riverswild
New member
Thursday October 16th 2008.
So Michelle and I planned on hunting Thursday after work and I was hoping to put her on a buck. After a few phone calls to my wife about who would pick up our son from daycare I was loading the truck and heading to Michelle's by 4 pm.
Michelle was basically ready and all we had to do was load up and head down to the highway. I wanted to stop at the little store and pick up some chips and pop, but I spaced out and missed the turn. Oh, well.
Within a few minutes we were heading up into the woods and after a few miles on the logging road we were tailgating another hunter. When he took a right in the direction that I wanted to go I decided to back out and go another direction. I wanted to check out a road and find out if the wash outs were repaired. If they were then we could hunt a nice cut, if not we would go back up behind the other hunter, as there are quite a few cuts up there.
Luckily we found that the road was cleared and I was happy to find that no one was parked on the landing of the cut. I really felt that we could find a small buck for Michelle in this spot. We parked just before the landing and slowly walked and glassed our way to the edge. Standing on the landing I proceeded to tell Michelle known distances, trails and the amount of deer seen here in the past. We would talk then glass and then talk some more. Within minutes I spotted and pointed out some recent bear sign. After some more glassing I told Michelle that I felt this was as good a spot as any and that we should prepare to stay here. I was just getting ready to move to my left and find a spot to sit when I thought I saw something black moving about 300 yards away. I said, “I think I see a bear” and I raise my binos. It is a bear standing broadside in the open. Michelle says it looks to be about 150 lbs. We watch it for a minute before I quickly go back to the truck for my range finder. It is over 350 yard in the salal and young fir trees feeding in and out of sight. Earlier I had asked Michelle what she was shooting and how far she was comfortable and we even mentioned a landmark as a doable shot for her. The bear was well beyond that mark. I looked at her and said something about the distance and that I was going to take the shot if it presented itself. We continued watching the bear as it fed along the timber.
At one point it stood up broadside while feeding and with my crosshairs on its head, I nearly squeezed the trigger knowing that at 300 yards my bullet would drop in the kill zone. But knowing that there is a sow with numerous cubs in the area, I decided to watch it a little longer. Michelle and I discussed cubs and continued to glass the bear. I had to move about 10 yards to the right to get a better view, then I had to move back. This happened at least 3 times. The bear then headed into the timber and fed just inside for a long time. It was there so long that I actually pulled out a Rainshadow call and gave one half assed fawn bleat before my head cleared. I didn’t think that calling would do any good in this situation. The bear was actively feeding and may come back out. Besides that we were calling from a landing that every critter in the area is aware of. After a few more minutes it then fed it's way back out into the cut. We had watched the bear for almost ten minutes with no signs of cubs so I felt good in taking a shot if I could. Numerous times I caught glimpses of it in my crosshairs but a shot opportunity never arrived.
The bear was moving from my right to my left slightly angling toward me on a trail that would soon take it into some thick reprod and we would never see it again. I finally found a spot that I would be able see the bear as it came down the trail and into a small opening. But the bear never came. I thought it went back into the timber, but Michelle could still see it so I waited. I ranged the opening at 268 yards. Having killed a bear at around 220 yards in September, I knew that I would have to aim a bit high on this one. I felt steady on my Sniper Styx and I prepared to place the cross hairs on the spine when the bear walked into the opening. The bear was feeding on the move and as soon as it would stop to eat, it would move again. This happened twice and by the third time I was in sync. I placed the cross hairs at the top of the bears head thinking that by the time I squeezed the trigger it would take another step and my slug would drop into the shoulder. BOOM!
But as these things often do…the bear did not cooperate.
At the report Michelle asked, “Did you hit it?”
I said, “Yea, I heard it hit.”
Michelle said, “I didn’t see it.”
I continued to look for movement as I put another shell in and asked Michelle to grab my pack out of the truck. Not seeing much more then a branch move, I got up and went to the truck to prepare for the hike down. I felt comfortable with the shot and I heard the impact, but you never know until you get there. I took my daybag and rifle and Michelle was taking both packframes after guiding me to the spot. I went over the side and around some timber before I could angle back to where I last saw it. It was fairly easy walking through the cut and I quickly got to the bush that I though the bear was in front of. No bear. No bear and no blood. Not even a track or torn up patch of earth. I looked back up to where I shot from and realized that there might be a depth perception thing going on. I took a step forward and looked up the trail a few yards and I could see black. I took another step forward and to the right to get a better look. No movement, no breathing. Dead Right There.
Why did I say it didn’t cooperate?
The darn bear never took another step and my 130 grn Win Super X Power Point hit at the base of the neck and took out the trachea and esophagus with a little bruising near the shoulders. No broken neck, no broken bones, nothing. But it dropped on the spot.
I turn and holler, “Hey! C’mon” and wave Michelle down. Before she could leave the landing a rig pulled up. (I will let her explain)
While waiting for Michelle I took a couple pictures and called Killbilly to let him know where I was just in case something happened. He congratulated me, asked me where I was and told me he wouldn’t be able to make it out there before we were done. I told him not to worry and that I wasn’t calling for help, only for safety. Still waiting for Michelle… I decided to call my brother just to let him know and when he answers his phone he says, “I am on my way.” Killbilly changed his mind and decided to come out and my brother was coming with him.
Once Michelle showed up she told me that she talked with the people that drove down and told them that the cut was ruined as we had killed a spike buck. I am thinking that was a smart idea; don’t want anyone knowing our bear area. Then she made a comment about how small the bear was and I replied, “about 180 lbs, maybe 180-200 lbs.” She didn’t believe me.
Then we took some pictures, moved the bear and took some more pictures.
Michelle said she thought the bear was about 160 lbs. I told her that I had shot lots of bears that dressed out around 150- 160 and that this one was larger. We then started the rug cuts and then I gutted the bear. I was amazed at the weight and hardness of the stomach. It was heavy and solid like a rock. Thinking there might be a fawn or something in there, I cut it opened and was surprised at the amount of berries it had packed in there.
We moved the bear onto a tarp and continued skinning it out when my cell phone rang. It was my brother and Killbilly trying to find us. After lots of animated talking, horn honking and backtracking they pulled up to a rig while taking with me and I told Killbilly to ask if they ran into a female who shot a spike. Through my cell I can hear the guy say, No, but we ran into a female who killed a bear”. I looked a Michelle and asked did you tell them we got a bear? You told me that you told them it was a spike and I called her a liar. LOL
Well they told Killbilly where to find us and a few minutes later I could see their headlights coming down the road. It was perfect timing as we were just about done with the skinning.Since we skinned from the back to the front, when we got half way up I cut the bear in half at about the 3rd rib and already had it tied to a pack with only two more loads to tie down..
Killbilly and my brother made it down with an extra light and packframe just in time for me to wrap up the front half and fold up the hide. Once we loaded up the packs and daybag we took some pics and were off through the cut in the dark cloudy night.
Again the walking wasn’t bad by western cut standards, but we did have a pretty steep hill to climb at the end.
The bear was a sow with 4.5-inch front pads with a nice hide. Gutted it weighed 150 lbs (+16% for guts would put it near 175 lbs live weight)
I felt bad about ruining Michelle’s deer hunt, but we had a good time. I was very happy that Killbilly and my brother came out to help. Not that we couldn’t have done it ourselves, but it did make the pack out go a lot faster.
Here is an interesting twist on the hunt. Think about how many factors can dictate success or failure and how much luck plays a part in it.
There were lots of calls, messages and plans when Michelle called me on Wednesday to see if I wanted to hunt after work on Thursday. I told her I would call her before noon to finalize plans. So I called Michelle twice and left a message. I also called my wife to tell her that I needed her to pick up our son from daycare. Daycare said it was fine. At 2:45 I still had not heard back from Michelle so I called my wife to tell her I would pick up our son and just stay home. Not ten minutes later Michelle called and said she would be ready. Crap! So I called the wife back and left a message telling her that I was going. On my way home my wife called to tell me that she had cancelled with daycare and they made other plans, but that my mother-in-law would pick up my son.
Once I picked up Michelle I was going to stop at the store and pick up some chips and soda, but spaced off and drove past the store. Oh, well. Driving up the road I come up on a truck and follow it, then it turns right up the road I planned to go. Damn. I don’t want to follow this guy in.
I backed up and headed the other direction to see if the road had been repaired. Both washes were fixed and now I was hoping that no one was at the landing of a decent cut. Hmm. No one here, but a gut pile is on the landing. No big deal, lots of deer around here.
After a few minutes of glassing I notice the bear. After about ten minutes I shoot. Within minutes of me walking up on the dead bear I hear a rig drive down to the landing. They talk with Michelle then they leave.
So here are what I think are some important factors.
That Michelle wanted to hunt.
That my mother in law picked up my son.
That I didn’t stop at the store. If I had, I wouldn’t have driven up on the truck that I did not want to follow and I would have gone up another road.
That I did drive up on the truck and that I decided to go elsewhere.
That the two slides were cleared and we were able to drive down the road.
That no one else was already hunting this unit.
That the bear first appeared in one of the few open spots and I was able to see it with the naked eye.
That it happened to be feeding back in my direction.
Had anyone of those factors changed in the slightest we would not have even seen that bear.
The bear would have probably even escaped the other hunters that drove down since it was along the edge of some reprod and larger timber.
So Michelle and I planned on hunting Thursday after work and I was hoping to put her on a buck. After a few phone calls to my wife about who would pick up our son from daycare I was loading the truck and heading to Michelle's by 4 pm.
Michelle was basically ready and all we had to do was load up and head down to the highway. I wanted to stop at the little store and pick up some chips and pop, but I spaced out and missed the turn. Oh, well.
Within a few minutes we were heading up into the woods and after a few miles on the logging road we were tailgating another hunter. When he took a right in the direction that I wanted to go I decided to back out and go another direction. I wanted to check out a road and find out if the wash outs were repaired. If they were then we could hunt a nice cut, if not we would go back up behind the other hunter, as there are quite a few cuts up there.
Luckily we found that the road was cleared and I was happy to find that no one was parked on the landing of the cut. I really felt that we could find a small buck for Michelle in this spot. We parked just before the landing and slowly walked and glassed our way to the edge. Standing on the landing I proceeded to tell Michelle known distances, trails and the amount of deer seen here in the past. We would talk then glass and then talk some more. Within minutes I spotted and pointed out some recent bear sign. After some more glassing I told Michelle that I felt this was as good a spot as any and that we should prepare to stay here. I was just getting ready to move to my left and find a spot to sit when I thought I saw something black moving about 300 yards away. I said, “I think I see a bear” and I raise my binos. It is a bear standing broadside in the open. Michelle says it looks to be about 150 lbs. We watch it for a minute before I quickly go back to the truck for my range finder. It is over 350 yard in the salal and young fir trees feeding in and out of sight. Earlier I had asked Michelle what she was shooting and how far she was comfortable and we even mentioned a landmark as a doable shot for her. The bear was well beyond that mark. I looked at her and said something about the distance and that I was going to take the shot if it presented itself. We continued watching the bear as it fed along the timber.
At one point it stood up broadside while feeding and with my crosshairs on its head, I nearly squeezed the trigger knowing that at 300 yards my bullet would drop in the kill zone. But knowing that there is a sow with numerous cubs in the area, I decided to watch it a little longer. Michelle and I discussed cubs and continued to glass the bear. I had to move about 10 yards to the right to get a better view, then I had to move back. This happened at least 3 times. The bear then headed into the timber and fed just inside for a long time. It was there so long that I actually pulled out a Rainshadow call and gave one half assed fawn bleat before my head cleared. I didn’t think that calling would do any good in this situation. The bear was actively feeding and may come back out. Besides that we were calling from a landing that every critter in the area is aware of. After a few more minutes it then fed it's way back out into the cut. We had watched the bear for almost ten minutes with no signs of cubs so I felt good in taking a shot if I could. Numerous times I caught glimpses of it in my crosshairs but a shot opportunity never arrived.
The bear was moving from my right to my left slightly angling toward me on a trail that would soon take it into some thick reprod and we would never see it again. I finally found a spot that I would be able see the bear as it came down the trail and into a small opening. But the bear never came. I thought it went back into the timber, but Michelle could still see it so I waited. I ranged the opening at 268 yards. Having killed a bear at around 220 yards in September, I knew that I would have to aim a bit high on this one. I felt steady on my Sniper Styx and I prepared to place the cross hairs on the spine when the bear walked into the opening. The bear was feeding on the move and as soon as it would stop to eat, it would move again. This happened twice and by the third time I was in sync. I placed the cross hairs at the top of the bears head thinking that by the time I squeezed the trigger it would take another step and my slug would drop into the shoulder. BOOM!
But as these things often do…the bear did not cooperate.
At the report Michelle asked, “Did you hit it?”
I said, “Yea, I heard it hit.”
Michelle said, “I didn’t see it.”
I continued to look for movement as I put another shell in and asked Michelle to grab my pack out of the truck. Not seeing much more then a branch move, I got up and went to the truck to prepare for the hike down. I felt comfortable with the shot and I heard the impact, but you never know until you get there. I took my daybag and rifle and Michelle was taking both packframes after guiding me to the spot. I went over the side and around some timber before I could angle back to where I last saw it. It was fairly easy walking through the cut and I quickly got to the bush that I though the bear was in front of. No bear. No bear and no blood. Not even a track or torn up patch of earth. I looked back up to where I shot from and realized that there might be a depth perception thing going on. I took a step forward and looked up the trail a few yards and I could see black. I took another step forward and to the right to get a better look. No movement, no breathing. Dead Right There.
Why did I say it didn’t cooperate?
The darn bear never took another step and my 130 grn Win Super X Power Point hit at the base of the neck and took out the trachea and esophagus with a little bruising near the shoulders. No broken neck, no broken bones, nothing. But it dropped on the spot.
I turn and holler, “Hey! C’mon” and wave Michelle down. Before she could leave the landing a rig pulled up. (I will let her explain)
While waiting for Michelle I took a couple pictures and called Killbilly to let him know where I was just in case something happened. He congratulated me, asked me where I was and told me he wouldn’t be able to make it out there before we were done. I told him not to worry and that I wasn’t calling for help, only for safety. Still waiting for Michelle… I decided to call my brother just to let him know and when he answers his phone he says, “I am on my way.” Killbilly changed his mind and decided to come out and my brother was coming with him.
Once Michelle showed up she told me that she talked with the people that drove down and told them that the cut was ruined as we had killed a spike buck. I am thinking that was a smart idea; don’t want anyone knowing our bear area. Then she made a comment about how small the bear was and I replied, “about 180 lbs, maybe 180-200 lbs.” She didn’t believe me.
Then we took some pictures, moved the bear and took some more pictures.
Michelle said she thought the bear was about 160 lbs. I told her that I had shot lots of bears that dressed out around 150- 160 and that this one was larger. We then started the rug cuts and then I gutted the bear. I was amazed at the weight and hardness of the stomach. It was heavy and solid like a rock. Thinking there might be a fawn or something in there, I cut it opened and was surprised at the amount of berries it had packed in there.
We moved the bear onto a tarp and continued skinning it out when my cell phone rang. It was my brother and Killbilly trying to find us. After lots of animated talking, horn honking and backtracking they pulled up to a rig while taking with me and I told Killbilly to ask if they ran into a female who shot a spike. Through my cell I can hear the guy say, No, but we ran into a female who killed a bear”. I looked a Michelle and asked did you tell them we got a bear? You told me that you told them it was a spike and I called her a liar. LOL
Well they told Killbilly where to find us and a few minutes later I could see their headlights coming down the road. It was perfect timing as we were just about done with the skinning.Since we skinned from the back to the front, when we got half way up I cut the bear in half at about the 3rd rib and already had it tied to a pack with only two more loads to tie down..
Killbilly and my brother made it down with an extra light and packframe just in time for me to wrap up the front half and fold up the hide. Once we loaded up the packs and daybag we took some pics and were off through the cut in the dark cloudy night.
Again the walking wasn’t bad by western cut standards, but we did have a pretty steep hill to climb at the end.
The bear was a sow with 4.5-inch front pads with a nice hide. Gutted it weighed 150 lbs (+16% for guts would put it near 175 lbs live weight)
I felt bad about ruining Michelle’s deer hunt, but we had a good time. I was very happy that Killbilly and my brother came out to help. Not that we couldn’t have done it ourselves, but it did make the pack out go a lot faster.
Here is an interesting twist on the hunt. Think about how many factors can dictate success or failure and how much luck plays a part in it.
There were lots of calls, messages and plans when Michelle called me on Wednesday to see if I wanted to hunt after work on Thursday. I told her I would call her before noon to finalize plans. So I called Michelle twice and left a message. I also called my wife to tell her that I needed her to pick up our son from daycare. Daycare said it was fine. At 2:45 I still had not heard back from Michelle so I called my wife to tell her I would pick up our son and just stay home. Not ten minutes later Michelle called and said she would be ready. Crap! So I called the wife back and left a message telling her that I was going. On my way home my wife called to tell me that she had cancelled with daycare and they made other plans, but that my mother-in-law would pick up my son.
Once I picked up Michelle I was going to stop at the store and pick up some chips and soda, but spaced off and drove past the store. Oh, well. Driving up the road I come up on a truck and follow it, then it turns right up the road I planned to go. Damn. I don’t want to follow this guy in.
I backed up and headed the other direction to see if the road had been repaired. Both washes were fixed and now I was hoping that no one was at the landing of a decent cut. Hmm. No one here, but a gut pile is on the landing. No big deal, lots of deer around here.
After a few minutes of glassing I notice the bear. After about ten minutes I shoot. Within minutes of me walking up on the dead bear I hear a rig drive down to the landing. They talk with Michelle then they leave.
So here are what I think are some important factors.
That Michelle wanted to hunt.
That my mother in law picked up my son.
That I didn’t stop at the store. If I had, I wouldn’t have driven up on the truck that I did not want to follow and I would have gone up another road.
That I did drive up on the truck and that I decided to go elsewhere.
That the two slides were cleared and we were able to drive down the road.
That no one else was already hunting this unit.
That the bear first appeared in one of the few open spots and I was able to see it with the naked eye.
That it happened to be feeding back in my direction.
Had anyone of those factors changed in the slightest we would not have even seen that bear.
The bear would have probably even escaped the other hunters that drove down since it was along the edge of some reprod and larger timber.
