notched my tag tonight

[rebal69972]

I took my daughter muzzy hunting this weekend. We hunted hard Saturday and Sunday morning. Well about 1200 she got hungry so we went to this little beaver pond I found in spring season she was eating a sandwich and I was having a smoke when we heard something crashing through the woods. I thought it was an elk and told her to get ready. When out of nowhere this bear ran and jumped into the pond. I told her to shot it and to make a dad proud she looked me in the face and said no that she didn't have the tag but you do dad. Well I did, till today. I took the muzzy and we watched it play in the water for a while until it hit 20 yards and the bank then I let that 50 cal go. The bear flopped around in the water for a few second and when it got its senses about it. It went to run but it was running right at us. Thank god for side arms not much for killing a bear but a hell of a deterrent. The bear got to 3 yards and the muzzy was only half loaded so I pulled my side arm and shot, just to turn it.  When it turned from us I could see the hole the 250 grain slug made. We tracked it  and found good blood until that stopped and it got dark. I'm not sure how big it is. Its hard for me to judge a bear when its dry a wet bear is just as hard i think its a good bear its belly was in the water. The water is only maybe a foot deep and I think its back was just over a foot over the water. i am going back in the morning so when I get home tomorrow will let everyone know.


I will say shooting my first bear with my daughter setting next to me was 1 hell of a treat. She was as excited as I was. it was the coolest thing ever. almost better then when she shoot her first deer.

[Wea300mag]

Good luck in finding the bear, I'm hoping for the best.

[ShaneTyTrey]

Congrats, cool story, waiting to see the pictures of the recovered bear now.

[Maligator]

Congrats, cool story, waiting to see the pictures of the recovered bear now.

 

[NaturalSelection]

Where's the bear?

[Kc_Kracker]

Where's the bear?

we want blood !!!

[Austrian Hunter]

Hope you find him/her!!!  They are tough critters for sure!! 

[BOWHUNTER45]

notched your tag ?  Did you notch it before you retrieved it 

[rebal69972]

It's in Lincoln. We searched all day yesterday I'm back out this morning but my hopes arnt high. 3 of us where out from 7 am to around 8:30 pm or so and didn't find anything we grid and blind searched 1 guy had a blood light. Right now I just want to find it. I know the meats and the hides are no giod but I've never lost an animal and I'll be damned if I'm going to start today. I'll let you know tonight. It's time to head in

[D-Rock425]

Good luck to you. 

[D-Rock425]

Did you really notch your tag already?   I was just thinking that if you get checked walking around with a rifle or whatever in the woods you might have a tough time explaining to the game warden why you're in possession of a bear and your tag was punched 3 days ago.

[Doc Sauce]

Good story... man I hope you find it.

Did you really notch your tag already?   I was just thinking that if you get checked walking around with a rifle or whatever in the woods you might have a tough time explaining to the game warden why you're in possession of a bear and your tag was punched 3 days ago.

Hmm...  I was under the impression (not sure where it came from) that, should I kill an animal, I need to notch the tag immediately, as though the tag were a record of the kill.  If I kill an animal and cannot find it, I still notched the tag and report as killing an animal.  If I did not notch the tag when I kill an animal, then I could forseeably kill one, not find it, kill another, find it, kill a third, and find it.  Not that notching tags is what maintains integrity in the hunting arena... it's all a game of honor. 

D-Rock... I never thought of that perspective.  Is there a "right or wrong" on this or is there some ambiguity?  I honestly don't know and would appreciate some "old man sense"...

Thanks y'all.

Again, good luck finding your bear. 

[h20hunter]

I think you are putting yourself at the mercy and judgement of the gamie. If you are out with a bunch of people tracking you may get the benefit of the doubt....however...until you lay hands on downed game I for one would not yet physically notch the tag. That would be a b***h to get written up, harrased, or simply put in a bad spot because of it. Good luck out there and I hope you find him.

[Huntbear]

Did you really notch your tag already?   I was just thinking that if you get checked walking around with a rifle or whatever in the woods you might have a tough time explaining to the game warden why you're in possession of a bear and your tag was punched 3 days ago.

Not only that, but if you report that you filled that tag (killed a bear) are you not required to submit a tooth??  Soooooooooooooooo what happens when you do not submit the tooth but have reported you filled your tag???

[D-Rock425]

I dont think there is anything in the regs about notching you tag for unrecovered animals.

[rebal69972]

I didn't notch my tag yet I was thinking the same thing what if I did get checked. I don't want harassed. I feel bad enough not being able to find it. I'm not carring anything more then 40 s+w bear spray. I have to get to work. I did get an hour and a half in looking for it this morning and still didn't find anything I've looked in stumps, under brush piles, in the trees. I just don't know where it could have went. The shot was good. I keep playing it back in my head. The only thing I should have done differently is I should have shot it in the head with my side arm but at the time I just didn't want it getting any closer to us. Blood stopped under 75 yards. Does anyone know what I need to do now so I don't get into trouble. I new this would happen sooner or later. I was really hoping for much much later.

This makes me sick to my stomach  I hate wasting the meat and the life I took      I am going back on Friday for my daughter to hunt I will look more then.

[Huntbear]

Look under every fern, in every depression.  Get down on your hands and knees where the blood quit, and go inch by inch if you have to...  that bear may be right there, in a hollow spot under a limb or a fern..

[h20hunter]

I don't see what you can get in trouble for? The choice to "notch" your tag and be done is yours to make. However, if you decide that you are "tagged out" I would simply report that you did not kill a bear and stop hunting. If you report a down bear I suppose that would be technically false reporting since you have not confirmed the kill. Whether or not you keep after them is up to you.