BIIIG black bear

Okanagan · May 04, 2014, 09:09:13 PM

Grandson Jonathan killed an extra large black bear Friday afternoon. One shot, 57 yards, 30-06 with 180 grain Swift A-Frame bullet. Double lung, bear ran ten yards. Initial measurements are either 7'3" or 7' 1/2" depending on which is proper way to measure. Skull very rough scored 20 1/2. Weighed 450-500 lbs. Packed out 3/4 mile uphill.

The story:

Code's 15 year old younger bro, Jonathan, was going to hunt bear on Vancouver Island with me in mid May. I was talking with an ex-guide friend who told me he had found a huge bear and asked if Jon could come over right away. He hadn't told anyone but he likes Jon... nice to have friends.

We arrived Thursday an hour before dark at the place the friend had described. Parked, walked 70 yards on a grassy overgrown road and Jon saw a bear in the road ahead through brush. Glassed. Medium to smallish bear grazing and walking toward us. Jon got the crosshairs on it and asked, "Should I shoot it?" He wanted to even though we knew it wasn't the big bear. I said, " I wouldn't," in a tone that gave him the choice but indicated that in his shoes, I would hold out for the big one. He passed and we saw no more bears in the last hour of light.

About sun-up we were back and hunted over three hours on old grassy roads and a clearcut, saw a herd of elk but no bear. Hmmm.... so many bears on the Island that it is unusual to see so little bear sign, which was further evidence that a whopper bear lived there who was scaring off most other bears.

In early afternoon we hiked 3/4 mile to a grassy area we suspected the big bear liked to feed, and sat on a log to watch and wait. I slept an hour, put my glasses in a bad spot and got them broken, repaired with Jon's duct tape. We decided to go to town to see if we could get glasses repaired, but circled the large meadow area looking into hidden side pockets before we left.

We turned to head back to the trail out and Jon spotted a bear near where we had sat on the log. Lot of big bear sticking up above a big log at 75 yards. Game on.

We slipped behind a spreading tree, pulled out a monopod shooting stick. With a look at the bear's head I told him that it was not the monster but that it was a very big bear. Jon was too excited to feel good about a shot over the top of the log at half a bear. We circled behind the tree, a bit more downwind and moved 20 yards left and ten yards closer to the bear with a better angle to see behind the log. Padded the shooting stick with a fleece glove and Jon settled in. The bear turned to his left and Jon belted him tight behind the shoulder before he got broadside. The bear stopped with a slight jolt, froze a half second and then swung around and galloped toward the timber. He fell in [plain sight within ten more yards.

Photo below was taken less than two minutes after the shot. The fallen dead bear is visible as a black horizontal hypen in the spot of bleached grass upper center of photo. At the shot he had been near the right edge of that grass spot, ten yards closer and almost broadside.

The view behind Jon from the spot where he shot. Nice country.

Fattest spring bear that I've ever seen. We sent our guide friend a text via the DeLorme InReach and he came out to help. (He was impressed with the DeLorme outfit and used his GPS to bushwhack through brush right to where we were.) He was amazed at the fat on the bear and had never seen a spring bear so fat. I cut a layer of fat 3-4 inches thick off of back and sides just to get to meat I could bone off. Our calculated guess was at least 450 and closer to 500 lbs. way the heaviest spring bear I've been around.

Did it all with duct taped glasses.

Staggered up the trail in growing rain, across a suspension bridge right out of Indiana Jones, swaying drunkenly. Jonathan carried out nearly 100 lbs and came back to take my 60 lb. pack for the last few hundred yards. Good man.

coyote101 · May 04, 2014, 09:18:11 PM

WOW! Great story, great pictures, great bear.

Congratulations to your grandson.

Pat

Dave · May 04, 2014, 09:35:44 PM

Sounds like you both had a fantastic time!!! Tell Jonathan congrats on a trophy.
He looks all of that estimate. Can't imagine the field work you guys had to do to get him out. Sure you'll be feeling that for just a little, but loving it nonetheless.

HuntnCarve · May 04, 2014, 09:44:08 PM

Way to go Jon!
Great story, and a great hunt. That's a trophy of a life time. And one proud Grandad to boot.

Dave

FinsnFur · May 04, 2014, 10:07:40 PM

That sucks about the glasses

Awesome work on the bear though wow

Thanks for sharing that story with us.

JohnP · May 04, 2014, 11:39:53 PM

WOW! Great story and pictures. Please tell that young man that's a better black bear than this old man has ever killed and I been at it a lot longer than he has. Congratulations Jon and you too grand-pa

Todd Rahm · May 05, 2014, 01:26:21 AM

Anything over 7' is an awesome bear!!!! Nice job and thanks for sharing.

HaMeR · May 05, 2014, 04:45:29 AM

Holee smokes that's a bruiser!!!!!! Congratulations to all involved!!

Okanagan · May 05, 2014, 08:13:55 AM

Quote from: JohnP on May 04, 2014, 11:39:53 PM
WOW! Great story and pictures. Please tell that young man that's a better black bear than this old man has ever killed and I been at it a lot longer than he has. Congratulations Jon and you too grand-pa

I've never killed one anywhere near that big either.

I wondered about taking a 15 year old after such a bear of a lifetime, and my wife told me before the hunt, "He may never get to hunt bear again. Take him." He delivered with hard hunting, good shooting and good shooting decisions under pressure.

There is a bigger one out there. We saw his tracks and my friend who lives there confirmed that this is not the bear he has seen twice in that area.

Thanks for the good words.

KySongDog · May 05, 2014, 10:32:21 AM

Congrats to your grandson!

Great story and pictures. That ex-guide was a true friend for sure. And there's an even bigger one out there too! Wow!

I hunted black bear once about 30 years ago in Canada. I killed a small one which looked huge to me at the time. I can't imagine one that size.

slagmaker · May 05, 2014, 01:48:43 PM

Congratulations on the hunt of lifetime.

Those are some great memories for sure. Thank you so much for sharing.

I have always wanted to go on a bear hunt but time money and all the other things in my life just seem to get in the way.

Hawks Feather · May 05, 2014, 04:38:24 PM

Tell that grandson Congratulations on a VERY big old black bear. I am sure that it will be something that you will remember each time you pick up your glasses - with or without duct tape.

Jerry

riverboss · May 05, 2014, 07:19:08 PM

Awsome

:bowingsmilie:whow!! what a bear.

gravesco hunter · May 05, 2014, 07:40:47 PM

congrats to your grandson that is one whale of a bear

Frogman · May 05, 2014, 08:19:38 PM

WTG guys!! Awesome story and pictures!! Thanks for sharing!!

Jim

vvarmitr · May 06, 2014, 08:49:06 AM

That is just marvelous!

FOsteology · May 06, 2014, 11:33:48 AM

Congratulations Jonathan on a mighty fine bruin! Nice pumpkin head on him.

Do you guys use the bear meat for typical cuts/table fare, or do you grind it all up for pepperoni sticks and summer sausage?

Okanagan,

Nothing in this world a man can't fix with a bit of duct tape.

Coulter · May 06, 2014, 04:17:21 PM

That's awesome...nice bruin for sure! Congrats to you both on a fine hunt.

Steve

Okanagan · May 06, 2014, 07:04:49 PM

Quote from: FOsteology on May 06, 2014, 11:33:48 AM

Do you guys use the bear meat for typical cuts/table fare, or do you grind it all up for pepperoni sticks and summer sausage?

Okanagan,

Nothing in this world a man can't fix with a bit of duct tape.

We're not big on bear meat in the house where my wife lives.

We ate a few good ones and some so so ones years ago and then we got one that simply didn't taste good at all. My wife told me not to bring any more bears home to eat. That's a major reason I haven't shot one myself for ages. Bear sausage has been excellent the few times we had some.

The meat on this bear is in my freezer still in the chunks we packed out. Jon cooked some backstrap chop steaks for us and both of us decided that this bear is not very good eating. I was planning to make some spicy sausage but may not even do that with it. Jon's parents liked the idea of us keeping the meat or giving it to someone here.

A friend of mine likes bear meat and I'll offer it to him. Anybody here has first dibs if you come pick it up!

Amen to duct tape. A mountain climbing guide once told me that with a roll of duct tape and some parachute cord, you can climb Mt. Everest. My corollary is that with a roll of TP and a Ziploc bag, you can go anywhere.

FOsteology · May 06, 2014, 08:45:35 PM

Living in Tejas I obviously don't partake of bear on a regular basis! However, in my younger days I've ate a bear or two, especially when visiting my father's family in UP and some in Minnisoda. I don't recall EVER having a spring bear that tasted good.

Both my Aunt's on my father's side back in the day could make some serious pastries with rendered bear fat/lard!

With the amount of fat on that bruin, did you guys have a mild winter? When I hunted bears in Western Washington a few times, the locals claimed that their bears didn't really hibernate. Rather, short naps as their winters weren't cold enough.