Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Rufous on March 02, 2013, 05:20:24 PM

Title: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on March 02, 2013, 05:20:24 PM: My buddy Mike and I got drawn for spring bear in the West Blues units of OR this year. We got drawn for the same area back in 2008 and had a great hunt. Looking forward to this year.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: MLBowhunting on March 02, 2013, 05:25:31 PM: Good and cant wait for pics :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Maligator on March 02, 2013, 05:41:44 PM: Very cool...good luck on the hunt :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on March 02, 2013, 05:49:55 PM: Tagging to follow
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on March 02, 2013, 09:25:54 PM: I hope to fill my tag and will sure try but as I am only after mature boars that will certainly limit opportunities. Last year I got drawn for the WA Dayton unit spring bear and could have filled my tag on some youngsters but did not do so. Anyway should be fun.
Title: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: suga on March 02, 2013, 09:43:18 PM: Tag
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on March 02, 2013, 09:48:33 PM: I am not familiar with the West Blues description. Is that the western side of Weneha? I think that the vehicle access is better there (better than the WA Weneha). Please tell us a bit about your earlier hunt.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: jackelope on March 02, 2013, 09:50:29 PM: Looking forward to this one. Rufous, your bear hunt threads never disappoint.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Ripper on March 03, 2013, 07:58:19 AM: good luck
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Dbax129 on March 03, 2013, 02:13:48 PM: tag to follow
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Karl Blanchard on March 03, 2013, 02:48:10 PM: Tagging this one to follow! You sir are the bear whisperer! Your bear 101 post a few years back was an eye opener in the bear world for me! Someday I might even draw a spring tag! 7pts and rising! :bash:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: bowsandhose on March 03, 2013, 04:03:34 PM: grats on the tag hope you put a toad down
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Wea300mag on March 03, 2013, 06:30:22 PM: Good luck to you and your buddy. Can't wait to hear/see the results. :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: blacktailcody on March 03, 2013, 06:33:24 PM: Tag. Good luck.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: carpsniperg2 on March 03, 2013, 06:46:06 PM: Good luck :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on March 03, 2013, 06:55:42 PM: Well Dayton is arguably the best spring bear tag in Wa and West Blue Mountains is the Or Spring bear Mecca. Good luck on a bruiser
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: whacker1 on March 03, 2013, 07:26:42 PM: congrats. looking forward to reading more
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on March 03, 2013, 09:48:57 PM: PD, here is a link to my thread on my 2008 Oregon spring bear hunt.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,6033.60.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,6033.60.html)

My major concern this year is that I will not have nearly as much time to hunt as I have in the past. I have been unemployed since mid October (I have been a winemaker for 25 years) but it looks like I will be starting a new job driving truck. I have been working on getting my Class A CDL through the Walla Walla Community College and a local guy wants me to haul straw bales for him to Sunnyside and the Port in Seattle. No time off benefits so if I am not driving I am not making money. So mostly it will be just weekend hunting for me this year. Anyway now that I know the area better from having hunted it in 2008 I feel pretty good about my chances.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on March 04, 2013, 10:48:38 AM: Rufous, wow. That 2008 Oregon bear hunt was quite the adventure. You are probably still in shape from all of that walking!

The good news is (1) you know the area, and (2) you are close (Walla Walla). If anybody could fill the tag, I sure that you would be at the top of the list. Best of luck.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: elkoholic1 on March 04, 2013, 02:59:15 PM: :tup: congrats!!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on April 13, 2013, 05:48:54 PM: My buddy Mike made a short evening hunt opening day and saw one bear. I went out last Saturday and logged about 5 miles on foot, mostly trudging through the snow. Did not see any bears but did see some bear tracks. I went out yesterday in the same area as last Saturday and went about 4.5 miles but again saw no bears. My hunting partner and I went out together today and put in about 4 miles but did not see any elk. We saw tons of elk though. We did see some bear tracks in the snow but it was from a little one. Anyway it is at least good to get out in the mountains and get some exercise.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Salmo on April 14, 2013, 07:58:39 PM: Have fun Rufous! Best of luck!

Chuck
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: RifleRidge on April 14, 2013, 08:01:56 PM: Rufus Oregon Is the way it should be spelled.. :)
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on April 20, 2013, 09:33:58 PM: Covered 6.7 miles today but again saw no bears. Lots of elk though, one which still had both antlers. Also saw this crazy looking beast. We figure it must be a cross between a Chupacabra and an Archeopteryx. What do you all think?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: jackelope on April 20, 2013, 10:31:48 PM: Great. Now I wont sleep. Looks canine. Coyote? Hard to say how big it is...wolf?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on April 21, 2013, 12:52:53 AM: Definitely K-9.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Dbax129 on April 21, 2013, 02:07:32 PM: Poor fido. Somebody lost a pet? :dunno:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: duckmen1 on April 21, 2013, 04:50:00 PM: Pretty sure it's a coyote judging by the paws and jaw
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Elkstuffer on April 21, 2013, 05:30:31 PM: Judging from the size of those canine teeth and the length of it's tail I'm leaning towards wolf. We're you in a wolf area?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: 270Flat on April 21, 2013, 05:53:04 PM: Quote from: Elkstuffer on April 21, 2013, 05:30:31 PM
Judging from the size of those canine teeth and the length of it's tail I'm leaning towards wolf. We're you in a wolf area?
Definitely wolves in that area :bash:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on April 21, 2013, 07:58:21 PM: Yes there are wolves in the area but I suspect it was a coyote. It was pretty small overall. Sure was scary looking.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: xXLojackXx on April 24, 2013, 11:45:29 AM: Looks like somebody dropped a wolf :)
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on April 24, 2013, 07:16:20 PM: My hunting partner that drew with me went out bear hunting today with another mutual friend. The mutual friend called in and shot a smallish cougar. I will post a pic when I get one.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: 270Flat on April 24, 2013, 08:07:01 PM: 👍
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: whacker1 on April 25, 2013, 03:43:50 PM: Quote from: Rufous on April 24, 2013, 07:16:20 PM
My hunting partner that drew with me went out bear hunting today with another mutual friend. The mutual friend called in and shot a smallish cougar. I will post a pic when I get one.

I hate to be that guy, but I got to ask - Is cougar open in that unit? I thought it was closed in all units by 3/31 or earlier?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: smdave on April 25, 2013, 04:00:43 PM: Hunting Cougar in Oregon

The General Statewide Season

•The Season is Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 or until Hunt Zone Quotas have been met, whichever occurs first.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: whacker1 on April 25, 2013, 04:16:58 PM: Quote from: smdave on April 25, 2013, 04:00:43 PM
Hunting Cougar in Oregon

The General Statewide Season

•The Season is Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 or until Hunt Zone Quotas have been met, whichever occurs first.

Oops - my bad, I forgot this was Oregon.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on April 26, 2013, 09:40:22 PM: Saw my first bear of the year this afternoon. It was a chocolate phase, probably about 3 years old so I passed. Looking for a decent sized blonde or a mature boar of any color. It was great though to put the first bear on the boards. Covered a bit over 3 miles in quite steep country.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 03, 2013, 08:46:52 AM: My brother joined me last Saturday for a hunt in the same area that I saw my first bear of the year. We covered about 4.5 miles but saw no bears.

Yesterday my buddy Ben and his 13 year old daughter joined me in the same area. Ben has been out on many bear hunting adventures with me but not as a tag holder. He has never been with me when I shot a bear though. Well I thought that was going to change because I saw a decent blonde bear that I planned to shoot. Problem was Ben and Hannah were up the ridge behind me several hundred yards and I had left my pack about halfway between us as I worked my way further down a ridge. It was about 530 pm when I left my pack and after a bit I noticed some really fresh digging. My alertness increased and I poked along down the ridge very slowly. Finally I saw what was probably a 3 year old blonde bear feeding on the ridge top below me. The wind was in my favor and it had no clue I was there, only 130 yards from it. I decided to call Ben on the radio because I wanted him and Hannah (who got into hunting a couple years ago, killing her first deer) to witness the taking of the bear and I wanted him to get my pack so I could video the event. Well eventually, despite trying to talk quietly the bear heard us and took off. I am not too bummed though because my hunt is not over and maybe I can get an even bigger bear. I would have been happy with this small blonde one though since I have never taken a blonde phase bear. It was a good day on the mountain and we covered about 7 miles, starting at 4600 feet elevation then dropping to about 3200' which is where the bear was before working our way back to the truck. We got back just at dark. Planning to go out this afternoon with my buddy Mike who drew this tag with me.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on May 03, 2013, 09:29:34 AM: Rufous, that is a great story. I am sure that father Ben and daughter Hannah felt bad for you, but in the end you all had a wonderful time (which is at least half of why you were there). You are THE man when it comes to bear hunting in the Blues, and you will prevail eventually. We are all looking forward to that photograph (and maybe a video, too).
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 04, 2013, 10:54:36 PM: My hunting partner Mike and I went out yesterday evening and again today, both to the same place. Yesterday we covered about 3.5 miles on foot and ended up seeing 4 bears. I saw a lone bear way down in the canyon that looked pretty big and Mike and I saw a sow with cub and then we also saw a decent sized lone jet black bear which is pretty rare for the Blues. Mike was tempted to shoot the black one but it was 8pm and it was on a very steep slope. We did not think it likely that we would be able to find it last night if he had shot it so we decided to try for it today. Well today we got in there at about 9am and glassed the area for a bit but did not spot it immediately. Mike headed off in another direction and I headed down the main ridge. It wasn't 5 minutes after we separated that I saw the jet black bear. I called Mike on the radio to hustle back and while he was returning I got this photo:

Just before Mike got back the bear fed into some timber and out of sight. I was still not sure it was big enough to meet my goal but figured it would meet Mike's- he would be happy with a boar of 250# or bigger. Well we decided that I should do some calling with my Woods Wise Bear Blaster call to see if we could lure Black Bart out of the Woods. After several minutes of calling Mike, who was about 50 yards down hill from me and out of my vision, fired off a shot. I was quite surprised because I had not seen the bear coming in and while I have called in quite a number of bears over the years I do not necessarily expect to succeed. Anyway the short of this part of the story is that he missed. We saw the bear working its way up hill a few minutes later and it appeared unhurt. We looked for blood and saw none as well. The bear was coming in but for whatever reason suddenly decided to exit and Mike took a quick shot at it on the run but missed.

We spent the rest of the day in that major canyon area and ended up seeing a total of 8 bears, 4 of which were repeats from yesterday. Late in the day we saw a sow and cub and then another sow with 2 cubs. The sow with the 2 cubs was a gorgeous cinnamon red. I really like the blonde phase bears and have yet to take one. I am hoping to accomplish that this spring which would complete what I am calling the Lower 48 Color Phase Slam. So far I have taken black, chocolate and cinnamon Even though I really want a blonde one I find the cinnamon most attractive to me. At the very end of the day we saw the same sow and cub as yesterday and I was able to get this photo of them from 130 yards away.

We had a great day and it is awesome to finally be seeing the bears out.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: bucklucky on May 04, 2013, 11:57:19 PM: Awesome Rufous, keep us posted .
Title: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: KopperBuck on May 05, 2013, 08:59:26 AM: Nice pics. Going to be a few years before I draw that tag. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the write ups.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 11, 2013, 11:05:24 PM: I got out Thursday with two of my hunting buddies, both named Mike. Mike D is the guy that recently got a cougar when he and Mike C were out bear hunting. Mike D does not have an Oregon bear tag but Mike C and I do. Anyway I call Mike D Mad Dog and Mike C MC Blammer to keep them straight. Mad Dog took us up to a beautiful chunk of private property that he has permission to hunt. We only saw one bear which required a bit of a hike to get into position. Once we got over there we could no longer see it but Mad Dog fired up his FoxPro and after several minutes of calling I spotted the blonde bear working its way up the ridge that it had been on. MC Blammer took the shot at my suggestion since he was the one who first spotted the bear. Unfortunately he missed and the bear got away. I sighted his rifle in for him later that evening and it was hitting low. Hopefully next opportunity he will connect.

Yesterday fellow forum member Gramps and I went out and covered a bunch of ground on his 4 wheeler. We had a great time and saw some awesome country but only one small bear was spotted briefly by Gramps.

Today MC Blammer and I went out to the same area that we hunted last weekend. I saw a sow and cub and another saw with two cubs. Mike saw the sow and cub and another lone bear but is was too small. One the way out we cut fresh tracks of what looked to be a big bear. So far we have not seen any obvious monsters.

I did have a cool encounter with a couple coyotes. They were working their way up the ridge I was going down so I sat down, got out my predator call and camera and called them in to about 10 yards away. Got a great photo of the first one that came in.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: bucklucky on May 11, 2013, 11:15:20 PM: Nice picture !!! Thanks for the update !
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 17, 2013, 11:06:15 PM: Got it done today. Not the big boy or blonde phase I was hoping for but I decided to go ahead and fill my tag. I am happy with my decision. Decent sized boar and quite red colored overall. I saw this bear at about noon and it was 500 yards away across a canyon. It was feeding in and out of brush and I finally lost sight of it. I moved down the slope I was on and decided to try to call it in with my mouth blown bear blaster call. After several minutes here came the bear and I was able to make a good shot on it from about 50 yards away with my 300 Win Mag using the Barnes 200 LRX bullet. Based on its girth I figure it weighed about 225#.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: dkecoleman on May 17, 2013, 11:33:11 PM: Great thread, and congrats on the nice bear
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 18, 2013, 12:10:40 AM: Thanks. I wish I could have gotten some better photos but I was by myself. At least I had my Joby tripod so was able to get a pic of me with the bear. I hunt on my own much of the time and have taken 4 of my 11 bears while hunting solo. Also I have called in 5 of my bears. I encourage you bear hunters to keep at the calling. For me it sure works best when I have seen a bear first. If that is the case they generally come in. Not always but more often than not. So if you see a bear but it is either too far away for a shot or it has moved off into the brush give calling a try. It is very exciting when they come in looking to eat you!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Bob Williams1 on May 18, 2013, 05:07:03 AM: Dude!! That is AWESOME!!!! ILOVE THE COLOR.
Congrats on a great hunt. And next time club that fawn steelin lil moe foe. Those eyes are cold killersbut what a neat pic. Magazine stuff
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 18, 2013, 09:40:08 AM: Great Job Rufous. He is a dandy for sure.
Title: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on May 18, 2013, 01:30:01 PM: Excellent work, Rufous. It has been a long season, but you got the job done.
Title: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Gringo31 on May 18, 2013, 01:33:55 PM: Thanks for a great write up!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: bucklucky on May 18, 2013, 01:34:44 PM: Nice Job Rufous, way to get it done!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 18, 2013, 03:57:39 PM: The 4 legs without hide or paws weighed 72#. The 4 legs on my biggest bear weighed 120#. I think this is a good way to get an estimate on live weight since many bear cannot be brought out whole. I think it is close to take the weight of the 4 legs and multiply by 3.25 or so.

My buddy Mike who has the same tag and I went out again today to the same area. We thought perhaps a bear might be eating on the carcass remains but no such luck.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Wea300mag on May 18, 2013, 04:10:35 PM: Great solo effort. Congrats :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Salmo on May 18, 2013, 05:50:10 PM: Congrats Rufous!!!!!

Are you gonna have it tanned? Would love to see the color after the wash!!!

Chuck
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 20, 2013, 08:20:11 AM: I think I will have it tanned. Here is a better pic showing its hide colors:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Ripper on May 20, 2013, 08:43:04 AM: Congrats Rufous, that is a great looking bear! :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Cougar125 on May 20, 2013, 10:33:47 AM: That guy sure is a beaut! Congrats!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Harborhunter on May 20, 2013, 11:42:36 AM: Great bear!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on May 20, 2013, 10:09:50 PM: Congrats....a very pretty bear for sure
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on May 21, 2013, 02:19:12 PM: Rufous, that is a beautiful hide in the making!

By the way, how do you like the Peltor ear plugs? With a .300 WinMag you surely need plugs, but the average review on that product is horrible (they say that the ear plug system is too small for adult men). I like the design, but the reviews make me wonder. What is your opinion?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: gramps on May 21, 2013, 07:20:17 PM: Congrats again !!
Enjoyed working on the hide with you.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 21, 2013, 08:14:28 PM: PD, I do not (to my knowledge) use the Peltor plugs.

Gramps, enjoyed hanging with you as well. Spent about 4 hours on the hide today and still have more fat/flesh removal to do tomorrow before I can get any salt on it. Hoping to give it the first salt application tomorrow.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on May 21, 2013, 08:25:00 PM: Quote from: Rufous on May 21, 2013, 08:14:28 PM
PD, I do not (to my knowledge) use the Peltor plugs.

Rufous, the picture of you and your boar shows some type of ear plugs (I thought that they were Peltor, but I was mistaken). Which brand, what do you think of them?
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Karl Blanchard on May 21, 2013, 09:38:05 PM: Outstanding bear my friend! Way to get it done! You sir are the bear whisperer! :chuckle:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 21, 2013, 09:44:07 PM: PD, I was using this product and like them quite well. I wish I could afford a good set of the electronic ones though. Sometimes one just does not have time to insert a plug and if they were comfortable and already in the ear but you could still hear well that would be the best bet overall. The ones I use are I think much better than two separate plugs that you would carry in a pocket and then insert because the ones I use are so much faster to get installed. They do not actually go into the ear very much but I find that they work well for the occasional shot on game. I bought them at Sun Rental:

http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/qb2hyg (http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/qb2hyg)
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: pd on May 23, 2013, 11:10:56 AM: Thanks for the information on the earplugs, Rufous. I have very sensitive ears (excellent hearing, and want to keep it that way). Ear plugs are a big issue for me, and I will try your suggestion.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 24, 2013, 07:04:58 PM: My buddy Mike and I went out yesterday evening and saw 6 bears. There was a blonde sow with 2 baby blonde cubs, another small blonde bear, probably a yearling pictured below and then we saw a black one being courted by a big blonde boar. They were 800 yards away across a canyon and by the time we got over there they were gone. Going to try again tomorrow.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on May 24, 2013, 07:10:32 PM: Very nice bear right there! :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 24, 2013, 08:22:30 PM: Another glowing testimonial for Barnes bullets. I shot a male black bear a week ago after calling it in from about 300 yards away. It weighed approximately 225# and was about 50 yards from me when I shot it. The bear was mostly facing me and my bullet hit the bear in the chest to the left of its neck and between the neck and shoulder joint, completely broke the arm bone just below the shoulder blade then exited at the back of the ribs then penetrated into the hind leg muscle. When I was skinning the bear I noticed a hole in its rear leg and there was a wad of hair in the hole. I was fairly confident that I would find the bullet during butchering and did just that a bit ago. The bullet, a Barnes 200 grain LRX, was fired from my 300 Win Mag with a muzzle velocity of about 2930 fps. After cleaning the meat and hair out of it I weighed it at 199.0 grains.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 26, 2013, 06:32:28 PM: We got out yesterday and were out all day but only saw a couple of bears. And I mean a couple- the same 2 bears that were courting each other Thursday night. We had hoped to find them and take the blonde boar but they just did not give us a long enough chance to get a shot off. Good day on the mountain though. We plan to go out again tomorrow but in an area a couple miles west of where we have been hunting and in fact in the area where I filled my tag in 2008. Hoping tomorrow is the day for Mike to fill his tag!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 26, 2013, 06:39:33 PM: That is a dandy blonde bear. Hope you guys kill one tomorrow. :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 27, 2013, 10:01:52 AM: I just weighed the bear meat that is in the freezer. I ended up with 8# worth of various roasts and 42# of scrap meat to be ground for burger and sausage. Heading out soon to try to fill Mike's tag.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 29, 2013, 01:44:52 AM: Well my buddy Mike filled his tag a several hours ago. We left town at about 1pm and hiked into the general area where I got my spring bear back in 2008. We split up to be able to glass more territory. After about an hour we both saw bears but they were different bears. The one I saw was across the river where Mike shot his spring bear back in 2008 and was much to far to get. But the bear Mike saw was on a ridge between us and lower on the mountain. After he told me where it was over the radio I also saw it. It looked big. I saw it stand up on its back legs with its back against a tree to scratch its back. So we met up on that ridge and worked our way down to where he had seen the bear. We got down there and saw the bear again. I saw it stand up and scratch its back again. Then it was moving away from us and was about 480 yards away. I started calling with just my voice and brought it in closer but then we lost sight of it due to the slope. After a while we saw it again but it had worked from our right to our left and seemingly had lost interest in my calling. It was now 300 yards away down the slope from us but still moving. It went into some brush and we hoped it would come out so Mike could get a shot off. It did but on the other side of the brush but Mike was able to put a killing shot into the big boar with his 7mm Rem Mag (shooting handloaded 160 Nosler Partitions). The bear ran away from us for about 25 yards then dropped and cartwheeled most spectacularly down the hill. Fortunately it lodged up in some brush. We worked our way down the tremendously steep slope and got some photos before breaking it into pieces. We left the meat and hide because we realized we can get the quad down quite close to it. So we have to go back in tomorrow for all of that. Feels good to both be tagged out! We figure that his bear weighed about 315# based on its girth of 46" and length of 71". I got some video that I will try to get on Youtube tomorrow later and post a link.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 29, 2013, 06:18:13 AM: Nice Color Phase right there!! Good Work! :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 29, 2013, 08:17:21 AM: Rats! It is pouring rain. We are going to get soaked. After looking at Google Earth I am pretty certain that the bear Mike shot is not the bear I saw. The one I saw was on a different ridge. It was a big one too. Here is a pic of it from about 1000 yards away.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 29, 2013, 08:23:40 AM: Here is a pic of the bear Mike did shoot several minutes before sending the Partition on its way.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 29, 2013, 08:30:11 AM: Your chocolate bear on the other ridge looks like a masher. :twocents:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: quadrafire on May 29, 2013, 09:34:52 AM: Man......That is some steep country.
Thanks for taking us along on these hunts. :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 29, 2013, 07:58:47 PM: The meat and hide recovery was not nearly as bad as I feared it would be. It did not rain on us until just after we got everything back up to the quad and tied down. Got some nice pics of a couple birds, one of which I had never seen before- the Green Tailed Towhee. We have seen the Black Headed Grosbeaks at our home before as well as Lazuli Bunting which I saw up there today as well.

Got a pic of Mike with the hide laid out. Squared 6' 7".
Found some puffballs- this one was huge!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 29, 2013, 08:08:54 PM: Wow. That's a big one. Nice work! :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: BLUEBULLS on May 30, 2013, 07:00:06 AM: Congrats to you both! Great photos and play by play story! We're heading up tomorrow to hopefully kill bear #3 for the year, sure is fun!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: gramps on May 30, 2013, 07:43:15 AM: Congrats Mike Nice Bear.
Rufous....Thanks for the photos and story.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: washingtonmuley on May 30, 2013, 08:00:26 AM: Congrats on a nice bear. Have fun cleaning off the dirt and grass after laying hide like that. lol
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 30, 2013, 12:55:33 PM: My buddy's bear skull green scored 19 and 7/16".
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Bob Williams1 on May 30, 2013, 02:15:10 PM: Holy Shinto!!

The action I'm seeing through your guys' eyes has got me stoked big time... Love the country, love the concept...Bears in open terrain .300 win mag with a glass top ready to roll. :bfg:

Good luck on tag #3 would be quite the season to slam that big (golden-boy) up there for a finale!!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 30, 2013, 02:51:38 PM: Only my buddy Mike C. and I drew so we are done.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Bob Williams1 on May 30, 2013, 02:56:25 PM: Oh my bad i read bluebulls comment and thought it was yours.

Great Bear man..I would be one proud dude rollin up with that in the back a the truck.

Were ya able to get the you tube stuff figured out? We're not excited to see it nuttin :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on May 31, 2013, 01:25:39 PM: Apologies for poor overall video. Not sure why the first part was so shaky. After he fired I switched from camera to my binocular to see if it was a good hit. Should have stayed filming as you would have seen the bear doing quite a cartwheeling down the steep slope before it got lodged in some brush.

http://youtu.be/J2S_OTgQzYs (http://youtu.be/J2S_OTgQzYs)
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: h20hunter on May 31, 2013, 01:30:55 PM: A little "blair witch" like but I like it either way....thanks for posting.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on May 31, 2013, 02:11:58 PM: Looks a lot like my videos :chuckle:
Great hunt and awesome country.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on June 02, 2013, 06:37:52 PM: My buddy Mike recovered these 3 bullets from his bear during butchering. We were both surprised to find the two 44 caliber bullets just below the hide on the bear's shoulder. Someone must have lobbed them in there with a revolver from too far away.

I have tried several times to attach the photo but something is screwed up with Hunt WA apparently.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on June 03, 2013, 05:49:28 AM: Hopefully you can get the pictures to attach. This is interesting to say the least. :yike:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Broker on June 03, 2013, 08:18:33 AM: Nice story and great bears! Thanks for posting it up for us to enjoy!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on June 06, 2013, 01:21:15 PM: Here is a pic of the bullets:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Timberstalker on June 06, 2013, 02:12:32 PM: That's crazy. Wow. :yike:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Pathfinder101 on June 06, 2013, 03:25:53 PM: Nice Bears Rufous. Congrats :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on December 02, 2013, 09:08:27 PM: My buddy Mike just found out that his bear was 11 years old. Don't know mine yet.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on December 03, 2013, 05:49:08 PM: My bear was 9.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: finnman on December 06, 2013, 11:06:42 PM: Rufous,
I just read this whole thread! Congrats to the two of you!
I hunted the west blues last year and took a small black sow, my wife will be drawing this coming year with 7 points. Really looking forward to it! Thanks for the play by play!!
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Ripper on December 10, 2013, 08:43:23 AM: Those are some beautiful bears right there. Congrats :tup:
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on January 28, 2014, 10:05:10 PM: Buddy's bear was officially scored at Tri-Cities Sportsman Show at 19 and 14/16". When we first saw him we did not realize he was as big in body as he turned out to be. We knew it was a mature boar but had no idea his skull was so big. When we got to the downed bear we sure had a better idea but still it is hard to tell the difference between an 18" and a 20" skull.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: KopperBuck on January 30, 2014, 10:13:12 AM: Still a great bear regardless of measure. Glad to see this thread come up again. Most likely I won't be drawing this tag this year, but my buddy has a decent shot at it with 5 pts. Only 3 weeks from today until we find out! Might be kicking you a few PMs.
Title: Re: Rufous' 2013 Oregon Spring Bear Hunt
Post by: Rufous on February 01, 2014, 07:34:40 PM: My buddy told me his bear is ranked # 167 in Oregon record book all time rifle. #1 scored 22 5/16".