Killing a denning bear? What say you?

[ser300wsm]

WOW, that is one hell of a pic of that bear in its den.... It looks pissed off as hell.... Great pic though...  As far as shooting one in his den, I'm not going in there to do that is for sure... That to me is insane, you want to commit suicide go ahead. I think that guy just got lucky as hell... That reminds me of a hunting article i read in trophy hunter mag. about a guy on a guided brown bear hunt in the spring in Alaska. Him & his guide found huge tracks leading to his den in the side of a hill & waited for him to come out. Well they finally got tired of waiting & went over to the den & the guide goes right up to the den & sticks his head in there & after a roar from the bear the guide scrambles to get out of the way & lucky that the guy hunting for the bear has a cool head an shoots the bear as it is coming out of the den..... Unbelievable... I think very stupid.... 

[saylean]

Killing a denned bear....what say I...

whats the fun in that!?

[alecvg]

I dont see where it says he used a flashlight.  It said he could see the nose WITHOUT a flashlight.

[ICEMAN]

I dont see where it says he used a flashlight.  It said he could see the nose WITHOUT a flashlight.

Next line is where we read about the flashlight...

“I went in about 6 feet, and I could just see the tip of his nose without a flashlight,” Kendall said. “He was growling and snapping his jaws at me.”

Kendall said that after he shined his flashlight on the bear, the bear laid back its ears.



Alecvg, I was going to rib you and tell you to "pay attention now..." but I am famous for missing a few lines too....   

[sakoshooter]

As far as the actual shooting goes: Is it really different than shooting one out of a tree? I understand the hunt and following the hounds but as far as a treed bear goes, where can it go? Not really any different. Matter of fact, to make a fair comparison, the guy shooting the treed bear would need to climb the tree and get right in that bears face to be even with the guy that crawled into a den with a fully awake, jaw popping, ears laid back bear. After all, he did track it to it's den. Different only because we're not used to hearing about it in this way.

[Boss .300 winmag]

As far as the actual shooting goes: Is it really different than shooting one out of a tree? I understand the hunt and following the hounds but as far as a treed bear goes, where can it go? Not really any different. Matter of fact, to make a fair comparison, the guy shooting the treed bear would need to climb the tree and get right in that bears face to be even with the guy that crawled into a den with a fully awake, jaw popping, ears laid back bear. After all, he did track it to it's den. Different only because we're not used to hearing about it in this way.

I shot one out of a tree once kinda easy, the bad part was I treed him that was scary. He was sleeping next to a creek and I woke him up, he didn't know what I was I think, and he was cornered. 

[tritt007]

when you get down to the nitty gritty it really seems as tho its more sportsmans like than waiting for it and blasting it (ambush) that bear had a fairer chance to maul the crap and kill that guy there than it would have if he waited outside for it. so if you ask me it was more sporting and he did it legally.

[Michelle_Nelson]

BTW I only read the first page and glanced through the rest.  

My  

Who cares?  Do you really think that guy in the enterance was going to stop that bear from making an exit if it wanted to?  Sounds like the guy tracked it to it's den.   Kudos to him not a lot of people know how to follow a trail.

I see no real difference in shooting a bear in a den or watching a hill side packed with berries? or a bait site? or a carcass? river bank during salmon run? beach? Eventually a Bear is going to show up or you wouldn't be sitting there in the first place.

I believe hound hunting is a great way to hunt Bear and Cougar.  For starters if the animal is a small one or a female than you have a great opertunity to look the animal over before pulling the trigger or letting it walk.

[bearpaw]

I say good for the guy getting a huge bear, he did it by legal means during established hunting season. 

Many hunters aren't even savvy enough to track the bear to his den and get it. Now that his hunt has been published everyone that's holier than him says its unfair, but before he killed a bigger bear than anyone else had, no one even cared if that method should be legal or not. I am amazed at the jealousy and the holier-than-thou-attitiudes in the hunting world.

Do none of you think that has not happened in Washington! Man get a grip, season goes until mid November, why do you think bear are hard to find in November. Now that this method has been publisized half the hunters will be looking all over trying to find a den and the other half will be trying to outlaw shooting in a den, or asking for an earlier season which the WDFW s currently trying to get away from...LOL    

My congrats goes to the hunter.... 

[Kain]

I say good for the guy getting a huge bear, he did it by legal means during established hunting season. 

Many hunters aren't even savvy enough to track the bear to his den and get it. Now that his hunt has been published everyone that's holier than him says its unfair, but before he killed a bigger bear than anyone else had, no one even cared if that method should be legal or not. I am amazed at the jealousy and the holier-than-thou-attitiudes in the hunting world.

Do none of you think that has not happened in Washington! Man get a grip, season goes until mid November, why do you think bear are hard to find in November. Now that this method has been publisized half the hunters will be looking all over trying to find a den and the other half will be trying to outlaw shooting in a den, or asking for an earlier season which the WDFW s currently trying to get away from...LOL    

My congrats goes to the hunter.... 

Yep I would reference my post on the other thread.  "Hunters spend more time fighting each other than fighting FOR each other".    

[L8NITE]

I dont think i would crawl into 703 pound bears den 

[Alan K]

I don't think I'd enjoy killing an animal that is not at its finest.

Wow, that line kind of caught my eye. . .  That's like saying you'd never enjoy taking a trophy mule deer buck or bull pushed down during a late hunt. . . They're certainly not at their finest in comparison to when there isn't any snow and not consumed with feeding.  

I really don't see any problem with this guys kill, like many have said, because in comparison to other hunting methods this is no less ethical to me (hounds & baiting).  I think it's actually pretty awesome to do that tracking and talk about a pair of nuts to go in after it!!!  Congrats to the hunter.

Can't believe I missed this when it was originally posted!

[boneaddict]

No, its not like saying that.   Metabolically, go take 15 hydrocodone, and have some guy break into your bedroom and see how you respond.  Unless that is of course the same thing as being horned up when someone breaks into your bedroom.   I wasn't attacking the hunt nearly as much as you think I was, though I believe from a non hunters perspective, if you were to advertise that you killed a bear while in its den, its going to be recieved more on a negative side than on a positive view.  Much like tying that bear on the front of your rig and driving down the interstate.  No its not illegal, but probably should not do it. If you don't believe me, see how it was recieved by a bunch of people who have no problem shooting a bear.    Again, its not for me, but I also don't think I said he shouldn't have done it.  Like Sayean, I don't think that is that cool.   Granted you won't find me crawing into a bear den in January or Sept.  I do have some sort of self preservation.

[boneaddict]

Did you miss the res of this post as well?

I am along the lines as Ray.   I'm not sure anyone was even being critical of him.  Just it wasn't their cup of tea.   i don't think there was even any divide or conquer.   I've seen alot of bear in the middle of the winter and their bodies have basically shutdown do to natural causes.  I don't think I'd enjoy killing an animal that is not at its finest.   I didn't say crawling into a hole after one was either not sporting or briliiant.   Theres a badger hole up the road.  Anyone want to go in head first and see if badgers sleep in the winter or not.    It is very possible to disagree with someone without having to be considered critical.  half the people that will weigh in on this thread probably don't even understand hibernation, or have ever even seen a bear den, let alone with one in it.  If its legal, then he was well within his rights to do so.

Question for you.  Have you ever hound hunted, hunted over bait, or have you seen a bear while in its den or watched or follow when when they come out.  Just curious.

[Alan K]

I guess it comes down to our own definitions of finest.    To me a deer is at it's finest in early October, when they're long out of velvet, largely nocturnal, and haven't yet become rut crazed.

And that wasn't necessarily related to the bear story at all, just the comment.


And I haven't hunted with hounds, over bait, or seen them in or coming out of their dens in the flesh, only on video.