35 Whelen
Handloader
- Dec 22, 2011
- 2,237
- 516
Guy the soul searching is normal at our age......... same here for me, one of the last bears I guided for , was a nice nearly 9fter, that had been fishing one of our" Secret" rivers down on the pennisula. He and I had been seeing each other everyday all thru Silver season in Sept............ often within 75ft of each other....... he was a younger male but big for his age , Anyway it was open down there that fall, So the boss says to me ,take old so n so down, and let him shoot that fish bear ,thats been hanging around there all fall, I didnt like the hunter , and I did like the bear.
Anyway I am sure I know exactly how a prostitute feels now, as that hunt really changed me, of course when I took the hunter down in the plane he raved about how tough he was most of the flight, But that nite he woke me up in the tent everytime the wind made a spruce limb brushed the tent........... And of course the next morning, as we approached the spot, the bear liked to fish,he paid no attention to us , he knew my smell, and trusted me and actually kept on fishing, the hunter who was a total coward, and real jackwagon to be with, was literally petrified of the bear, we walked right up to him , but I was almost having to push him along........... I told him to calm down that I was right there but he was shaking really badly.......
At 50yds I told him to take him,(with a fair amount of guilt) and after about the same lenght of time as the dude in the movie, he fired his 300 Mag and hit this beautiful bear right dead center in the guts................and to my amazment. It knocked him down , so of corse I am now repeating, crank one in !! ,crank one in !!............... the bear is twisting and going into convulsions, spinning around, And then of course the hunter, locks up: with the gun out in front of him,bolt closed, still unloaded, and is staring at the bear and totally horrified and mesmerized!! I knew the bear would bolt for the Alders about 30yds from the stream, so as he got his pins under him, and stared for the alders; I had to shoot ,as the hunter just couldnt, Or risk the "Alder Recovery" which I was not looking forward to.....
Anyway, short version,,,,,,, I was able to drive a 270 BBC from my 375 Sako, right down thru the end of his spine ,up into the bottom of his chest........as he was going up over the bank, knocking him flat, but still alive. :| Of course by now ,the "rich kid dude" is getting braver, as he can now sense the bear is hurt badly now, So I am again coaching him to shoot, shoot ,as its always better if they actually kill the bear......... So he fired the other two , that he was missing wildly, So I had him reload, and he fired two more before he ever hit it!!! In the butt as the bear expired......... The distance was 65/70yds............... I was sickened by the whole hunt. He never stoped talking the whole time he watched me skinning the bear, I never spoke I was so upset with myself,As we flew home in the Super Cub after I skun him out, he was crowing in the headphones, about how he hammered him with his Magnum......(spare me)
All I could think about was my old buddy in the baggage compartment. Not only did I let him down I let myself down by ever taking such a douche down there and shooting that bear. Of course we shot some nice bears since, and have guided some wonderful folks over the years, That were certainly deserving of a brown bear. That guy wasnt, and I will never forgot that bear hunt.....
Anyway I am sure I know exactly how a prostitute feels now, as that hunt really changed me, of course when I took the hunter down in the plane he raved about how tough he was most of the flight, But that nite he woke me up in the tent everytime the wind made a spruce limb brushed the tent........... And of course the next morning, as we approached the spot, the bear liked to fish,he paid no attention to us , he knew my smell, and trusted me and actually kept on fishing, the hunter who was a total coward, and real jackwagon to be with, was literally petrified of the bear, we walked right up to him , but I was almost having to push him along........... I told him to calm down that I was right there but he was shaking really badly.......
At 50yds I told him to take him,(with a fair amount of guilt) and after about the same lenght of time as the dude in the movie, he fired his 300 Mag and hit this beautiful bear right dead center in the guts................and to my amazment. It knocked him down , so of corse I am now repeating, crank one in !! ,crank one in !!............... the bear is twisting and going into convulsions, spinning around, And then of course the hunter, locks up: with the gun out in front of him,bolt closed, still unloaded, and is staring at the bear and totally horrified and mesmerized!! I knew the bear would bolt for the Alders about 30yds from the stream, so as he got his pins under him, and stared for the alders; I had to shoot ,as the hunter just couldnt, Or risk the "Alder Recovery" which I was not looking forward to.....
Anyway, short version,,,,,,, I was able to drive a 270 BBC from my 375 Sako, right down thru the end of his spine ,up into the bottom of his chest........as he was going up over the bank, knocking him flat, but still alive. :| Of course by now ,the "rich kid dude" is getting braver, as he can now sense the bear is hurt badly now, So I am again coaching him to shoot, shoot ,as its always better if they actually kill the bear......... So he fired the other two , that he was missing wildly, So I had him reload, and he fired two more before he ever hit it!!! In the butt as the bear expired......... The distance was 65/70yds............... I was sickened by the whole hunt. He never stoped talking the whole time he watched me skinning the bear, I never spoke I was so upset with myself,As we flew home in the Super Cub after I skun him out, he was crowing in the headphones, about how he hammered him with his Magnum......(spare me)
All I could think about was my old buddy in the baggage compartment. Not only did I let him down I let myself down by ever taking such a douche down there and shooting that bear. Of course we shot some nice bears since, and have guided some wonderful folks over the years, That were certainly deserving of a brown bear. That guy wasnt, and I will never forgot that bear hunt.....
35 Whelen awesome stories! Love them.
