Bearpaw Season - Fall 2023

[bearpaw]

I have three unguided hunters who broke down in Elko Nevada, a grandpa, son, and grandson, they couldn't get a rental car, and the soonest anyone will look at their truck is a week from now. I was on the phone with them numerous times, I offered to send someone to rescue them but they decided to buy a new truck, it cost $70k+, ouch!

They made it to the lodge in the early AM, and while unloading the son jumped out of the truck and lost his wedding ring, they looked but couldn't find it. They slept a few hours, but missed the first couple hours of hunting. We advised them where to go and they went hunting. My wife went looking for the wedding ring and found it, some how it was about 20 feet from where they thought it was, but she found it and plans to put it on a plate with a piece of strawberry short cake tonight after dinner as a surprise.

I just got a text that the grandson got his first elk, he was watching a 6x6 bull but the cows had the bull surrounded, he couldn't get a clear shot, then a 5x2 (broken horn) walked out so he shot it instead, he said it's his first elk ever, the broken horn didn't matter. His dad and grandpa are each hunting different ridges as I advised them to split up. So Gunnar took care of the elk himself, packed it all out to the truck himself, and came back to the lodge, my wife is helping him hang quarters right now and then he's going back up the mountain to get his dad and grandpa where they were parked.

They sure had a rough start to their hunt, but it’s kinda coming together!
I forgot to mention that Gunnar got scoped when he shot the bull, but that didn’t matter, he’s tickled with his first bull.

[wadu1]

Hope you get a photo of the shortcake and ring. He has quite a story to tell. 

[bearpaw]

Hope you get a photo of the shortcake and ring. He has quite a story to tell. 

I think they were going to look for the ring again so she had to tell them before they ate.

[teanawayslayer]

Sounds like she deserves a big hug!

[Machias]

Cool story!!!!

[bearpaw]

Cool story!!!!

Yeah, I sure hope the other guys get animals too, this trip started out pretty rough for them.

[bearpaw]

Sounds like she deserves a big hug!

I guess he just told his wife on the phone he lost the wedding ring and they were going to look for it again, so my wife figured she better give it to him then, he was pretty happy.

[bearpaw]

Robert just anchored this Idaho bull with guide Brian Denney, I just got the photos texted to me, now the work begins!

[bearpaw]

Yesterday was another eventful day with two bucks and three bulls shot. Here’s Sheri from Mississippi with her mule buck taken with guide Jesiah. She is in town now getting dry ice to put in her cooler. Good job Sheri and Jesiah.

[bearpaw]

Thomas from Pennsylvania hunted from one of our horseback-in drop camps to take his first mule buck, congrats to Thomas! #bearpawoutfitters #deerdown #deerseason2023 #muledeerhunting #dropcamphunts #unguidedhunts #buckdown

[bracer40]

Dale,
Looks like this year has really picked up since we spoke in September. Glad to see all the happy hunter stories and pics! Hope to see a moose success story from the panhandle soon!

Jim

[bearpaw]

Dale,
Looks like this year has really picked up since we spoke in September. Glad to see all the happy hunter stories and pics! Hope to see a moose success story from the panhandle soon!

Jim

Thanks, and me too!

We lost a lot of deer last winter, we are having to hunt hard for our deer, I don't think our elk got hurt, I think we are seeing more elk. Unfortunately we had about 10 misses on bulls in archery season so it was a good hunt, just not as many photos to share from September. So far I have been surprised by our deer success in rifle season, the hunters have been shooting very well this year, we have done about three times better on deer than I expected. Elk is going pretty well too with several bulls down already and guides are looking for another wounded spike right now. Fingers crossed on that!

[bearpaw]

It was a beautiful morning in northern Idaho this morning!

[Twispriver]

Heck of a season so far, thanks for the updates 

[bearpaw]

Heck of a season so far, thanks for the updates 

Thanks

This is the best Idaho buck of the season so far, we definitely lost some of the biggest bucks in southern Idaho last winter but we’re still having pretty good success thankfully.