I went in at daybreak and hiked about halfway up a ridge on an old roadbed. I sat overlooking a draw until about 9:00 and decided to go further up the ridge to a bench. I was paralleling a small creek draw picking my way up the ridge when I saw him about 50 yards to my right heading towards me. He walked out on a leaning tree log then crossed in front of me at 20 yards I shot him with my Tikka 30-06. he stumbled and started running so I shot him again. He fell in the creek draw. It was an easy downhill drag about 300 yards to the truck. 3 year old. 150 lbs
Congrats to you bothMy son and my cousin have both got bears this week, congrats on yours!! This is my sons first bear, it was caught feeding in the buck forage oats and clover plot.View attachment 950221
Kyle, thanks to you and others on this forum for all the great posts that helped both in tactics and getting me fired up about bears. Now dang it I'm hooked on bear hunting and I have a big taxidermy bill ahead!?Congrats to both of you fellas! Lots of bears hitting the dirt this year. This has been an awsome season!
Kyle, thanks to you and others on this forum for all the great posts that helped both in tactics and getting me fired up about bears. Now dang it I'm hooked on bear hunting and I have a big taxidermy bill ahead!?
I did the opposite. I bucked out on nov 5 the first day of 3 weeks vacation so I made getting a bear my goal. Next year???? See what deer season brings...To me, its fun to talk bears, bear hunting, and bear cooking with guys who have similar interests. I really enjoy this forum and the old porch dogs who tend to hang around here. A lot of great guys, minds, and hunters on this forum, and it keeps me learning all the time!
I hunted this last Chattahoochee WMA hunt. Had a bear at 20 yards two days ago and couldn't pull the trigger. I was hunting the thick and the bear was behind a wall of saplings and twigs, and I never could pull off a shot. Go figure! Oh well, I'll be back at it again!
Buckman knows this to be true about me: I will let bear hunting nearly derail my deer hunting nearly every single year. The rut will be approaching or in full swing late in the season, and I seem to always find a bear to hunt and will hunt it like a dog and nearly miss the whole rut.
Last year I found a bear to hunt in late October in the NF in Union County. I hunted him 4 times, and saw him 4 times, always in the thick or out of range. I pulled the trigger on him the 4th time, broadside at 20 yards, and my ML misfired. Talk about heartache!
All that said, try to make bears your early season game and bucks your late season game. Try not to blow the whole rut chasing yogi like I usually seem to do!
Again, congrats on your bear. I hope you've been able to enjoy some good eats!