lucky bear hunt

[bbearhntr]

My good friend Chad and I are excited! Last year was Chads first ever bear hunt with me in Minnesota. I've hunted bears every year over there except once in the last eight years. That was the year I hunted Wisconsin. Chad is a "southern boy" from Illinios that I met on a constuction site about 5 years ago working down there and we became very good friends. He is a true "flat lander" :lol: (We joke around all the time). Any way one day I got to talking about bear hunting on the job and he was really interested in the topic and I said he should come along. Well last year was the first year he drew a tag (kind of a long story). We had a blast in area 51 for 8 days and were both sucessful harvesting bears (he ribs me all the time that his bear was bigger and truth be told it was) :roll: So we were expecting to have to wait a few years to draw agian. This year however Minnesota changed a rule and required sucessful lottery winners to purchase their license by August 1. Any license not purchased would be sold first come first serve to non selected lottery applicants. Luck had it there were some people who did not to buy their licenses and Chad and I were able to purchase the left overs yesterday! We are excited to be able to head back to bear camp this fall! Here are a few pictures from last year...

 

[JD338]

Congratulations on your successful hunt last year and getting tags this year!
Those tender loins look good and are making me hungry!
What handgun and load was used?

JD338

 

[bbearhntr]

He shot his bear with a .44 Rem mag.

 

[bbearhntr]

That hunt last year is so full of funny storries I would have bloody fingers trying to post them all here but here's one...
Chad was dead set on hunting with a muzzleloader. I asked Chad if he wanted to borrow a rifle for the hunt and he politely declined and said he was very comfortable with his gun. The night before Chad shot his bear he missed a different bear on a different bait station with his muzzleloader. So the next day we woke up and went to verify that it was a shooter error and not an equipment error. It turned out to be a case of "bear fever". Before we left camp I again asked Chad if he wanted to borrow my rifle. He again politely declined and said he wont miss again. As the day was turning to sunset here comes "boo boo". The bear circled down wind of the bait for about 10 minutes before slowly approaching. Chad was presented a perfect broadside shot at 25 yds. He settled the red dot scope perfectly behind the bears shoulders and gently sqeezed the trigger..."SNAP".... The primer failed to light 150gr. of pyrodex. The bear stood still wondering what that noise was. I was sitting directly above Chad in the same tree running the video camera. I was also wearing the .44mag :shock: I pulled it from its holster and slid it down the tree to Chad. He settled the sights quickly on the bear (never having shot this weapon before) and pulled the trigger..."POW!!!"....he missed The bear jumped 180 degrees and turned the other way....still broadside. Chad took a DEEP breath steadied the revolver again and pulled the trigger..."POW!!!" The bear dropped dead right there :shock: I looked down at Chad and said, "YOU GOT HIM BUDDY!" Chad was absolutly shaking with excitement! To top it all off it was all captured on video!

Can't wait to go back!!!

 

[tecumseh]

Good luck! Sounds like the two of you will have a blast.

 

[257 Ackley]

Where are you hunting in Minni?

 

[bbearhntr]

"area 51" :shock: :lol: Chad shot his in the Fon du lac State Forrest and I shot mine in the Nemadji State forrest.

 

[DrMike]

"area 51"

Well, that sounds out of this world. Congratulations on getting tags. Good luck to you fellows this year.

 

[bbearhntr]

Season opened today but I was wraping up some things on the jobsite. Can't wait to head to bear camp tomarrow for an entire week! Wah Hoooo!

 

[Elkman]

Area 51 has a pretty significant history, visions of Rosewell are dancing through my head.

Great post, great story, great pictures.