Will post pics later if I can get up the nerve but here goes:
Went up to my favorite Huckleberry unit spot for a little bear/grouse hunt. Had been seeing a fair amount of bear sign so we were pretty stoked. I was really actually excited to get some grouse since I've never even seen a bear in the fall in this particular area. It's just so thick that all we ever see is sign. In the spring we see them quite often. Anyways, Saturday morning we decided we'd go cruise around looking for grouse and scout for sign, then we'd go get some lunch and chase bears in the evening. We didn't see any grouse but did find some fresh bear sign but it was a small bear. Probably 4" wide tracks. We got back to camp and I decided I wanted to check "the high road" which is right near camp. Bighorns2bushytails decided to stay at camp and maybe take a nap, it was probably 11:00 or so. I hopped on the quad and drove to the head of the high road (an old skid trail) and walked in to the end, probably a mile or so. I saw another set of tracks so thought I'd give calling a whirl.
This is a pretty big clear cut so I went to the far end where it's starts to get really thick and called for 30 minutes or so. I heard guys at their camp off in the distance to the left and to the right but figured "what the heck" I'll keep calling. Got nothing there so walked back to the middle of the clear cut and did another set. I'd say 20-30 minutes or so. All of the sudden accross the valley at 3-400 yards I see a stump I didn't remember before. I glassed it and it was a bear!! I just about crapped this is the first bear I've called in and let me tell you the juices were flowing!! I was stoked!!
It walked from my left to right sidehill accross the canyon and I waited till it got a tree between me and it and I ran down the road back to the spot where I called earlier. I peeked from behind a tree and it was still there but looking towards me. I waited for a second because I was about 250-300 yards away and I really needed to find a rest. It finally looked away and I hustled down to a burned out stump and got set up. The bear then stopped for a minute or two right behind a larch tree so I had to wait. While he stared I got a pretty good look at him and he seemed average. Not real big but certainly not small. Jet black coat- real shiny. Very pretty. Anyways it turned to go up hill so I called. It stopped and looked again but I did want to shoot it in the ass. It started walking again so I called and this time it stopped, turned and walked to a stump and rested it's front paws on it and just stared.
This bear was very interested in the call but if I continued I was scared it'd walk to the bottom and I'd lose it in the brush. I just didn't want to shoot it straight on but I felt like I had no choice. I rested, drew a breath and smacked him with the 350 rem mag. I heard the smack so I knew I hit home. I found the bear in the scope again and it just collapsed in a heap over the stump like you'd pose it for a pic. Now keep in mind this is only my second bear and I'm really hyped up. I sit and watch for movement as I wanted to be sure to anchor it if it need it. Not a twitch. Then it slid off of the stump and rolled like a snowball down the hill and piled up in a large alder bush. From where I was I just couldn't see the bear so I watched for the brush to move, again just to be sure this bear is dead. Got no movement and started to run back to the quad which was a mile or so away.
Man it's HOT, I'm sweating my ars off, I'm totally jacked but I needed help getting this pig out. Finally I reach the quad and THE KEY!!!! IT'S GONE!!! WTF!! I'm checking my pockets over and over and I can't find the key. I start running back to camp which is another mile or so and realized the key was in my teeth. What a jack ass.
I get back to camp and get Nyles so he can help me get the thing out. I tell him to wait till he sees me across the canyon and not to come till I find the bear. I get across and can't find the bear anywhere. I had marked the spot but lost track in the thick creek bottom and had veered to the right. Anyhow I searched for about a half hour and gave up. I figured I'd go back to the spot I shot from. Show Nyles which bush it was in and go back and get the bear. While I was showing the spot we measured with a ringefinder and it was 188 yards. I thought "Oh crap! This might be a small bear. Anyways thats how it worked. I showed him where it was and he guided me right to it.
And wouldn't you know? This bear was TINY!!!!!!!! It's about a four footer and just cute as a button. I wiped the milk off it's lips so I didn't have the guilt while I was gutting it. It was a heavy little F****r though.
Got it back to camp and skinned and quartered it and promptly took a nap. I was thoroughly wooped.
So I learned how hard it is to judge those darn things. I would have passed on this bear had I known but when looking across a steep canyon to a bear on the other side they are VERY hard to judge.
By the way the bullet hit right between the eyes. I'll post pics later I need to get cleaned up and grab a bite to eat.
