Post by: Karl Blanchard on May 31, 2016, 10:21:04 PM
Spring of 2012, my good buddy Dan pulled a spring tag down in the blues, and of course I was all over the opportunity to go glass some new country and enjoy the spring mountains. Long story short, he shot a pretty brown sow and not only was she not stinky, but the meat was very good! Mind...blown....
After that hunt, I had an itch to kill a bear. They were fascinating animals with very unique habits and mannerisms that this mule deer junkie had not witnessed before. The following spring I was lucky enough to draw my own spring tag, but as many of you know, April of 2013 was not the best of times for me or my family. Aarons death left a giant hole in me and I thought maybe an escape to the mountains would help. It did not. My head was not in the game. I missed a chip shot at a brute of an old boar, and came home feeling angry, ashamed, and alone.
Fast forward to this last year. I met a great human and hunter from this very website as many of you know as bullblaster. Through him I also met Coop2424, and Jonathan_S. These guys are the real deal! They know how to get after it, and they flat put animals on the ground. During casual conversation, baiting bears in Idaho came up. I mentioned how this was something that has always been a bit of a bucket list item and man they were on it! These guys put in a ton of time, money, and effort to round up bait, barrels, cameras, stands, blinds, etc., to make this thing happen. I really feel a bit worthless as all I have done is show up and hunt.
This past weekend we all rounded up our families and headed for the mountains of Idaho for some good old fashioned mountain fun and bear hunting! The weather was fantastic and all but one bait site was seeing activity. We thought for sure that there was gonna be a pile of bears in the coolers by the end of the weekend! Well one thing we definitely didn't count on was how much the Memorial day weekend activities were going to shut down the bear movement :bash:
As I was packing up gear for the weekend, I found myself standing in the open door of my gun safe wondering who the lucky one will be for this trip. The plan was to use my bow, so the rifle was just going to be going along for a truck ride. Well there towards the back, sat the most treasured rifle in the whole safe. It was my grandpa's old model 94 .32 Winchester Special. He bought it new, when he got back from WWll and it was the only rifle he ever owned. The bluing was worn from years of hard hunting, carried by a strong hand. The wood was scratched, and faded, but still warm to the touch with memories of my first days in the woods, jumping from hole to hole following my grandpa through the snow, eyes trained on the medal buttplate. I had killed deer with it the season following his passing, but it had sat in the safe ever since. I snatched it up and slid it into a soft case and out to the truck it went.
The first night of hunting found me and Bullblaster sitting a groundblind on the "Mayo" bait. We quickly found out that it was going to be difficult with the bow due to the steep uphill angle. I couldn't crouch down low enough to shoot without losing my anchor. Without a solid anchor, the pins were very wobbly and even though the shot was only 21 yards, it just didn't feel very good. We sat from 2:40 till dark without even a bird pecking at a bagel.
Night number 2 we decided that since any bear activity we might get is gonna be at very last light, and the steep awkward angle of the shot, the rifle was a better option. We didn't hit the blind till 5 the following evening since we were almost certain that we would not see a bear. After roughly a metric ton of starburst and pepsi consumption, and a whole lot of gut busting laughter, the evening was almost over. Darkness was quickly engulfing the landscape and I had accepted the fact that this would not be the trip that would produce my first bear. As I was trying to escape the horrible smell that is Bullblaster after eating my world famous teriyaki chicken, we were quickly snapped back to reality by the snapping of branches! The guys told me that most likely you won't hear a bear when they approach, but this one was not following that rule! Snap, crash, crash, snap, and then a sound that will give me a warm fuzzy feeling till the day I die! All you bear hunters know the sound! Almost like a moan or a woof combined!
Well he did that a few times and then the snapping got closer and closer and closer until at 5 yards, he was looking in the blind from the side of the cut bank :yike: It was a stale mate! He was looking at us and I had Bullblaster between me and the bear! I couldn't make a move! A few decades (seconds) go by and he disappears back into the brush. I was excited but my heart sank. There goes my chance :bash: Well that was short lived when I caught movement up towards the barrel. He never broke stride! He walked straight into the barrel and up he went with both front paws! I eased the hammer back, settled the bead, and jerked the trigger as hard as humanly possible :chuckle:
I lost him on the recoil, but the sound of crashing and gargling assured me of a solid hit! A few seconds later, the brush sounded like it was exploding and both Bullblaster and I threw our rifles up to the ready, to try and anchor him when he hit the clear road bed, but all he did was flop off the cut bank and fall stone dead into the flat.
Back at camp, we took pictures, high fived, and then broke him down. The kids were very excited, and so were the dogs :chuckle:
The next day we rebaited, checked cams, and I grabbed a rock from the kill site, which I almost forgot. On the way home, we stopped at Medical Lake Veterans Cemetery to pay our respects to all our fallen heroes, and one of them in particular. There were lots of people about and a truck full of my sleeping people, so I made my visit a quick one. I laid a small stone, smudged with bear blood on Aaron's head stone, told him I loved him and that I missed him, and I headed for home.
A quiet 5 hour drive gives a man lots of time to reflect. I live a very blessed life. I was molded by men like my grandfather. I live in a country where I get to travel, hunt, and live my dreams, because of men like Aaron. I am also surrounded by amazing and generous people who help and share in those pursuits. I am a lucky man.....
Post by: Karl Blanchard on May 31, 2016, 10:25:09 PM
Post by: buglebuster on May 31, 2016, 10:31:23 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 31, 2016, 10:53:06 PM
Post by: silverdalesauer on May 31, 2016, 10:56:49 PM
Post by: elkrack on May 31, 2016, 11:01:20 PM
Post by: HUNTaHOLIC5 on May 31, 2016, 11:17:10 PM
Post by: Mossyoak on June 01, 2016, 12:04:47 AM
Post by: JoeE on June 01, 2016, 12:07:58 AM
Post by: csaaphill on June 01, 2016, 12:20:36 AM
:tup:
Post by: MountainWalk on June 01, 2016, 12:46:09 AM
We should all hunt with an older gun from time to time.
Post by: RadSav on June 01, 2016, 02:14:47 AM
Congratulations :tup:
Post by: rasbo on June 01, 2016, 03:49:01 AM
Post by: bowhunterforever on June 01, 2016, 05:48:38 AM
Good looking bear. Great story. Even greater tribute to Aaron. :tup::yeah: :tup:
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 06:34:38 AM
I am truly glad that I can be friends with such good dudes as these 3 yahoos! And also to be part of such a great hunt!
Good shooting too!
...and for the record I wasn't the only one to stink up the blind! :puke: :chuckle:
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 06:37:05 AM
Post by: lewy on June 01, 2016, 06:43:14 AM
Post by: trophyhunt on June 01, 2016, 06:45:10 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 06:46:02 AM
I do have one picture I can add... :chuckle:jon aka vanilla ice cube, truly is living the thug life :chuckle:
Post by: Carl on June 01, 2016, 06:56:01 AM
It sounds like you've been blessed with meeting great guys on the forum - as I have also.
Carl
Post by: Ripper on June 01, 2016, 07:13:30 AM
Post by: quadrafire on June 01, 2016, 08:06:35 AM
Post by: coop2424 on June 01, 2016, 08:08:40 AM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi606.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ftt143%2Fcoop2424%2F3CB2E349-FF56-4FD1-9783-09901F9A6EAE.jpg&hash=78ddb7b3559c87b112d3e040c3a90edd8f556727) (http://s606.photobucket.com/user/coop2424/media/3CB2E349-FF56-4FD1-9783-09901F9A6EAE.jpg.html)
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 08:12:11 AM
But :drool: man we're those ogre o's delicious!
Post by: TVHunts on June 01, 2016, 08:47:31 AM
Post by: jackmaster on June 01, 2016, 09:24:22 AM
Post by: pd on June 01, 2016, 10:04:28 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 10:16:31 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 10:18:52 AM
Nice write-up BLRman. Made all the better with Grandpa's gun. My wife's first bear (450#) was taken with my grandma's old .250-3000 lever gun. To this day maybe the more exciting hunt we have had together. In large part because of the weapon used!This one is definitely not 450 :chuckle:
Congratulations :tup:
We also have Kattie's grandpa's 250 savage. I just got dies for it because the wife wants to take a deer with it in the near future. She is a bow hunter this year though
Post by: pianoman9701 on June 01, 2016, 10:23:15 AM
Post by: OutHouse on June 01, 2016, 10:37:00 AM
Post by: 2MANY on June 01, 2016, 11:05:19 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 11:38:29 AM
Excellent story. A well written tribute to your bear, the rifle and your lost loved one (son)? I am so sorry for your loss. Your boy was brave and made the ultimate sacrifice for this country but also for the people in the middle east. If there is something going on after life, then your grandpa and son probably know that you took that bear in their honor. Thanks for sharing.Thank you for the kind words. Aron was my big brother. He was an active contributor to this site up until his death in 2013.
Post by: buglebuster on June 01, 2016, 11:42:55 AM
Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
Post by: johnnyaustin44 on June 01, 2016, 12:00:00 PM
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 12:30:00 PM
You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 01:06:21 PM
hey I didn't even know what a swizzle stick was until I met you guys! :chuckle: I'll never forget the look on my wife's face when you told her what that was :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
Post by: buglebuster on June 01, 2016, 01:07:43 PM
I hear you fit right in :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
Post by: Gringo31 on June 01, 2016, 02:01:10 PM
Beautiful
Post by: coachcw on June 01, 2016, 02:14:21 PM
Post by: RatRodMike on June 01, 2016, 03:26:34 PM
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 05:47:25 PM
Hey it's not my fault! Every real man needs a swizzle stick or 12I hear you fit right in :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
Post by: Whitpirate on June 01, 2016, 06:37:01 PM
Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
I've now copied this for future repeated use.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 06:37:25 PM
That's what she said.....Hey it's not my fault! Every real man needs a swizzle stick or 12I hear you fit right in :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 01, 2016, 06:43:11 PM
This thread just completely crash and burned! :chuckle:That's what she said.....Hey it's not my fault! Every real man needs a swizzle stick or 12I hear you fit right in :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: Wacenturion on June 01, 2016, 07:06:13 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 07:45:46 PM
it was inevitable :bash: :chuckle:This thread just completely crash and burned! :chuckle:That's what she said.....Hey it's not my fault! Every real man needs a swizzle stick or 12I hear you fit right in :chuckle:You Yakima boys are a different breed!Thanks everyone! Yes I did keep the penis! I'm gonna give it to buglebuster to clean up. Hope he can handle it :chuckle:There's not a penis(bone) I can't handle :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 07:48:31 PM
Post by: coop2424 on June 01, 2016, 08:00:48 PM
Seriously though, thank you everyone for all the compliments. We will make sure and take more pics this weekend and hopefully some grip and grins. Any bets on whether Chris is gonna miss with his muzzy or not :dunno: :sry: :peep:
Um I am not going there... :chuckle: But if I was forced to guess with a swizzle stick at stake my guess is he doesn't miss...
Post by: Jonathan_S on June 01, 2016, 08:20:44 PM
I will say this too, BLRman, BULLBLASTER, and Coop2424 are great guys. Thankfully they didn't lynch me for my beagles waking the neighborhood every morning :chuckle:
Post by: andrew_in_idaho on June 01, 2016, 08:28:46 PM
As good of a write up as he did, there is so much that couldn't be put into words from that weekend. Mostly because he doesn't want to get banned.Awesome, way to get it done BLRman. Nice color and looks like a good skull to boot. My grandpa still has an old .32 special Winchester as well.
I will say this too, BLRman, BULLBLASTER, and Coop2424 are great guys. Thankfully they didn't lynch me for my beagles waking the neighborhood every morning :chuckle:
on a side note Jonathan you said beagles as in plural, does that mean you found your lost dog or did you end up getting another?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 01, 2016, 09:15:32 PM
As good of a write up as he did, there is so much that couldn't be put into words from that weekend. Mostly because he doesn't want to get banned.well there is that :chuckle:
I will say this too, BLRman, BULLBLASTER, and Coop2424 are great guys. Thankfully they didn't lynch me for my beagles waking the neighborhood every morning :chuckle:
I also didn't mention the secret weapon that I deployed on sunday evening that more than likely sealed that bears fate. I'm bringing it again this weekend 8)
Post by: Kit Carson on June 01, 2016, 09:55:35 PM
Post by: Lefty315 on June 01, 2016, 10:38:18 PM
Post by: BULLBLASTER on June 02, 2016, 08:01:46 AM
If it works again this weekend, you'll never be able to hunt anything without it! Game changer for sure! :chuckle:As good of a write up as he did, there is so much that couldn't be put into words from that weekend. Mostly because he doesn't want to get banned.well there is that :chuckle:
I will say this too, BLRman, BULLBLASTER, and Coop2424 are great guys. Thankfully they didn't lynch me for my beagles waking the neighborhood every morning :chuckle:
I also didn't mention the secret weapon that I deployed on sunday evening that more than likely sealed that bears fate. I'm bringing it again this weekend 8)
Post by: buglebuster on June 02, 2016, 08:49:55 AM
Must be good cause he won't even tell me what it is! :chuckle:If it works again this weekend, you'll never be able to hunt anything without it! Game changer for sure! :chuckle:As good of a write up as he did, there is so much that couldn't be put into words from that weekend. Mostly because he doesn't want to get banned.well there is that :chuckle:
I will say this too, BLRman, BULLBLASTER, and Coop2424 are great guys. Thankfully they didn't lynch me for my beagles waking the neighborhood every morning :chuckle:
I also didn't mention the secret weapon that I deployed on sunday evening that more than likely sealed that bears fate. I'm bringing it again this weekend 8)
Post by: Machias on June 02, 2016, 09:28:38 AM
Post by: Kurt_S on June 02, 2016, 03:42:12 PM
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 02, 2016, 04:39:48 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 02, 2016, 08:59:34 PM
Post by: bearpaw on June 03, 2016, 04:11:15 AM
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 03, 2016, 09:12:12 AM
Post by: Jonathan_S on June 04, 2016, 10:26:35 AM
Post by: Heavyfoot on June 05, 2016, 03:11:46 AM