Poke 'Em
Well-known member
I couldn't have drawn it up any better than it happened today.
But before we get to today, we have to go back a year. I tried my hand at bear hunting last year, heading to a place I'd never been before. I wandered around the woods for 3 days before I finally found an area with a bunch of bear sign. The last day, I found a bear and unfortunately missed at close range as he saw me and bolted just as I was squeezing the trigger.
Fast forward to this year, I had a plan based on the sign and bear I'd seen last year. I was going to hunt a long open meadow that runs alongside a creek. My plan was to sneak in to a high rocky outcropping that overlooks the meadow early in the morning and hope to find a bear feeding, or if not, I'd sit there and wait it out.
I climb the ridge and ease my way out onto the edge of the cliff, scanning the meadow below. Sure enough, as soon as I get there, I spot a bear feeding along the edge of the timber. Pull the binos up, and it looks like a boar. I tried to get my camera out to get a picture of the bear, but he starting moving into the trees a little bit. While I'm sure he would have continued to feed and still presented a shot, I didn't want to take any chances. Ranged him at 177, put the crosshairs just behind his shoulder and squeezed. He jumped, ran into the timber, and I heard him crash.
So, I had to settle for an after picture of the meadow:
He's not a huge bear by any means, but a nice mature boar. I couldn't be happier for my first bear. I know a lot of people are into color phase bears, but to me, there's nothing like a pitch black, black bear.
But before we get to today, we have to go back a year. I tried my hand at bear hunting last year, heading to a place I'd never been before. I wandered around the woods for 3 days before I finally found an area with a bunch of bear sign. The last day, I found a bear and unfortunately missed at close range as he saw me and bolted just as I was squeezing the trigger.
Fast forward to this year, I had a plan based on the sign and bear I'd seen last year. I was going to hunt a long open meadow that runs alongside a creek. My plan was to sneak in to a high rocky outcropping that overlooks the meadow early in the morning and hope to find a bear feeding, or if not, I'd sit there and wait it out.
I climb the ridge and ease my way out onto the edge of the cliff, scanning the meadow below. Sure enough, as soon as I get there, I spot a bear feeding along the edge of the timber. Pull the binos up, and it looks like a boar. I tried to get my camera out to get a picture of the bear, but he starting moving into the trees a little bit. While I'm sure he would have continued to feed and still presented a shot, I didn't want to take any chances. Ranged him at 177, put the crosshairs just behind his shoulder and squeezed. He jumped, ran into the timber, and I heard him crash.
So, I had to settle for an after picture of the meadow:
He's not a huge bear by any means, but a nice mature boar. I couldn't be happier for my first bear. I know a lot of people are into color phase bears, but to me, there's nothing like a pitch black, black bear.
