Two for two this year. Rifle season was dismal the bears where hitting the bait well the week before the hunt. Then four days before the Friday opener temps went back to the high 60’s to mid. 70’s then to make it worst the rain & wind came. The acorns & beech nuts fell by the bushel. Natural food always trumps any thing man made. The baits went cold over night. This happens every year we jest hope it is well before the hunt or in between the rifle & bow seasons. ( two weeks in between ) My rifle hunter was a retired gentlemen who had planed on hunting the whole week. This man set like a stone for four days on the fifth Day at 7:38 pm. A med. Bore ( 170# live weight picture one ) walked right down the trail we use to bait & set hunters. A single shot from a 308 with 180 gr. Core-Lokt ended this hunt.
Bow hunt : This was a hunt to remember. This hunter was a young local fellow in good shape so I had picked a spot for him that was vary rugged to get too. Water & mud for ½ mile. First night ten minutes Before legal shooting time he here’s some thing swimming the creek & the brush snapping coming to the bait this bear stopped forty yds. Short and started popping its jaws & crunching brush in a half moon around the bait but would not commit. When the hunter decided to get down he broke a couple sticks ticked his arrow on his bow but the bear would not leave he even yelled at it. So he slowly got down and backed out of the woods tell he felt comfortable. The next day when I went into the bait my thoughts were confirmed I had targeted with this stand a vary large bore I had run into the year before wile deer hunting he was all of 500# Then. ( When a bear get so big it jest makes its own trail when I checked sign from the bait to the creek 50% of the brush was broke of 4” off the ground it looked like a bull dozer went down that trail ) He went nocturnal on us. Night two 5 pm. Sow with two cubs came into the bait. The sow moved a couple logs then went over about 30 yds. Got up on a blow down & watched in the direction the big boy came from they stayed about a ½ hour the sow never did eat. Day three when I went to bait. The site was tore up so I got looking around and fond ware two cubs had gone to tree along with the cub sign was some claw makes 8”Across & ¼” deep the big bore must have caught them at the bait and tried to shake them out. That night
The sow & one cub showed at 5 pm. The sow did the same thing as day two moved the logs then went 30 yds. Out & watched for the big boy. ( Have no prove but feel the bore was successful in knocking one of the cubs out of the tree and had A meal. ) About 7 pm. A lone bear around 200 lbs. circled the pile until it got To the trail big daddy was using & then kicked in the after burners running over the bait and not looking back. Day four we could set a watch by this sow 5 pm. She showed with one cub same as the past two days Moved the logs & went to the blow down. Only stayed 10 min. this night about ½ hour later a single bear Came in but stayed out about 40 yes. It did not commit to the bait. 7:30 pm. A single sow committed to the bait this was a nice bear 250# jest as the hunter was drawing crash , crash , crash from behind the stand A 300# bore ( Picture two ) chased the sow off the bait he chased her out of site then came back to the bait. When he cleared the cover the hunter was at full draw the shot was perfect double lung with a 2” rage broad head. I have seen a lot of wound channels over the years but have never seen such devastation from gun or bow on bear. You could look right in side the exit wound he went about 50 yds. Five bear in one night what a hunt. Like a lot of things in life persistence & commitment will win the day.
longun
Bow hunt : This was a hunt to remember. This hunter was a young local fellow in good shape so I had picked a spot for him that was vary rugged to get too. Water & mud for ½ mile. First night ten minutes Before legal shooting time he here’s some thing swimming the creek & the brush snapping coming to the bait this bear stopped forty yds. Short and started popping its jaws & crunching brush in a half moon around the bait but would not commit. When the hunter decided to get down he broke a couple sticks ticked his arrow on his bow but the bear would not leave he even yelled at it. So he slowly got down and backed out of the woods tell he felt comfortable. The next day when I went into the bait my thoughts were confirmed I had targeted with this stand a vary large bore I had run into the year before wile deer hunting he was all of 500# Then. ( When a bear get so big it jest makes its own trail when I checked sign from the bait to the creek 50% of the brush was broke of 4” off the ground it looked like a bull dozer went down that trail ) He went nocturnal on us. Night two 5 pm. Sow with two cubs came into the bait. The sow moved a couple logs then went over about 30 yds. Got up on a blow down & watched in the direction the big boy came from they stayed about a ½ hour the sow never did eat. Day three when I went to bait. The site was tore up so I got looking around and fond ware two cubs had gone to tree along with the cub sign was some claw makes 8”Across & ¼” deep the big bore must have caught them at the bait and tried to shake them out. That night
The sow & one cub showed at 5 pm. The sow did the same thing as day two moved the logs then went 30 yds. Out & watched for the big boy. ( Have no prove but feel the bore was successful in knocking one of the cubs out of the tree and had A meal. ) About 7 pm. A lone bear around 200 lbs. circled the pile until it got To the trail big daddy was using & then kicked in the after burners running over the bait and not looking back. Day four we could set a watch by this sow 5 pm. She showed with one cub same as the past two days Moved the logs & went to the blow down. Only stayed 10 min. this night about ½ hour later a single bear Came in but stayed out about 40 yes. It did not commit to the bait. 7:30 pm. A single sow committed to the bait this was a nice bear 250# jest as the hunter was drawing crash , crash , crash from behind the stand A 300# bore ( Picture two ) chased the sow off the bait he chased her out of site then came back to the bait. When he cleared the cover the hunter was at full draw the shot was perfect double lung with a 2” rage broad head. I have seen a lot of wound channels over the years but have never seen such devastation from gun or bow on bear. You could look right in side the exit wound he went about 50 yds. Five bear in one night what a hunt. Like a lot of things in life persistence & commitment will win the day.
longun
