Bearpaw Season - Fall 2012

[bearpaw]

I was feeling a little spunky and confident right before our bear opener as we had numerous bear dialed in for the kill. Fate has a funny way of entering the hunting arena and please don't get me wrong we are off to a great start, but a few key bear have been spanking our behinds and reminding me that no matter how confident a person may be, nothing in hunting is for sure, and for that I am actually thankful, how boring hunting would be if we knew for sure what the outcome would always be in advance. I wish everyone a fun and eventful season regardless of how successful or unsuccessful you may be, most of all I just hope you all have a great time. 

Cheers,
Dale, Tara, & the Bearpaw Crew

[bearpaw]

First bear of our fall 2012 season, taken 15 minutes into the season, a beautiful cinnamon taken by Mark Warr with one shot while hunting with guide Nick Simpkins. Great job guys!

[bearmanric]

Tough here on the coast. Called in a nice bull while calling bear. Coming home tomorrow have some orders to get out then off to colville. Great looking bear Dale. Going in to a good stand maybe it will happen. Rick

[bearpaw]

Dustin is an accomplished bow hunter having taken several mulie and blacktail bucks. In a few minutes the evening before the opener we studied several mature whitetail bucks and some smaller bucks. I detailed my plans for his morning hunt and we headed back to my place for dinner. My wife Tara had Dustin at his stand first thing in the morning, Dustin saw numerous does and fawns right away and then probably not long after Mark downed his cinnamon bear this buck come strolling within range of Dustin. He thought for a moment and then nailed his first whitetail buck with one well placed arrow, the buck ran about 75 yards and dropped dead. Dustin called Tara who picked him up and together they took care of his buck.

They had just finished cleanup on the buck carcass when the phone rang, it was Dave (Dustin's friend) who had shot a bear and couldn't find it after climbing in and out of the canyon twice. I was an hour away so Tara and Dustin went to help look for the lost bear. They get there and Dave points down into the "mother of all canyons" well maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but Tara, Dave, and Dustin will all swear it was. They went down into the canyon and up the other side looking while Dave tried to point and shout directions from where he had shot to where he thought he hit the bear. They finally located a drop of blood on one rock and dropped straight back down into the canyon from that spot, pretty quick Dustin located the bear. Soon they were headed up with the bear, slowly I might add. It was so steep that it took four people to get the bear out in one piece and he was just a medium sized bear. They broke a belt, one guy has a stretched leg muscle and my wife Tara got a blister on her heel. So within a few hours of daylight Tara and Dustin had a pretty good workout, gutting, dragging, skinning, and cleaning up two animals, then she fixed lunch for the guys and had dinner on the table at O-Dark thirty for everyone, she's resting and catching up on sleep as I write this.

Here's a photo of Dustin's first whitetail buck and I will post a photo of Dave's first bear as soon as I get copies. Congrats guys! 

[bearpaw]

Tough here on the coast. Called in a nice bull while calling bear. Coming home tomorrow have some orders to get out then off to colville. Great looking bear Dale. Going in to a good stand maybe it will happen. Rick

Give me a call when you get over here, it would be good to visit again! Do you need a place to stay so you don't have to camp, I think I will have room if you want to stay here, let me know when you are headed out?

[bearpaw]

Big One Gets Away
Sometimes **** happens, that old bumper sticker certainly has it's place in the hunting community. On opening day hunter Mike put a 101 yard shot on a super tanker that guide Ray estimated at 400+-. The bear bled good at first but kept moving, Ray backed off for a few hours and went back tracking later in the afternoon, he folowed the bear for 300 to 400 yards farther, then the blood played out but the bear didn't. Long story short, the big one got away and there's nothing we can do to change that. We shot the guns the day before season and know the gun was on the mark, but apparently the shot was just a bit off the mark and did not get the job done. I have taken many animals through the years that had been previously wounded, so I can only hope that since this bear quit bleeding and didn't bed down that he may heal up and survive.

What Difference Does the Full Moon Really Make?
I don't know the true answer to this question, but it makes one heck of an excuse for hunters. On the way home from hunting we have practically hit bear and moose with the trucks, we are seeing bear tracks and bear poop the next morning right in our own footprints, we have passed several smaller bear, we have passed a few sows with cubs, and Dave saw two shooter bear in the brush while he was trying to find his dead bear, we have killed a few bear, but we have not killed as many bear as I had hoped we would during the first couple days of hunting season. I just wonder how much affect the moon really has or if it's just a good excuse to moan about. 

Another Bigun To Hope For
There's another toad of a boar on one of the ranches that we are hunting, every morning we have a plan that we think will result in his demise and every morning at daylight we see a glimpse of him moving into his brushy hiding place but get no realistic shot opportunity. Plan E failed this morning, and I am still scratching my head on how to get this big black bruiser. 

Another Bear Down
Hunter Brian put the smack down on this nice blackie with his trusty .308 while hunting with guide Ray. Awesome work guys! Brian cannot claim a one shot kill, but Ray tracked the bear for a little less than 100 yards and found it down for the count. Congrats guys!

[sebek556]

one of these days I'll have to come up and have you guys show me what all I am doing wrong  looks like a great start to the season 

[Michelle_Nelson]

Geeze Dale your making me wanna throw my rifle and gear in the truck and head over for another Bear Hunt.  Do you have any Bears saved for me?

[bearmanric]

Almost home I'll call later.Another nice bear. Done with the coast tough any more.

[bearpaw]

Geeze Dale your making me wanna throw my rifle and gear in the truck and head over for another Bear Hunt.  Do you have any Bears saved for me?

We are pretty well on top of the bear right now, we saw several bear yesterday but circumstances beyond our control resulted in no kills which had me worried, hunters usually only have a few days to hunt so hunts go by fast and a day with no kills is hard on my nerves. Today is already better, several bear including another new big boar which the hunter was too excited to shoot have been seen this morning, but the same hunter shot and killed the next bear he saw this morning, I hope to have pics posted later, that bear is being recovered right now.

There is a lot of berries right now on our private ranches and the bear are there eating and putting on fat for their winter sleep. But, bear are not stupid creatures, even though we have first day kills every year, on the average a hunter needs about 5 days to have a really good chance at a bear.

[washingtonmuley]

Dale,
How active are the elk right now? Are they bugling up your way?
Thanks,
Tim

[bearpaw]

Dale,
How active are the elk right now? Are they bugling up your way?
Thanks,
Tim

I have a guy who already killed his bear who is hunting elk now, we heard elk a couple days ago and had them pinned down, but heavy activity by other hunters scouting before the opener moved the elk and yesterday it was dead, not a peep. I did hear of a bull that was called in by other hunters in another area but they didn't get it. So, there is some talking if you find the right elk.

[washingtonmuley]

Thanks for the info. I will be headed that way friday. It looks like it is going to be pretty warm so who knows how active they will be. Good luck.

[bearmanric]

Keep after them Dale . I think your doing great. Sweet looking bears. Rick

[Ripper]

Dale, I really wish things would have worked out so I could have come over. The good news is I finally saw a really nice one on Saturday. Didn't get off a shot because he headed down a ravine and out of sight. Still, it was an exciting encounter. Good luck over there.