my spring bear hunting story
It was a fun hunt, I know a ridge that bears always cross over going from one valley to another, I spent alot of time watchin that trail. First day of the season a smallish black phase came in, passed because of size and never had a shot, then twice I spotted the cinnamon bear, First time I was half asleep and it was almost dark and a small noise caught my attention and saw a rump disappear in the brush. The next time I saw it same thing, except got the feeling I was being watched looked to my side to see the bear about 30 yards away standing upright watching me, as I moved to get the rem 760 35 whelen to my shoulder the bear dropped down and was gone. The last day of the season I got off work at 1pm and went and sat on my lucky bear trail. I was watching 5 or six Blacktail does feeding around 4pm, when they all stuck their ears up looked the same way down the trail and took off. I was ready this time. A 250 grn partition through the shoulder at 25 yrds and the bear didn't move a foot. I waited about 5 minutes to make sure it was dead. I got up on it and it lifted its head, 3 rounds from my blackhawk 45 long colt loaded with 290 grn cast bullets got fired into it. Found 2 of the bullets lodges against the hide on the opposite side, third went through the neck.(Fast draws would have been proud how fast I got those shots off)
The bear skinned, gutted, without its head and half of one of its fronts shoulder from bloodshot meat, I trimmed off- it weighed 187 pounds, I figure live weight would have been in the 300 lb range
I had the hide tanned and thinkin of having a rug made of it.
Last year(fall hunt) took my friend to this spot he got a small 150-190 lb blackbear took three weeks before we saw that first bear, his wife thought it sounded fun so we took her and the first half an hour she got a dark brown bear about the same size- boy she was proud. all three bears were boars.
....yep, same as you --- smokies amd pepperonis!.
