Free: Contests & Raffles.
Wife started off our season “after I had snuck to 23 yards of a bear with my bow on opening day that winded me before providing a shot”, with her personal best bear on the 3rd. Funny shaped bear. 221# gutted, no fat, big paws, 20” skull and 6.5’. So much for my theory that old bears always have lots of fat.
Another bear down. With not being the shooter this season I was able to focus efforts in trying to get my hunting partner/life long best friend his first bear. We saw 2 bears in an area a couple days prior. We went back into the area and spotted another bear in the blackberries feeding hard. Took about an hour before presenting a shot just before leaving sight and he made an amazing shot at 225 yards of the shooting sticks. Bear went about 30 yards and piled up in seconds. Using 300wsm with a 165 grain sierra gameking. The rollercoaster of emotions on this hunt was amazing with how it played out. Super happy with this season having the group go 3 for 3. It was awesome to have packers from our group on call to help assist when help was needed. They went and pulled an all nighter to drive the distance and hike in to haul out and still went to work the next day. Super tired but shows true family and friendships that I am blessed to call my hunting group. We are always there for each other.
First bear, first Washington harvest, first solo hunt, first backcountry hunt, first quarter, first bone out, first pack out! Face down in huckleberries at 6600 ft (east side) just after the morning sun hit the slope. Shot at 100 yds with 6.5 creedmor Hornady 143 grain ELDX on morning 3 of a 4 day trip. High double lung and I think some shrapnel hit spine because he was lights out on impact. Took me all day to quarter, get back to camp, then bone out because I am inexperienced. 76 lbs boned out without rib meat and with fat trimmed (wish I could have taken, but it was just too heavy). I hiked the 10 miles back to the truck on Labor Day. Hardest thing I've ever done! Going back next weekend to get some gear I had to cache and I'm going to grab the skull.
