Round II: big black bear stalk and evasion- fresh update 5/7

Okanagan · April 28, 2009, 07:35:23 PM

After I posted about our Sunday patrol for black bear, I got an e-mail from my friend who went back again the next evening after the large blackie we'd seen. His account of stalk etc. below. My bet is that he is out there right now again, at about 5:30 Pacific time. I'll post anything interesting he reports. Last night's hunt below, in his words:

I went out about 5:30 (Monday evening). I set up just above the creek bed about 200 yards downstream from where we saw him. I had a perfect place with a large tree behind me and a stump to sit on. I saw his fresh tracks heading downstream and thought he may come back upstream. Sat there till about 8:30 then decided to head back to the truck.

I went back to where we had seen him and he was on the other side of the logging road, about 150 yards away. I pulled a stalk on him, ranged him at exactly 35 yards, closed the distance to 32 yards... and closing. It was awesome. He was facing away from me. As I looked down at my bow to hook up my release and begin my draw he turned broadside. I knew I had him, in a blink he was gone. He never smelled me as the wind was strong but I think he caught my movement, I was just too confident at that close range. He ran to a tree and stood up. I took out my rangefinder again, 35 yards, no problem. I drew and just as my pin was about to settle on his chest he ran again, down into the creek bottom.

He is a brute. He looked every bit as big when he stood up. He is built like a basketball. D and I are supposed to go out this afternoon sometime, probably about the same time as I did yesterday.

Frogman · April 28, 2009, 07:59:17 PM

Wow!

That's an exciting read! Hope you get him!

Jim

iahntr · April 28, 2009, 08:40:44 PM

Nice !! He's havin a great hunt ! We're pullin for him.

FinsnFur · April 29, 2009, 05:56:52 AM

I can't even begin to imagine it, though I look forward to more.

I'd have to be packin a heck of a rifle if I ever went stalking a bear

Keep us posted John

vvarmitr · April 29, 2009, 06:52:31 AM

How in the heck does a guy stalk to w/jn 35 yds of a bear & a big bear at that? :shck:
Is the ground covered w/ mattress & feather pillows?

Stalking has got to be the most exciting & rewarding way to hunt.

IMHO

Hidehunter · April 29, 2009, 07:07:13 AM

That will definatly get the ol heart a pumpin

Okanagan · April 29, 2009, 01:55:20 PM

Quote from: vvarmitr on April 29, 2009, 06:52:31 AM
How in the heck does a guy stalk to w/jn 35 yds of a bear & a big bear at that? :shck:
Is the ground covered w/ mattress & feather pillows?

Stalking has got to be the most exciting & rewarding way to hunt. IMHO

Yep, it is the most exciting that I know, stalking big critters. Soft shoes, soft clothes, patience -- and none of that will work unless conditions are right. After awhile you learn more critter body language also, when to move. I wasn't present on the stalk described above but was on the same ground 24 hours earlier. The bear was feeding with its head down in dead grass almost waist high, kind of thin grass. New grass sprouting, half inch high. Some big stumps, a few small trees and head high bushes, and scattered piles of logging slash ten feet tall to be burned some day. As long as the bear's head was down the tall dead grass hid hunter movement till he was close. A feeding animal makes slight noises close to his own ears that help keep him from hearing an approaching stalker.

My guess is that the hunter used the road margin of the dirt logging road as an approach for the majority of the distance, with new spring grass on the edge a pretty soft walking surface. Lots of moss in that country also, for quiet walking. For the final few yards it was soft footing it, watching where the foot comes down and even feeling with the foot for sticks and not putting weight down till it feels right. Very tiring if you're not in shape.

Here are some more anecdotes of stalks.

On a successful bow stalk I watched last spring, the hunter wore soft old rubber running shoes, approached a feeding bear via an old grassy logging road for much of the distance (hunter ran in a crouch part of the way). A nearby creek made quiet background noise to cover approach sound. That bear was 175 yards or more from the starting point. He shot him at about 20 yard range and the bear never knew the hunter was there till the arrow hit him. I've used airplane noises overhead, vehicle sounds on a fairly close highway to mask sounds and only moved when such noise was loud. Done that on bears, deer, coyotes. Two 4x4 mule deer bucks I stalked across 400 yards of open alpine with a low sun at my back would look my way once in awhile, and I was always frozen still and low in enfilade as much possible when they looked. But there was a half curl bighorn ram living on a rock pile from which I started my stalk and I think they were used to him and thought my movement was him. Wind shifted and I didn't get either buck.

On a buck in dry conditions, I took off my boots and walked in socks, stepping only on exposed rocks because leaves and pine needles were crackly dry, and got inside of 25 yards on a bedded buck. Trouble was, I hadn't seen him in half an hour, didn't know EXACTLY where he was and ran out of patience. I ran out of rocks, took one step on dry pine needles and he exploded in a dead run. My arrow led him right but skimmed under his sternum. Five weeks ago my son tracked a cougar and stalked it in its bed to within 25 yards or so and saw it get up, not quite enough time for a shot however. He is pretty good. He tracked down and then stalked a bull elk for 25 minutes inside of 70 yards last Fall, trying to get a clear shot at it in wet coastal jungle. He could see at least a part of the bull all the time he told me and by the time he shot he said he had no idea how close it was since he had worked to within 30 yards at times, backed out to 70, circled, etc. trying to get a clear shot at the feeding bull. With his .338 exact distance was irrelevant at those ranges and he was focussed on finding a hole through the brush when the bul finally stepped across one less than 18 inches wide. Fortunately, the wind never changed direction during that time. Rain helps cover noise.

I love the stalk, am not nearly as good as some friends of mine. With limited land a tree stand is the way to go I know, and is often the most effective way anywhere, but it sure is fun on the ground.

Tikaani · April 29, 2009, 09:02:45 PM

Great read John, enjoyed it immensely. Let us know who wins this battle of stalk and evade.

Hunt hard, Die tired
John

vvarmitr · April 30, 2009, 09:51:21 AM

Great reencounters! I was right behind stepping where you stepped.
Of course my feet hurt & my socks are a mess.

Even a blown stalk has its rewards.
I gotta do some more stalking on g'hogs this summer.
It's not that hard, but it ain't easy either. More than anything it'll be the practice.

Okanagan · May 02, 2009, 10:47:35 AM

Update on the bear: Since I last posted on this ongoing bear hunt, I haven't been able to get hold of my friend who is the hunter. Turns out that his daughter-in-law had a baby this week and his priorities were so messed up that instead of hunting the big bear he and his wife went to their son's place to greet the new baby, help take care of grandkids, etc. What a let down. And I thought that he was a serious hunter, a man I could count on for the important things in life.

FinsnFur · May 02, 2009, 11:26:44 PM

:roflmao:
What the samhell was he thinking?

vvarmitr · May 03, 2009, 10:49:30 AM

Doesn't he know he's letting down a prominent hunting forum of 809 members!

Well, I guess we could congratulate him on the new grandchild.

Okanagan · May 07, 2009, 07:43:47 PM

I asked about the bear and got this e-mail reply from my friend:

...the bear may be dead. The reason I think that is that I have been going out fairly regularly (about 4 or 5 times) and have not seen him, only a smaller bear, not a bad size but not the big boy. I have been careful to watch for his tracks and have not seen them. There were two young guys hunting above me and they were there 2 days in a row. They may have got him as it looked like they were rifle hunters. Still, good to get out, smell the smells, hear the frogs, watch the ducks and geese fly by and see the elk, deer and odd bear.

Okanagan · May 08, 2009, 02:05:40 PM

It's kind of obvious but my bear hunter friend says after thinking about it that he would have killed the bear easily if he had just shot it rather than taken the seconds to use his range finder and confirm exact distance. Hindsight.

My "could've and should've" hindsight hunting shots file has a B&C mule deer in it, and a huge blacktail whose rack I never saw clearly but had outside frame easily of B&C dimensions. Didn't fire a shot at either of them for various reasons that seemed like good decisions in the crucial moment. Made a few good decisions about stalks/shots as well over the years so no complaints. The meat in the grocery store can't dodge away at the last second like meat on the hoof can! When I want a sure thing I go to the store.

vvarmitr · May 08, 2009, 04:16:04 PM

And I was so looking forward to the hero shots.

FinsnFur · May 08, 2009, 11:55:45 PM

Quote from: Okanagan on May 08, 2009, 02:05:40 PM

My "could've and should've" hindsight hunting shots file has a B&C mule deer in it,.....

Now I like that

Can't win em all.
I'm pretty confident in saying this is far from over.

Okanagan · May 09, 2009, 12:21:23 PM

Quote from: FinsnFur on May 08, 2009, 11:55:45 PM
I'm pretty confident in saying this is far from over.

Yeah, if this guy wants a bear he will get one, even with his bow, though it may not be as big. He has one B&C bow killed bear, all spot and stalk. There are an amazing number of bears where he lives.

Last spring, several guys camped together for some relaxed fishing and hunting not far from where we saw the big bear a couple of weeks ago. In four evenings, the four of us who went looking for bears saw a combined total of 26, though the majority were sows and cubs. One younger fellow killed two bears in one evening with a bow, a yearly limit in one day. I called to the first bear he got to distract it as he stalked for the shot and watched him stalk and shoot the other one. One at 5:00 PM and the other about 9:00 PM. Astounding good luck and pretty good skill. I think that was before I registered at FinsNFur.

I grew up enamoured of bears, and never saw one in the wild till I was 17. Then we lived for many years where bears were abundant. After killing a good one with a bow, several with a rifle and then having to kill a nuisance one or two, the shine wore off for me. I love to go looking for them and hunt them with other people, especially hunters who have never killed one, but I haven't bought a black bear tag in a good many years. We don't have a single bear rug, hide or anything in my house and a friend of mine keeps urging me to go after one this spring for the hide. They are just coming out now in most places. Kind of musing and thinking out loud here. Can't tell if I'm talking myself into a bear tag or out of buying one!

FinsnFur · May 09, 2009, 03:19:06 PM

Your talking yourself into it

Which can only be a good thing..

Bear hides are beautiful when they are properly done up either mounted or rugged. But I can tell ya first hand they are a sonofbitch to work with. Be prepared to flip some serious coin if you send it out.

On the other hand just the hunt would be worth it's weight in gold, even if you didn't keep the hide.