Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: JakeD on June 11, 2019, 01:47:31 PM
-
Last year sometime, my wife and I decided it might be fun to go try for spring bear somewhere. She had never been on any out of state hunt, and neither of us had any experience with bears. So, we decided to go with an outfitter and booked a hunt with Clark Fork Outfitters.
I had hunted with them once before in 2015. My brothers, dad and I chased elk in the mountains with them and had a great time. My dad was lucky enough to get an elk and we loved the environment. Due to that prior trip, it was an easy decision to go back again.
Since we hadn't been on a vacation recently, we decided to make it an extended trip and see some other sites along the way. We loaded up the 4Runner about as full as it would go, and headed out midday on May 17th. We wouldn't be home again until June 2nd.
-
:campfire: :coffee:
-
:) :coffee: :coffee: :laugh:
-
Since we decided to make a long trip of it, we had to stop at several places along the way. From our home to Clark Fork is a 27 hour drive, so you can imagine there is a lot in between to see and do. My wife and I enjoy the national parks, so that was our main agenda on the way there. South Dakota was our first real stopping point. We went to Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, Crazy Horse monument, and spent a little time in Deadwood. For those who haven't been to that part of South Dakota, it's worth the trip. There are several places to visit and the country is beautiful in my opinion.
-
Hmm... I'm trying to add pics, but for some reason it won't let me. :dunno:
-
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
Since it wasn't very far away, we decided to swing over and check out Devils Tower in Wyoming. We both really enjoyed the place. Pictures don't really do it justice. It's very impressive up close. From there we made our way to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It's not an overly popular place, but I thought the scenery was great. The highlight for me was seeing the feral horses. And of course, the icon of the west......
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
Continuing west from there, we made our way across Montana. Glacier National Park is where we were heading, and the scenery was spectacular. It didn't take us long once we got there to see our first bear of the trip.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
Since neither of us had any experience with bears, this was a really cool encounter being this close to a bear. And it really got us fired up and ready to start hunting.
We had to drive around to the other side of the park since the going to the sun road was still closed due to snow. We didn't mind though, it was just more great country to see.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
Wow, what wonderful places to see. Thank you.
-
We spent the next few days around glacier, flathead lake, and kalispell without any real agenda. It was definitely time well spent.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
Heading south after that, we spent the next couple days around Missoula. We got to check out the local breweries and restaurants. We both were having a good time, but we were getting antsy and ready to go after some bears. On Sunday the 26th, we headed over into Idaho to buy our licenses and meet up with the outfitter. The weather looked great for the next 5 days, and we both had expectations to have a great time.
-
It appears to be well worth the trip so far. Thanks for sharing and the pics!
-
:campfire: Looking forward to more of your adventure.
-
Thanks for sharing.
-
It is some real beautiful land out there. Thanks for sharing.
-
We arrived at the outfitters and saw a few familiar faces, as well as some new ones. Sheldon was our guide, and he started to show us pics of some bears that were coming in to the baits. We discussed a plan for the hunts, which would consist of late nights and sleeping in each day.
We got settled in and checked out all our equipment. That evening would consist of meeting some other hunters, having drinks, and eating a great home cooked meal. Food was plentiful throughout the trip, and it was excellent.
Day 1
I took my lone wolf and sticks along to ensure that I could get up close and personal. I was about 15 yards from the bait and hadn't been there long when a gobble rang out. Turns out that a gobbler and his two lady friends had been frequenting the bait site and he was a talker. They hung around for close to 5 hours, keeping me entertained and giving me a show.
Around 7:30 I caught movement on the other side of the bait. It was a young cinnamon bear that was coming in, and was my first real encounter with a bear. It amazed me how quiet it was. I got to watch it at the bait for several minutes before it got up to leave.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
It wasn't leaving quite yet though. It caught a whiff of something it wasn't sure about. Turned out that it was a curious little bear and decided to come to the tree to find the source of the smell. As it stood up at my tree and checked me out I wasn't worried, it was actually the kind of encounter I was hoping for.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
It finally had enough of my stench though, and decided that it had better places to be. I couldn't have asked for much more out of the first evening. Darkness came and I packed things up as I saw the lights from our guide coming to pick me up.
-
Nice bears, the real question is... Where did the quides take you??.
I have a brother in law coming out for fall bear. Been scouring the maps looking for a sweet spot away from all the forest roads.
It is beautiful up here huh.
-
Nice bears, the real question is... Where did the quides take you??.
I have a brother in law coming out for fall bear. Been scouring the maps looking for a sweet spot away from all the forest roads.
It is beautiful up here huh.
Oddly enough, we really weren't too far off of the service roads. I could see how it would be a really tough hunt without bait. Not a lot of glassing opportunity where we hunted. I think it would be a lot like hunting whitetails without the bait. And yes, it is beautiful there.
-
Day 2
This was a pretty similar hunt to the first evening. I hunted the same bait as the first day, and right on time the gobbler announced his presence and gave me a show for quite some time. Somewhere between 7-8 I saw a small color phase bear coming. I assumed it was the bear from the day before, but when it got closer I could see it was noticeably smaller. It came to the bait and started eating, but was constantly watching and acting paranoid.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
After 15 or so minutes I catch more movement and see the bear from the first day coming. Once the small bear saw the bigger one, you would've thought somebody hit it with a cattle prod. It shot about 60 feet up a tree as fast as lightning. It was pretty amazing how fast it went. The small bear proceeded to pop its teeth, whoof, and growl as the other bear started feeding.
Those two came and went the rest of the evening, and as it got dark I packed my things up and waited for Sheldon to come pick me up. Day 3 I would be headed to a new bait, and give me an opportunity that I had been waiting on.
-
kevin...theres only one place he can go from clarks fork...unit 1 is a no bait unit so unit 4a is the only other choice
-
Got it durp, thanks. Still new to bear hunting .
Enjoying the story so far.
-
Day 3
Since I was only seeing small bears, we decided that I would go sit a different bait about an hour away. I was all for it. There is just something about the excitement and anticipation of hunting a new stand/spot.
The afternoon passed by without much to show for. I was starting to miss my turkey entertainment when I caught movement far down off a hillside from me. All that I could tell was that it looked like a cinnamon bear, but couldn't tell how big. I got ready just in case. After about 15 minutes it showed up to the bait. It was a pretty bear, but not what I was looking for. At least it was some action though.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
It didn't stick around too long and it went back the way it came. I didn't have to wait very long and I saw a nice black bear coming. I immediately told myself he was big enough to shoot. He slowly made his way to the bait and I let him get completely relaxed. He rolled the logs around and laid down to start eating and I drew back. I picked a spot.....and then let back down. I just wasn't sure that he was quite big enough. Over the course of the next half hour I drew several times on him, but kept hesitating. He came walking up to 7 yards begging me to shoot, but I let him go.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
He left and the rest of the night passed without any action. I was hoping that I made the right decision, but doubting that I did.
After getting back to camp, the owner told me that I should have shot. Talk about kicking myself. But, I still had two days left to hunt and I would be sitting that bait again. Chances were good he would be back.
-
Day 4
With what happened the 3rd evening, I was really hoping to see the bear that I passed up. It wasn't meant to be this evening though, as it was a really slow evening with only one small black bear seen. I had no interest in shooting it, as it was a rough little fella and really small. I only had one evening left to hunt, and I was sure hoping to get another chance at a good bear.
Day 5 ( last evening)
Well, i had one last hunt to make it happen. The evening was passing slowly and I hadn't seen anything at all, when all of a sudden there he was at 25 yards. The black bear had showed up again and was going to give me another chance. I don't know how I never heard or saw him coming, but it didn't really matter at that point. I went into auto pilot and slowly got ready as he worked into the bait. I let him get broadside and slightly quartering away before I started to draw. Everything was looking good as I drew back, picked a spot, and released the arrow.
It was beautiful in flight. I remember watching like it was in slow motion. Everything was lining up like I had imagined. Except for one small problem. I missed high and gave him a buzz. I couldn't believe it. I completely botched the shot. He hopped behind the bait, wanting to come back. He thought better of it though, and slowly worked away from me. Talk about heartbreak.
-
So at this point I couldn't get much lower. I had about an hour and a half left, but I radioed my guide and told him to just go ahead and come get me. He was still over an hour away, so I was going to have plenty of time to sit there and cuss myself while I waited.
So I sat there cussing myself and feeling like an idiot for blowing the shot. Well I guess the man upstairs must've either felt sorry for me or just wanted me to quit whining. I happen to glance to my left and caught movement on the hillside. It appeared to be a nice cinnamon bear trotting down the hill towards me. I couldn't believe it. Was I actually going to get another shot?
The bear came to the bait, and I was already up and ready to shoot. It didn't stop at the bait though, and was just walking by. It stopped completely broadside at 18 yards and paused for a moment. It was now or never. I drew, burned a hole behind the shoulder, and let the string slip out of my fingers.
Once again, it was like slow motion watching the arrow speed towards the bear. This time was different than the first though. That arrow flew as true and perfect as any I've ever shot. I watched it hit exactly where I was looking, and the bear took off. It ran 30 yards and started looking around, wobbling, and took off again. It stopped behind some trees, broke a few dry limbs as it rolled around, and then all was quiet.
Talk about a rollercoaster of emotion. It's funny how quickly things can change. I checked the time. I had 35 minutes left in my hunt. I sat there waiting for my guide to show up, eager to go get the bear.
It didn't take long to find the bear. It only ran about 65 yards total. The shot was perfect and I had my first bear. It's no giant by any means, but I was absolutely thrilled with it. It turned out to be a sow with no cubs. She weighed approximately 160 pounds.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
Wow , a beauty. Nice job.
Great story, I suspect you'll be back again to these mountains.
-
Congrats! Way to get it done at the last second!
-
Attaboy Jake......great story and pics!
I think there is more to the story tho......keep it coming
Tim B
-
congrates!!! and please come back and kill another one :bigsmyl:
-
Congratulations again, that's a nice Bear. Great pictures of your trip as well.
-
Awesome story, pics and bear...Congrats!!! :clapper:
-
Congrats! Looks like you had a fantastic trip. :archer:
-
Congrats! Northern Idaho is beautiful. I was there 3 weeks ago and saw 6 in 2 days hunting.
-
Great story and a better bear! :clapper:
-
Great first bear!!!! Way to stick with it and not get too down on yourself!
Congrats
-
Thanks everybody. Sorry the story was so long winded. Just had a lot go on during that trip and tried not to leave too much out.
We really had a great time hunting in Idaho. There is a good chance we will be going back again next spring. My wife had a chance at a nice bear, but things didn't work out in her favor. A little bit of bear fever saved a bear.
-
congratts! on your first bear, good story. :thumbsup:
-
Great story and pics of your trip. Also a fine looking bear with a good shot put on her.
-
Nice job on trip and bear man! Great pics!!
-
Now that's how you tell a story! :thumbsup:
-
Well dang, probably drove by my house a dozen times and didn't stop in for a cup of coffee. :thumbsup: Nicely done.
-
Now that's how you tell a story! :thumbsup:
AMEN!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!
-
Congratulations on a great hunt! I think you made the right decision to not shoot the black one- but maybe for a different reason.
I have hunted with a couple of experienced Trad hunters who tried to shoot bear while they were laying down. In both cases they hit the shoulder and the arrow failed to penetrate into the vitals. Something about the way the shoulder slides back when they lay down.
A fee years ago I had the opportunity to shoot a big bear while he was laying down. I decided to wait and was rewarded with a nice standing broadside shot.
-
Congrats and great story. Awesome. Thanks for taking us along.
-
Very cool congratulations!!
-
Congratulations on a great bear and a great story.