sierrahunter
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2015
- Messages
- 133
Hi Everyone,
It’s been awhile since I posted here, so I thought I’d tell you all about my fall archery bear from early September here in California:
I had spent eight days out in the woods in search of bears, and again woke up early for my ninth day in the field. I had come across a number of bears during my time in the woods. One small bear crossed the trail in front of me at 8 yards when I was hiking to my destination. That blew my mind. Another was walking toward me on a logging road. We saw each other simultaneously at 30 yards, and I froze. The bear came within 20 yards to check me out before he ran off. I was never able to draw back my bow. Yet another time I stood on the edge of a berry thicket for an hour listening to a bear munching and breaking branches. It is amazing how many bears seem to be out this year.
For this particular morning, I decided to hunt the same area where I killed a bear last year. I hiked in a short distance and sat on the edge of a meadow. I could hear multiple bears foraging in the alder thickets below me, and hoped they would exit in my direction when done feeding. I checked the wind, and was bummed to see that I was upwind of them. Oh well, I figured I could at least watch the sun rise since I couldn’t get downwind quietly. After about an hour of waiting, I heard some rustling above me, and turned around to see a bear moving behind me at 10 yards. I drew back my bow and watched as he moved through a tangle of tree branches. His head poked through a small opening, and he took his time smelling the air for danger. Satisfied that it was safe, he moved forward, and when his vitals were visible, I released an arrow.
The bear was hit in the lungs, and he turned and ran for about 40 yards before he collapsed and died. I could hear his last breaths, which were within 3 minutes of my shot. I am so grateful for this bear, which will feed my wife and I for the next year. Interestingly, when skinning him, I came across multiple yellow jackets attached by their stingers to his skin (see pic). It’s the price he paid for digging up their nests.
It’s been awhile since I posted here, so I thought I’d tell you all about my fall archery bear from early September here in California:
I had spent eight days out in the woods in search of bears, and again woke up early for my ninth day in the field. I had come across a number of bears during my time in the woods. One small bear crossed the trail in front of me at 8 yards when I was hiking to my destination. That blew my mind. Another was walking toward me on a logging road. We saw each other simultaneously at 30 yards, and I froze. The bear came within 20 yards to check me out before he ran off. I was never able to draw back my bow. Yet another time I stood on the edge of a berry thicket for an hour listening to a bear munching and breaking branches. It is amazing how many bears seem to be out this year.
For this particular morning, I decided to hunt the same area where I killed a bear last year. I hiked in a short distance and sat on the edge of a meadow. I could hear multiple bears foraging in the alder thickets below me, and hoped they would exit in my direction when done feeding. I checked the wind, and was bummed to see that I was upwind of them. Oh well, I figured I could at least watch the sun rise since I couldn’t get downwind quietly. After about an hour of waiting, I heard some rustling above me, and turned around to see a bear moving behind me at 10 yards. I drew back my bow and watched as he moved through a tangle of tree branches. His head poked through a small opening, and he took his time smelling the air for danger. Satisfied that it was safe, he moved forward, and when his vitals were visible, I released an arrow.
The bear was hit in the lungs, and he turned and ran for about 40 yards before he collapsed and died. I could hear his last breaths, which were within 3 minutes of my shot. I am so grateful for this bear, which will feed my wife and I for the next year. Interestingly, when skinning him, I came across multiple yellow jackets attached by their stingers to his skin (see pic). It’s the price he paid for digging up their nests.
