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Oh man, this was a tough hunt. The weather (hot), the terrain (steep, rocky, downfall), the insects (flies, bees and skeeters) and a nice bear all conspired to completely wear out me and my hunting partner.
A long day of hiking and glassing, and the occasional dirt nap in between, but nothing to show for it.
Finally around 7pm I found movement to my left and let the bear browse to me - and that she did.
At first I thought I blew my chance, as the bear kept moving away from me, but she ended up changing course, and when she put her head down I drew and released.
I thought the shot was a good one, but aside from the first large blood pool, the blood trail was a weak one. I got ahold of my hunting partner, and together we looked until dark, while fighting the sick feeling of possibly wounding an animal.
We decided to come back at first light.
At first light the blood trail didn't look any more promising, so we began a grid search, looking for any sign at all.
A swarm of bees tipped off my hunting partner and it turned out the bear took the long route, only to pile up about a hundred yards from where I shot it.
Fortunately the overnight temps cooled quite a bit and we were able to salvage the meat and the hide.
Might make a nice half-mount.
Nice bear,i went out for the opener and the berries this year were almost non-existent.
way to go wild one ,came close myself this weekend but unlike your bear this one never gave me a shot but what a thrill to be so close ,maybe next time con grads again ,
Great bear, Gary.
Glad to hear you caught a break on the temps...I know bear meat can be sketchy if not cooled quick enough.
Congrats!
Very cool looking bear. I left one over night and when I got the hide back from the tannery all the hair slipped on th side touching the ground. After I mounted it I sprayed the area with black paint and you can't even tell. They sure get heavy quick don't they? A 300 pounder quickly becomes 400. The lesson I learned was hunt uphill not down. Well done getting a bear that unique is a real trophy. Congratulations!
Grats Gary!
You're in small company putting the animals on the ground that you do, DIY in SoCal.
My hat's off to you.
Thanks Ike !
Good luck this fall.
