Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 03:05:24 PM

Title: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 03:05:24 PM: Blacktails are my business, but I have an insatiable lust for bear hunting. If you LOVE hunting bears, this a book you must check out. I found it in a gas station in Chinook last Friday. Ralph Flowers wrote two other books. From what I hear, they are available at Everybody's grocery in Elma.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on March 03, 2010, 04:03:11 PM: Quote from: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 03:05:24 PM
Blacktails are my business, but I have an insatiable lust for bear hunting. If you LOVE hunting bears, this a book you must check out. I found it in a gas station in Chinook last Friday. Ralph Flowers wrote two other books. From what I hear, they are available at Everybody's grocery in Elma.

I have been recommending the Flower's books for years. They are a must for bear hunters. A local legend and part of NW history.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 04:43:39 PM: BTKR,

I was going to ask you if you ever met the guy. He died shortly after I started my business. It would have been nice to pick his brain. I'm sure he had plenty of stories to share.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on March 03, 2010, 04:46:44 PM: Those books are awsome! I have the "Education of a Bear Hunter" and "Bears and Flowers". My book Bears and Flowers is autographed. I am getting ready read the first book again. Really good books.

By the way you can pick up the first book at Bailey's here in Rochester.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: NWWABOWHNTR on March 03, 2010, 04:53:32 PM: I bought it last year and read it in just a few days... awesome book. Think I found it on amazon or somewhere online.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Kain on March 03, 2010, 06:36:06 PM: I have seen this book recommended many times. I guess I will need to find a copy. I did buy the movie "Calling bears, they come to eat" but let my dad borrow it and now he cant find it.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: HHPro on March 03, 2010, 06:51:31 PM: Quote from: Kain on March 03, 2010, 06:36:06 PM
I have seen this book recommended many times. I guess I will need to find a copy. I did buy the movie "Calling bears, they come to eat" but let my dad borrow it and now he cant find it.
I have that movie Kain and I have this book I got it at the big grocery store in ocean shores it is a must read for new bear hunters.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: markts on March 03, 2010, 07:02:49 PM: I have read all of his books over and over. I figured out where he lived by an aerial photo in his first book, went one day and knocked on his door. He welcomed me in like an old friend, very cool guy. My great uncle is in his first book having had problems with a bear tearing up his bee hives, he couldnt get the bear so he called Ralph. I also have a signed copy(well used :chuckle:) :twocents: Mark
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 07:12:28 PM: Here's a link to my 2009 bear.

09 WA bear (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xv9q3aprEA#)
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: saylean on March 03, 2010, 07:23:29 PM: good looking bear Dave.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2010, 07:47:19 PM: Nice bear dave, good for you hanging in there, the meat would probably spoil over night. :tup:
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: bearmanric on March 03, 2010, 08:41:02 PM: i was lucky enough to meet Ralph. very Humble man. showed me all his ram snares. and the machine that made the feed for the bear's. had some great story's. my wife had him as a patient at St Peter's. he passed away in his sleep. she told him i was a bear fanatic he smiled. i have all the book's some are lent out. they have some at the wholesale sports in Lacey. Rick
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: heavy hauler on March 03, 2010, 08:59:17 PM: top notch books for sure.i also love the local connection
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Airnip on March 03, 2010, 09:03:58 PM: I've been reading Ralph Flower's "Education" book here lately. It is interesting. At the time he is writing about bears were open season. Considered a pest not a game animal. He started bear hunting as a hobby then got a job as a professional bear exterminator. Once he had killed fifty in a year then he could get a cash bonus for any over. Proof was collecting the tails. Part of his strategy was setting trap lines of cable snares. Baited with steer heads. Some times he would get five bears in one day. He had a animal hide and taxidermy business on the side. Sounds like he had a lot of bear eating friends to take extra meat. Apparently he smoked his own pepperoni and enjoyed eating it four feet at a sitting. No mention of any medical part selling.

Apparently his best gun hunting method was to sit quiet on a stump over looking a brushy clear cut listening for feeding. Getting paid for hunting, even he writes of a lot of time spent just enjoying the scenery waiting in between opportunities. Sometimes going several days without seeing hide nor hair. Plnenty of stories of hairy times he was thankful to have come out alive in some close encounters.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: ICEMAN on March 04, 2010, 06:37:39 AM: Ok, that settles it, I am going to go buy one of them....maybe both if I can find them...
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: bearmanric on March 04, 2010, 07:01:25 AM: iceman at wholesale sports. go through the cash Registers then the jerky. there right there. then you will see some of his book's on a shelf. the first is blue. Rick
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: runamuk on March 04, 2010, 07:05:17 AM: Really good books lots of cool local history as well as interesting bear information.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Oldguy on March 04, 2010, 09:09:41 AM: Go to Altis books online. I have purchased several books through this service and they are always in the condition described.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: ICEMAN on March 04, 2010, 07:40:40 PM: Thanks Rick.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on March 04, 2010, 09:27:02 PM: Quote from: DaveBTS on March 03, 2010, 04:43:39 PM
BTKR,

I was going to ask you if you ever met the guy. He died shortly after I started my business. It would have been nice to pick his brain. I'm sure he had plenty of stories to share.

No. Sad to say I never met him. I almost stopped at his place (mailbox used to be on the side of the road) but I didn't know if he was into drop ins. Now I wish I had.

I bought an autographed copy of "Education" in the Quinault Merc over a dozen years ago. Still my fav bear book.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on March 04, 2010, 09:35:41 PM: This last Christmas I stopped at a tree farm in Olympia to buy a tree and I asked the owner if he had much deer or bear damage. He mentioned how he "gave" a tree or two to the deer but never had a bear on his farm.

I mentioned how much damage they could do and he says to me, "Ya know, Flowers wrote the definitive book on bears and tree damage".

I about fell over. I told him I was very aware of Ralph Flowers, his books and his contributions to the study of bears.

I happened to mention that I also wished I had been able to meet Bill Hulet (another paid bear hunter). He tells me how his wife would not let Hulet in the house because he always smelled like bear and how Hulet used to come into the sporting goods store and mention loudly (and joking) how he had just "visited" the store owners wife. lol
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: heavy hauler on March 05, 2010, 06:28:11 PM: i got several copies of both books. you might stop at the rusty tractor in elma.thats where i got some
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: saylean on June 07, 2010, 03:08:08 PM: Just picked up this book...should be here in a few days...oh boy! Some good reading coming my way.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on June 07, 2010, 04:33:12 PM: Don't forget the second one.....Bears and Flowers.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: saylean on June 07, 2010, 04:36:47 PM: some schmuck was trying to sell Education for 600 bones on Amazon...and it wasnt a typo cause there were a few more...

I got mine for 20. After I finish this one, I will read Bears and Flowers.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: huntinhick on June 08, 2010, 05:27:04 PM: Hey all,

has anyone seen these for sale somewhere other than amazon so I can ask the wife to pick them up and send them to me? I will go amazon if I have to but we have had some issues with the shipping out here.

thanks
carl
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: machine on June 08, 2010, 05:29:29 PM: Great book I'm going to have to find bears and flowers now.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Bofire on June 08, 2010, 05:36:18 PM: Try the "Rusty Tractor" in Elma they used to have them. I have both,great books.
Carl
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on June 08, 2010, 05:41:28 PM: Everybody's in Elma carried them.
So did Sportsman's Warehouse...not sure if they do now that they have changed hangs.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: Jamieb on June 08, 2010, 05:59:57 PM: I met Flowers when I was a kid, in the early 70's. My grampa hunted deer with Flowers a few times. I realy liked the books. That guy killed a lot of bears.
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: billythekidrock on June 08, 2010, 06:10:26 PM: While we are on the topic....

In "Education" you will learn that Ralph Flowers learned his area and was mentored by another bear hunter named Bill Hulet. I recently learned that his family had written a book titled, "Born Under a Stump, The life and legend of Big Bill Hulet".

It is a 'print on demand' book and can be ordered through Barnes and Noble. As far as bear info and stories, it doesn't compare with the Flowers books, but it is very interesting if you are into bears and WA history, especially the growth of Grays Harbor. Some of the stories match up with the stories in "Outlaw Tales of Washington" by E. Gibson. (Another interesting read)

Anyway, I think "Born Under a Stump" is a great addition to my collection of local bear books (and the one non-bear book by Flowers).
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: runamuk on June 09, 2010, 07:42:48 AM: I've also seen the flowers books in the pharmacy in Elma.....
Title: Re: The Education of a Bear Hunter
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on June 09, 2010, 08:29:46 AM: Reading 'Education' now. Man! He and partners took a lot of bears out of that area. I have distant relatives with a dairy farm in Labam that have Elk on the property every year, but I've never heard a bear story come from them. Granted, that's a bit farther south of Flowers haunts. The farm is third generation run now. I wonder if 'uncle Bill' would have known or known of Ralf back in the day.

It looks like Amazon has "Born Under a Stump" available. I must add that to my collection as well. I'm pretty sure I have "Outlaw Tales of Washington" somewhere, if I can't find that one, I'll be lookin to get it too. Where-as, I wouldn't have been surprised if my great grand dad was in that one. He was a 'gun', gambler, cow polk with no steady profession until his untimely death in Billings a mile outside of town out the railroad grade. No cause of death listed on the death certificate. And no record that he ever came through Ellis Island immigration process.

Books written by those in the early 1900's as they tamed the wild west and brought on so much change within culture as the world evolved are some of the best reads. Reading 'in their words' is priceless. Just like the stories around the huntin camp fire. If you've ever read anything by Elmer Keith you know what I mean.

-Steve