Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: jkononen on March 23, 2017, 08:57:29 AM
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Who drew? The wife drew this year. Can't wait to get out and start looking. We gotta beat them Monroe boys again this year. Haha :chuckle:
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1 tag for me!
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Second year putting in , and drew for Skagit unit. Now the hard choice will be what days to hunt and what days to fish ! BTW has anyone received the letter from WDFW yet or meeting date and time ?
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Second year putting in , and drew for Skagit unit. Now the hard choice will be what days to hunt and what days to fish ! BTW has anyone received the letter from WDFW yet or meeting date and time ?
Really. :chuckle:
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Not hard to fish and hunt on the same day. Letter came yesterday for my wife. April 8 is the meeting.
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It's just terrible when life delivers tough choices :yeah:
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Second year putting in , and drew for Skagit unit. Now the hard choice will be what days to hunt and what days to fish ! BTW has anyone received the letter from WDFW yet or meeting date and time ?
>:(
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1 tag for me!
Nice James!
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Thanks to the Re-draw :bash:
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Have you put in for Skagit all 8 years?
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Yes
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Sucky
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I got my letter today.
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Anybody know what road system they're shutting down? Ex. 100,200,300 line?
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What makes you think they are "shutting down" a road system?
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The letter says that private timber is shutting down a major line and it will affect access to certain parts of the unit... they didn't say what road. But we will know on 4/8
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I will make a WAG and say either the 300rd, or the 310 Rd gets axed. I'm also curious to see what weyerhaeuser roads get added to the hunt.
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310 Rd being axed would cut a lot of damaged area out...
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The Scott paper mainline is getting shut down for work soon. Probably what they are referencing in the letter.
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Anybody know what road system they're shutting down? Ex. 100,200,300 line?
Also the 300 no longer is a thru road. It blew out last year and is not likely to be rebuilt in the near future.
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I will make a WAG and say either the 300rd, or the 310 Rd gets axed. I'm also curious to see what weyerhaeuser roads get added to the hunt.
Did it say they were adding Weyco roads?
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310 Rd being axed would cut a lot of damaged area out...
:yeah: that's why I was curious if anyone knew.
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Where do you guys get maps with road numbers?
Where is mainline getting work done?
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I will make a WAG and say either the 300rd, or the 310 Rd gets axed. I'm also curious to see what weyerhaeuser roads get added to the hunt.
Did it say they were adding Weyco roads?
From the 2016 big game hunting regulations:
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Where do you guys get maps with road numbers?
Where is mainline getting work done?
WDFW will give you a map at the meeting, it isn't the best quality but it is navigable. Or If you get one of these local boys to ride along with you they know the roads like the back of their hands.
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Yeah I knew about the 300 Rd wash out. Not an easy fix on that one.
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300 Rd Wash Out:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Daves-spring-bear-2016/i-Jd7QMHB/0/XL/image-XL.jpg)
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Geez X force, what are you new? You should know where you get the map from. :bash: :tup: :chuckle:
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300 Rd Wash Out:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Daves-spring-bear-2016/i-Jd7QMHB/0/XL/image-XL.jpg)
That washout looks mild in that pic. Looking down makes you pucker!
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I will make a WAG and say either the 300rd, or the 310 Rd gets axed. I'm also curious to see what weyerhaeuser roads get added to the hunt.
Did it say they were adding Weyco roads?
From the 2016 big game hunting regulations:
It would make sense if they connected the two at the 151 and wickersham. There is a ton of peels on both tree farms in that area.
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It would make sense if they connected the two at the 151 and wickersham. There is a ton of peels I both areas.
I hadn't thought of that, Would be nice, but I'm still wondering if you will have to buy a permit for access. :o
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My 14-year-old son drew Skagit with 7 points this year and he's so excited for this opportunity to hopefully get his first bruin.
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My 14-year-old son drew Skagit with 7 points this year and he's so excited for this opportunity to hopefully get his first bruin.
Nice! Good luck to him.
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See everyone tomorrow. Looking forward to see what access is going to be like this year.
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Wife will be there. I might be in the parking lot with our 4 month old baby. Haha. We'll see
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Woop getting close! The meeting got my wife excited. Ready to get up there. Kinda bummed they aren't having the locks on the gates til late this week... but oh well. We'll be out Saturday.
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Saturday morning can't come fast enough!!
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We have good Friday off of work so my girls and i will be doing a little scouting. Probably a wet day but it should still be fun.
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We might be out Friday evening also. Driving a white tundra.
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Can't go behind gates with vehicle until Saturday.
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Who says?
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I asked that exact question at the meeting.
The response was
No access until the 15 th. It's a long season.
Also no atv or motor bikes.
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I heard that loud and clear. Your permit states April 15th. Not the 14th. Let's not screw up this access up that the timber companies allow.
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I'm still allowed on weyerhaeuser until July so we are good. :tup:
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Good I can get a lift from you then.
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Well I am going to hunt Saturday, but then head east to talk turkey for a week.
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Goodluck everyone, leave one big one for me come June!
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Great afternoon for scouting. The girls wanted to hit the snow so we went high sledded a bit and made hot coco. We didn't venture to far off the road but the lower elevations look promising. I'm more excited about getting my girls to see some bears than I am to harvest one. Can't wait for the season to start.
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Wow no posts since 4:30 pm
Everyone must be in bed..
Got to get up at 5 am to meet my hunting buddy.
Guess I better dream some bears.
Good luck all.
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Well opening day in the books. Can't say we saw much in the way of bear sign out there yet- things "barely" starting to break bud, even at the lower elevations. I'm guessing we're a good 5 weeks or more behind an average spring. Classic beautiful spring day though with clouds, rain, hail, sun- pretty much everything. Was great spending time with my son and old man- 3 generations out hunting is always pretty cool. Anybody have any bear sightings?
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Well opening day in the books. Can't say we saw much in the way of bear sign out there yet- things "barely" starting to break bud, even at the lower elevations. I'm guessing we're a good 5 weeks or more behind an average spring. Classic beautiful spring day though with clouds, rain, hail, sun- pretty much everything. Was great spending time with my son and old man- 3 generations out hunting is always pretty cool. Anybody have any bear sightings?
Sounds like a great day. A buddy and I were out from 2 until dark. Lots of elk and deer no bears. It's early.
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Well opening day in the books. Can't say we saw much in the way of bear sign out there yet- things "barely" starting to break bud, even at the lower elevations. I'm guessing we're a good 5 weeks or more behind an average spring. Classic beautiful spring day though with clouds, rain, hail, sun- pretty much everything. Was great spending time with my son and old man- 3 generations out hunting is always pretty cool. Anybody have any bear sightings?
Ditto for us.
Ran into Salmon Stalker I think it was, and his buddy.
I will post this in lost and found but dropped my Range Finder in black case somewhere off Hwy 9 on one of the Spring Bear roads. We were up them all. I think it was the Wicikersham gate road as I used it up there on top. If any Spring Bear guys find it.
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Thier out at low elevations, my neighbour saw one just east of my pasture last week.
Keep at it they'll show up when you least expect it. :tup:
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Yeah stayed below 2000. Most the time at 900 or less.
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Well opening day in the books. Can't say we saw much in the way of bear sign out there yet- things "barely" starting to break bud, even at the lower elevations. I'm guessing we're a good 5 weeks or more behind an average spring. Classic beautiful spring day though with clouds, rain, hail, sun- pretty much everything. Was great spending time with my son and old man- 3 generations out hunting is always pretty cool. Anybody have any bear sightings?
Ditto for us.
Ran into Salmon Stalker I think it was, and his buddy.
I will post this in lost and found but dropped my Range Finder in black case somewhere off Hwy 9 on one of the Spring Bear roads. We were up them all. I think it was the Wicikersham gate road as I used it up there on top. If any Spring Bear guys find it.
Quick note my partner went back up today and found my Range Finder.
Thanks Alex. :tup: :IBCOOL:
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Well it seems the bear are starting to move. Found this pile Easter Sunday , no fresh tree damage yet.
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Following :tup:...
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You know what elevation you found that at acrim?
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What berries could he possibly be eating this early? :dunno:
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I was thinking the same about berries , find it hard to believe it's leftovers from fall. As to elevation , about 500 feet on the mangat access.
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I was out tonight with my girls. Lots of elk and grouse but no bear yet.
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tag
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X force spotted one tonight but I don't think he shot...said it was a smaller one...
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X force spotted one tonight but I don't think he shot...said it was a smaller one...
It was a downpour and smaller. Only seen 2 so far. Beating the brush I haven't seen much sign yet.
It's great being out and having this kind of access. Lots of animals elk, deer, grouse etc.
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Any skagit bears yet??
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Come on Man, I wanna see some Pics! Git r Done!
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Seen 5 so far. They are out and about but not much sign yet. It has been a great weekend to be in the woods but I'm missing out.
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Seen 5 so far. They are out and about but not much sign yet. It has been a great weekend to be in the woods but I'm missing out.
I smell tag soup brother! :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Just kiddin...all you need is for me to tag along and eat donuts whilst spouting, "it looks like we'd see a bear here" and you're golden.
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I just got home from playing pack mule. :tup:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Hunting/i-b2bvJqD/0/96a297c2/X2/IMG_2049-X2.jpg)
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Nice looking paw , where is the rest :tup:
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Nice looking paw , where is the rest :tup:
It's not my story to tell, I just showed up for the draggin part. I will say that this was a very nice mature boar. :tup:
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Nice looking paw , where is the rest :tup:
It's not my story to tell, I just showed up for the draggin part. I will say that this was a very nice mature boar. :tup:
Very nice bear. He's on his way to the butcher. Not my story either,got to help with the skinning.
A bear to be proud of for sure.
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Looking forward to seeing some pics! :tup:
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:brew:
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Can't wait for the story
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One year ban for the teaser!
I just got home from playing pack mule. :tup:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Hunting/i-b2bvJqD/0/96a297c2/X2/IMG_2049-X2.jpg)
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Who was the lucky hunter?
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I think he is still processing the hunt.
He posted on Facebook , so maybe he will find time to post here.
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5/4/2017This was a Spring Skagit Bear permit. I was the lucky hunter. But I give a good share of credit to Skybuster. He shared a lot of information with us and was instrumental in letting us know a location where he had seen a recent Bear. I acted on his information when I could and took a nice Bear. When I called Skybuster and asked if he could help me get the Bear out he was there in about 20 minutes. He is just a great Bear Hunting enthusiast. Then Ghosthunter came up to help as well and assisted in hiding the animal for me. So the only credit I can take is being retired and able to take a leisurely walk on a road suggested to me by Skybuster. Anyone can pull the trigger on an animal at 30 yards. The Bear was probably 280 to 300#'s. By the looks of his teeth he is an old one. 190#'s hanging at the Butcher shop. Going to have an upper torso mount done.
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5/4/2017This was a Spring Skagit Bear permit. I was the lucky hunter. But I give a good share of credit to Skybuster. He shared a lot of information with us and was instrumental in letting us know a location where he had seen a recent Bear. I acted on his information when I could and took a nice Bear. Then when I called him to help me get the Bear out he was there in about 20 minutes. He is just a great Bear Hunting enthusiast. Then Ghosthunter came up to help as well and assisted in hiding the animal for me. So the only credit I can take is being retired and able to take a leisurely walk on a road suggested to me by Skybuster. Anyone can pull the trigger on an animal at 30 yards. The Bear was probably 280 to 300#'s. By the looks of his teeth he is an old one. 190# hanging at the Butcher shop with hide and guts out. Going to have an upper torso mount done.
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Another picture
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That's a big springer!
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Congrats, nice bear. :tup:
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Congrats man! That's a great looking bear.
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Congrats man! That's a great looking bear.
A bear to be proud of for sure. And we cannot say enough about Skybusters help. He is always willing to help us old guys.
I love seeing a hunting partner harvest animals, why/ Because I have a I love to hunt. And I find guys who don't harvest and don't have my drive that will give up. But if my hunting partners harvest animals with or with out me it is a lot easier to get them to go the next time. I like skinning just as much as shooting.
So to the lucky hunter, GOOD JOB BUDDY. :tup: :drool: :IBCOOL:
Now I got to get back out there.
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Nice bear ! :tup: Congrats.
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That's a BIG bear! Congrats!!
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Great bear! Very cool story. Nice to see the Hunt-Wa community helping each other.
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Great looking bear , congratulations !
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Again thanks to all of you for your congratulations. Ghosthunter always seems to sum up the true hunter in the best way. I feel honored to be a member of his hunting group. I would like to make a special mention to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is a well run hunt. At the pre-meeting we were supplied with a packet of information with maps and other contact information. After I shot the Bear I contacted Brad Otto the Natural Resource technician and private lands access program representative in this area for this hunt. He set up a time with me to pull the pre-molar and get the tissue sample. The next day he showed up at the time he said and he brought Rob Cogdal with him. They pulled the tooth and took the skin tissue sample. He said that to his knowledge this was the first bear taken during this years spring bear hunt. I told him where the gut pile was located and later in the afternoon he called me back to say they found it. He confirmed that the bear had been feeding on grass and very young skunk cabbage if that helps any other hunters. I am going to post one last picture that kind of shows how old the bear was.
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Fantastic bear. Still had the grass in its mouth! Love the dark muzzle.
Congrats guys, you all did a great job. Way to help each other out.
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Nice looking bear!
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Congrats!
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Well again thanks for all of the congratulations. Still having a hard time taking this hunt all in. When it happened it was over so very fast. As ghosthunter said we are not trophy hunters. We take what is legally available to us. I went out for a walk with the idea in mind that if I saw a bear that did not have cubs with it I would take it. After all this a damage control hunt and I do not feel it would be right to pass on a shootable bear. So I took the shot on the Bear and by luck it was a good sized one. I would have been just as happy with a smaller and younger one. It was an experience I am never going to forget. The meat is in the freezer, the hide is at the taxidermist for a front quarter mount and I am going to have the skull bleached so I can use it in Hunter Education classes. I have the pictures and memories that well last me for the rest of my life. May all of you have similar hunting memories and success.
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Nicely done! Have you measured the skull?
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The taxidermist did but I don't recall the numbers. doubt if it is big enough for Boon and Crockett but it is big enough and then some for me. I will try and get those numbers from him. Thanks
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His head still looks big in proportion to his body so he's gotta be 19"+
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Awesome spring bear. Well done! Congrats.
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Congratulations! Beautiful bear!
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I am doing an awfully lot of pack muling lately. Congrats to today's lucky hunter. :tup:
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:tup:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Hunting/i-TPRGK8d/0/f804f410/XL/IMG_2092-XL.png)
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I am doing an awfully lot of pack muling lately. Congrats to today's lucky hunter. :tup:
Yes and you deserve a member of the year award. Again thank you to you and Dave for helping me get my bear out. Could not have worked out any better if we had planned it.
Took me awhile to clean out my drawers after that adventure. Glad you happen along.
Story coming after dinner. :tup:
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Congrats ghosthunter! You have given a lot, glad you got your bear.
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Can't wait to hear the story! :drool:
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Can't wait to hear the story! :drool:
It's a wild one! :tup:
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Tagging to follow. Looks like another great bear :tup:
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Tag
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My first ever Bear.
After my buddy killed that big bear on Thursday, it got my juices flowing. I had only been out hunting once before going turkey hunting for a week. When I got back my father in law passed away so my wife had me close to home.
This am I decided to go out for the day. I got up at 4am and drove to the hunting area. Parked my truck at the gate and hiked in so as not to disturb any animals that might be around.
by 6:00 am I was at my appointed spot and had made my self a rather comfy elevated spot over looking a marshy area.
At 8 am a chocolate colored bear walked out of the timber and into the marsh. I moved around trying to get a better look at it and scanning for cubs. I decided to sneak closer but in so doing I lost track of the bear.
I went back and sat down again in my spot. at about 9:30 am I decided to starch my legs and walk back to my truck to retrieve my field glasses. In doing so I another member here came driving up the road. (50CAL). We talked and proceeded on our separate ways.
Back at my spot I sat till noon. Than decided I would pack up and hike out some of the nearby trails. Planning to come back around 2 pm till dark. I got my pack on and took one more look at the marsh.
At that exact time a bear walked out. I am saying about 100-200 yards away. I got my cross hairs on it and sent it. The bear beat tail to the timber about 50 ft away. Dang couldn't tell it was hit or not. I gave about 15 minutes before I made my way around the pond in front of me through the marsh and to were the bear was last seen.
Now unknown to me Skybuster and his brother had just pulled off by my truck and had heard my shot. They came to check on me.
After looking for blood , I could find none. So I made my way to where the bear entered the timber. Now I have never killed a bear before, and I was not very excited to enter the dark timber with what might be a pis&%$# bear. But committed to do my due diligence in making sure ,I entered the timber.
It was darker and my eyes had to adjust some. The hill went up steeply and had a lot of down stuff. Looking around I could see no sign of the bear. But all my senses were working overtime, because I was now on the bear's turf and I knew it had the advantage.
As I started to pas under a very large fir, maybe 3ft at the trunk some limbs hit on the head. I looked up and the bear was up the tree 30 or more feet above me. Not wanting to shoot it while I was in the fall zone I looked for a way to get up the slope for a better angle. I couldn't get higher with out going under the bear and up the other side.
As I passed under the tree the bear did not like that at all and started down the tree as fast as it could towards me. I in turn did not like him coming at me and started to back peddle as fast as I could. When he got just over eye level with me I cut loose on him with my pump action 30.06. In my panic of thinking I was going get a medi flight I short stroked my pump and jammed it. ( at some point during this my pants got heavier.)As I am franticly trying to clear the jam by pulling my mag. The bear now shot at least twice was deciding which way to go, to me or away.
Lucky for me the bugger ran down a log at the base of his tree and disappeared. As he went I could see his front shoulder was broke and one leg was frail ling.
Now reloaded after my 2n jamming. I was cussing that I was in pursuit again and did not relish tracking this now hurting bear.
Moving cautiously I worked down to the spot where he was last seen. Squish squish as I walked.
To my great pleasure I saw the bear laying motionless about 30 ft down hill. I got in a shooting position and watched, no movement, Than I said better safe than sorry and sent one more at his hear. BEAR DOWN.
Now skybuster and his brother thought they had walked into the ok corral with all the shooting and were wisely keeping their distance from this panic old guy in the woods.
But as the dust settled and they made there way to me, congrats and relief were in the air. Photos were taken and As I packed up my stuff after a quick field dress . The grabbed my bear and drug it out to the road for me.
A short walk to the truck ,through the gate and loaded my bear up. Stopped at the first store got a couple blocks of ice and put them in the bear. Off to home.
Skinned him out , cut the meat in chunks an put in the refer. Aired the hide and rolled and put in freezer.
My undies went in the garbage.
Huge thank you to Skybuster and his brother Dave for all their help. What great guys.
The bear is a small male, nothing like Alex got. In the end he had been shot through both shoulders, High at the first rib, and just to make sure one in the head.
There was very little meat loss and I recovered some bullet fragments so far.
Either way I am extremely happy with this little guy and glad it was not 7 pm when I shot.
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Great story, it wasn't nearly as exciting on my end. :tup:
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Well you only have the story after the meat is gone :tup:
Having trouble with photos :dunno:
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Well you only have the story after the meat is gone :tup:
Having trouble with photos :dunno:
:tup: nice work man sounds like an awesome hunt can't wait to see the pics
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Here's one
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Congrats. Great adventure.
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Wow, crazy story :yike:
Congrats man!
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Nice! Good job guys! We have been sidelined for a few weekends. Hope to get the wife back out this coming weekend.
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More really fresh sign.
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So happy to see my partner ghosthunter get his Bear. Got to admit he has a more exciting story to tell. He is never going to forget that hunting adventure. Good for you Buddy. Now to think about Elk and Deer. Tarbabyone
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Nice work ghost. :tup:
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Good job on the Bears !!!!!
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Just picked up my Bear meat from "Trial and Error Meats" in Blaine. The wife and I had Bear Tenderloin steaks tonight and they were just wonderful. Tomorrow we are going to try the Breakfast Sausage for breakfast. I would sure recommend the Butcher. Her name is Bobby Boyer and her number is 360-303-6748. She has been cutting meat for 30 years.
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Well I had the butcher recover the bullet from my Bear to see how the bullet preformed. It had gone into the left front shoulder, shattered the ball socket and then proceeded to take out a lung and traveling through to come to rest in the right front shoulder. Pretty good performance I would say and not a lot of bullet weight lost.
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Moving cautiously I worked down to the spot where he was last seen. Squish squish as I walked.
At first I assumed you were walking in a "swampy bottom".....but then, I realized you definitely were! :chuckle:
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LMAO. :chuckle:
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A couple of days ago I took the wife back up to walk around where the bear was taken last week. Sure a pretty place when the sun is shining.
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Moving cautiously I worked down to the spot where he was last seen. Squish squish as I walked.
At first I assumed you were walking in a "swampy bottom".....but then, I realized you definitely were! :chuckle:
Yeah 12 feet away got everything going. :chuckle:
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Lots of peeling going on right now. Walked a 1/2 mile section of road and a dozen or more peels.
Saw 40-50 elk no cavles yet but it should be happening soon.
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Congrats to Tarbabyone and Ghosthunter with your bears and nice job on the write ups! We have yet to see a bear this season but are having a wonderful time on the outings nonetheless. Tonight's sightings included deer, elk, grouse, and 26 really fresh peels!!!! That sure got us excited! Plan to hit it hard all weekend trying to find a bear for our son. Was a pleasure meeting X-force out there in the backcountry as well!
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Looks like you're on the right path there fishinandhuntin. :tup:
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Congrats to Tarbabyone and Ghosthunter with your bears and nice job on the write ups! We have yet to see a bear this season but are having a wonderful time on the outings nonetheless. Tonight's sightings included deer, elk, grouse, and 26 really fresh peels!!!! That sure got us excited! Plan to hit it hard all weekend trying to find a bear for our son. Was a pleasure meeting X-force out there in the backcountry as well!
Thanks
We were talking afterwards, Alex and I have different hunting styles and sometimes we have a hard time hunting together. He is a walker, a upland hunter . He doesn't sit for very long. I on the other hand am a sitter. I like to find area where there is good sign and sit on it FOREVEVER. A lot of people cant do it, but it works for me sometimes because being quite is not my strong trait.
We both used our own method to harvest. With good intel.
But if what you are doing doesn't work, don't be shy about switching up.
Good luck all.
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Was in the woods from 0600-2100 today! Saw lots of cool stuff but no Bears. 5 encounters with different elk herds, deer, 12 grouse, over 30 new tree peels and bear tracks in the snow! Someday we'll get a bear I hope!
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Another bear was taken tonight. I haven't seen it but there is a good one in the area it was taken.
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Lots of peeling going on out there!! We drove this one particular 1/2 mile stretch of road on Saturday and counted 16 peels. We came back Sunday and hiked it and counted 28. We finally made it back there tonight and hiked the same 1/2 mile stretch and counted 52 peels!! We walked slowly and as quietly as possible and never saw or heard anything- bummer! Thinking we'll get a trail camera put up to try and see when they are moving around most. Sure is exciting!!
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:EAT:
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5/4/2017This was a Spring Skagit Bear permit. I was the lucky hunter. But I give a good share of credit to Skybuster. He shared a lot of information with us and was instrumental in letting us know a location where he had seen a recent Bear. I acted on his information when I could and took a nice Bear. When I called Skybuster and asked if he could help me get the Bear out he was there in about 20 minutes. He is just a great Bear Hunting enthusiast. Then Ghosthunter came up to help as well and assisted in hiding the animal for me. So the only credit I can take is being retired and able to take a leisurely walk on a road suggested to me by Skybuster. Anyone can pull the trigger on an animal at 30 yards. The Bear was probably 280 to 300#'s. By the looks of his teeth he is an old one. 190#'s hanging at the Butcher shop. Going to have an upper torso mount done.
cool bear...congrats...not trying to jack the thread but i think it is interesting that he said the bear hung at 190# and there was a different thread on here about multiplying the quarters by 3.25 to get the live weight of a bear...i cant guess what parts of the bear where actually weighed at the butcher but can't imagine the ribs weighed 100 lbs...good job :tup:
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That was the weight of the bear carcass hanging at the Butcher. Hide, Head and paws cut off and of course gutted.
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X-force connected last night. However, no pic=never happened. :chuckle: :chuckle: :'(
Apparently all his pics were dark and crappy quality.
The following is his retelling of the story.
Tag filled.
4'8"
17 1/2" skull
My brother in law and I hit it hard yesterday despite the heat. We were at the gate at 5, all over the mountain, 9+ hiking miles. At 6:30 pm he decided to call it a night; work, family, etc. We had used a half tank of fuel, predator called, glassed and hiked. I don’t know if there was much else for us to do besides get lucky.My wife was nice enough to grant me the all-day pass so my intention was to use it all day.
After dropping my B-i-L at his truck I b lined for a road with scads of peels and poo. The wind wouldn't stay constant so after almost an hour of trying to find a spot to sit for the night I gave up and headed back to the truck. With the inconstant wind my intention was to get up on some glassing points and see if my luck would change. 2 miles up the road as I came around the corner there was a black shape just off the road and 125 yards a head. Instantly the bear dove into the reprod. Shutting off the truck (road hunting… I know, Guilty!), grabbing the rifle, hop out and listened. There was no sound of a bear booking downhill so I sit. The wind was going right to left and as long as the bear didn't come towards the noise it just ran from I was in the money.
After 10 minutes there was a twig break, then some leave shuffling. I loaded the rifle and slowly made my way down the road. After a couple more minutes he came back up the shoulder and started feeding again. This time he was 90 yards further down the road on the downhill bank. Stepping off of the road I sat down and waited. Grabbing mouth fulls of horse tail he would bounce his shoulders up and down to pull them out. Eating aggressively, as if the horse tails were meat on the bone, he worked up and down the hill without providing a broadside shot. As time wore on he faced dead away, then quarter away, it was time to settle the cross hairs and wait. After a few moments moving like the minute hand on a clock he worked towards 3 o'clock. Cross hairs were behind the right shoulder above the elbow. My eye pierced through the cross hairs at the vitals, then a surprise CRACK!
The bear spun as if stung by a bee. He dove off into the reprod again. This time the woods were silent. There was no blood where the bear last stood, looking down three possible escape routes, nothing. This stuff is thick and steep; deadfalls and devils club, briers and branches. Running out of light and with minimal visibility do to the terrain and vegetation I worked switchback down the hill trying to find a trace; blood, hair, anything. After getting 100 yards off of the road and covering a 30 wide swath of switchbacks it was time to head back and think of a new tactic. Lots of bears have a death bawl or scramble frantically through the timber but this bear was silent. That kept playing through my mind on the way back up to the road. Man where could he be? No crashing no noise... This could be a long night. All of a sudden he was right there. Eye level and 5' in front of me. So close I touched my muzzle to his. He was gone.
This beautiful animal was dead instantly. Double lung and clipped the top of his heart. He dove down the hill and piled up next to a log. I must have walked within feet of him 2 or 3 times while working my way down the hill. It was almost 9 oclock and i needed to let my wife know that it would be a while. When i got back from cell service the work began. He was only 30 yards off the road but it was all steep and all up hill. Trying to move him was virtually impossible. My plan was to gut then drag him to the truck so that the busy work could be done on a cleaner, flatter environment. The drag out was exhausting in that he could only really be moved 2 or 3 feet at a time. There wasn't any solid footing and there wasn't any hand holds. Just squat, grab, pull and readjust.
By 10 pm he was loaded in the truck giving me a short reprieve between jobsites. 5 hours later he was skinned, quartered and hanging. It was a fun season. 11 different bears and 2 blown opportunities. Awesome memories with my daughters and nephews. My daughters (3 and 5) spent almost a weeks’ worth of evenings with me. We had elk encounters, saw lots of grouse and did some tyke stump shooting. What a privilege to have this time in the woods with family and friends. Having an opportunity like this in your back yard is hard to beat.
My plan is to make the bear into chorizo and breakfast sausage. The hide is in good shape but I have no room for it so for now its in the freezer.
Thanks for reading and good luck to the tag holders left.
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:tup: congrats :tup:
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Congratulations
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Well I don't think I will ever know how big my Bear was. I think it would be between 280 and 300. Hopefully these pictures well give you some perspective. Thanks
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:tup:
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To me, it looks like that bear is an easy 300. Must have wintered well, he has got quite a bit of fat left on him. :tup:
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Just wanted to throw up some photos of my hunt.
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Nice job x-force, those girls look like natural born killers. :tup:
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Way to get it done and take the kids too. Nice bear
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You guys are really layin' the smack down on the bears.
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Great pics brother. Those bears were sure peeling them thar trees.
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Tarbabyone- dang those pics are impressive!! Congratulations again on a very respectable bear!!
X-force- congrats on your well deserved bear! I really enjoyed your photos recapping some of the highlights of your season! Nice job getting the next generation out there!
I wish we had success to report on. Let me take that back a minute- we have plenty of success to report on! No bear kill yet, but:
-100+ elk seen and several of which would be lifetime bulls for most hunters (can tell that even at this stage of growth!)
-40+ deer seen
-60+ grouse seen
-5 bear seen for a combined total of 9.5 seconds, but no shot opportunities
-great views, sunrises, and sunsets
-sharing this access opportunity with friends and family, many of which have never been behind these closed gates
-19 days in the field totaling over 100 hours
-1 destroyed truck tire
-meeting new friends in person and on this site (X-force, Saylean, Skybuster, nwcastles, the other guy and gal in the crew cab white ford)
I've always said just the access that comes with this permit is well worth the cost of admission (permit application). It's no give-me by any means. But the memories made are fantastic! Like my 14 year old son and I hiking along a road coming to a switchback and having two bucks 80 yards away- who then are so curious as to what we are come to 22 yards from us before heading off, then hiking another 60 yards and spotting a 3rd buck. Or snow wheeling over the 310 and being the first ones over for the season. Or observing my son packing his rifle for many hours, all the while demonstrating safe firearm handling through countless loading/unloading cycles and safe muzzle control. We've still got 2+ weeks of season so hopefully we'll be "successful" with a bear harvest, but if the season ended today, I'd say we've definitely had success.
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A few photos to go with the post....
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:tup:
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Well I finally let the Smokpole bark. Killed this guy on Saturday. Basically my lower back has been giving me fits lately so I decided to hunt Whitetail style & just wait em out. I think it's easier to hike all day than sit all day personally. Through my trail cam I found a place where some bears were traveling through a saddle on a old grade so that's where I decided to make it happen. About 12:30 He stepped out & He looked good enough for me. I'm having issues posting pics I'll post when I can.
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50Cal's pics
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:tup:
Nice work. Hopefully the pack out wasn't to bad/hot.
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Way to go Jim!! Congrats on a great bear!!
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Excellent
Nice talking to you when we crossed paths.
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Great job knocking one down with a front loader. :tup:
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Crickets with only 2 weeks left :chuckle:
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I heard another bear was down. :dunno:
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Great job on a great bear
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Another skagit Bear down
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Future bear Hunter.
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Nice. One.
Great job.
And the story?
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Another skagit Bear down
dam i'm really doing something wrong cuz this whole pic looks like a lot of fun.more so then me and a bunch of my sweaty male hunting partners..another question i have as far as male bears go-and this is a somewhat serious question although maybe not as family friendly as i would like to ask---why are the male "twin boys" on bears hairless when ungulates have hair covered "twins"...i've shot 5 male bears and they are all the same but buck deer, bull elk, bull moose are different ? not trying to jack this great thread but just curious...
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Cool!
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Congratulations on a very nice Bear. Looks like a family hunt.
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Another skagit Bear down
dam i'm really doing something wrong cuz this whole pic looks like a lot of fun.more so then me and a bunch of my sweaty male hunting partners..another question i have as far as male bears go-and this is a somewhat serious question although maybe not as family friendly as i would like to ask---why are the male "twin boys" on bears hairless when ungulates have hair covered "twins"...i've shot 5 male bears and they are all the same but buck deer, bull elk, bull moose are different ? not trying to jack this great thread but just curious...
That's just the first place they rub after a long winter... :chuckle:
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Great bears!
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Congrats! Looks like a good one. :tup:
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Looks like a tender one. :tup:
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We'll see
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Congrats! Great family time there ! Fresh bear on the grill that looks really good
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Where's the story!!! :dunno: :drool:
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Nice job guys, it's great to see guys sticking it out, not giving up out of frustration. Congrat's. Let's keep them coming, we need more pics and stories.
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Last full weekend coming up ! The sign has been all around , have seen several bear , now to connect with one ... congrats to those who have taken a bear this season , hope I can add a last minute picture soon.
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Well , that's why it's called hunting. First Skagit spring bear hunt was an eye opener. Have so many ideas for the next time , now time to think about August 1
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Anybody know how many Bears were taken in the Skagit? When I talked to the Bio around June 2nd he said 6 were killed at that time.
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Anybody know how many Bears were taken in the Skagit? When I talked to the Bio around June 2nd he said 6 were killed at that time.
I only know of 6. 5 in this thread plus mine.
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I heard 10
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I heard 10
I heard they took 6 bears outa the Skagit, and 24 out of Monroe!
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I heard 10
I heard they took 6 bears outa the Skagit, and 24 out of Monroe!
I'd be surprised if there was 10.
I heard the Monroe guys all tagged out. ;)
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Buddy of mine had the Monroe tag and saw bears every time out.
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Well since I finally figured out how to post pics on my phone I might as well show 2 Bears that I spent a lot of hours trying to harvest. The colored one was a 1 time deal & never came thru again. The Blackie was a smart one. I was either late or he'd show up right after I left. Heck one time I heard a pop & I turned around and he was 20' behind me and I couldn't get a shot off in time.
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Both are dandies. To bad it didn't come together.
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Man that sucks! Good looking bears! Thanks for posting.
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Nice bears Jim. Thanks for sharing. :tup: