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05-16-2017, 08:38 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 130
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First Bear!
Well thanks to a good friend inviting me to hunt his bait I got my first bear and first big game animal with a bow this weekend. Sat in the stand in the rain Friday and Saturday freezing waiting for a big one he had on camera.
Went out Sunday with high hopes as the weather had finally improved. Those hopes were slowly crushed as the evening went on with zero action. Then at 9 we spot a bear coming in. Quickly realizing it was a big bear I picked up my bow and froze. The bear took its time coming in taking 30 minutes to circle the stand hanginng up in some thick trees behind the bait. After losing sight of the bear we thought he had left. 10minutes later we see him again in the same spot we saw him the first time. He comes right up the bait but stops just short then turns and leaves. My heart dropped because I thought he was leaving for sure. He circles the stand again closer this time right behind us. This time he comes in to the barrels as I am running out of light. As I lift my bow he looks right at me I freeze he sticks his head in the barrel I start to draw my bow he looks right at me again freeze at 3/4 draw hold for as long as I can slowly finish drawing my bow with him staring at me. He sticks his head back in the barrel and gives me a shot. I take the shot with about 5min of legal light left.
Wait 20 minutes and go down and find my arrow stuck in a log. And a bit of blood we didn't hear him go down so we backed out and came back the next morning. Took a couple hours find him as he made it about 300m and we lost the blood trail after about 200m
Want to give a big shout out to Jimbows archery in Edmonton for all the advice over the winter. Reasons to shop local when I needed to send my release back to Scott one of he guys gave me an old one of his and that's what I used on this hunt another notch on it now 😎
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05-16-2017, 08:41 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Lacombe
Posts: 2,467
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Nice bear Congrats !
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05-16-2017, 08:45 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Alberta
Posts: 717
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Awesome, nice work!
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05-16-2017, 09:58 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 423
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Great bear. My guess is 19" +
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05-16-2017, 10:04 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 8,549
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Beauty! He's got some character going on! Congrats on your first Bear!
BW
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05-16-2017, 11:27 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Look behind you :)
Posts: 27,818
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Solid bear man! Congrats.
LC
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05-16-2017, 11:56 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Strathcona County
Posts: 2,170
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Wow! Great looking bear.
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05-17-2017, 01:22 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,135
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Wow, he's a beast! Congrats!!
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05-17-2017, 02:04 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Stony Plain
Posts: 833
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Beauty. Awesome bear.
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05-17-2017, 05:49 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Edm.
Posts: 5,209
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Very nice bear..Loos like a big one how long was he from nose to tail ?
Thats really to bad you could not recover him that night to get some salt on that hide. Chances are he will lose 50 % of his hair if you get him tanned.
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05-17-2017, 06:49 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: County of Leduc
Posts: 111
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Congrats on the bear!!!! I too have never taken anything with my bow yet. I am envious of your hunt! Its great to have good knowledgeable people in your corner to help you along. Again , great animal and great story!! Made my morning .
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05-17-2017, 06:56 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 272
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Congratulations! That's a great bear never mind a great FIRST bear. Looks like he's been in some scraps.
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05-17-2017, 07:05 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 25,269
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You look tired!
Smiles,
Nice bear.
__________________
Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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05-17-2017, 08:05 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: edmonton
Posts: 11,434
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Congrats on your first bear. Very big and a beautifull coat
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05-17-2017, 08:18 AM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: A bit North o' Center...
Posts: 11,571
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Great bear! Congrats on your first!
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05-17-2017, 10:04 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: southern alberta
Posts: 2,245
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Sweet bear congrats
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05-17-2017, 10:44 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Posts: 923
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Great work!
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05-17-2017, 11:49 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 9,814
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Nice bruin. Looks to be a fair size. Congrats
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05-17-2017, 11:53 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 867
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Beauty!!
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05-17-2017, 12:50 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Edson
Posts: 108
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Beauty bear congrats on your first hoping I can say the same by the end of spring bear first year hunting Archery and have yet to get a bear
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05-17-2017, 01:01 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 130
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Good luck Smokedstew I would of never been so successful with out the help of friends who put the time into establishing a bait site and then let me come in.
Last edited by Freerider; 05-17-2017 at 01:08 PM.
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05-17-2017, 02:07 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 130
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Quote:
Originally Posted by broadfieldpoint
Great bear. My guess is 19" +
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We did a quick measure after caping him I think he's going to be just shy of 19
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05-17-2017, 02:09 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 130
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -JR-
Very nice bear..Loos like a big one how long was he from nose to tail ?
Thats really to bad you could not recover him that night to get some salt on that hide. Chances are he will lose 50 % of his hair if you get him tanned.
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I am6'2" I figure he's about 6' nose to tail
Last edited by Freerider; 05-17-2017 at 02:15 PM.
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05-17-2017, 02:44 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Calgary
Posts: 65
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Congrats! Nice looking bear!
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05-17-2017, 04:39 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5,315
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Congrats man that's awesome!
__________________
“Nothing is more persistent than a liberal with a dumb idea” - Ebrand
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05-18-2017, 12:36 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: St. Albert, AB
Posts: 1,178
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Real nice bear and don't panic about JR's comment about losing half his hair If it was a cold night as it seems in your story and you recovered him next morning and got him skinned and promptly in freezer you should be fine. especially at this point in May. I outfitted for bears for 7 years and have hunted them for 48 yrs plus did some taxidermy and many bears shot late evening werent recovered till next morning at which time they were promptly skinned and put in freezer. I never had a hunter complain that his hide slipped.
Where you will have an issue with hair loss is when it gets into very end of May but more so into June when the bears start to naturally shed their heavy winter coats. At this timeframe the undercoat starts to loosen and fall out naturally and at that point the tanning process will will take out a lot of undercoat leaving some noticable bald spots. I suspect JR may have ran into this situation on his bear.
If you pay close attention to a black bear at the bait as it gets into early June if you notice that the hide is mainly black colored but has lighter brown patches thru it its most likely is not that hoped for " chocolate phase" bear but an indication that the undercoat ( which is lighter colored) is starting to loosen and come out.
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05-19-2017, 08:24 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,553
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Awesome bear.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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05-23-2017, 04:23 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 44
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Congrats. Nice bear
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05-25-2017, 10:29 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 20
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Nice Coat
Great looking bear!
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