Idaho bear from this week

[lefty315]

Not the largest bear but it was the first opportunity I've ever had to shoot a chocolate bear. The hunt was in Northern Idaho near the St Joe River. It started off bad because I started getting sick as we were setting up camp on Sunday afternoon, and I got worse from there. I had hunted the area in the past but about 30 to 40 road miles away. We were learning some new country and figuring out where to go as much as where not to go.

Tuesday evening I was feeling pretty cruddy and thought about calling it a day but we decided to sit in a saddle overlooking a valley with several logging roads. My thoughts were if we saw something we had the wind in our favor and could easily make a move, and on the chance I bagged a bear the haul up or down to a road might not be bad.

We were not sitting more than a minute before my buddy said "got one". A lone chocolate bear feeding on a grassy hillside. Decision made and off we went. Once I got to within 300 yards I sat and watched the surrounding area to make sure there were no Cubs around. I was then able to get to 195 yards, with no cover to speak of, and settle in for the shot. Kimber 300 WSM with 180 AccuBond(which is really the insignificant part of the hunt) ended the day with one shot. A boar, so that made me happy. We were able to drive above the bear to within about 50-60 yards. We packed up camp and left the next day, ending our trip several days early.

 

[DrMike]

Congrats on the bear. It was difficult standing on my head to view the picture, but I did so. Decent bear, and a fine shot on your part. I do like that 300 WSM and a 180 grain AB would be just right. Congratulations.

 

[lefty315]

Why were you standing on your head? The picture appears upright to me. Thanks!!

 

[wildgene]

...hmmm, looks like an australia bear to me, too... :roll: :twisted: :mrgreen:

 

[Guy Miner]

Well, congratulations!

 

[lefty315]

Thanks Guy.

For those of you that see the picture upside down, try turning your computer screen so you are facing North...maybe that'll work

 

[DrMike]

Thanks Guy.

For those of you that see the picture upside down, try turning your computer screen so you are facing North...maybe that'll work

Excellent! However, I spit coffee all over my monitor when I read that. :lol:

 

[Dwh7271]

Congrats on the bear!

 

[lefty315]

DrMike, sorry about your monitor. For those of you that don't know much about the area there is a lot of history mapped out there. The railroad used to run from Chicago through there on its way west back in the early 1900's. The forest service maps show a bunch of the old logging camps and rail lines. There were two old log cabins from back in the logging camp days at the campsite. One was pretty bad with trees growing through it but the other would still keep you dry in most of it.

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya, the doggone photo is upside - down, but what the heck...

Lefty is a Marine. Ya gotta forgive him. By nature he's better at shooting things and blowing things up than dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's"

Semper Fi Lefty! Looks like a good bear to me!

Guy

 

[lefty315]

Just so you guys know I'm sick and not drunk, here's what it looks like to me. On a Marine Corps note, as my buddy and I (fellow Marine) were driving the logging roads we saw something strange in the road. Pulled up and it was a brand new USMC KA-BAR on the side of the road in a ,eat her sheath. The handle had a little scuffing on it and it was soaking wet and covered in a small amount of dirt. A tiny bit of rust on the exposed cutting edge of the blade. A great camp knife and may have brought us a bit of luck. I'll have to take it on the next hunt to see if the luck holds true!!

 

[JD338]

Nice bear, congratulations!

JD338

 

[Silentstalker]

Congrats on your bear!

 

[DrMike]

Finding a new Kabar is just too good to be true. I still have one my son bought me for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Good eye to have spotted it.

 

[Guy Miner]

 

[truck driver]

Nice Bear Lefty , don't let the teasers get you down we all have posted pictures that showed up upside down including them. :lol:

 

[LD375]

Nice bear!..congrats

Lou

 

[DrMike]

'Tis a beautiful colour, to be sure! Are the colour phase bears somewhat common in that AO? I would guestimate that not more than 5 to 10% of the bears in this particular AO are colour phase. In all my years of hunting, I've seen three chocolate bears and shot one. Never saw a blonde in this area, though I did receive reports of a white bear on one occasion. I teased the woman telling me that she had almost shot a farmers Great Pyrenees. Interestingly enough, colour phase are somewhat common west and south of us in the area around Kamloops.

 

[SJB358]

Great bear Lefty. Congrats!

 

[Guy Miner]

'Tis a beautiful colour, to be sure! Are the colour phase bears somewhat common in that AO? I would guestimate that not more than 5 to 10% of the bears in this particular AO are colour phase. In all my years of hunting, I've seen three chocolate bears and shot one. Never saw a blonde in this area, though I did receive reports of a white bear on one occasion. I teased the woman telling me that she had almost shot a farmers Great Pyrenees. Interestingly enough, colour phase are somewhat common west and south of us in the area around Kamloops.

Washington & Idaho are known for having a lot of different color-phase bears; chocolate, cinnamon & blonde.

A few years ago I saw a black bear (out of hunting season of course) that was colored like a classic mountain grizzly: blonde/silver body, and dark red-brown legs... Amazing looking bear, not far from Leavenworth, WA.

Guy