I want start this thread by saying a heart felt and deeply sincere thank you to each of my camp mates over the last week. I learned more from this group of guys about traditional archery, bear hunting, outdoorsmanship and ultimately about myself than I could have ever imagined. Also before I get too deep into this thread I want to put up a disclaimer. I didn't kill a bear and there will be no hero shots to follow. But I feel I would be cheating all the Trad brothers not to share some of this experience and the photos.
I want to say what many have said before, Ryan Derlago runs a top shelf operation. I'm not talking just about the quality of the bear hunting either. Himself and his guides are world class individuals who go above and beyond to help guys get an opportunity at a bear and be comfortable in camp. Again I know I'm not the first to post these words.
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This is the group of guys that was in camp over the past week. Again I feel that this experience wouldn't have been as awesome without sharing with these guys.
From right to left:
Myself(David Gage),Guide "Magic" Mike, David Pagel, TwoWolvesArchery(Mike Casey),Wapiti792(Mike Davenport), Tim Bradley, BEL007(Brian Lance), Kneeling Stickflingers Ryan Derlago and David Heppner
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These week absolutely flew by. I spent 2 days on a bait called Determination aka Crazy Bait. To quote Ryan, "Its mind blowing."
I'm not gonna go into every detail of the hunt but touch more on the things I learned about myself thru this experience.
Hunting can bring us to the highest of highs and bring us down to the lowest of lows.
I experienced both on this trip. On the 4th night of this 6 day hunt I had a beautiful 6 foot chocolate boar come in. I knew the second I saw this bear that I wanted to take him. He came in to the bait and presented me with a picture perfect full broadside shot. I came to full draw hit anchor and released.
I was in absolute shock when I saw my fletching strike the bear right above the elbow. This was a good 4 inches lower than where my eyes had been looking. I knew with the shot trajectory and stand height that arrow didn't enter the chest cavity.
At this point my heart sank. No jubliation of an up coming recovery. Just pure and total deflation. I was certain that this bear wasn't mortally hit and that there would be no recovery. My mind was racing and as I think anyone who has wounded an animal can confirm I began to question myself.
I began to have the thoughts of why do I do this? Why is it I'm drawn to a hobby that can be so gut wrechingly painful? I wasn't worried about money or the time it had taken to get to camp. I was heart broken that I had caused this animal pain. I started to question my motives for this trip and wonder if I had been selfish in leaving my family behind to pursue this passion.
I prayed for guidance and peace and that the Lord reveal what it was I needed to learn from this experience. This my friends I recieved and more over the course of the next few days.
I left the tree and got back to the quad. I made the long ride back to camp and was full of emotion. I honestly had to fight back tears as I pulled into camp to look Ryan, David and Mike in the face and tell them that I hadn't held up my end of the deal. They put a bear in front of me and I didn't make it happen.
We let everything be for the night and Mr. Pagel had success but that is his story and I want him to tell that. David, Mike Davenport and I went back to the bait where I'd shot my bear and did an extensive search. At certain points we were on the ground on hands and knees looking for blood and after 400 plus yards of tracking we all agreed that it was a muscle hit. I did feel a little better.
That evening Mike Davenport was going to go to Determination aka Crazy Bait and asked if I wanted to go sit with him. I was thrilled at the chance to experience this bait with my friend. We got to sit in the same blind during turkey season in Nebraksa and to get to do it again bear woods was absolutely amazing.
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No camera tricks. That bear is in the tree next to us. Doing the same thing we are hiding from the mad sows below.
Much more to come. Learned so very much.
Just when I thought I couldn't hunt with a more fine gentleman, I meet David Gage.
Keep them pics coming brudda...
Oh, I've been waiting for this one!
Sorry to hear it didn't go quite according to the script David. But sometimes that is the way it happens, and anyone who has been at this long enough knows the feeling. The emotions that you expressed so well are what make you a hunter that I respect. I'd share a camp with you again anytime!
Pretty cool to come back and see your mug up on top of the page though, isn't it?
:campfire: keep going bud! My life was changed after that sit. I have never laughed so much at mean arse sows :)
I also have never known that kind of fear in the dark with two sows that thought a yeti (me) and bearded wild man (you) were the boogie men trying to harm their babies. Thank God for our Hostage Rescue Team. The boys at Quantico would be proud of the extraction ;)
:coffee:
:biglaugh:
Awesome. I have been to that bait...I am much more bold around bears now too. Good thing one can basically hop on to the quad from the tree steps! Looking forward to the stories.
:thumbsup:
This is gonna be good!
Mike and I saw 23 bears during our sit. We had bears that wanted to come sit in the tree with us. At one point I got into a tug of war match with a dry sow that came in and discovered my shaker bag tied to my pull rope. I thought Mike was going to fall out of the tree laughing as the sow at the barrel charged because she wasnt happy about my playmate getting too close.
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One of the big sows that hung out at Determination.
It was almost time for Mike and I to get picked up and we had 8 different cubs up 4 different trees and 4 sows on the ground and none were very happy. Luckily 2 took there cubs and left as we heard the quads approaching to pick us up. We warned our guide David and David Pagel what was going on at the barrel and David came in at the ready with the shotgun. We climbed down and we all slowly made our way out without incident.
The last day in camp I had begun to pack a with the bitter sweet feeling of a hunt that had not ended as I had hoped. Everyone else was going out for their last hunt and I took that evening to spend some time getting to know Tim Bradley. Tim is one accomplished hunter, a no BS kinda guy and after 5 minutes if you don't know where you stand with Tim you aren't paying attention. As Tim and I talked about hunting and adventures our conversation turned to family and life. Tim and his son Joe have hunted bears together for several years together and I could tell Tim was missing that opportunity this year due to unforseen circumstances. Tim got up during our conversation and went to his tent and returned with a letter Joe had written. I read this letter and it hit me like a freight train. Joe is wishing his father good luck and also telling him all the things he will miss about the hunt. As I'm reading this letter I realize I'm reading all the reasons why I do this. My questions from the day I shot my bear have literally been handed to me on paper. I know Brian has a copy of the letter and I hope he will post it on this thread.
Sorry your shot did not work out, but like said above, it happens to everybody at one time or another. I would think something was wrong with you if you did not get tore up from it. Looks like the place is every bit a cool as all the stuff I have read about it.
Tuned in for the rest of the story!
Bisch
As the evening ends and the guys return to camp to tell their tales, which I will let them do, darkness has fallen over the camp and I notice some faint emerald green streaks to the North. I had asked my guide David about the Northern Lights and he said they don't see them very often at camp. As a matter of fact he said he couldn't remember the last time he had. The following pictures are from the last night in camp.
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I know this isn't your typical hunting tale. As a matter of fact I think this hunting trip was very little about hunting for me and more about the journey and adventure I shared with men who started of as strangers and ended as friends. Thanks again guys what a trip.
Welcome to Canada !LOL It doesn't get any better than that.Ryan is first class.To bad he didn't model his HighHeels for ya,I'll bet he looks pretty good after a week in the bush !
My goodness what stunning photos Dave! Thank you for them and thanks for being my wingman at Determination. Your growth as a traditional archer and man has been something to behold. Hope we get a lot more days in the field...that is if our wives let us after this trip :)
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* A little Stickflingers promo
I dedicated 40 hours on stand to hunt a ghost...he never showed. But in those five days I met a sow that wanted to eat me the first day, then by the 4th trusted me to watch her 3 kids while she took a nap under my stand. I had next years boar offer me a perfect shot on day 3, and I let him walk. He was a beauty...but not "him".
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*The Napper
I got one morning sit, the day after our laugh fest/roller coaster ride on Determination. I couldn't help but go back...I had to know if that set was a fluke. It wasn't! I again passed a boar not quite what I had come to Stickflingers to shoot, and I let a football sized cub get too close. I had to persuade him back down the tree I was sitting, along with his sibling with a very pissed off mother with two feet already on my tree. If my backpack had not been in his way he would have been to the top, and I would have had to deal with a 6 foot sow below and her baby above. It was like one of those amusement park rides: fun at the start and by the end you either want your mommy or 3 fingers of whiskey. My mom lives in Tennessee...so when I made it back I settled for some Canadian spirits and a nap.
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*The nester: this bear wa smart. Built himself a safe haven from all those mean sows.
The last sit for me was anticlimactic. After seeing 51 bears in 5 days I spent the last 9 hours waiting on my bear, hoping the sow and her cubs would have parted company by now. It was rut time, and I just knew he would show to court the sow. My hopes were dashed as daylight ran out on me with no bears to keep me company. I finished the night with a few calls from the many white-throated sparrows, and a realization that Manitoba bear hunting is now part of me. I will be back.
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Sounds like a great experience and a great group of hunters in camp! I wanta go!!
I think we've all experienced that, at least I sure have. Stick with it and with success all those bad feelings go away.
I will get up there over the next couple years, that I guarantee
very good story and pics...sounds like a heart touching expierence that i hope to capture myself someday,thxs for sharing guys
Outstanding stories already! What a trip - exactly the stuff that dreams are made of for the rest of us. It is obvious from your telling that you know how fortunate you all are to have actually lived it. And those northern light pictures are outstanding! Magazine cover material right there.
Carry on - I'm loving this!
Guys, I am just getting back and reorganized. I will get on with the tales and pictures shortly. I concur with David, Mike and Brian, what a great bunch of guys we had in camp. Obviously we discussed bowhunting a great deal, but many of the discussions took us to topics that really enabled us to understand what the other people were really about. Good, good people that have persevered as life threw curveballs. I will be back soon with pictures and my story.
D.P.
Few more pics before the "closers" tell their tale. I am at work today and already miss checking the wind, talking about the days' sits and enjoying my friends in camp.
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*Moose camp was loud...thank you Big Sexy Lance!
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*Some great bows and men that can shoot them
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*Baiting a set and a six foot boar says hello
Great story David .... I have had those very feelings and when it happens it lasts a long time, but eventually the true reason I bow hunt brings me back to the sport I love so much. You show a true respect for the animal ... Great pics too !
I head to Stickflinger's Thursday and my wife " the city girl" will not be reading this thread. She is convinced the bears will eat me, while it is my intention to eat one of them :thumbsup:
Good luck to all the hunters that remain, just leave me the "one".
Sounds like dreams came true. I have never seen the aurora borealis but its on my bucket list and would alone make the trip for me. Congrats on a great hunt and sorry you didnt get your bear
Ok fellas. This was my second trip to Stickflingers, but I am still far from an experienced bear hunter. This week helped a lot as I was more patient and got to watch many more bears interact. I didn't get the education David G. and Mike D. got, but mine was much less stressful! My big goal was to take a boar on this trip. Last year I shot a beautiful bear with a 6x8 blaze on it's chest, but it ended up being a sow. A boar was more important than size for me this year.
It was a tough week by big bear standards and I know the Stickflingers staff was stressing over that. They normally have a day or two of east winds in a 6 day hunt. This year the entire first 2 weeks were east. It made many of their best stands unhuntable and made it a challenge to keep 6 hunters in prime locations.
I was placed at the pit stand the first night and I was shown pictures of a 7+ foot black, a 7+ foot chocolate and 6+ foot bears of each color too. Any of them were fine for me. The first bear I saw was a nice chocolate bear that wanted to come sit with me. I shifted and gave it a look and it went down. Much more agreeable than some of my buddies experienced. The chocolate went to the barrel and I could see that it was a couple of inches shorter than the top, probably the 6+ footer. It left without giving me a shot. Later a nice black, slightly bigger came in and I decided to wait since it was the first night and I had seen the chocolate. They both came in later and I was positioned to shoot the chocolate when the black promptly bred her right in front of me. I am glad I didn't shoot her. They ended up repeating the act 3 more times before the night ended. I saw 9 different bears the first night.
The second night I did not see either the chocolate sow or her suitor, but I did see 8 bears with only one repeat from the first night. I had one bear come in that was the color of an Irish Setter dog. By far the prettiest bear I have ever seen and I believe it was a young boar just under 6 feet. He was very aggressive toward the other bears.
Day 3 saw saw heavy rains until 5:30 or so and an abbreviated sit. I was at a new stand called South Bell. A couple of the others had not seen many bears so we switched things up a bit. I had one 5 foot bear spend most of the night with me, but that was it.
Day 4 found me back at the pit with the intentions of taking the red bear if it showed since the bigger bears were being finicky and higher winds were in the forecast for the last 2 days. At 3:15 a brown bear started in and circled to enter from the far side of the barrel. On all fours it stood and drank off the top of the barrel and I realized I may have wrongly assumed it was the chocolate sow. The bear took a couple quick bites and turned to leave. The sow has a scar on her left hip and to my disappointment, there was no scar on the left hip when the bear turned to leave. I knew I had missed an opportunity at a nice bear. I had a couple of smaller bears visit multiple times over the next couple of hours. About 7:30 a small chocolate was circling and went on full alert. I looked to the east and a massive bear was coming in. It had red guard hair and black tips so it looked black until the wind blew and then there was a red tinge. I wanted to kill this bear. It saw the smaller bear and put on a full charge right under my tree. It ran the small bear 200 yards and treed it. Unfortunately he never came back.
At 8 I had a black bear heading in. It got to the back side of the barrel and I saw it was within an inch or so of the top of the barrel. The big chocolate sow came in and he ran her off multiple times. He also ran 2 other bears off and treed them. Each time he would grab saplings in his mouth and snap them off as he growled at the bear up the tree. After another such display I decided it was a boar around 6 feet and I was going to take him if I could. He came back to the barrel and promptly stopped at 9-10 yards broadside. I was using my Roberston Tribalstyk 54@ 28 (drawn to 29 1/2), a tapered Surewood shaft and a 160 VPA Terminator. I hit the bear in the pocket on the right side and it came out in front of the leg on the left. The bear jumped up on the tree and climbed to about 12 feet before sliding/falling to the ground and making a 50 yard semi-circle. All was quiet and I got no death moan. I walked the 1.6 miles back to camp and guide David and Dave Gage came back to retrieve the bear. It was a good trail and soon we found the bear. The first thing I did was check and it was a boar!
As others have said, we had a great bunch of guys in camp. All were ethical, responsible bowhunters and great shots I might add. The Stickflingers staff is very experienced and they truly care about the bears and the quality of your hunt. If the wind switches to the west this week, watch out for the bears that will be taken!
I am still not sure who this gray bearded gent is in the pics. Surely that can't be me! Pictures at 6:30 AM after 2 AM campfires are tough!
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Congrats Mr Pagel ... fine boar
Congrats David Pagel! I missed you the morning you left and am glad I got to see the boar you killed in situ. Beautiful bear and great story!
You know that pit blind stand is just terrible isn't it? :) Too much color to keep straight!
Ken - I think you are gonna hit the rut JUST RIGHT. We'll see what this week brings the Tall Tines group, but I think with the late spring up there they too may be a week too early.
To my old.. er young.. buddy Pags – what a great job you did taking your boar this year. Congrats buddy.
Mikey D. – your dedication to hunt the big 'uns inspires me.
I wish I had a story to tell this year. As luck would have it my bear is still in the woods.
The weather was not terrible, but at the same time far from ideal. The big boys were just not cruising yet although there were quite a few six footers to be seen.
My compadres on this trip truly lived up to every definition of the word. Good friendships were renewed and new friendships started. Lessons learned were shared openly. My love of traditional archery was reinvigorated. I remembered why I like "doing it the hard way". My disappointment never made me question my choice of gear or tactics. Maybe that is what I needed rather than another skull on the mantle or rug on the wall.
Great stories and great pictures! Thanks for posting! :thumbsup:
Some quick pics of to remember my trip...
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One happy bowhunter without a bear
Finally, pics of Pagel's bear! :thumbsup:
good stuff guys!! congrats Dave!
Thanks guys for the story and pics posted of your hunt.
Excellent stories and pics gentlemen and congrats on the bears! :campfire:
Congrats again Mr. Pagel. Great sharing camp with you. I was extremely happy you took the bear you wanted. Also glad somebody got to post a few hero pics on this thread as well!
A fine looking bear Dave! Congratulations!
This is a great thread. Thanks for sharing, guys.
Nice bear Dave.
Dang Dirtnap!!! Those are some INCREDIBLE pics my friend!!!!!
Sounds like an awesome trip to me!!! Keep it coming.
:thumbsup:
Congrats on the fine bear Dave, and thanks to all for the pictures and the stories.
Love those pics of the camp and Aurora , I had to call my family in and share them. Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks so much for sharing it,.
God bless you , steve
I am so very happy that everyone is enjoying those pics from camp. I had such a good time taking those. It took me a long time to get my wife to agree for me to take "her" Nikon but she finally agreed. They turned out better than I could have ever imagined!
Dave once again great looking bear. I was also glad Tim found your VPA when we were looking for his. Do you know it took all his energy to care that 165 grain head out of the pit while magic mike and I drug out his bear. David so glad your wife let u take her camera because those pics are great. You were taking pics for an hour so you have to have more then that.
Great story and pictures fellas. Memories that will last a lifetime.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats, thanks for sharing your stories.
David,
Great hunts are filled with emotion but not not always a filled freezer. Sounds like a fantastic camp. The pictures are great, especially the northern lights. Oh, and congratulations on the turkey "up top".
Joe
Dave P is reconize your bow on the rack. : first from left! LOL. Congrats.
Felix,
It is tough to find a picture of my bow on the rack. With a bear target set up all the time it seemed to be in my hands most of the time. I would hate to guess how many shots I took last week, well into the hundreds. I just love to watch an arrow in flight. I just had to watch out for the nock hunter, Mike Davenport!
D.P.
fantastic post, Mr. Pagel!! I should check these guys out! We've got bear all over the place here, hanging out in the pear and apple orchards in the Fall, but we can't bait `em here in WA.
Dave I was only shooting at carbon arras...I know how much time woodies take to make :)
Enjoyed all the stories and comradare in camp. I told Ryan that if I could go back and share another experience with Stickflingers, I'd want the same characters in camp! With Pagel's stories and Tim's unique brand of humor, as well as the genuine love of the hunt from each and every man, it was a an experience that was worth the cost of the hunt :campfire:
Agreed Mike. I was way down the pack in terms of story telling! Everyone contributed to that. It was a great camp I would be happy to be a part of again. Is it 2015 yet?
D.P.
Agreed the story's were all good even though i have heard times a time ot two bit its like listening to old Elvis records they never get old.
Man i hate auto correct
This kind of stuff is the real Meat of Trad Gang. I love It, Congrats and thanks for sharing!!!! :campfire: :clapper:
Congrats to all :campfire:
SheltonCreeker- Hope you don't mind, but this picture is now my computer background!
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Congrats Dave.
Thanks to all for sharing.
Hermon: Don't mind a bit. Ive got some more I will post. Glad you liked it!
QuoteOriginally posted by SheltonCreeker:
Hermon: Don't mind a bit. Ive got some more I will post. Glad you liked it!
I was scolded for not taking more pictures of my trip to Stickflingers. Couldn't have taken that good of pictures anyway! Hopefully the week 3 crew will have the weather cooperate more.
Trust me my pics were just dumb luck! I was just hitting the button and took a little advice from a photographer friend of mine. I'm hoping the weather changes for those fellas as well.
I hope the tall tines crew has some luck putting a brute on the ground!!
Neat stuff.....
If the TT group got/gets a wind switch to the west, it could be amazing. A number of those spots had not been able to be hunted all season.
D.P.
Great stories and pics fellas, looks like yall had an amazing trip!
Wanna bet those giants are on their feet running sows right now? Looks like they had good weather all week and little rain. Today's wind is SW...I know a good spot with that wind :)
Great stories and great pictures!!! :campfire:
What we would have giving for just one day of west winds. Mike and David u might have seen 75 bears then.
I wouldn't hunt Determination with a West wind. Those bears would have been mad I was in that ladder stand! They seem to have laid claim to that stand.
The way the bears came in I would bet that stand would be better. Those bears all came from the other way...coarse having the nester in your lap or one of them fat mean sows would increase the pucker factor :)
Anxious to hear how the Talltines guys did. Methinks there will be a tale or two...or three...or five :campfire:
I will be curious too ...them guys will GET ER DONE!!I HOPE TO SEE PICS
Looks like a great trip, thanks for the pics and stories... :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing!!
Thought I'd show a few more pics that were taken the last night in camp.
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Some of you who have been at this traditional thing awhile must laugh when you read things like what I'm about to type. It seems that the draw of this style of hunting for me has taught me more from the trips and hunts where no game is harvested. It seems that this way tho it may seem so hard and complicated at the start is really a road to simplicity. From the simplicity of the weapon to the way it has taught me to enjoy the simplicity of a camp fire, some faint green streaks in the sky and the laughter of camp mates in the distance. Thanks to all who have read and and commented on this thread. I feel as tho this hunt changed me not only as a hunter but as a person and that is why we do this.
Amen bro very well said!!!thxs for such a great thread
Beautiful pics! Those are magazine quality photos.
I am so glad we had this hunt together. I am proud to call you my friend :campfire:
:campfire:
Sure are beautiful pics I used one for a screensaver on my phone...lol
Great pictures - thanks for sharing them and your experience! :thumbsup:
Week 3 boys have any reports? :campfire:
I have to start by saying the fun factor was at an all time high. We were all friends including the guides and outfitter, Ryan, David, and Mike. The weather wash great and the bugs not too bad, so we maximized are sits. The wind was out of east and south east which wasn't the best for a lot of the stands, but there were certainly enough to occupy us. There was an occasional shift some evenings, but overall we had it good.
With that said, every one in camp was looking for that special bear to add in a significant degree of uncertainty to this style of hunting. For me I wanted a mature boar of at least 7' hide square. This would prove very difficult as I saw ~ 50 bears at less than 30 yards at six different stand sites, but none met my standard until the final morning. I sat Determination, the place I killed the 8 footer last year, and was in the thick of things with all the sows and cubs right from the start. Then at 9 am, a very tall and long bear came in and took over the bait. It was very lanky, and I knew it was a seven-footer. Now was it a boar? I really do think it was, but it had a long narrow head and a face that was rubbed back to its ears. It had big feet, but it was just not filled out. As I let it walk out right under my tree, it brought back memories of last year when I recalled seeing that bear with the one I killed. I could be wrong, but I do think it is a boar that has had a good start on a huge frame and great potential once it fills out its muscle and skull. I hope someone gets him in a couple years.
I came home empty handed, but it was a great week. I saw bears, a wolf, many moose, including calves, and even a couple elk. I felt I had a good hunt and the uncertainty was definitely there for me, and I was excited every evening and could feel it would happen at any moment. I will let others tell their stories when they get a chance. Mike
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All smiles!
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great pics mike thxs for sharing your story
It was a another great week at Stickflingers. As usual, Ryan and the guides did their job and more. Great camp, great food, hard working guides, lots of bears, etc. Couldn't ask for more. The fact that my cooler came home with dirty clothes in it and no bear is my own fault. The opportunities were there, but in the end I didn't close the deal. Instead of writing the final chapter on a bear, a new one has begun. I'm not even sure how many bears I saw. Lot's of 'em. Also saw moose, grouse, wolf, whitetail, lots of waterfowl, and a cow elk. Thanks again to everyone in camp for making it such a great week.
As you all know, that is part of hunting. Thanks for leaving that one Mike, I'll do my best to bring him home next year.
Herdbull that sounds like the bear i saw on the road bait. Tall long and face was rubbed out. I wonder how far those baits are apart from one another. You are more of a man then me i was going to shoot him if presented with a shot. There's always next year.
From Ladder, Determination is a little over 2 miles...I am a bear hunting newbie but I would think it is doable for a long-legged old boar :)
Sounds like the bears were moving but none of the big boys came to play for very long. Next year will be crazy!
twowolves- Road bait is several miles from Ladder, so in a straight line to Determination the road bait would be over 7 miles I'd guess.
Hopefully the one I passed will get as big as the one I took in 2012. Here is the mount I did myself. I'm happy how it turned out.
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What a beast Mike!
Nice mount!
Beautiful mount Mike!! Great job!! :thumbsup:
From Ladder to Determination is 3.99 miles according to my GPS.
That mount looks great Mike! Well done!
Wow my GPS must not like Canada, RY :) must get confused by the metric system.
There have been some giants killed at Ryan's place. This year there were many factors that prevented a 3-peat of giants in my opinion: the weird late spring, the green up with fiddlehead ferns the bears love, and sows not in heat but still with cubs. He also had some picky hunters like me looking for a certain bear.
The guides, the food, the accommodations, and the company of other wonderful guys in camp will bring me back as soon as Ryan will have me. The giant bears are just gravy on the potatoes...
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Mike D. and Mike M.-
On your full body mounts, how big is the base? Wondering how many square feet that type of mount takes up?
Mine is a rectangle I made 60" by 20". I put casters on it. I have since added more debri like pine cones, dry sticks and river stone. Mike
Thanks for the info Mike. Glenn
Mine is 48" by 30" and rolls. The footprint of the mount is about 6 feet by 3 feet. The expense of a full body mount was a bit shocking but if I ever shoot another bear that big, I'll do it again! Now if I could kill an 8 footer like my hero Mike, I might do something even grander :campfire:
Thank you too for the info. Glenn
Mike and Mike,
Dream bears for certain. I hope to get a crack at one of those 7+ bears in the next trip or so. The color bears are starting to turn my head too. The good news is both are available at Ryans and sometimes in the same package, right Mike D.!
D.P.
What a gorgeous bear...nice job indeed.
George
not to be nosey but mike m and wapiti what does a mount like that go for these days$$?
Taxidermy work has a wide range depending on the experience and clients of the professional. On bears, when I did some checking, it ranged from $350 to $500 per foot for a full body mount. My guy was on the higher end of that scale but cut me some slack on the total price as it was a 7 foot plus bear. I have more in the the mount than in the hunt :scared:
Still though, it is a lifelong momento that I will always enjoy!
I expidited and salted my own hide and had it tanned in Mich for $200. The form, eyes, glue, etc was in the $700 range for material. I mounted it myself, and made the habitat. So mine came in under a grand. My friend Matt Smith chose an up-right mount for his big "Coach Ditka" bear he got on the same night as I got mine bear, and just his form was $950. Not sure what his total bill was. So I guess it depends on a lot of things including what pose you choose.
Mike D, Well I guess its a momento, looks like you wake up to your bear looking over your bed every morning. Ha!
Ha Mike, other than my lovely wife it was the first thing I saw in the am :) since then we moved from our barn to ur new house and he has his own spot there.
My great uncle is a 77 years old and still does about 100 whitetails a year taxiing the derm. He didn't want to wrestle my bear so I went to another fella. I have done a few deer with him looking over my shoulder, but doing my own bear seemed daunting. My hats off to you for your DIY giant!
Thxs for the info guys...a bear rug is another thing I thought about too but gotta get out next yr and kill one before I do anything!!! :biglaugh:
TTT for a great adventure :campfire: :coffee: