2021 Spring Bear Thread

[Deleted member 16014]

Nice congrats! Gotta take the easy ones when you get 'em.

 

[Sytes]

Easy defines the tough and vice versa. Some of your past treks that brought you guys back to camp at zero dark thirty with stream crossings, etc... When you say, "easiest", it's well deserved. Grats guys.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Nice congrats! Gotta take the easy ones when you get 'em.

Right on. Now if only I could get an easy elk....

 

[ChaosOneZero]

We had some luck last week in MT. Here is my bear. It was by far the easiest MT bear I have taken. The bear @ewludwig killed was the worst. I think @theat would attest...

It was great to hang out with @Mthuntr and @Gerald Martin too.

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Congrats! Heard the story from @theat about Ed’s bear. Heard he got more than he bargained for on the creek crossing. Ha! Beautiful bear, though! Congrats to both of y’all.

 

[kansasdad]

@Sask hunter when I saw your 5/20 8:33 pm trail camera photo my brain said yowza, that looks like a BIG boar. Congratulations.

 

[Sask hunter]

@Sask hunter when I saw your 5/20 8:33 pm trail camera photo my brain said yowza, that looks like a BIG boar. Congratulations.

Looking for love helped me get lucky on him. He hasn’t been at the bait since those pictures Thursday

 

[Misguided]

Looking for love helped me get lucky on him. He hasn’t been at the bait since those pictures Thursday

He’s about due then. Get him!

 

[Sask hunter]

He’s about due then. Get him!

I did!! He was the one I shot Sunday night

 

[Sask hunter]

Had to break out the calipers and the tape tonight to see what the big guy greens in at. Bigger then I expected at 19.5”

 

[BrentD]

No bear, but something tastier.

 

[David Gough]

No bear, but something tastier.

I hear if you catch them on a rockfish jig you have to release them...

 

[Marshian]

I just got home from a three day spot and stalk bear camp with my brothers and some friends. My one brother got his first bear ever and it seemed like a dandy- easily 200 pounds. I got one too. Three years in a row now I’ve gotten lucky, but always with chocolate or cinnamon phase ones. One of these years I’ll get a jet black one. Mine was a bit small but well earned for sure. All bears are trophies in my book. Awesome animals. Apologies for the pics, both bears were got a dusk so we had to settle for after dark and tailgate pics.

 

[trb]

This thread has been wonderful entertainment and inspiration. Leaving CO tomorrow headed north to ID and the Church for a 7 day backpack hunt. I promise to report back!

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I watched this one last night for a while pretty close up; not big. He and a moose were chilling about 20 yds apart chowing down.Sorry for the crap focus.

 

[Falcon75]

I've never had bear that was far enough from an area where baiting was legal so I quite frankly don't know if there is a difference.

For my bear bait, I do an oats/cheap dog food mixed with used frying oil and cherry Kool-Aid slurry. They seem to love the used frying oil and it sticks to their paws and they track that shyt all over the place, which in turn, brings in more bears.

When putting baits out would you think putting a grease drag on boot would work. Thinking of deer scent boot type thing but with fryer oil. Get the process started little faster? I would only have a week + a little when I go out to wy or Idaho some year. A week plus a little is what you tell your wife when it is both weekend on either of week and then work scheduled to come back Wednesday in the following week not Monday and the ability to send a message from the woods.

 

[elkhnter]

Personally, I don’t want to smell like dinner. I’ve done a grease pit with good results. Dig up the ground around the bait and soak with grease. Let the bears do the work for you.

 

[Sask hunter]

When putting baits out would you think putting a grease drag on boot would work. Thinking of deer scent boot type thing but with fryer oil. Get the process started little faster? I would only have a week + a little when I go out to wy or Idaho some year. A week plus a little is what you tell your wife when it is both weekend on either of week and then work scheduled to come back Wednesday in the following week not Monday and the ability to send a message from the woods.

When I start a bait I like to put some beaver castor lure in the trees and some liquid smoke icing sugar and jello powder

 

[Blacktail Addiction]

Got my first bear last night!!! Oregon SW tag. 5th bear I’ve seen in over 12 days hunted. That may seem bad but I am figuring it all out and out of the last 7 days I went I saw a bear 5 of those, so I was just getting honed in. Really cool story, the season ends Monday and I had only 2 more nights to make it happen. I’ve been hunting the coast 3 hours away almost exclusively because of the high bear density but decided to go local for a quick evening hunt. I was walking to a gated clear cut and was actually walking back to my vehicle because I could hear trucks on the ridge above me and figured it wasn’t worth hunting. Of course going super slow and listening and glassing the clear cut as I’m walking out, and I hear some branches above and in front of me breaking. I just thought it was a bird, but decided to get my rifle ready just in case because if it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen fast. So here I was standing in the middle of a logging road and a bear jumps onto the road in front of me at 20 yards. We immediately lock eyes and it freezes for half a second. I immediately raise my rifle and by the time I did this the bear is about to jump off the road and I just led it right off the road with my scope and punched the trigger as it lept off. This all happened in less than a second and I thought I completely missed. I quickly jack another round in and ran up to where the bear was. See zero blood and immediately run to where I can see the clear cut to hopefully get another shot as it crosses the creek and goes up the ridge. I am not seeing or hearing anything so I decided to hike around and look below the road where the bear should have travelled. At this point I am kicking my self for probably messing up my last opportunity. As I get to under where the bear bailed off I see it piled up under a tree!! I was absolutely in shock because I thought I completely missed. Well turns out I completely blew out it’s heart and at 20 yards with a 28 Nosler shooting 175 grain bullets there was a hole the size of a dinner plate that absolutely destroyed both lungs and heart without damaging any shoulder meat miraculously! So I spent half a hour dragging it up 30 yards to the road and skinned and quartered it. And only a 500 yard pack out all downhill on a road which was a godsend! Feel so blessed to have gotten this bear and I don’t think I will ever forget this. And for reference I’m only 17 and was completely solo for everything that night. I can’t say my parents are too happy my Honda Civic smells like a bear currently but you gotta do what you gotta do. I estimated her as 125-150 pounds, and couldn’t be happier!! I attached a picture of where I shot from for reference because it was tight, especially at that range! Congrats to all the other successful hunters, and good luck to all those with tags!!!

 

[Pucky Freak]

Got my first bear last night!!! Oregon SW tag. 5th bear I’ve seen in over 12 days hunted. That may seem bad but I am figuring it all out and out of the last 7 days I went I saw a bear 5 of those, so I was just getting honed in. Really cool story, the season ends Monday and I had only 2 more nights to make it happen. I’ve been hunting the coast 3 hours away almost exclusively because of the high bear density but decided to go local for a quick evening hunt. I was walking to a gated clear cut and was actually walking back to my vehicle because I could hear trucks on the ridge above me and figured it wasn’t worth hunting. Of course going super slow and listening and glassing the clear cut as I’m walking out, and I hear some branches above and in front of me breaking. I just thought it was a bird, but decided to get my rifle ready just in case because if it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen fast. So here I was standing in the middle of a logging road and a bear jumps onto the road in front of me at 20 yards. We immediately lock eyes and it freezes for half a second. I immediately raise my rifle and by the time I did this the bear is about to jump off the road and I just led it right off the road with my scope and punched the trigger as it lept off. This all happened in less than a second and I thought I completely missed. I quickly jack another round in and ran up to where the bear was. See zero blood and immediately run to where I can see the clear cut to hopefully get another shot as it crosses the creek and goes up the ridge. I am not seeing or hearing anything so I decided to hike around and look below the road where the bear should have travelled. At this point I am kicking my self for probably messing up my last opportunity. As I get to under where the bear bailed off I see it piled up under a tree!! I was absolutely in shock because I thought I completely missed. Well turns out I completely blew out it’s heart and at 20 yards with a 28 Nosler shooting 175 grain bullets there was a hole the size of a dinner plate that absolutely destroyed both lungs and heart without damaging any shoulder meat miraculously! So I spent half a hour dragging it up 30 yards to the road and skinned and quartered it. And only a 500 yard pack out all downhill on a road which was a godsend! Feel so blessed to have gotten this bear and I don’t think I will ever forget this. And for reference I’m only 17 and was completely solo for everything that night. I can’t say my parents are too happy my Honda Civic smells like a bear currently but you gotta do what you gotta do. I estimated her as 125-150 pounds, and couldn’t be happier!! I attached a picture of where I shot from for reference because it was tight, especially at that range! Congrats to all the other successful hunters, and good luck to all those with tags!!!
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Welcome to HT and congrats on your bear!

 

[RobertD]

Got my first bear last night!!! Oregon SW tag. 5th bear I’ve seen in over 12 days hunted. That may seem bad but I am figuring it all out and out of the last 7 days I went I saw a bear 5 of those, so I was just getting honed in. Really cool story, the season ends Monday and I had only 2 more nights to make it happen. I’ve been hunting the coast 3 hours away almost exclusively because of the high bear density but decided to go local for a quick evening hunt. I was walking to a gated clear cut and was actually walking back to my vehicle because I could hear trucks on the ridge above me and figured it wasn’t worth hunting. Of course going super slow and listening and glassing the clear cut as I’m walking out, and I hear some branches above and in front of me breaking. I just thought it was a bird, but decided to get my rifle ready just in case because if it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen fast. So here I was standing in the middle of a logging road and a bear jumps onto the road in front of me at 20 yards. We immediately lock eyes and it freezes for half a second. I immediately raise my rifle and by the time I did this the bear is about to jump off the road and I just led it right off the road with my scope and punched the trigger as it lept off. This all happened in less than a second and I thought I completely missed. I quickly jack another round in and ran up to where the bear was. See zero blood and immediately run to where I can see the clear cut to hopefully get another shot as it crosses the creek and goes up the ridge. I am not seeing or hearing anything so I decided to hike around and look below the road where the bear should have travelled. At this point I am kicking my self for probably messing up my last opportunity. As I get to under where the bear bailed off I see it piled up under a tree!! I was absolutely in shock because I thought I completely missed. Well turns out I completely blew out it’s heart and at 20 yards with a 28 Nosler shooting 175 grain bullets there was a hole the size of a dinner plate that absolutely destroyed both lungs and heart without damaging any shoulder meat miraculously! So I spent half a hour dragging it up 30 yards to the road and skinned and quartered it. And only a 500 yard pack out all downhill on a road which was a godsend! Feel so blessed to have gotten this bear and I don’t think I will ever forget this. And for reference I’m only 17 and was completely solo for everything that night. I can’t say my parents are too happy my Honda Civic smells like a bear currently but you gotta do what you gotta do. I estimated her as 125-150 pounds, and couldn’t be happier!! I attached a picture of where I shot from for reference because it was tight, especially at that range! Congrats to all the other successful hunters, and good luck to all those with tags!!!
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Awesome man, welcome to Hunt Talk. Hope to see some blacktail pics/stories from you in the future