Back from bear hunt, meat in the freezer!
We had a great hunt, all 6 hunters, bow and rifle in camp had opportunities to shoot one or more adult bears. Wife decided to go with her 30/30, had a 25yd shot, quartering away, she tucked it in tight behind the shoulder, missed the vitals, bear ran out of site bawling, could be heard for 10 minutes. Flesh wound, could find little blood at shot site, did a grid search next day with 6 of us, she just gave in to her whitetail hunting habits.
I had 7 bear in front of me 3rd day, 2 young sows with 2 young cubs each and a big bear who would not give me a clean shot. Next night had a huge sow, come in with 3 year and half old cubs. Guides had told me she was using my area, take her if had the shot, as the cubs were last years she would run them off before denning. they were as tall as the bait barrel laying down, She was #250 on the button, I took a 30 yd shot through a hole in the brush, using a 300gr Hornady HP, handloaded with 3031. Double lunged her, she turned around midair and took of after the shot, got out of sight and heard her crash. I got ready to get down and then noticed the 3 large cubs just sitting there. I pitched my pack down at one and he growled and snapped at it! I levered another round in, eased down the ladder stand and followed the sow up. It was nearly dark and then I realized I had left my flashlight in my truck, 1/2 mile away. The cubs circled at a distance, snapping, growling, woofing, I found the sow 50 yds away, and then headed out of the woods, going thru a tight tunnel in the brush and down a grown up two track towards the truck, rapidly losing light. I got there in a short time, drove up on a knoll where I got signal, texted my guide. A Marling 45/70 guide gun is a comforting hunk of steel to be holding, stoked with good hand loads, when walking out of a dark, tightly brushed piece of timber, 20 miles down dirt roads from civilization hunting in Northern Maine, 25 miles south of Canada! When guide came with sled for me and him to retrieve the bear, he told me to be careful, if the cubs were there and aggressive, to fire a couple of warning shots. He said cubs that old were dangerous, like teenagers, too dumb to be scared and likely to do something stupid, had 2 hunters charged by them, one last year, one this one. My bear was 19 for the camp for the season, and was the biggest taken all season! They had run small, skinny this year. I am having a rug made out of the hide, and doing a European skull mount with the head. I am having the hide tanned hair on, old skool, no head mounted in it, just the skin. Bear had a beautiful long coat, no rubs, just 2 large holes on each side!
Wife and I had a great vacation, traveled from southern KY, to Maine and back, 3 days each way, ate great seafood up and down the coast, hunted 6 days total, on stand from 2pm-7:15pm. May be my only bear hunt, on my bucket list check off, we had a ball! If someone can post pics, I can send to your email, help appreciated.
