This has been a long winter here in the midwest and a couple of weeks ago I was having an itch to go to the mountains again.  It is an itch that I cannot scratch but taking a hunting trip seems to make it bearable.  I had a week of vacation coming so I started looking for cancellation bear hunt.  I found one in Wyoming but that was taken before I could get it booked.  The booking agent tried to sell me another hunt that was more $ but I thanked him and declined.  I looked on that internet auction site and found a hunt in Idaho, along the Lochsa river.  I baited that area for bear hunting with my brother 4 years ago so I was familiar with it.  The price was right and I was the only one to bid.  I hastily made reservations for a flight to Missoula, reserved a motel room and a rental car and started packing.

I boarded my plane at 7:00 pm Sunday evening and arrived in Missoula about Midnight.  I could smell the pine in the air as I left the airport terminal and it was good.  The car rental limo picked me up took me to my rental car and within a half hour I was checked into my motel and off to sleep.  It was a 2 hour drive over the Lolo Pass to get to camp.



The snow was pretty deep at the rest stop on top at the pass.


 

My brother and I set out baits for bear hunting in this area 4 years ago.  We went up the Elk Summit road into the Selway Wilderness then.  That road has 16 ft of snow on it this week.  Lots of snow up high.


 


There had been three days of 90 degree temperatures and that 150% of normal snowpack was melting off quickly.  The clearwater wasnt so clear and the river was lapping at the 100 year floodplain.  Residents along the river near Kooskia were sandbagging their homes.


 


I rented this 2008 Subaru Forrester.  4x4 and economical but more spartan than my usual ride.  I travel light.  I take my sleeping bag as a carryon and check two bags.  Got to watch your weight.  Anything over 50 pounds could cost you a C-note.


 

I put a 32 inch length of 6" sewer main inside the duffle bag and put my 2 takedown super shrew bows and a dozen arrows inside the tube.  I pack my hunting clothes, boots, saftey harness etc. around the tube.  The sewer main padded with clothes should withstand even the most clumsy baggage handler, and few people would expect to find anything of value inside a duffle bag.

 

I am using my regular setup.  58 inch Super Shrew that draws around 65 pounds at my length.  Cabela's carbon hunter shafts with 5.5 inch high shield feathers offset at 90 degrees helical.  STOS broadhead.  600 grain arrow.  I know there are much quieter arrows than the ones I shoot but I know how well these fly.  I am a busy guy and haven't been able to experiment with refletching more low profile arrangement.

There were plenty of pleasant sights and smells in the mountains.  These flowers were coming up in camp.

 

They appear in purple and white.  I don't have any idea of what they are.

 

There were several hummingbirds in camp but they did not like to hold still to get their picture taken.
 

There were several other birds.  This fellow was easy to notice.  We also had a Pileated woodpecker pounding the deadwood around camp.  He was as big as a chicken but wary.  I could not get a picture of him.

 

I took a sight seeing trip down river to the confluence of the Locksa and the Selway rivers.  I went upstream several miles to see Selway falls.  The falls are not that big but they are the biggest falls around there.  Impressive enough with all of the snow melt coming down.

Those are some fantastic pictures.. Looks like a beautiful place.

This is a shot taken from the bait showing the treestand I sat for this hunt.  25 yards from the bait, 24 ft off the ground.  It is a very nice bait site, but really set up for a left handed archer.  I made a couple of practice shots right off.   By standing and facing the tree and putting my boot on the outer edge of the platform and leaning away from the tree I could draw my bow and shoot.  Kind of a contortionist manuever but I could shoot.  I didn't want to make a lot of noise and reset that platform.  There was a large branch in the way and the stand couldn't be set up any other way.

 

 


This is a really pretty place to start with.  When the fog starts falling down the mountain it becomes even more special.  This was taken from the treestand.  The mountains may not be as tall as they are in Wyoming or Colorado but they are steep here.

The first night on the bait there was no action.  It was hot, mid to upper 80's and that may have put a damper on the bear action.  

Second night on the bait it rained steadily all evening.  At dark there was a bear on the bait.  He seemed very nervous.  He took a couple of bits and left.  He was either a very dark red or chocolate or black bear.  He was soaking wet and hard to judge for size.  I have taken several black phase black bears and did not want to shoot another one unless it was a big old pumpkinhead bear.  It would be nice to have had more daylight to judge this bear, but as it is, when the light is gone I cannot shoot well enough to loose an arrow at a bear that I may have to track down.

Wednesday night, more rain and the bait was hit hard, cleaned out.  No bears seen.

Thursday night, was very windy, bait was not hit, undisturbed.  We wait until the wind shifts before heading up the mountain to set on the bait.  I got off to a late sit because the wind would not change.  Did not matter, had some sprinkles but no bear.

Friday night, last night of the hunt.  When I get to the bait it has already been hit pretty good.  I settle into my stand and not 5 minutes later a bear comes in from behind me on the very trail I came in on.  It is a pretty brown bear with blond body hairs.  I have been lucky to shoot several black bears and 2 blonde phase bears but I don't have one of this color.  


 

This is a picture of the bait with the bear on it.  This is not a very big bear, I have certainly killed many that are larger.  I study this bear for at least an hour debating on whether to shoot or not.  I decide that it is bigger than a year and a half weanling cub and fair game.  There is a very large chocolate phase bear that has been seen on this bait and I am waiting for a bigger bear to push this little guy off the bait.  The bear eats and then lays down under a spruce tree about 5 yards off the bait.  There have to be several bears hitting this bait to clean it out overnight, this bear cannot eat that much.  

 

 

After sitting and resting under the spruce tree the bear comes back and sits down in the bait hole.  

   

I am offered several shots.  I decide to take a 45 degree quartering away shot.  I know it is 25 yards on the button.  I let an arrow fly.  The bear is dead before he hears it.  He runs up the mountain about 10 yards and then back down another 15 yards and collapses within site of the treestand.  In the close thicket I am hunting that is not very far.  

 

 

 

Entry hole.
 

Exit hole.

 

Heart shot.  Sherpatized.

 

This photo is of me with the outfitter, Robin Kohls and his wife Brenda.  She will try to kill you with food.  They run a good camp out of cabins that are easy to get to.  Soft beds, propane heat, hot showers and good food.  Robin runs several baits with horses and mules and some of the other hunters were able to see more of this beautiful country from horseback coming and going from their bait sites.  He takes a lot of rifle hunters but can accomodate a bow hunter too.  I could go hunting with these people again in a heartbeat. The bear check station reported they were significantly behind in bears checked in this week. The bears were kind of slow action this spring, likely because of the lingering snowpack and cold weather.  I was there on an early season hunt and still was successful.

 CONGRATS!!

Nice John and fine shooting. Thought I might see you at the TBS shoot in Ames this weekend but did not. Looking forward to CO in the fall.

Congrats on the Bear!!! Nice shootin'....Great story!!

David

ah great stuff John, really enjoyed that, nice shooting... "Sherpatized"    :D   i like that!

congrats on a great looking bear thanks for sharing the hunt with us.
hope you are keeping well

cheers Andy

Good stuff,and good shootin! Congrats!

Awesome  

GREAT STORY, PICS and BEAR.......Skyler and Don  

Great job.  Bears are still high on my to do list!

Great story and congrats! Well done with the pics to!  

           
Excellent!  I used to live above the So. Fork of the Clearwater and have hunted this area as well.  I worked for an outfitter / game bird supplier that had baits out on Coolwater Ridge.  The road takes off left just over the bridge at the Lochsa / Selway confluence.  This was before my start in trad equipment - about five years ago.  We could only go if there were no hunters, so I only got up there a couple times.

They took 21 bears off Coolwater that year and the neighbors still complain of bear trouble! This area has always held a very good bear population.

Ray

Wonderful!

Todd

Congrats on your sucsessful hunt.
Excellent photo's, and story also.

Excellent hunt and story. Felt like I was there.

Well done Doc! Pretty bear and a great shot.