Just picked up my full body bear mount that i harvested in quebec during a caribou hunt (there were no caribou though), so we decided to spot and stalk black bears and were able to get 4 in 5 days. The outfit we went through has 7 fly in camps and started with 5 25 years ago. there are 7 seasons now and between all 5-7 camps and 7 seasons in 25 years they have never harvested more than 3 bears in a whole year and we managed to go out and get 4.
after we stumbled onto the first bear on day one and stalked him we figured out that he was in the high country eating the blue berries away from all the bugs down in the brush, we spent the rest of the trip studying maps of the area and going out on day expeditions to glass the hillsides for bears feeding on the blue berries. each day we would hike over a mile into what i would explain as hiking in the bluffs along the mississippi but covered in boulder fields. It was the worst terrain i have hiked in.
once we spotted the bear i harvested on a hillside we had just said “if we see a bear there we cannot go there after it, it is way to far” we decided screw it and took of cross country after him. after a 2 mile hour and a half “RUN” we reached the second ridge of three on a bluff. we had glassed the bear on the third ridge before we started his way. we sat down near some large rocks catching our breath and began glassing for him. when Derek says “he’s right there dont move”. he was about 300 yards away across a small wash out from us, i was using Chris’s gun witch was sighted in for up to 350 and had proven itself on a 300 yard shot 2 days before, but i was not comfortable taking the shot due to the high winds and that i had never fired the weapon. i and derek decided to stalk closer to him through the wash out using the large boulders as cover while chris stayed back spotting for us. we knew we were getting close but could not see him yet. then as we stepped out from behind one of the boulders “oh sh**” hes right there 60 yards away looking right in our direction….. thank god bears have bad sight! he was milling around eating berries and when he turned his back i got situated for a shot. he proceeded to work his way straight away from us towards a wood lot not giving me a good shot. i knew in my mind i was going to take the first quartering shot he’d give me, i was not letting this opportunity slip away. as i waited and Derek whispered yardage “75…… 85 yards…… take your time wait for your shot…… 100 yards…. 150….. 175…… take your time wait for a good shot….. 200….” he turns just enough……. and i squeeze the trigger the bear takes off like a rocket i stand up as he’s running off and take two more frantic shots for sure missing them as he made it to the brush. we looked at each other like what did i/you just do….. did i miss i said no way i know that first shot was a good one. we worked our way to the tree line where he disappeared and the he laid!
he was not a huge bear but he was a true trophy in my eyes i know nobody personally out side of that trip that has had the opportunity to spot and stalk black bears and i had just done it and done it successfully!! what a rush and a memory i will never forget.
here are a few picks from the hunt/trip and the mount itself. Toms Taxidermy in clarks grove did the mount/ art work.
May 4, 2013 at 5:54 pm
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