Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 05:03:30 PM
I hit the road Wednesday at 8:30 a.m and got up to kirkland to meet josh "jackelope" so he could get a bow from me. It was a pleasure meeting you josh :tup: I ended up staying the night with my friends around the Seattle area.
Day 1: I headed out the next morning to meet the guy who had my maps and key for my hunt. After going over some stuff with him I was able to head out and get a start hunting. The whole day it poured rain and me from early morning to dark. I hunted a lot of the west side of the unit. I only saw a little bit of older sign and other then some blacktails my day was pretty uneventful.
Day 2: I woke early before light to more pouring rain :bash: I hunted the first part of the day in the rain around the south west area of the unit. After putting a few miles under my boots and learinging some new areas with some fresh sign. I then decided to try to head way east on the unit and try to get out of the rain. I hunted a few different spots and ended up jumping 7-9 head of elk out of the bear creek area. I hunted for a few hrs and started to get a bit tired so I headed back to my rig to move to another area. I got into a area that started to show some more fresh sign. So the rig got parked and I went to hunting. I ended up rounding a corner and on the edge of a game trail there was a small bear maybe 80-90lbs rolling a log around. After watching him for a few minutes he shot out of there like a bolt of lightning. I guess the wind must have switched or something. I don't think he knew that I was there. The weather was nice and I enjoyed being out of the rain. I hunted a few more areas and it turned dark on me so back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Day 3: I woke up and got to the area I wanted to be in before first light. The day started out about the same, kinda rainy and a bit windy. Then the heavens cleared and the Sky's turned nice! About 9 a.m I ended up bumping into a small sow maybe 100lbs with 2 small cubs. It was a pleasure to see her and her cubs. After hunting a couple more hrs in the area I could not find any more bears or super fresh sign.
This is where it gets intresting and I about got my butt handed to me.
I headed back into a area I hunted the day before with some great sign. About 12:30 p.m I was cutting back towards my truck on a small over grown road. I was walking a bit quick and not really watching in front of me and more watching my feet "bad habit of mine". I came around a small kink in the road and jumped a big bear. I really thought it was a boar by the build and the size. It ran up the bank and as I slung my rifle off my shoulder I heard a bear cub pipe off on the bank above where the sow ran up. Within a split second the bear cub went flying up the tree. Crying and chirping at the top of the tree. This is where I started to push my luck. I just backed up to a tree and decided to get my phone out and get some pictures. The sow was moaning and huffing and popping up the bank about 80 yards from me. I finally got a good picture of her when she stood up. She was one of the biggest and nicest sows I have seen.
I can be a manly man but one thing I won't do is shoot a sow with a baby cub at her side. I try my hardest to make sure I never take a bear with young ones at side. So I knew I did not want to shoot her. She was beautiful with a light muzzle and almost a gray tint to her coat. A solid 170-180lb bear probably more. I don't like to over guess any bear and will always say a smaller number. I don't like when a 150lb bear turns into a 250-300lb bear.
With mama getting a little hot I decide, "hey! this would make a cool video" dumb idea right :chuckle: I switch the phone over to video and start recording. The cub was up the tree and the video is kinda crappy because I was free handed and trying to watch pissed off mama at the same time. I hope to figure out how to get the video off my phone. She kept getting bolder and getting closer. I switched the camera off and got a little more serious. I ended up walking a little to my right and she deiced to bluff me with a quick little run. I stopped and she backed off, I got to about 90 yards away and I was just getting ready to turn and walk away when she got really bold. She decided she had enough of me and made a solid charge at me. I threw up on her and just as I started to put pressure on my trigger she stopped at the top of the hill about 35 yards away from me. She was foaming at the mouth and huffing and puffing like mad. I yelled at her and she turned and ran back to the tree her cub was at. I then walked out of there at a little faster pace to get some distance between us since I did not want to have to shoot her.
It was a crazy and amazing experience for me. Being alone in the backwoods it was not the best thing to have happen but I am safe and sound.
After getting back to my truck, I moved into another area. This area is the type of spot I like to hunt for bears a big nasty cut with good cover all the way around it. I spotted a bear feeding and messing around in the back side of the cut about 350 yards away. It was going in and out of the cut and messing around. I knew it was just a mid sized bear and could not decide if it was a young boar or sow without cubs. After watching it for about a hr I decided it did not have cubs and it was in a spot I could get it out by myself. The bear had moved to 286 yards from me and I got a nice rest on a downed log. The bear was uphill a little from me. It came to a stop facing me strait on. I was rock solid and decided to take the shot. The bullet hit just perfect dead center in the bears chest and went threw the vitals and out the spine behind the shoulders. The bear dropped like a stone. I watched it for about 15 minutes to make sure it was not getting up. I decided it was lights out and I headed drown the draw and up the cut to where the bear was.
The bear is a nice mid sized sow. She is a dry sow with no cubs at side and a great bear to take out. Not sure why she had lost her cub or did not breed. Only the 2ND bear that was known so far to have been taken out of the unit. I am happy with the bear and another fawn and tree killer removed from the area. For a damage hunt I guess any bear is a good bear. I am not to picky when it comes to bears as long as they don't have young cubs I am happy. She has a great coat and beautiful claws. It took me 2 trips and around 3.5hrs to get the meat/hide and head out.
I headed back to the hotel got the meat cleaned up best I could and packed in the fridge. Then worked the hide over a little bit and got it put in the fridge as well. I left this morning after dropping my key off and got back around 1:30 after about a 5:30 hr trip home.
All in all I saw 1 sub adult bear. 2 adult sows with 3 cubs and the dry sow I ended up shooting in three days of hunting. 2 of which were very very wet! There should be a lot of bears hitting the dirt. I ended up seeing around 11 elk 7-8 blacktails and a yote as well.
Here are some pictures and I will be adding more later as I get them sized down and loaded on the computer.
1st is a picture of my bear.
2nd is the picture of the big sow that was thinking about trying to whoop my butt!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 05:21:35 PM
Post by: Widgeondeke on May 06, 2012, 05:25:59 PM
thanks for sharing.
Post by: JBar on May 06, 2012, 05:34:40 PM
Post by: Bearhunter on May 06, 2012, 05:46:01 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 06:04:31 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on May 06, 2012, 06:09:44 PM
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on May 06, 2012, 06:27:46 PM
Post by: Jason on May 06, 2012, 06:32:58 PM
Post by: Moose22 on May 06, 2012, 06:35:10 PM
Post by: lewy on May 06, 2012, 06:36:10 PM
Post by: D-Rock425 on May 06, 2012, 06:41:03 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 06:46:04 PM
I wish I could get the video off my phone and upload it some how. It really is cool to hear the sounds of the cub and the sow talking back and fourth. Video is crap and does not show much the cub was up the tree in the thick stuff and I was just pointing the camera in the area and not looking at the screen. I did not want to take my eyes off of her!
Post by: h2ofowlr on May 06, 2012, 07:02:51 PM
Post by: Cap.Silver on May 06, 2012, 07:17:54 PM
Post by: 50CalJim on May 06, 2012, 07:33:16 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on May 06, 2012, 07:35:28 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on May 06, 2012, 07:39:20 PM
Congrats on a nice looking Bear. Seems like I always get tangled up with a pissed off Sow every couple of yrs it sure makes for a good adrenaline rush. :chuckle:
I don't think the sows are angry at you, I think they are looking for a mate. :chuckle:
Post by: bucklucky on May 06, 2012, 07:44:06 PM
Nice job Carp!
You know if you would have quit talking to that pissed off bear she probably would have left you alone , she was pissed cause you wouldnt shut up LMAO!! Just kidding, pretty cool adventure if you ask me :tup:
Post by: 50CalJim on May 06, 2012, 07:54:49 PM
I'd rather mate with a Sow than mate with that creature you brought home from the Overflow Tavern about 5 yrs ago. :yike:Congrats on a nice looking Bear. Seems like I always get tangled up with a pissed off Sow every couple of yrs it sure makes for a good adrenaline rush. :chuckle:
I don't think the sows are angry at you, I think they are looking for a mate. :chuckle:
Post by: Machias on May 06, 2012, 07:57:43 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 08:03:17 PM
I am trying to send the video to my cousin from my phone so he can try to maybe post it. I turned it off rigth when it started to get heated. I decided it was better to have both hands on my rifle, rather then one on my phone recording a video for the site :chuckle: Still really cool to hear her talking to the cub and help people know what cubs sound like. I have been around them and know some of there sounds, most people don't. If I did not know what one sounded like that big sow would have been tko'ed. She really had me fooled, by the pictures and he size I am sure you can see why!
Charlie what happened to your avatar pic? I got the preveiw last night and now I see my cousins cat instead. I liked your hat! with that pot of gold you could head to new zealand and shoot a big stag :IBCOOL: :chuckle: I was talking nice at first and told her it was o.k think I even said "it's ok I know you want your baby" Then it turned into me yelling at her and screaming you #n B*&^ you come down here I will kill you! :chuckle: You might be right! Maybe it was just the sound of my voice :chuckle:
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on May 06, 2012, 08:04:52 PM
Post by: Pueblo on May 06, 2012, 08:12:24 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 08:21:23 PM
What a great story and great bear . Did you say it was damage control hunt?
Sorry I missed this at first. From talking with some of the local guys and the wildlife guy, they consider it more of a damage hunt because its held on mainly private ground. The bears are very hard on the tree's and they kinda evaluate weather or not to have the hunt each few years. The wdfw works with the timber land owners to do the hunt. They want some bears taken out of there to protect the tree's from my understanding. It's just a normal special hunt app and consider a special hunt but I also think they do it more as a damage hunt. That is my understanding about the hunt.
Post by: firefighter4607 on May 06, 2012, 08:32:13 PM
Post by: TheSkyBuster on May 06, 2012, 08:48:48 PM
Nicely done :tup:
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 06, 2012, 10:24:12 PM
A good pic of the snow line and some great country and a pic of a log that had been hit :tup:
Post by: jackelope on May 06, 2012, 10:29:15 PM
Post by: runamuk on May 06, 2012, 10:34:04 PM
Post by: Huntboy on May 06, 2012, 11:27:33 PM
Post by: woodman on May 07, 2012, 04:21:41 AM
Post by: 400out on May 07, 2012, 04:39:41 AM
Post by: mulehunter on May 07, 2012, 05:22:29 AM
:tup:
Post by: Special T on May 07, 2012, 07:08:25 AM
Post by: suga on May 07, 2012, 09:43:18 AM
Post by: bigpaw 77 on May 07, 2012, 09:52:03 AM
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on May 07, 2012, 09:59:40 AM
she was pissed cause you wouldnt shut up LMAO!!
OMGosh I about pissed my pants. :chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: Button Nubbs on May 07, 2012, 10:14:21 AM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 07, 2012, 10:23:25 AM
Carp, Good to put a face with your name.. One of those "loggers" was me! I was up on the hill with my bro and came down through the Seria Pacific main line... I'm guess in you came out on sat about 4pm? :chuckle: Very cool, and i got a chance to see your cool bear up close. :tup:
Lol cool! Wish you would have said that! I wondered why someone would say post the pics online. You had to see my decals. Drat I would of visited with you guys if I had put two and two together or said you were a member. Still cool to bump into you guys.
Thx everyone. Just a nice mid sized bear. Not a toad like last year but I am still happy to have one. Taking a dry sow out makes me happy as well. Just like a dry Doe, she won't be just killing fawns and tree's just feeding herself. She does not have a big Mellon on her. I will have to try for a fall bear if I want to keep the trophy :( it sure looks nice! That big sow had a monster head on her and that is part of what had me fooled. Just big and square like a boar.
Post by: Special T on May 07, 2012, 10:26:06 AM
Post by: bearpaw on May 07, 2012, 10:28:09 AM
Post by: Ripper on May 07, 2012, 11:58:44 AM
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 07, 2012, 12:13:33 PM
Post by: LoneArcher on May 07, 2012, 12:29:35 PM
Post by: bowsandhose on May 07, 2012, 04:54:00 PM
Post by: Austrian Hunter on May 07, 2012, 06:06:16 PM
Post by: JCKILLSHOT on May 07, 2012, 06:18:00 PM
Post by: Elk hunter4ever on May 07, 2012, 07:32:51 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 07, 2012, 09:14:12 PM
Elk I hope you get into them. Just ditch the truck and put foot to earth and you should do fine. The weather is turning nice and there should be more and more out and around. Best of luck to you :tup:
Post by: Special T on May 07, 2012, 10:27:18 PM
Post by: Sideswipe on May 09, 2012, 08:02:02 PM
Post by: shanevg on May 09, 2012, 08:44:38 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 09, 2012, 09:35:16 PM
Post by: saylean on May 10, 2012, 07:37:48 PM
Post by: Earshot on May 15, 2012, 06:30:09 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 17, 2012, 11:03:39 PM
Post by: saylean on May 20, 2012, 09:55:48 AM
Congrats! Nice bear, and a great story.
Suga...awesome avatar :tup: :tup: :chuckle: :chuckle:
NO YELLING ON THE BUS.
Carp...again, your the man. :kneel: