TradGang Bear Quest # 4 2010' Unpacking & Wheels are Turnin for BQ # 5 JUNE 2011'

[Bill Kissner]

You did good Tom! This is better than most hunt recounts I have read in any magazine! You might have a new additional career in writing should you choose to pursue it. Congratulations!

[Charlie Lamb]

Congratulations to all of you Bear Questers...what great fun.

Tom...Super story telling my brother!!But then that's what I've come to expect from you. Good stories always come from the heart.

Anyone who's ever told a complete hunt story with pictures will appreciate the time it takes to put it all together to share with us here. Bravo!!
   

I look forward to seeing the video this fall.

[LAR43]

Really an article for a magazine.

The descriptions of the sights, smells & emotions are as accurate as they can be without actually being there. It really puts you in on the hunt. One of the best accounts I've ever read.

Having been there & done it, I think it reflects what we all felt. Only a very few have the gift to put it into words like you did.

Great read & story Tom!

Larry

[Guru]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Congratulations to all of you Bear Questers...what great fun.

Tom...Super story telling my brother!!But then that's what I've come to expect from you. Good stories always come from the heart.

Anyone who's ever told a complete hunt story with pictures will appreciate the time it takes to put it all together to share with us here. Bravo!!
     

Exactly!!  Awesome read!

[Tique]

Hated to see your story come to an end, well done Gatekeeper.

Congratulations to all you Bear Questers; I'll bet everyone had a good time. Tom and his crew do a heck of a job.  

[Bill Turner]

Congrats Tom. Job well done. Great story telling. You kept us on the edge of our seat. Thanks for sharing.      

[Over&Under]

WOW WOW WOW!!!!  Great stuff guys, and congrats to all of you for a successful hunt in so many ways!

 

[wv lungbuster]

       

[just_a_hunter]

I just read through all of this and want to congradulate all of you!

Great adventure!

Todd

[bill langer]

Great job Tom. Congrats on your fist bear. Really enjoyed your company in camp!
-Bill

[Dick Langer]

Tom you have a real talent with the pen,glad I was able to help you with the skinning.

[Bonecracker]

Tom you are truly a gifted writer, thanks for bring out our feelings to the guys who could not be there! I could have not said it better with a ghost writer!

TomP my goal next year is to try and make you smile a little more while you are busting your assets making sure we all were happy! Thank again for all your hard work!

LarryD it was a true honor sharing camp with you. Not only were you funny but a ture Texan to boot.  You made me feel guilty about not making pancakes but greatly enjoyed them when they hit your plate hot. Thanks for making me laugh! Next time Frenchy tries to run  our little boat over we will have to show him how the guys in Texas/Ga handle a royal pain in the a@#$! Thanks again for dinner and sharing a room on Sat nite! Dang that kind of sounds funny!!LOL

Jay (AKA Mr.Gadget) I appreciated you driving and your friendship. You listened to me run my mouth for extended periods at 2:00am when I was suffering from Monster overload. I know I was the only guys setting up his bow at 4:00am while everyone else was sleeping in there trucks! I loved watching the sun come up at 3:45am and I obviously had to much caffeine in my system! Oh yea, when you did get out of bed in the morning you somehow managed to eat my pancakes! Thanks for your friendship!

Big Bill- you were a stand up guy who busted his butt for us all day long. I want to personally thank you for the all the guys in the second week group!! Bill was the one who made all the bait runs up with TomP and that added up to alot of time, energy, and work! Thanks again! I was very happy to see you get your bear on the last day of the hunt. What did we say when we left that evening? Bottom of the ninth, two outs, and some body needed to step up to the plate and hit a homer! Congrats!
PS: Be careful while riding with Bill in Canada, his next career is a Nascar driver!

Chad (Big Country)- Great guy who was more concerned about his buddy Zack getting a bear than himself. Dang good shot with a Widow and one hell of an accent to boot!! Big Country was the Man!! Look forward to chasing some elk with you in the future dude!

Zack-To this day I will not forget the night I picked you up in the boat and you were standing in knee deep water. Seemed Zack had a couple of big bears come in right at dark and one liked him so much that it followed him all the way down to the waters edge! I think there popping of teeth, woofing, and other excited bear sounds had poor Zack on the edge! Can you say the pucker factor was high and the tone of his voice was priceless when he jumped into the boat!
Congrats on your first bear Zack!

Bill (AKA Bobby Bouchie/Hollywood)! When I first met Bill he looked like a fish out of water!! With his body builder biceps and his rock star sunglasses he intiminated all us older men! Once in camp he quickly turned into one of the guys and I greatly enjoyed his humor. However on the third day of the hunt he quickly proved that his PITA themed arrows were not working! So he broke out his HOT PINK arrows and man did they do a job on a great bear. Congrat on your first bear dude! Oh ya, I want a re-match at HORSE archery!!!!! LOL!!

Greg and his father Larry! I do not think I could have asked to meet two nicer guys to break open 15,200 Little Debbies with! After three hours of chocolate covered fingers I was glad your Dad was there to keep us laughing! I was also glad to see the two of you team up on a great bear toward the end of our hunt! The look in your proud fathers eyes was priceless and it was one of the high-lights of my trip.  Funny how the little things stick out in your mind later on!

Paul (the Cook)! Paul was a quiet guy who said little but when he talked people listened! Paul was one hell of a talented bowyer as he took his bear with a bow he made and a Tippet arrow head. Made one heck of a nice knife also! Sorry I stole your kitchen a few mornings but felt the need to do something being a morning person! For all you guys that did not make the second week trip, Paul gave me the responsibility of cooking three packs of bacon on the grill one morning! Turns out one grill worked great and the other one sucked. Well after cooking two packs of bacon on Tinfoil I had a heck of alot of bacon grease building up in the lower left section of the good grill. That was due to grill being unlevel but I have to blame it on something!! Soon grease was spilling over on the flames and we had one hell of a BIG grease fire! Thank god the fireman (Chad and Zack) came to the rescue and put the fire out! So much for that last pack of bacon!LOL!!! Sorry guys!

Mike (Yellow Dog) once again the guys you meet on Tradgang go out of there way to help someone they do not know. Mike was nice enough to provide me with a new fletching cover and we  had never met before in person. I appreciated that! Not only was he was a dang good shot in Horse Archery but he also took a very nice bear! Look forward to meeting you again in the future!

Dennis-He was one of the nicer guys in camp who also took a great bear. He was also one of the guys that was a wealth of archery information! Later he dragged out one of the prettiest old 70's Bear Takedowns I had ever seen and it had a little Bowdoc work on the shelf and grip. Great shooting bow and he shot it well in Horse Archery! Another guy I look forward to sharing a camp with in the future!

Well it is late and I know I am leaving some of the guys out! Sorry as my old memory banks are running low but the fellowship was great! Good Nite everyone!

[Marty]

I always learn a lesson when I hunt with Barry Wensel- sometimes it's about hunting -sometimes not. Today's lesson was not. Upon arrival at the Lodge of the Bear, I learned that(no- we all learned) that our legend (loser) had forgotten his socks and underwear at his sister-in-laws house. The sad part of this is that I happen to be near his size even after losing weight so I offered up 3 pair to get him thru the week. I caught sight of him from behind during one of his runs to the outhouse and reminded him that he could and should keep the tightie whities. Well he doesn't listen well and today-all wrapped up in a nice package- he returned them to me in the mail- you guessed it- NOT WASHED!!!The mailman may never speak to me again.
Sorry, I know this isn't as good as Tom Porter's story, but I did the best I could with what I have.

[Gatekeeper]

Here's what killing the biggest bear in camp will do to a guy.



I'm starting to get a following.

[Herdbull]

"Allen Badilion Trahurn"

[Greyfox54]

Mike he even looks like  James Caan !?!?

[fatman]

I'd be kinda worried if that was "following" me....don't stop to pick up any change.....  

[BMN]

Great read Tom! Congrats on a great bear! I'm really happy for ya. You earned it.

[twitchstick]

Congrads to all that when up,looks fun.

[Barry Wensel]

Marty: I'll have you know those tightie whities WERE washed. It's just that some stains won't come out. Give them the sniff test if you don't believe me. Thanks again for the loan. Oh, and by the way... those socks you loaned me, you better wash them too because I have a very contagious foot fungus. XOXO Uncle Barry