GC calls a Missouri BEAR!

[GC]

This is a cut and paste from another forum of the most exciting stand I've called.  This happened this past week and I'm still pretty amp'd about the stand.  I hope it's all right to repost it here. 

Wow, guys I'm super stoked! I called a huge black bear this morning! For background, Missouri has a scattered, and growing, black bear population. Our Conservation Department doesn't really seem to have a handle on the population numbers. I've seen in print anywhere from 400 - 1,000 as the estimated number of bears here. Most of these are scattered throughout the Ozarks. The last several years there have been bears both trapped and relocated, and, several have been killed as nuisance/trouble animals. The areas I hunt have bears and are seen often enough that the Forest Service post a warning in several campgrounds here in the summer months. I know of a couple of turkey hunters camps that have been raided by hungry bears in the spring. Also a few deer camps that have had some trouble. I have seen stats on the Conservation's number of bait sites hit as they studied bears. The places I hunt are among the top five for hits at bait sites as sponsered by the MDC study. So, we have bears, and wild hogs, with a few mountain lions thrown in for good measure. With that said I've never been lucky enough to spot a bear, even with all the time I spend in some pretty wooly places in the deep Ozark timber.

Today was THE day! I went calling in the Mark Twain National Forest in a section that has around 180,000+ acres. I wanted to target bobcats this morning. We were forecast for a south wind, so this particular place I picked was perfect. I park at the northern head of a three mile long spring bottom. This hollow has a year round spring fed creek. The entire hollow is filled with thick brush. Nearly all the standing timber in this hollow are pines. We had a recent ice storm that caused quite a few trees to lose their tops and the pines are always some of the first to snap off in such a situation. I knew the place would be really, really, thick. The hollow is ringed with Ozark hills and plenty of spur ridges and side hollows full of oak timber. My plan was to side hill along the main brushy hollow and call the edges. I've done this before many times and have called grey fox, coyotes, coons, and a couple of cats here in the past.

This morning was around 30 degrees with high thin cloud cover and just about zero wind at dawn. I made two stands with no takers. The third stand places me on top of a 20' steep bank overlooking a wide oak flat along the creek. It's a good place. Being on the top of the bank allows me to see down into the cover. The wide flat bottom and slightly thinner cover right on the creek gives a good shot opportunity. I should add that the creek widens out and is real shallow here. Just across from this flat, on the other side of the creek is a narrow, steep sided, boulder strewn, gully that runs for about 1/4 mile due west. One side of this gully has a cliff face that is lined with cedar trees and topped out with pines. Really great cat country!

I set my FX3 and Predator Supreme out about 25 yards below me at the stump end of a downed tree. I took my trusty .12 gauge Benelli M1S90 semi-auto and 3" No. Four Buckshot for a hunting gun today. Best tool for the job in this cover. I started with Lightning Jack. After 25 minutes I had nothing but a trio of nagging blue jays. I had 45 minutes planned for this cat stand. Suddenly from my right I saw brush moving around and something big and black. I perked right up, I'm thinking a wild hog. I jumped one last year and it was a whopper, a black, rough, mean looking dude. I didn't shoot that one, but now I'm thinking I'm gonna whack this one in the head with a couple loads of buckshot if it gets close enough. I don't remove the plug from my Benelli, however, it's an older version and I can load an extra round on top of the cartridge carrier. So even with the plug in I've got four rounds ready in the gun. As the large black critter is coming through the brush at the end of two large oak tress down from the ice storm I snap the safety off and get ready. The end of those trees are only forty yards out. Suddenly, from around the crown of the fallen trees a head as big as a bucket appears, followed by shoulders that seemed twice the size of the largest whitetail buck I've ever seen. It ain't a hog, and I am not getting it - it doesn't register in my mind what I'm looking at. The critter is on the lope and runs to about ten yards of the caller/decoy. It pulls up and swings it's head around scanning the decoy. I think I figured out what I was looking at when the bear started popping its jaws! WOW, a BEAR! And a dang biggun too, especially at about thirty yards. The bear starts toward the caller and it suddenly enters my mind that if it swats the caller I'm out $500.00! I waved my right arm and started yelling at the bear as I stood up. That stopped the bear and it looked confused, swinging its head back and forth between the caller/decoy and me. Now, mind you I'm in full camo, a 3D leafy parka and a face mask. Ole' blackie evidently didn't like my look as he started popping his teeth and jaws. Guys, I'm not going to kid you. That sorta unnerved me. I fired a shot over the bears head and started yelling big time now! The bear spun and bolted away, only he didn't exactly leave. He ran to the end of the downed trees he came around originally and started to circle up the spur ridge I was sitting on. I guess he was going for the scent stream. It occured to me he was still interested because the caller was still doing the Lightning Jack blues. I kept yelling, found my remote and muted the FX3. I jerked my facemask off and yelled again. That did it, the bear peeled off and ran down the hollow. Exactly in the direction I had to take to get out of there!

I stood checking things out for about ten minutes, trying to calm myself down. Then I retrieved my caller and decoy. I went on away from the bear and made two more stands before heading back to the truck as the day warmed up. As I worked my way through that thick bottom I have to tell you I was a little edgy. This was absolutely the coolest day I've ever had predator calling. I am still jacked up. The coolest day...

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[Jimmie in Ky]

I would have to admit that th bear would have a hard time smelling me . Cause my scent would have changed drastically in that few minutes. And they ain't enough leaves in the woods for the cleanup 

It's no wonder your still stoked.Jimmie

[CCP]

I enjoyed the story I felt as if I was there. Never called a bear before don't know if I want to either.


                                             

Lightning Jack

  I will make sure that one don't go in the Foxpro

[WhiteHare]

I jerked my facemask off and yelled again. That did it, the bear peeled off and ran down the hollow.


Sorry about this, as I really don't know you. 
But it's too good to pass up .......was it the yell, the shot, or what was under the facemask that skeerd that ol bear.
Just funnin' with ya...

Seriously tho  Great Story!!

I enjoy reading about other hunters adventures...

[CCP]

 

..was it the yell, the shot, or what was under the facemask that skeerd that ol bear.

Come on GC which was it :roflmao: :roflmao:

[fuzz624]

    Thanks for a great story GC.

[kiyitec]

So, we have bears, and wild hogs, with a few mountain lions thrown in for good measure.
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Great story! I felt that I was right there beside you.  Although I was yelling at you to turn the dang blasted caller off! :roflmao:
       
    All I ever get to tell stories about are tracks.  One set of bear south of Cole Camp.  But the kids and I did find two different size lion tracks together this last mushroom season.  I looked them up on MDC site, sure  'nuf.   It was A little before Easter so Granddad made all the guys carry our pistols for the Easter egg hunt out there.  If that aint redneck . . .  armed guard egg hunt!    KT

[Todd Rahm]

Thats extremely cool GC and welcome to the board. Looking forward to more of our post.

Be safe,
Todd

[FinsnFur]

Great story GC 

I'm with Jimmie....I woulda been gone in a flash wondering how I was gonna cough up 500 bucks to replace the caller. 

That's a truly a monumental moment in the life of a predator caller. Thanks for sharing it.

[keekee]

Great storie GC! As always!

We are getting a few here now, and in KY as well. I have seen tracks and scat several times now in both states. And when calling on stand thats always on my mind now....lol



Brent

Edit...........Is that better Jim?...lol

[FinsnFur]

He meant "mind"