Semi live Idaho spring Bear.
Bears
Well the snow has finally melted enough to get started baiting. I thought i would bring you guys along for the ride. I love this time of year in the mountains. Follow along and i hope you enjoy. Lots of pics. HUNT
So i loaded up with bait and drove as far in as i could. The snow was to much . I loaded up the pack and grabbed the bike. 3 mile ride in instead of one. Oh well. HUNT
Would I be right in guessing you be in grizzly country? Good luck!
It took 3 hours to get the bait in and ready to go. Minus stands. No pics . Pack was heavy as it was. Back at the truck. I head down to bait my old bait. Justin AKA Deerslayer is baiting it. I told him i would check for him.
I love to hide from my lab and surprise her. Always fun. HUNT
I get to the bait and it is hammered. To the Camera fast. HUNT
There are 1660 pics. Card is full. Its set on 3 shot burst. Lots of crows. Lots. but then theres a bear. HUNT
Danger is my Middle Name. Closed road my ass. HUNT
May I ask how you accumulate all that bait? Looks like it would cost a fortune to buy at the store.
Me and my copilot load up and head for home. Going to hang stands and re bait mid week. Season runs to june 30th. We have 6 tags between Me, Andy and Justin. Should be a good time. Hunt
Brian It comes from the local bread stores. All out dated. Sad to see that much food go to waste. But they are going to throw it away. I collect bait and grease year round. Have 2 freezer just for bait. HUNT
Very resourceful. I am sure your hard work will pay off. I will be following this thread for sure. Good luck.
Best of luck to you all. My brother just set up his bait too in the panhandle region.
Hope you have good luck this year, looking forward to seeing what happens!! Steven
Nice work Hunt! Shaping up to be a good spring, can't wait to follow along!
Looks like fun. Looking forward to your updates.
Now we are talking! I have been waiting for that snow to melt!
I'm already excited.
--Jim
Bout 6 more feet of erosion and it's going to get good when you have to get er up on 2 wheels to cross. Be like x games hunt version.
Jim Thanks. Wish you could make it out, but sounds like your plate is full.
TBM. I think one good spring rain and it is gone. Justin did it in a minivan. I told him he was a crazy f----er. HUNT
Get em boys! Thanks for posting, HUNT
Lol. .... that minivan gets around! Gotta love the FAMVANN!!!!!!
That wasn't the only washout I had to contend with. Never knew I could double as a road builder and a bear baiter. Good thing my daddy taught me ol' fashioned ingenuity.
Good luck guys... Sounds like success is right around the corner...
Good luck HUNT and enjoy the ride Deerslayer as he is always taking someone on a heck of an adventure. I will be watching this thread for sure. I don't spend as much time on Bowsite as I used to, but will for this one.
Just got back from baiting. Bait was hit. Loaded it up good. Doughnuts < Grain ,Dog food, 2 Beavers and 5 gallons of grease. Going to hunt Sunday. HUNT
Bears are in trouble when you let Huntman out in the woods! Good luck!
Come on Monday. I'll be ready for the report, good luck!
Good Luck Hunt! Are you carrying all of that in on your bike?
Two quick questions (just curious). What is the distance from your home to your main bait site….? And how long (time) does it take you to get from your front door, to your bait site….? Thanks, and good luck!!
Wild 1, Its 67 miles one way to my main bait. It takes 4 hours to drive over, go bait and walk out and drive home. I put 2000 plus miles on my trucks every year baiting alone. I couldn't image running a big operation like Mike or Ron run with 25 plus baits.
Baiting bears is easy! Haven't you read all the posts online? Haha.
Kind of like moose hunting...it's easy until they hit the ground and then it hits the fan.
Love these threads and being along for the ride.
I soooooo miss running a bear bait in Idaho. Can't wait to move back in 2 years. Good luck!!! Thanks for sharing the photos and the stories!!
Too cool for school.... following closely... HUNT.... is always a good hunt and.... entertaining.... =D
Even though I am not a bear hunter I too enjoy these threads. I come at it from a different perspective having lived with them for years and considering them nothing but a giant pest not unlike rats and roaches. Maybe if NJ allowed bow hunting my feelings would change. To me- baiting is as simple as putting out a bird feeder which takes all of 2 minutes. (Note pic of my deck) To see what a hard-core bear hunter/baiter goes through is fascinating. Good luck!
The IMAGE TOOL not working I tried rotating that image. Oops, I see it did... It just doesn't take immediate affect.... Ok done hijacking this bear thread - good luck guys!
Jack, if it was that easy every one would be doing it. Not as easy as it appears.
geneinidaho - you missed my point. I know its hard, thats why I enjoy these stories. I am explaining how it all depends on where you live, as to how you feel about bears in general. To me - giant pests. Allow me to bow hunt them, they won't be coming up on my deck any longer and although baiting would be easy for me, that would change over time.
NJ and MD both are over run with them. I do see your point. Enjoy the show!
Jack,
The bears you live "with" are a lot like the deer you hunt in your back yard... If bear baiting was so easy everyone would fill their tags and we all know that's not the case...
Nick - that is my point. I am NOT hunting them, so sprinkle a few sunflower seeds and they come to me daily. If I could do a spring bow hunt, it would only be easy the first time, just like the deer I hunt that seem to get smarter every year because they know I hunt and my area gets a ton of deer pressure but no spring bear pressure at all. The only bear hunt we get is frigid December, with gun, and with little cover left and and 3 months of deer hunting, they (the bears) are nocturnal, about to hibernate, and not easy to bait. I may struggle with the written English language - my point was not to belittle hardcore bear hunters/baiters, it was to offer the perspective of someone who cannot do a spring bear hunt, is covered up in black bears, and can't even feed his lovely Rosebreasted Grossbeaks sunflower seeds... That rat-b@stard got 4 of my feeders and I gave up.
Hey hunt.
Time to kill some bears.
I'm w/ u jack...too bad we can't bowhunt or spring hunt the NJ bears...I have a huge black VW coming to my yard...the neighbors call 'em Goliath...had to take in all the bird feeders until Dec.
Sorry HUNT MAN...the above was supposed to be a PM to Jack.
Thanks guys. Jack I see your point. Thats why i like doing threads like this . So people can see what it takes to be successful at it year in and year out. Off to the Full Draw film tour now. Going to bait in the am. Will report in when i am back. HUNT
That's the neet thing about hunting...it's different in different places. Sometimes it's the terrain and habitat that makes it easy or tough sometimes the animals.
How did I miss this thread for 4 days?
Looking forward to seeing the timeline and some dead bears Hunt!
Thanx for doing the work of putting up the thread. I know they take some time.
Looking forward to some trail camera pics!
Ditto Nick! I may have to keep posting some NJ bears to keep the thread near the top! LOL
My day started making up buckets. Bread , dog food, marshmellows and meat scrapes and grease. Yum. HUNT
Loaded up and made the drive over. First to Justins bait to sweeten it up for him to hunt this weekend. It was cleaned out. I put a bucket and some powered sugar and checked the camera. Bears are still there and one even ate justins seat:) He will have a great hunt. HUNT
I head to my bait next. Load up the pack and grab the bike for 1.5 mile ride in. HUNT
It was hit good. So I rebaited it and switch the sd card in the camera and headed home. HUNT
These guys where here alot. Nice sow .3 cubs all a different color.HUNT
Mama watching the show.HUNT
Lots of bears 9 I counted including the sow and cubs. Most of them just bears like this one. HUNT
But ever now and again a good one shows up. If he does this Sunday he will become a Montana resident. HUNT
Is that a sasquatch height identification sign as you cross the border into Idaho? I think I saw one a couple years ago that busted the hell out of the 8' mark.
Good luck!
Howdy boys!
Truck's loaded up and ready to head out. Will post pics and stories when I get back. Going to be a fun adventure.
Foreplay only goes so far. Shoot time?
That's a nice raft you got there. Good luck guys.
HUNT, thanks for taking us along...your "go the extra mile efforts " are appreciated by many! Having never baited bears, what do you look (terrain, sign, etc) for in a new area to establish a bait?
Mark
This is gonna be good! Good luck guys!
Be safe and have tons of fun. I miss spring bear in Idaho and think I will go it again next spring.
Happy Fathers day to all. Had a great time shooting 3d. Now its time to Hunt. Me And Andy going in for our first sit. Always a good one. Will report back ASAP. HUNT
Good luck! Hope get am opportunity at a good one!
Bad day to be a bear in Idaho.
Deer Hunt,
Please post pic when that field turns purple, so beautiful.
One year ago today we had a great sit there in Idaho. Hope yours turns out just a little bit better this year.
Great night. Wind was a little swirling. Saw the sow and her cubs. 2 small bears and 1 good one that circled us twice but did not come in. We have a big one on the camera. HUNT
WE sat as long as we could. The good one never commit to the bait. Have a couple good ones on the camera. Going to bait and hunt mid week. HUNT
I want to see this one. HUNT
Thanks for sharing.I hunted Idaho for bears back in 2006.
Sorry, it's taken me a little bit to update.... 3 kids, wife and work keep a fella pre-occupied;) Wife and kids got in from Michigan Friday afternoon, 1700 mile trip. Wife drove straight thru 28 hours with a 4 yr old, 2 yr old, and 1 yr old. Also re-purchased my old quad that dad took over for me right out of highschool, and she hauled it home for me. Going to make life a lot easier for not getting killed going over the "road closure".....
Decided to spend the evening with them and headed out early Saturday morning.
Stopped at my super secret bait spot and loaded up the truck with bait. Enough for this weekend and the following.
Headed thru the mountains with rain, the name of the game for this weekend...
Not enough room for the bait and quad. Decided to do a little craigslist action and picked up a new trailer.
A little bait for the weekend. Around 250-300 lbs. Good work out to get ready to pack elk quarters this fall!
Needed to fill up enough to last a good portion of this week for my final hunt this coming weekend.
deerslayer,
Give your wife a medal! wow!
Good luck fellas, Hope ya get a good one. Great story to follow along with!!
Best regards, Scott Alberda
Home for 2 nights. My air pad had a slight leak so I got to enjoy the experience of sleeping on the ground...
The river 30yds away makes an awesome noise maker to fall right to sleep!
Camping is half the fun of doing this style hunt
Checked the camera.... First pic a nice little guy... Good coat.
A lot of different bears.....
Nice looking bear! Dang. Keep the story coming!
This boy really needs to have an arrow thru him
Is this the middle of the middle????
Battle scars. Might be time for a tetanus shot... Sucker went deep, like a nail on a shirt
Gotta watch those metal slivers on the top of the barrel opening. (Only exposed when the lid is off, so don;t worry the bears can't hit it)
Waiting for porky to show up
Intruder!!!!
Actually just Hunt helping a brother out...
One of those punks climbed up my tree and ate my seat! Judgement day is coming!
Glad me and Hunt haven't ended up down there
Love, love, love the mountains this time of year. Chicken soup for the soul.
Unfortunately the only customer I had all weekend was this muley doe.
Next weekend it's going to happen. Have Sat, Sun, Mon, to hunt. Yogi's going down.
Wife and kiddos are going to go camping with, hopefully bring me some good luck.
Thanks for following along!
Good luck this weekend Justin! Sounds like it'll be a fun trip with the family.
Nice pics Justin. We will get us one or two this weekend. Cant wait. See you Saturday . HUNT
Hey Justin, "A rat with fur!!!" That one looks like the bear someone shot 2 years ago.... HAHA!
Good luck buddy.
Stick that big one!
It's about to get fun up there!
Hunted last night after work. Got in at 500 sat till ten. 2 5 footers showed up and thats it. The big boy was on the camera with a sow monday and tuesday. Hope he makes a mistake. Going to hunt all weekend. Thanks for following along. Hope to have a dead bear pic soon. HUNT
Great thread Hunt! Wishing you luck. Need all your time to pay off. Should get my draw in Utah for a Spring 2015 hunt. Will start a live thread similar to yours. All the best!!
Loaded up and ready to drive down. Been an unusually trying week at work. Really need the peace and solitude of the mountains. Can't wait.
Anyone taking resume's????
Good luck and hope you get a crack at the big boy!
Pulled the switch a roo on them last night. Put the double bull up and brushed it in. I like to dig the side into the dirt and seal up the blind. Eye to eye with Black Bears. 12 yards to the bait. HUNT
At 735 i hear something. Not long and this guy shows up. HUNT
He stayed for over a hour. A nice bear just not what i am looking for. A little better blk one showed up at dark. But i am holding out for the big boy. Back at it tonight. HUNT
Tonight may be hammertime! Good luck buddy
Great thread! I'd have whacked that last one!
Loaded up the Toyota and headed in to the bait that Me and Jim Treeman hunted last year. Still lots of snow but the yota is made for it. HUNT
They are logging in this area. I come around the corner and the road to the bait is logged. Dam it. Oh well. I head to the bait. No logging close and all done last fall. I bait it up heavy and check around for sign. HUNT
I had left a trail cam in there. I retrieved it and checked the photos. Holt sh-t Batman. HUNT
I left there excited to get back. I head to my other bait to sit. Left my thermacell at home. Big Mistake. Not my best sit and i get skunked. Oh well that will happen. The last week has been good to me in the past. Heading out tonight after i finish cutting hay. Thanks for following along. HUNT
Good luck and that bear is a big boy. Also like the color phase!
You have to get him Hunt, that is quite a bear!
Looks like a griz to me. Kill em
Where was that beast last year when we were sitting there? ;)
It's gotta be hammer time!
--Jim
last one looks like a grizz to me!
Didnt get done cutting hay till 4. So i just headed up to bait the crib. It had been hit already in 24 hours. Baited it up big and going to hit it hard all weekend.
Justin is still hunting. I havent heard from him at all. Hope he got one. Wish him luck.
Thats not a griz. I have seen 1oos of blk bears and thats just a really big one. HUNT
Nice big color phase looking bear...good one to stick.
That's no griz! That's just one heck of a color phase black bear! Got get them Hunt!
Looks like Yogi has been stealing a few to many picnic baskets! He smarter than the ordinary bear you know.
That's a wow bear, good luck, we will be waiting Hunt!
Interesting claws on the front of that bear.
Howdy boys,
Got an update coming your way, but not for another day or two. Just drove all through the night to get back home (5:30 am) and now to bed. Then get up for work from 4-midnight, so I'll post the hunt and details when I get caught up. It's a good one......
I leave you with this..... for now;)
Huh. whats the host get . Nothing Nada and Zip. Guess i will have to wait to. HUNT
Not cool man, not cool. :)
Justin is THE MAN, and definitely increasing the dramatic effect by making us wait.
Great thread....I enjoy the anticipation of the rest of the story!!
Great thread, looking forward to seeing more.
Hope ya got the griz . . .
WOW even HUNT/I.E. HOST get's left in the dark. Hmmm?
Man a bear story would be pretty cool about now. Haha
Check back in the morning for the full monty.
(BTW my "host" was a no-show so he had to wait cuz I didn't have cell coverage and couldn't get a hold of him until I got back into service)
Got off work on Friday 4pm… Got home and finished loading the truck as fast as possible. Hard to get it done quickly when you have to load for five including 3 little people along with their bikes, wagon, toys, etc…. Hit the road and got into Missoula around 11:30 pm. Met up with Matty at his family restaurant “Howard’s” for late night pizza. Never been in a restaurant with so many awesome huge whitetail mounts. Very impressive, and almost as good as the food. If you’re ever in Missoula I highly recommend checking it out. After talking it over at dinner Matty decided to bring his family along and join my family on our camping excursion as his bait is nearby as well. We formulated a plan and parted ways.
Spent the night in Missoula and got into camp early Saturday afternoon. Helped Ashleigh unload the gear and then took off to bait up heavy for the next 3 days.
I fully expected my bait to be gone, but unfortunately it hadn't been hit that hard throughout the week. Seemed all of the bears had disappeared except this one. He came in every day for the prior three nights, and always between 7-8 pm. Not a monster, by any means, but the only game in town and good enough for this guy.
Got the bait in place and was back in the stand for the evening hunt. First customer was this Muley doe who has been a real regular on my bait. She came in and milled around and fed for around 15 mins. Filmed her for a bit, and then got bored and stopped paying attention to her. In my mind I kept chuckling to myself "How cool it would be if a big ol’ nasty bear or mountain lion came out of the brush, smacked her silly, and gobbled her up!"
Seriously though I was curious how she would respond if a bear approached the bait. I also figured having her there would put a bear at ease about the bait, and focus his attention on her rather than me.
A few minutes later I got my answer. Out of the blue she muley hopped away down the hill. I knew I hadn't spooked her, and within 30 seconds to a minute the culprit’s head popped out from under the tree. I knew immediately it was the same bear from the trail cam and I decided it was his time. I got the cameras rolling, calmly grabbed my bow off the hook, and filmed him circle around from behind the bait. He came in like he owned the place, which also confirmed in my mind that the big boys weren’t frequenting the area. I knew he wasn’t huge, and therefore I was very calm but also decided about the impending transaction.
As his head went behind the barrel to gobble up my strategically placed treats, I drew the instrument of death. He turned and faced me head on for a moment , but quickly turned to pull the logs out of the barrel. As he squared up I let loose. I hit a little high, and for a moment was a tad worried about the placement, but as he crashed through the woods within seconds I could hear the telltale sound of lungs sucking wind, and knew the deal was sealed.
I got down and found him no more than 40 yds from the hit. The QAD Exodus had put a monstrous hole in him and the “middle of the middle” had worked beautifully.
I gathered my gear, dragged him down to the trail, took my pics and loaded him up in my “bear lazy boy”. Has a beautiful horseshoe blaze on his chest.
I loaded him up on my quad and began my trek down the mountain.
As I drove down the mountain with the cool mountain air blowing in my face, the smell of the pines in my nose, and the beautiful evening sky in my eyes I did my best to soak it all in and realized how truly blessed my life is. It was one of those surreal moments that makes life so truly enjoyable. The best part was looking at the big furry mass on the front of the quad.
I got back to camp and Matty, his wife Desi, and their kids were already there, along with my family. The kids thought the bear was pretty sweet and had a ball riding the quad from the pond back to camp. Matty was super congratulatory and an awesome help with skinning the bear. We got it all skinned out and hung in the tree, then we sat by the fire swapping hunting storied until long after the wives and kddos had gone to bed. I mentioned to Matty that it reminded me of the old pictures you see of hunting camps, campfires, and bear hides hanging in the tree. Yet again I realized that this is the type of memory that you carry with you for a long time.
The next day I caught a bunch of small rainbows at the pond and Chef Matty grilled em' up for dinner. That evening I went back into my bait, and wouldn’t you know that smart ol’ son of a gun chocolate bruin had cruised through early in the afternoon before I was there. I guess they don’t get big and old by getting killed! The following 2 evenings produced no more bears, and I was very thankful to have killed the only bear I saw in 5 days of hunting.
Unfortunately Matty didn’t have any better luck. After discussing it over we both came to the conclusion that the big mature boars were out cruising, which was probably why the chocolate came thru my bait early and barely touched it. Oh well…. His time will come next year!
It was an awesome time of hunting, but as much as I absolutely love to hunt and put arrows thru ribcages, there is nothing better than coming back to camp and spending uninterrupted quality time with one awesome wife and the little people that God has lent to me. Family, fun and the outdoors, there’s nothing like it. Throw in some awesome friends and you have a weekend that can’t be beat! It was great to cement my friendship with Matty and his family, and we’re already strategizing our next adventure. Wish him luck as he still has a week left to get it done. Also want to thank my good buddy Hunt, for giving me the keys to the kingdom so to speak in letting me take over a great bait. Thanks Hunt.
I got the whole episode on video, but as many of you know editing footage together can take some time. I’ll try to get it done hopefully by the end of the week, and I’ll post the link to it as soon as it’s done. Thanks for following along! Justin
Awesome, justin. Congrats on a great story and a fantastic perspective.
Congrats my Friend. Good times for you and the Family. Wish i could have made it to camp. But work calls.
Man this Matt sounds interesting. Where you run in to him at:)?
430 am now heading to bait before work. Man this baiting bears is easy:} Hunt
Congrats Deersalyer, nice bear.
Deerslayer congrats on a good bear!
COngrats and way to go Justin... Great story... Good luck with the deer later on...
Great thread. I'm holding of for grizz and going to be dissapointed if he don't get whacked.
"I drew the instrument of death" love it.....Congrats Justin you put your time and hardwork in and it paid off.
Congrats Justin on the EXPERIENCE. Not just the harvest but all of it. I too shot a bear this spring here in Idaho and was blessed to have the wife and 2 boys close by and even got some harvest pics with me and my soon to be 4 yr. old future hunting partner.
Again CONGRATS! (You too HUNT)
P.S. someone let TBM know there has not been any Grizz on this whole thread....LOL.
I hope HUNT MAN puts that color-phase / grizzly bear down so we can end that debate :)
Congrats Justin. Glad you got it done this year! Great story.
--Jim
Let us know how well the hide tans out. Just curious, back in the day my taxi told me never to shoot one past the 6th of June or the hair follicles would not hold and the hair would fall out. Congrats!
They can't even get into their hunt area til after the 6th. Not sure how a taxi could make such a blanket statement.
That color phases press on nails will probably fall off soon....he might even loose the strap on hump.
S-S your Taxi was trying to save all the big bears in your area for himself.
Some of you may fine "instrument of death" cool, IMO it's just plain dumb.
Some of you may fine "instrument of death" cool, IMO it's just plain dumb.
JusPassin,
Don't ever recall anyone asking for your opinion. It's called creative writing, and if you don't like it don't read it.
Crap like this makes me think going back to being a lurker is a much better option than sharing my hunts. Can't even post a success story without someone making a useless comment. Sheesh.....
Deerslayer,
Sounds like a great trip. Nice bear and nice write up. Don't let the above comment damper it for you.
congrats on a fine bear and thanks for a great story I've bear hunted twice and the best hunt was the one that I got involved and started baiting sites on my own and realized the work involved
Congrats again
^^^Deerslayer, don't even reply to that DUMBNESS! Thanks for sharing ALL YOUR REPLAY & YOUR CREATIVE WRITING!
Robert. You have baited in Idaho RIGHT? I think you know the answer to your ?. I have shot bears in May that are rubbed. I have also shot bears at the end of June that had great hair. To me its not all about the HAIR. Its about predator control, hunting and being outdoors. 24/7/365.
Justin just remember there is one in EVERY crowd. Congrats again. HUNT
Hey Hunt,
Time to go kill one!
People who hate and have nothing to say are just jealous of others success.
Congrats on the bear, and great writing.
Hunter, to each his own. I was only after the rug. Not interested in just a skull and a dong stick.
I never hunted after the 6th of June because the hides were supposedly no good. I have heard this from lots of Taxi's, more than a few. I've seen bears come out of hibernation practically bald. I think mice might steal their hair, or they have so many bugs they rub in the den all winter. I really don't know for sure. I am genuinely curious as to the value of the rug. I took those people that dealt with hides word for what it is. Now if you have killed bears in Idaho that are good through the month of June I'd like to know.
If killing a bear for predator control is what your after, then size shouldn't matter. A dead bear is a dead bear. Right? Good luck!
This is me not responding...
Rug, skull, and dong stick,...what about the meat? When Mad Max reaches the bottom of the alpo can, it will be all about the meat.
Rug, skull, and dong stick,...what about the meat? When Mad Max reaches the bottom of the alpo can, it will be all about the meat.
Nice bear Justin!
Congratulations on all the hard work paying off.
Regarding the “instrument of death” comment. Is it a news flash to anyone that our bows are meant to kill...good grief pull your head out of your rear end JusPassin! Your handle even implies a pass through a rib cage killing and animal.
Ha, good point bernie on the handle. I think juspassin IS just jealous. Made me think of this clip from talladega nights....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aegqhoepCok
Congrats deerslayer, come on hunt, go git 'er dun. Love followin this thread
Honestly, I don't care for the uh "creative writing" much myself. Nonetheless, congrats on the bear, and thanks for taking us along! Now if hunt would just kill one too.
Oh I am going to kill one or two maybe. Hunt is hungry and when i get hungry , I like to eat. Plan on eating soon very soon. Thanks for following along. HUNT
I like an eating party and your making my mouth water...getting a little hungry myself.
Deerslayer- should take his comment back. Maybe say he picked up his non lethal happy feely lovey stick. Cuz that's what bows are. :)
Hunt, you have a private message
Congrats on a great hunt and thanks much for taking us along on it! Very much enjoyed the story and pics.
Have no problem with creative writing. Some folks have issues with words like kill and death. They like words like "harvest" and such. No, you killed it.
Creative writing about archery equipment I'm fine with, it was fun.... at least he kept it as what it is, a tool used to kill an animal, an inanimate object. Have to admit, they are much easier to deal with, skin, pack, eat, etc. after they are dead....
But just don't name your instrument of death.... Python, Mr Roundtree, etc.... then it gets creepy...
OK HUNT.... you're next at bat..... =D
Great night. But the bears won. There were multiple bears around and one we didn't see busted Andy as he went for his bow. We where both at full draw also just no shot. Fun times. Back at it sat night.HUNT
Saw both of these bears tonight . Just no shots. HUNT
This one was under my tree . He didn't like something and like big bears do just slowly turned and left. HUNT
Good crop of mature bears on that bait man. Dang!
You guys go in there tonight and make it happen.
It's 5:48 in Alabama...something ought to be dieing pretty soon in Idaho.
Story coming tomorrow. Its worth the wait.HUNT
Right on Hunt!! Looking forward to it.
Congrats!!!!
Scott
I think there is a bear behind that log!
--Jim
Can't wait for the story! It looks like one of the color phase bears got a sharp stick sent his way.
Nice looking color phase bear pics...waiting to see more.
Looks like we will find out if it was a grizz or not.
As soon as F&G release him for shooting a Grizz he'll be able to tell the story...just kidding!
I hate waiting!
Congrats, now out with it!
Sweet! Hunt you get it done my friend!
I got everything done around the house on Saturday morning and headed out around noon. It was raining on and off and heavy at times. I get to the bait at 130 and bait it up heavy. HUNT
After baiting its raining hard. I hang out in the truck. Trying to build up the courage to take a shower in the 40 deg weather. I did and got dressed and ready to head in. HUNT
The weather is still iffy. Its 330 and I head on into the bait. HUNT
I get in the stand at 345 and get everything settled in. Its stilling raining on and off. but looks like its going to blow on out. HUNT
Grats to both of you! Look forward to hearing about number 2
It stops raining around 5ish. I am just enjoying the sights and sounds. Chipmunks and squirrels fighting. Ravens and crows talking and even a Marten at the bait. Evening slowly ticks by. 6 then 7 then 8 and nothing.I am getting worried last night i had seen 3 bears by now. HUNT
815 i hear something downhill and to my right. Then as bears do so well he just appears. 30 yards and at 1 o clock. He turns to the bait and is on a log out in front at 8 yards. Just his feet and nose is showing. I have tension on my string just waiting. 5 min then 10 mins. He is just looking. He goes left away from the bait and i start looking for a lane. This place is a jungle. I see my spot and draw and anchor up. He is walking i let out a low grunt and he stops. HUNT
When I grunted to stop him, He turned in a U shape. I didn't like the angle so i just held. Finger on the trigger. He started to do that big bear slow turn and the bow went off. HUNT
He bolts. Not 2 seconds later i hear that sound every bear hunter wants to hear. The death moan. Its early and i have another tag. So i settle back in. Its funny to me how we wait so long for that moment and then its gone. I had to remind myself i had just shot a great bear. At 900 i see a blk one working up the hill. It just a bear and gets a pass. It wonders off and i get ready to get down. HUNT
I got my arrow and put on my head lamp. The slick trick did its job. Great blood and not 20 yards down the hill lay my spring bear. It was all balled up. I pulled him out and realized he was better than i thought. HUNT
It took all i had and some rope to get him set up for pics. HUNT
He was an old warrior with many scars. I was thankful to have the opportunity to take such a bear. Hunt
I put my stuff away and go to work. Its surreal to be in the dark skinning a bear 30 yards from a active bait. It takes over an hour to break him down. HUNT
Congrats on a incredible effort and story!
Really enjoyed your thread HuntMan
Doing the last paw and in a hurry i slip and cut the shit out of my finger with the havalon. I have what i need in my backpack to take care of it. But it scares me and makes me realize to SLOW down. I was 30 min from the truck. 1 hour to the pavement and 1:30 to the house.Please be careful out there guys.
Thanks for following along. Back at it for one more sit tonight. HUNT
Great read Hunt, and beautiful bear.
A few of the texts I sent to Hunt yesterday morning "I have faith in you Hunt Dawg. You'll get it done. You're a clutch player.... All you need is one..... I fully expect to be reading a bear story tommorrow morning"
Never doubted you for a minute. Congrats on a great bear!
"Its funny to me how we wait so long for that moment and then its gone." - Truer words were never spoken.
Again, great job, I'm happy for you brother.
Good job and thanks for breaking up the summer doldrums. Be careful with that finger ...bears carry that triccunosis bug.
Congratulations! Enjoyed the thread!!
Well done boys! Thanks again for posting this
Nice! Congrats! Great looking color. THX for taking us along.
Love it! Hard to believe its almost over. Looking forward to next spring, you can leave the head lamp at home :)
That's a beautiful bear, HUNT! Congrats and thanks for taking us along again.
Good luck tonight!
Very nice bear. Looks like a good hide too!
Way to go. Im envious. Enjoy the blessed situation you guys are in. And you do it right. A credit to the bowhunting world
Great bear and love the color on that one. Thanks for sharing your Idaho adventure.
Congratulations and thanks for bringing us along... Great job by you both...
Rad! Grats Hunt! I'm stoked for you! I can only imagine how you feel!
This thread makes me want to go hunting
Congrats to both....fun read.
GREAT read guys, I always love the semi-lives that you guys post up. Thank you for sharing, and congrats on some fantastic bears!
Never a doubt about the outcome of this one. Congrats Hunt. I am fortunate to hunt with a group of guys who hunt just like you. Hunting 24/7/365 creates lots of opportunities. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome color phase HUNT. Thanks for sharing.
Congrats hunt! Great bear and great reminder tip on safety.
Great bear HUNT MAN! I love the color!
Very cool thread, thanks so much for sharing your adventures.
Best of Luck, Jeff
congrats on a great bear HUNT! Thanks for letting us tag along!
Congrats HUNT. I met several folks from Montana this weekend at the shoot down here that knew you. MOST said good things....LOL.
Never any doubt. Nice work.
On second thought, I may have to quit reading these threads where the killing of something is not even in question. :^)
Congrats! Seriously, Great Thread and Hunt! Thank you for sharing.
Cool! Great looking bear, congrats!
Thanks for taking us along, that's a ton of work from start to finish and the devil is in the details... seems the success is as well. Great job.
Got to be careful when handling an Instrument of Dismemberment though......
Looks like you got reminded that the Havalon is an "Instrument of Death!Great bear!
Thanks guys for the kind words. I enjoy doing threads like this. They are what drew me to Bowsite in the first place.
Hope to have a few bowsite guys come out next year. Always fun to share the resource.
Scott, I wish i could have made your guys shoot. It looked like a blast. But, As you know I cant shoot 3-d:}
Thanks again guys. Until next time. HUNT.
Hammertime it was! Great job man!
Congrats on a great bear and a great hunt.
Congrats to both of you on fine bears.
Congrats Hunt! Only thought that comes to mind is; "I love it when a plan comes together"! Mike
You did it again Hunt! I had no doubt, congrats on one hell of a bear! Thanks for sharing.
From wow to WOW by the end.
Thanks very much for taking the time to put on so many posts when you're already putting in what seems like endless days.
I'm curious what you do with all the hides, Hunt, since you seem to kill a good one every year. Rugs? Just tanned? Nothing but curiosity.
How well do you like the meat? I've had some fall bears from the Rockies and loved it. Again, no hidden agenda on my end, just curious what it's like and how you prepare it.
As per "I drew the instrument of death" being "creative writing?"
Don't think I've been that "creative" in 30-plus years of creative writing. My editors would freak-out, but that's a whole lot different that one pumped-up guy telling others about his hunt.
But, hey, it's your bear, it's your story to tell however you want, as it should be. It was a bear hunt, not an English lit assignment and I liked it well enough to read it twice. Fun stuff. :-)
Thanks again, I really enjoy this every spring, guys.
I'll tune in next year, too.
Writer. I just tan the hides. Have them hanging in my hunting room. I want to get a Bear coat made. Found a guy in Colorado that does it.
The meat makes great sausage and brats for me. Thanks again it was fun . HUNT
Great idea. When we've doubled on bears we've had one made into a rug and the other just tanned to hang on pegs.
Congrats,love the cinnamon. Brent
