..

[wastickslinger]

.

[Woodchuck]

i believe i would have put a leak in him 

[NWBREW]

I don't think I could have let him walk away. Nice bear.

[Lowedog]

That looks like a brute to me!  The pack out is always a consideration for me too though.  It means you are getting old!  

[steeleywhopper]

With consideration to the heat and the distance to pack him out, I think I would have done the same thing. Shooter bear for sure, go get him when it cools down.

[BlackRidge]

Good call, I probably would have let me eagerness get the better of me, and enjoyed endured the loooong haul back to the truck

Great looking bear though, hopefully you get another crack at it

[PacificNWhunter]

That's a great bear, tough call but the right thing considering the heat and the packout. Beautiful bear though.

[Skillet]

Good on ya' for having the discipline to let him walk.  Big boy, right there.  Like to see a close up of him soon, though 

[JackOfAllTrades]

You've got some real issues...     That would have been a seriously difficult decision for me to make.

And at only 30yrs old?  You've got to be kidding me. I'd have shot that pretty Bear at 40yrs. Hell, I might have done it now!

Four miles in? No road closer than four miles? Hmm... Then quit hiking/hunting so darn far away from the truck. Be just like the rest of the average hunters that don't venture more than one mile from the road.

You work hard, learn skills, then don't capitalize on them?  If you're going to hike/hunt that far out, then don't take the rifle. Take the camera and be satisfied that you 'could'a'.  But don't say that you let a big beautiful slightly color phased Blackbear go because you're too damn lazy or ill prepared to have taken him out that four miles. (yes, I realize that heat is a concern for the meat) But man.. Damn..  

Naw man.. Just givin you crap.  Smart decision.

-Steve

[demontang]

Man that would have been hard to do. I think I would have wacked him and ran back to my truck for a bag of ice to throw in him I learned last year that if you do that they cool down realy fast and stay cool too.

[Grizzly95]

OK amateur hour, I know heat is a bad thing to deal with in any downed animal case, but is it worse for a bear?

[JackOfAllTrades]

I think I would have wacked him and ran back to my truck for a bag of ice to throw in him

If you don't have a cooler/freezer to put an animal in...  Cool'm off?   Keep some full/frozen 2 liter pop bottles on hand. Stuff a few of those in any big animal's body cavity, then lay the animal on a tarp on the concrete floor of a shop or garage. Roll the body over every few hours. In my experience this cools much faster than air hanging unless it's pretty cold out.

And what heat yesterday?  I don't see where it was more than 72 degrees anywhere in Washington yesterday. Must have been cooler in the hills.

Wastickslinger, you need to change the title of this thread to "I think I screwed up"!  


Grizzly95,

Yes, heat is your enemy for Bear and Elk especially.

-Steve

[C-Money]

Man, that looked like a great bear! I am sure you will find him again and whack him!

[JackOfAllTrades]

Then for sure I would have seen that MONSTER bear again and I would not have had a tag in hand.

Well... I hope you get a crack at that monster then. 

-Steve

[509er]

Yeah.....  you made the good decision.  Stickslinger's thought process:  Heat maybe...      Location....hmmmm       Having to tell your wife that you owe the taxidermist more money.....that was the deal breaker.

It was a nice bear.  Glad you made the decision that you did, I would not want to explain to my wife why you were sleeping on my couch.  We both would have been S.O.L.