Opening Day Story

[tlbradford]

I left the house at 1:45 and hit our spot at 4:45.  I headed up the hill to wait for my partner at the first flat.  The pack was a little heavy with 6 liters of water, but nothing too bad.

[alanger]

Any luck

[tlbradford]

The choke cherries are almost ripe.  Hopes were high.  We set up and called three areas in a long canyon.  Each set was about 45 minutes with us alternating calling to keep it up continuously.  My brother in law taking a water break and looking at the hill we still get to climb. 

This little bull snake was hanging around too.

[tlbradford]

By the tme we were finshed with the hike up and our first three stands it was around 10:30.  We began the long trek to the next canyon over.  Here is some more scenery pics, and the obligatory huntwa photo of poop. 

[stumprat]

Must be the brother in law's call huh?

[tlbradford]

It was probably pushing 90 by the time we started our next stand.  Tony set up on one side of a chute, and I on the other about twenty yards apart.  We could each look down one side of the canyon in opposite directions.  I started calling and this doe responded about a minute later.

[tlbradford]

After she blew out we had a nice boar coming in after about 10 minutes of calling.  It came to twenty yards on the trail my brother in law was watching.  I never saw it the whole time it was coming in.  I motioned for Tony to take the shot.  He held off wanting me to shoot since he hadfirst shot the year before.  Nice guy, poor decision.   

The bear turned and headed back down into the canyon.  I crept along the rim, while my brother in law went down into the canyon.  After about 100 yards of stalking I see the bear come through the trees on the other side of the canyon.  I take a knee and put him in my scope.  I crank the power up from 2x to 10x.  I reach to my side pocket for my rangefinder and realize it is in my side pocket of my backpack.  Estimating the yardage at 300 I put the crosshairs at the top of his back take a few steadying breaths and squeeze the trigger.  The bear runs off. 

We go back, grab our stuff, and head down and up through the canyon.  Tony's legs start cramping from the heat so he stops to sit while I look for signs of a hit.  I get to the spot and can smell the bear but no sign.  I laser to wher I took the shot and it comes back 371 yards.  I must have shot just beneath him according to the ballistics on my .338 winmag.  I search for another hour just to make sure.  During the course of the search something moves in the brush.  I'm thinking bear with a broken leg.  We are 10 yards apart but I can't see him.  I circle upwind ad he crashes a few feet through the brush.  I find an opening and toss a rock towards him to locate again.  This pushes him out into an open area around the other side of a tree.  I pop out on the other side and see a frickin dow.   

Here is a photo with Tony standing where the bear was and me from my calling spot but standing up and shifted three feet to my right.

Second photo is back across the canyon.

[tlbradford]

No bear down, but found three golden eagles.  I wish I had a bigger lens for these beauties.

[bow4elk]

Nice photo essay.  For best calling results, you must put your call ON the poop.  You'll never achieve the right sounds without some stink on it.   

[Machias]

Great photos and great story, thanks for sharing!!

[tlbradford]

My brother in law had headed back toward the truck.  I continued calling and hunting or a couple of more hours.  No luck.  My socks were soaked with sweat and I had some bad hot spots on the pads of my right foot.  The inserts are wearing out and need replacing.  It is 2:00 and I start down the mountain.  I start getting fatigued, a headache is forming, and it is probably close to 105, but the rock is making it feel like 120.  My eet are killing e so I decide to take a break and enjoy a foot spa with 100 of my closest bee and fly friends.  Thank goodness I didn't have to fight some cattle to get to the one spot on the mountain that still had water.  Here is the foot bath I fashioned.  and some more misc pics.

[tlbradford]

   Thanks for the advice guys.  On the way out after cooling down I have a bear walk right up the road toward me to about 25 yards.  It is a little 90 lb chocolate, so itearneda free pass.  Tony saw a sow and three cubs on his way out.  After three gatorades and a bag of trail mix, while sitting in front of the a/c in my pick-up I finally felt better.  Would I do it again?  Yes, but I would get off the mountain by noon.  I will hopefully get up there in a couple weeks for another go at them.  The boar I shot at is bigger than I thought, but his build made me misjudge the distance badly.  He was long legged and rangy.  He wouldn't have weighed much more than 220, but probably would have been a 6 footer.  Nice black coat with a brown muzzle.

[bowhunterforever]

Nice pics and read!

[BLKBEARKLR]

Good read, awesome pics thanks for sharing

[Little Dave]

Hey, great pictures.  Thanks for sharing.