kidso

You are on fire this fall! Still time to snatch a bear up!

Bizarre looking freak, BUT full of great meat!

Awesome job James! I knew you would bag one!

...and if you need to lose a few pounds, hiking the canyon bottom will help. In addition, as a bonus from covering all that ground, you might locate scat, bedding areas, game trails, or scratching trees used by bears. It will also keep you from spending two grand on a pair of Swaros!! Whatever you do, dedicate yourself to it and be patient. Calling critters in is not an easy thing, but neither is good dedicated glassing!

Glassers will glass and callers will call. As a caller, I would walk the entire canyon calling every quarter mile into every side ravine with food and cover...but that is me.

Sweet grilling meat!

Nice bull, Blake! I was bear hunting in 22 a couple of weeks ago and I had elk bugling non-stop for a day and a half! Don't know if that is good or bad for a rut, but about 6-7 bulls never let up and ruined every stand I called for bear!

I would tag that bear without any hesitation and would sleep like a newborn baby through the night!

I have seen them travel in and out of a mile long canyon and out of view in about 20 minutes. They can go for miles if they want too!

...all I shoot, Wac'Em XL's!

Way to go! Very excited that you finally reached your goal!

Get that tough guy next year after he has grown another foot!

This is one of those sticky/legal messes. I shot an archery bear two years ago with a good blood trail that lead right onto the rez. It was on a Friday late afternoon around 5:30pm. I believed tribal offices had closed --not that I had cell service anyways--- so I did what I felt was ethically right, which was not to leave a wounded animal suffering or a legally downed animal to rot and waste in the field. I carefully crossed the line, but within a 100 yards the blood trail dwindled to nothing, so I returned. I lamented all week over this and called the tribe on Monday to learn that they had a reciprocal agreement with the state that allowed the recovery of animals that were legally shot on state side to be retrieved from the rez. Sadly, at this point, three days later the meat was rotten and the hide was unsalvageable. So, if it was me, and I shot a bear during a legal hunt, I would feel that I owed it to the animal to continue to pursue it, as it may be laying there dead with a still salvageable hide and possibly some meat. I would be out at first light weaponless looking for my bear after leaving a voicemail with the G&F.

Hunt that tank in a 2-man rubber raft!

OK, I am just drooling over that color! If it is not checked in yet, PLEASE roll that hide out and take a photo that shows the entire hide so we can the coloration patterns on its back and legs!

..and SC does not allow e-callers! Great job! Any more to the story that you would like to share with us?

I just call with an open reed call so I can vary the pitch and tone at will from a tweeting bird to a bleating fawn.

Chances are good they will be there as long as the food is abundant. Manzanita will still be playing out as a food source into September and acorns will go through October. If you know where bears are at in a particular canyon, I would invest the time to learn where they like to feed and sleep the most in that area. Then, you will know the localized "hotspots" to look for a particular bear when the season re-opens. As stated by Ben Franklin during the French and Indian War, "A bear in hand is better than two in the bush!" Thus, if you know where a sweet bear is hanging out, that knowledge should be valued more than trying to figure out where two other bears might be in a different area. It is rhetoric in efficiency.

Very nice, Will!!!

If it closes it closes, that is the function of the sow quota. It will re-open again, unless the annual quota was reached.

Will K., hope you do an official write up for your avalanche slide bear! Looks great!

I have cooled in more than one of those before on a hot afternoon!

Were you with him Sniper? Was it a glassed or called bear?

Buddy glassed up a decent blackie and we called to bring him in closer. Went from about 1000 to 700 yards before vanishing. Not sure if he was responding to the call or randomly feeding our direction.

Checking to see if anyone has this specific gun in this caliber in the Phoenix area. Let me know if you have it with a PM, as I have a few questions for you. Thanks.