Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Wea300mag on August 30, 2008, 09:22:58 AM

Title: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Wea300mag on August 30, 2008, 09:22:58 AM: After spending the last four weeks in 9 different states for work, I was very happy to finally come home, grab the 300 Weatherby, and do some bear hunting yesterday. 50Cal and I met in Darrington and proceeded on to one of his favorite spots. Within 3 minutes of setting up the spotting scope 50Cal says "I got one". I swing the binocs around and see this bear. This view is at 18X with the camera,

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/bear_4.jpg)

These views are through the magic of the computer.

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/bear_1.jpg)

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/bear_2.jpg)

The bear was tearing the crap out of some bee boxes that were placed out in the middle of nowhere. We were about 800 yards away and could have easily closed within 100 by dropping down behind a finger ridge. The big debate between 50Cal and I was on whether this would be considered baiting? They weren't our bees and we were on public land many miles from civilization. What are your thoughts? Either way, we just sat and watched him tear apart bee boxes for 30 minutes until the clouds rolled in at the view turned to this.

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/fog.jpg)

Later on, after the fog opened for a bit, we walked down through the brush to survey the damage. The rain was pouring the whole time and we ended up totally soaked. It reminded me why I hate hunting the west side. We both fell on our arses a half dozen times.

The huckleberries (both red and blue) were definitely ripe and ready for harvest in that area.

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/red_huckleberries.jpg)

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/blue_berries.jpg)

The clouds/fog pretty much dominated the rest of the hunt but we did manage find four grouse even with very limited visibility, just 3 days too early. :chuckle:

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/grouse_1.jpg)

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10352/grouse_2.jpg)
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: poulsbo on August 30, 2008, 09:36:40 AM: find out whos land it is through county courthouse , i'm sure the beekeeper would love it if you centerpunched a bear or two there
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: 50CalJim on August 30, 2008, 10:14:13 AM: Well all I know is that I'm taking off in about a 1/2 hr & if he shows up again i'll have a "Honey Bear " story to tell. :hunter:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: poulsbo on August 30, 2008, 10:20:00 AM: if the bee keeper catches ya with that bruin tipped over you better be careful, he'll probably try to kiss ya.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Ray on August 30, 2008, 10:46:43 AM: A lot of those bee boxes I have seen have motion sensor alarms. I hear it works for a while until the bears figure out that they are just alarms and nothing more. I don't have any problems with bee farmers using land for their stuff and I would not call that baiting unless you took part in placing them there. The bee farmer would thank you.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: M_ray on August 30, 2008, 10:51:16 AM: I say shoot him ... bee boxes are not placed with the intent to bait bears and as others have said the bee keeper would thank you! Now if there was a pile of doughnuts down there weather you placed them or not I think you would have a problem. ;)
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Ray on August 30, 2008, 10:55:31 AM: I forgot to mention. I hope you get that bear :hello:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: DeKuma on August 30, 2008, 11:34:42 AM: Would be rough to punch that bear there though! Think of how many bees would be all over you during the dressing process! At least the ones I have seen have had them swarming all over them!
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: tlbradford on August 30, 2008, 12:23:59 PM: :hunter: (https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lholmes.fsnet.co.uk%2Fimages%2Fwinnie%2520the%2520pooh.jpg&hash=35f8e0cf9c74ad280876d0a8905c40972794973f).
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: PWN Kurt on August 30, 2008, 06:41:33 PM: Nice looking bear. My $.02 is that its close enough to baiting that I'd pass on it.

Kurt
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: robb92 on August 30, 2008, 06:50:43 PM: Nice looking bear, I would wait till he is a little ways away from the boxes to shoot it, so the bees are not swarming all over you.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Ridgerunner on August 30, 2008, 07:34:42 PM: thats not baiting come on. no way, should have killed it imo.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: boneaddict on August 30, 2008, 07:35:02 PM: Pretty pissed off beekeeper out there somewhere. THATS ALOT OF MONEY
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Big10gauge on August 30, 2008, 08:05:36 PM: And I thought Honey Bears were only in South America!! :chuckle:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Bscman on August 31, 2008, 08:55:01 AM: Hmmm...I'm about 99% sure I know where that's at.

I'm also going to agree with the majority...I wouldn't have hesitated to take the shot--after taking closer look to better judge the bears size.

You didn't place the bees there...you just stumbled across them...and the bee keeper would probably be glad you were helping to protect his property.
Makes sense in my head. :dunno:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: addicted on August 31, 2008, 09:14:47 AM: dang. he looks like a good'un too.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: 50CalJim on August 31, 2008, 07:34:00 PM: I have no doubt Bscman you know where that is. I don't think that Geography was Wea300's best subject in school. :chuckle: The only reason I didn't shoot that Bear was because I was 520 yds up hill from it in the rain & the damn fog & by the time I got closer it was gone.Basically I was fighting the fog it wouldn't give me a break. But we did pull a different Bear out of their today though. I forgot how much fun Bear huntin was after the Bear is down. :DOH: :'(
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: DeKuma on August 31, 2008, 07:43:18 PM: SO where are the pics!!
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Ray on August 31, 2008, 07:48:50 PM: Looks to me like thats where the bears are. The truth is there are more than a few places that look like that.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: 50CalJim on August 31, 2008, 07:51:06 PM: Read Westside Multi-color Bear Dekuma.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: DeKuma on August 31, 2008, 07:55:13 PM: Yeah, I figured it out once I opened that thread that it was one and the same.
Great looking coat on that guy! Congrats to you guys!
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: HCDowns on August 31, 2008, 09:34:31 PM: I agree, you didn't put the bee boxes there, if it makes you feel better, I would wait until it is away from the boxes just so you don't worry about it if you do get him.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: actionshooter on August 31, 2008, 09:48:41 PM: I would go nuts if those were my boxes, we have used solar electric fences before and it seems to work. I wouldn't call that baiting even if I set the boxes myself. No one in thier right mind would use hives for bait,,, way to much money!! :yike:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Timberlineduke on August 31, 2008, 10:18:48 PM: Hey guys......hate to be the barer of bad news.....but that would be (or could be, depending on the agent) baiting. I know a kid that was goose hunting with permission in a farmers field.....and two days before the kid got there....the farmer had to dump a load potatoes in the field to get his truck un-stuck.....well the kid shot some geese coming in to this pile of potatoes and got ticketed for baiting......he fought it in court and lost......$500...and no gun. These baiting laws are tricky.
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: smdave on August 31, 2008, 10:22:00 PM: What is the difference in that, then hunting in a corn field.

Dave
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Timberlineduke on August 31, 2008, 10:34:24 PM: It was viewed by the court that a natural food source had been re-distributed and used as an unfair advantage by the hunter.....even though the hunter didn't have a thing to do with it........I don't agree with how the law was interperted.....I was just reporting it. How are we suppose to know these things with the regs they give us....... :bash:
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: huntnphool on September 02, 2008, 09:01:11 AM: I knew I had seen this area and bee boxes before on this site, it was in Wea300 post. Now we know whos boxes got trashed :chuckle:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,10873.0.html
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: dasbear on September 07, 2008, 07:58:58 PM: You would have absolutly been in the right to shoot that bear in the "act of depredation"of crops or personal property. Right now you're going to have to watch your back because I'm sure there is one very ticked off bee keeper that would have been thanking you will now have to hunt you down and feed you the north end of his north bound boot.

dasbear
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: DeKuma on September 07, 2008, 08:03:36 PM: Like it was his fault the keeper did not secure his boxes?
That makes no sense Dasbear??
Title: Re: 50Cal Passes on Decent Bear
Post by: Wea300mag on September 08, 2008, 05:59:44 PM: I agree, that doesn't make much sense dasbear??? :dunno: