Alberta Bear Hunt

[Steve O]

Hey Bryce!  I was wondering how it went.  Looks like awesome country.  That green Pronghorn just doesn't miss  

[Gene Wensel]

Way to go Bryce. I'm proud of you! As usual, detailed writing that makes another of your adventures another great story. Good job! Welcome home. When you coming to see me again?

[hill boy]

Talk about an added bonus.Im smack dab in the middle of your book as we speak Bryce.I got this one before it hit the press.congrats on a good hunt and great pics.

[Wary Buck]

Thanks for all the kind words on the little tale...  In answer to one question, I've been most fortunate to have killed three previous bears in four trips to Manitoba, which is really my brother's home base.  I get the 'family' discount, but then again we're put to work as well.  On one of those trips, I also killed a timber wolf with a Pronghorn bow which was obviously a lucky fluke.  

Trips to bear country are really special for me because it is so different than the normal places I hunt, and also because the spring hunt gives us adventure to do while we'd otherwise be twiddling our thumbs (or getting fish guts on our nice bows) back here in Nebraska.  

Plus, for me, it is a chance to spend time with my little brother who I rarely see otherwise except at Christmas.  Bear camps are perfect for family or friends to share hunts.  When I look back at my previous bear trips I shared camps with:  1-Dad, brother Jason, brother Scott and his wife Tracy; 2-Dad, brothers Kevin and Jason; 3-Jason and a then-brother in law; 4-Dad and Jason; and this trip, 5-Jason and Scott.  Family remains very important to me.

Some day I hope to take my daughters with me.    


<<<<<<>>>>>>

[Wary Buck]

Oh, and Gatekeeper, you are so correct in your keen analysis of what's been coming out of Washington lately.  Dang, I wish I'd have thought of that.  

[bohuntr]

Wow Bryce, very cool!!! Thanks for sharing the stories and the pictures!

[Bryan Burkhardt]

Good going Bryce!  That makes me want to go bear hunting again. Congrats.

[Steve H.]

Bryce strikes again!  (Make sure you check out my bear-tale on here, it is a bit more drawn out since as you already know, I am a little Drama Queen!)

[Pinecone]

Awesome!  Congratulations!

Claudia

[Steve H.]

Wary,

I just noticed the Alberta part versus Manitoba.  Someone tell Jason to "head west young man"?

[Whip]

Nice story Bryce!  Thanks for sharing with us all.

[joe ashton]

Out standing... that bear hunting could be addicting couldn't it..

[Coop]

Nice bear!

[jimmerc]

Congrats on the Bears and thanks for sharing, I love to read the storys and see the pics of these hunts as my chances of ever doing this is slim to none these days!! Thanks again!!

[rastaman]

Thanks for sharing the story and pics...

[Horne Shooter]

good hunt...good story and pics.  Thanks!

[Wary Buck]

Guru--totally understand on the non-compound pics.  Not a problem.  I will add that stickbow enthusiast Joel Riotto followed me into this camp and killed two BIG bears but I haven't seen pictures yet.  One of his was brown phase I believe and both over 300#.

Would I rather kill a bear with spot and stalk?  Sure.  And I've actually killed a fair number of my whitetails from the ground.  But it would be next to impossible in an entire month afield in this particular location with almost zero visibility.  And since I participated heavily in the intense labor of baiting this entire camp, etc., I feel the bear was well-earned.

For the rest of you that posted, thanks for the kind words.  All I was trying to do was take you guys and gals along on my recent trip.  Here are a couple more photos some of you may enjoy.  In this first picture, several big chunks of petrified wood are on the left, the upper two from WY and the bottom left from this recent trip to AB.  It is maybe 9" long and the sap on the ends is whitish and petrified too.  Very cool.  The smaller pieces on the far right are all various forms of petrified wood found on the same trip with a minimum of looking for them.  The lighter colored stuff in the middle will be in a close-up on second photo.
 

Here is a closeup of the two stones with fossils that I found at the mouth of a stream that emptied into the Athabasca River in AB.  I was waiting for my brother to pick me up, and with my flashlight in the dark I found these two.  I wish now I'd gone back to try to locate more.  I'm not sure if they're invertabrae (sp) or some kind of plant life, but each rock has literally dozens of individual specimens.  If any of you have any further information on what they might be, I'd appreciate it.
 

And thanks again for the nice comments from the TradGang.

[Big Ed]

Great pics and story thanks for sharing!!!

[bowhunterfrompast]

Congrats  

[Steve H.]

Bryce,  You do know that you do know a paleontologist, right...?

That said, I'm not sure!  Almost looks plant cause of the non-symmetry but I guess next time I'm in state I'll have to look closer.