Dumb luck

[justyhntr]

Yesterday morning my wife and I head up to chase deer around in our favorite deer spot, winds were horrible so we headed home . About noon we load up the game cart with 2 tree stands and head out to install them . I grab my rifle because you just never know .  We get to our spot about 2 miles in set up the stands in the middle of the same wind , good times . We just come out of the timber and my wife spots a bear about 800 yards away on the for side of the clear cut we are on the edge of . I drop my pack and start running , I cut down a spur road to a landing and cut down a ridge line that I figure will put me between 100 -200 yards away . I spot him about a 100 yards below me feeding , I find a good stump to steady myself and wait for a shot .  He moves into some brush were I can no longer see him . I'm posed and ready knowing he can't go anywhere with out me seeing him . The next thing I know he standing 10 yards to my left ! I swing around and all I see is black in my scope , fire , he spins around and I fire again , he's done . One shot took out his heart and lungs the other was in the neck . I make my way back up to the landing were my wife is waiting with all gear I had dropped as I was running . We head down , gut him and drag him the 100 yards back up to the landing to were our game cart is waiting . Strap him on and make our 2 mile walk out . Last week I could not get closer than 50 yards to a bear with my bow and yesterday I shoot this one at 10 yards with my 30-06 .

[bobcat]

It sure worked out well already having the cart with you! Nice looking bear.

[RadSav]

10 yards w/30-06...figures!  I have a long list of bear I've shot at around 30 yards within days of leaving the bow at home.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.  Still sounds like a real exciting few minutes!  Did the wife get a chance to watch the whole thing go down?

[Dhoey07]

That's awesome.  Always be prepared 

[MLBowhunting]

Very cool. 

[justyhntr]

Rav , no she didn't get to see everything . She did stay were she was at and watched the bear until it moved out of site , then she gathered up my gear and headed for the landing . About the time she got there is when I shot . When I got back into hunting a couple years ago she said she wanted to hunt with me , she is  the best hunting partner you could ask for . With the spotting and help dragging him up the hill side this bear is as much hers as mine .

Bobcat , I only use the game cart for hauling tree stands . It's one of those cheap Cabelas ones , I've had it  2 years and the tires still stink so bad that I will not keep it in my Jeep . I was sure glad we had it yesterday , I would have really sucked with out it .

[subagang707]

Beautiful!!

[Hoyt Head Hunter]

Awesome! 

[hunting4sanity]

Interesting how you saw him go into the brush and "knowing he can't go anywhere with out me seeing him."  Usually when that happens to me I just never know where the critter went after they disappear, glad he appeared where you got a shot at him - although you probably don't want them reappearing any closer than that! Congratulations

[pd]

Interesting how you saw him go into the brush and "knowing he can't go anywhere with out me seeing him."  Usually when that happens to me I just never know where the critter went after they disappear, glad he appeared where you got a shot at him - although you probably don't want them reappearing any closer than that! Congratulations

I agree with this.  If he had suddenly appeared @ 10 yards, I would have made a mess in my pants.  How in the world did you have time to look down the scope?  At 10 yards, just push & shoot!

Congratulations!  Sometimes it just works out like that.  I love the story about your bride; it seems like you have made a great couple.

[justyhntr]

Now I know he could have gone somewhere with out me seeing  . It happened so fast I didn't have time to soil myself and yes I just pushed and shot , all I could see in the scope was black ! I feel pretty lucky it all went well .

[jasnt]

Congrats. Sounds like a great hunt

[Watimberghost]

Congrats! Dumb luck is a huge factor in hunting

[justyhntr]

This bear was 103 lbs. hanging weight at the butcher . I'm no expert but looking at the scars on his muzzle and that he was not all that fat I would figure him to be a few years old . Just looked up the age report from the tooth submittal and the state says he was 2 years old . I figured him to be a bit older but that would explain why he tasted so good .

[saylean]

Cool man. My bro bagged one a few years back, I would have guessed it a yearling...120 lbs maybe...turned out it was 4...

[duckmen1]

Congrats.
It's funny how Bears will throw off your judgment on age. I shot a skinny color phase that went 125 and a big 240 pounder. Both males and they aged out at two years also. And the 150 male I got aged at three.  I would have figured the big one to be at least 4 years old. But I was wrong. My area I was hunting has a lot of younger bears and never saw a lot of older class bears. But that area grew up and is no longer available to hunting so I'm back to square one and trying to figure out other places to go now.
But it's always nice when a little luck goes your way.

[trophyhunt]

Congrats!  Sizing bears up in the field is very tough, I once killed a blonde bear in the blues at 550 yards, thought it was a monster.  ended up being 15.5 years old but only about 150 lbs. 

[SkookumHntr]

We got a bear in ncw last September and just got the tooth data back and it said the bear was 25years old!

[-Trap_addicT-]

We got a bear in ncw last September and just got the tooth data back and it said the bear was 25years old!

Male or female? How big was it? That about as long as they live in the woods right?

[SkookumHntr]

It was a big female, probably 250# ish, big bear! Couldn't be live it was a sow. How accurate are they with the tooth data? I can't believe a bear would make it 25years with out getting shot.