Easter bear hunting lessons.

[jmad_81]

Took my family camping for the weekend. It is bear season, so I was hoping to get in a bit of bear hunting as well. I learned a few lessons;

1. Taking your 14 month old doughter in her pack is a great time, for about an hour. Don't take her into that steep nasty canyon that you have always wanted to hunt. You know the one, the one that takes three hours of hiking to get to the head of. Pick the easy hour long hunts, for family time. Did get a few nice picks of my ladies though.

2. If a bear looks smalll from a mile and a half away, it willl still be small by the time you have snuck within a few hundred yards.

3. Its official, I'm an elkoholic. I saw over 175 elk this weekend, and had to remind myself that I was bear hunting not following herds of elk around the hills. The spikes are still packing, everything else has dropped.

All in all it was a great weekend. I saw four bears saturday, and six on sunday morning. The one I put the sneek on was about as blonde as a bull elk. Wasn't to sure how big it was from a mile plus off, but with the color I didn't care. Put the sneek on it and got within shooting range, decided it was to small, when a dark brown bear a few hundred yards farther away looked bigger. The last bear I shot I could hold up with one hand, don't want to do that again . I got five more weeks of season, and if the weather stays nice I'll bee able to get around really well the last two or three weeks.

 

[DrMike]

Ah, words of wisdom from one who knows. "If a bear looks small..." How true. Sounds like a great weekend with the family.

 

[JD338]

Jake,

Glad you were able to spend some quality time with your girls.
Good call on the small blond. I am sure you will find a nice one.
What are you toting for bear, your 280 AI?

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

I'm packing the edge. Its got two yotes on it now and I'm hoping to add a bear to the list as well. I'll tell you what though, I'm looking forward to packing the lighter 280 AI in that same country for bucks this fall.

 

[Guy Miner]

Good stuff Jmad - hard to do the family camping thing and also get serious about hunting.

Good luck on the spring bear!

 

[jmad_81]

Yes it is. Payton got lots of miles in on the quad around camp though so she had a great time as well.

I don't know if I'll be able to make it back up this weekend or not, I have a booster club type fund raiser to help with saturday night, and it usualy turns into a pretty good time. The mountains look like they could use a few weeks of some good weather to get some green up, and some snow off. So if it stays nice I'll be hitting it really hard come May.

 

[SJB358]

Thats great you were able to get out with the family and get a little scouting in. That will pay off when you have to carry that hide and meat out on your back! Scotty

 

[taylorce1]

Sounds like fun! I'm hoping I can scratch my bear itch in three weeks in SE AK.

 

[nodak7mm]

Awesome time for you and your family, great weekend time.

Easter Bear? I thought was the Easter Bunny... :shock:

Rod

 

[TBASTIAN]

Sounds like a great weekend with multiple bears! What is the area like come August when the fall season opens?

 

[jmad_81]

Well they are still there. They come down to the river at night to eat salmon, and berries. You can catch them in the morning headed back up the draws, or in the evening before they come down. They like some of the berries up in the draws as well, but they only seem to be on the trees every other year. A few years ago we saw five different bears opening weekend of deer season the last weekend of september.

It would be a blast to get a bunch of guys together and stay at the lodge this fall and have a bear killing week! The lodge was built in 1864, and sleeps 25 easy.

 

[Greg Nolan]

You should of put out some Easter eggs and when the bear was distracted pealing one of the shells. Come to think of it a chocolate bunny might have done the trick :lol:
Glad you had family fun and got in some hunting. That was a family tradition on Easter when I grew up. Fond memories to treasure for a lifetime.
Greg