Finally

[andrew_in_idaho]

This year was my first attempt at spring bear hunting, and after burning a lot of boot leather and all the free passes I could get from the wife I was down to my last opportunity to hunt this spring. I was not feeling confident about my spot despite bear sightings in the area earlier in the season but with one weekend to go I wasn't going to try and hunt new unfamiliar territory. Saturday was uneventful an elk and a couple of deer spotted and my hunting partner and I woke up Sunday morning without a lot of confidence. We decided if nothing else it would be an opportunity to scout for a campsite with reasonable access for a pack in deer hunt later this year so we set off for a different part of the mountain than the parts I had been spending most of my time on all spring. The day was mostly uneventful again we did find about a week old pile of bear poo which boosted our confidence a little and found some elk but still no bears. So around 6:30 we figured we were about done and started heading down the mountain back toward camp. We picked a terrible route that we had not taken before and after fighting our way through the thickest, nastiest brush possible for about 45 minutes we eventually found a decent trail and started following it, assuming we had probably scared everything out of the drainage. We casually continued down the mountain anyway not necessarily hunting anymore but still stopping occasionally to rest and glass below us. At one of these stopping points I just happened to spot the hind end of a bear sticking out from behind a jack pine 200 yards below us. I got all set for a shot as he fully disappeared behind the tree and was waiting for him to step out when he turned and went the opposite way and over a little rise into the next drainage. I quickly got down to a point where I could see him in the next drainage and ranged him at 209 yards foraging on a trail below me. I got set on my bipod, steadied and fired and he turned and ran up the drainage to my left so I racked another round in and tried another shot with no luck, but he did turn and start running directly up the hill on the opposite side of the drainage, as he slowed slightly I took aim again and fired and this time he started tumbling back down the hill. I turned back to Anthony and he gave me a thumbs up and I sat waiting and watching while he came down to my location from his vantage point. As he was making his way down I saw the bear go through a small clearing in the brush but didn't have time to get another shot at him. Once Anthony reached my location I had him wait and headed down to try to locate him. I was having a lot of trouble finding any sign whether track or blood when I stumbled upon what looked to be a drag trail going downhill and in the trail was blood and lots of it. So we followed the blood/drag trail as it wound through the brush down toward the creek bottom and gated road below. At the point where the creek bottom crossed the road all sign suddenly vanished so we spent about an hour looking in all directions for the slightest hint of sign. The only direction we did not go was on the road back toward camp and after searching in vain and begging and pleading with God to give me even the slightest sign as to where the animal may have gone I was ready to give up. I told Anthony the light was fading fast and we had a long drive home and I hated to do it but I was giving up. So we started heading back toward camp when Anthony mentioned an idea for a place near the creek bottom to check and I said "Ok lets go back and look". As I turned to head back down the road to our last blood Anthony stopped me and said "There he is right there" I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a stump which I double checked with my binos and said no just a stump, when Anthony said no just a bit farther and I looked up and there he was about 150 yards away. So I got set again centered the crosshairs on him and fired and he instantly started biting at his side. I reloaded and fired a follow up shot and he rolled into the creek bottom again. I had Anthony wait there and guide me in to where he had gone down and we found him right at dark. My first bear, not the biggest, IDFG bio aged him at 3 year and we estimate him to be about a 4 1/2 footer but I am thrilled to have finally harvested my first none the less, and he is a color phase to boot.

[h2ofowlr]

Congrats to a good story and a successful hunt.

[sled]

Good job! Looks like chocolate?

[andrew_in_idaho]

Yep he is a chocolate with a white patch on his chest.

[6.8mmARHunter]

Congrats on the bear. And thanks for sharing all the details.

[bankwalker]

Shoot'em till They're dead is what I have always been told. Don't matter of it take seconds, minutes, or hours. Congrats on the first bear

[Machias]

Congrats on your bear!

[rasbo]

awesome color,congrats,them boogers have a way of disappearing right in plain sight

[Watimberghost]

Cool bear! Congrats

[andrew_in_idaho]

 

Shoot'em till They're dead is what I have always been told. Don't matter of it take seconds, minutes, or hours. Congrats on the first bear

No kidding on that one, when he rolled the first time I thought he was done, they are surprising tougher than I expected

[trophyhunt]

Bear hunting is a blast, good job and congrats on your first!

[Ripper]

Congrats. I'm glad you stuck with it and finished the job. Good story.