Rackmastr]

That's wicked Trev!! Big congrats. You seem to have thing for hunting in the rain lately LOL!!

Haha yep!! This one was a bit warmer than the last 'adventure' for sure!!!

[whitetailsheds]

Congrats Trev!! Great bear!!

[MOUNTAIN MAN - TOYOTA/ATV]

Nice big Grizzly bear. Good work!

[40incher]

Great to see another calf elk/moose/caribou/deer/goat/sheep killin' predator is out of business. xxx. Our moose here are just calving now and the bear are on their trail relentlessly.

You guys in Region 4 should get your fall hunt back and educate (kill) a few more bear. There is no reason for the fall closure that hunters in the East Kootenay have endured for decades, thanks to that infamous false-prophet DeFartChi.

The best way to educate grizzly bear is to put'em'down. All the other bear that knew him will be a bit more subdued. That's how you educate/condition bear, it's called cause and effect ;)

Good on you!! ... and keep it up!

[heybert]

Congrats Trev. Knew it wouldn't take you long to put down a grizz. That is what I miss about living in BC, more variety of game and good chance of pulling a tag.

[TheProvider]

First congrats. Secondly great trophy pics!!!

[Banjo]

Well done...very awesome story, pics, and bear!

[Deeboe]

Beauty of a bear! Put in for Grizz this year for the first time and excited to see if I get the draw. Well done!

[chola]

Way to go Trev....awesome story, congrats on the bear bud

[TSW]

Right on, nice to see you down a bear. It's got some nice color too. You're living the dream here in BC!!

[izakaman]

Wow good job Trev!

-shortlegs

[dippy]

very nice bear. Congrats

[BCbillies]

A nice grizz on your first tag . . . not all that suprising! Looking forward to seeing more of your adventures.

[Rackmastr]

A nice grizz on your first tag . . . not all that suprising! Looking forward to seeing more of your adventures.

Thanks man. Its been a dream for the past 10 days actually knowing that I got it done.

Already working on this fall's sheep and goat plans!! And lookin forward to next year!! Man oh man I'm loving the opportunity here.

[depopulator]

Wow Trev. That is awesome. Congrats

[thunderheart]

nice g bear !!!

[longrifle]

Hey rack,

It was nice to meet you last week, congrats once again on the long claw!!


'rifle

[bowhunterbruce]

hey trev, once again congrats buddy. those were great burgers and glad to have had ya in our camp. it was an awesome time up there the last couple weeks and im sure the BIG guy will get our story up soon. I just walked into the house and he is still driving home so give him a day or so to get it posted.

[Rackmastr]

hey trev, once again congrats buddy. those were great burgers and glad to have had ya in our camp. it was an awesome time up there the last couple weeks and im sure the BIG guy will get our story up soon. I just walked into the house and he is still driving home so give him a day or so to get it posted.

Awesome stuff man. Great country and good sharing some laughs with ya in camp. Cant wait to hear about the trip!

[Rackmastr]

Hey rack,

It was nice to meet you last week, congrats once again on the long claw!!


'rifle

Thanks!! And good meeting you too man, stay in touch via here or the work email!

[Hammerhead]

Congrats on a great trophy and thanks for the story. Going to make a beauty life sizer
HH

[Gunner]

Many Congrats Trev.all the best,Gunner

[BiG Boar]

Awesome story, pics, and bear. Congrats on your first grizzly, what a beauty. Life size it for sure.

[harv3589]

Congrats Trev! What an awesome bear and story! Could have happened to a better guy!

[double gun]

Nice job Trev.

[rageous]

Beautiful bear

[fuzzybiscuit]

This hunt is over 5 years old now but cool reading it all over again just the same. Beauty Grizz and memories like this won’t be repeated anytime soon with the present government.

Nice seeing the comments by members who are no longer with us too. Kind of makes a guy pause for a moment and think how fast a guy’s lot in life can change in the blink of an eye...