Central Arizona Bear

[couesobsession]

Congrats on the bear. I feel that strictly hunting for age and size doesn'twork if you want an enjoyable hunt. Don'ttake the negative comments badly, for Arizona that is definately not a tiny bear. Being mature often means you suck it up and have a good hunt, going home with maybe a smaller animal than you idealy would take. But who cares? That is a beautiful bear, and the Arizona Game and Fish has female limits set so there is plenty of bears to breed. Some people should find something better to do then insulting others for no good reason.

[MooseCoues]

Maturity you say, I would think at your age you would have the maturity as a hunter to pass on something like that and not have to kill it just to have a succesful hunt. I would have took some video and maybe looked for it next year when it was longer than your 36 inch bow. I mean you have killed 2 nice bears already. Even worse is everyone is saying that its a nice bear. Its not, its a very young very small sow that had no chance to grow and breed before it got an arrow in its head. heck maybe you thought it was a coyote when you shot.

 

Is that you Eric?

[kidso]

Maturity you say, I would think at your age you would have the maturity as a hunter to pass on something like that and not have to kill it just to have a succesful hunt.

 

I think very few hunters would agree with your logic that one has to kill something in order to have a successful hunt. I've been bear hunting for 13 years or so in Arizona, and to me, all of my hunts have been successful, eventhough I have only tagged three bears in that time span. I believe that success is measured more by the personal enjoyment one receives while doing something that they love. For me, its hunting bear (or any big game for that matter); and not necessarily tagging one. I'm only 2 for 3 in harvesting cow elk, but have viewed the time spent in the field on all three of my elk hunts as a success.

 

I already conceded in my original post that the bear was small, AND that it had a beautiful color. I since stated that I have tagged larger bears and I have had them in my sights every year since I began hunting bear. Thus, I tagged this particular bear, not to simply achieve a kill, but to fulfill my personal objective of harvesting my first spring bear with a bow that was color phase. Size was not an issue to me, nor was sex an issue. The only pertinent issue was whether or not it was a sow with cubs. And after observing the bear long enough to make sure it wasn't a reddish coyote with cubs, I knew I could tag it legally, which I chose to do. My choice, my success, my trophy. Your choices, your successes, and your trophies can be different. That's how it should be...America.

 

 

[newalleye]

Kidso - I enjoyed the story and pictures very much, as I have many of your other stories. Thanks for going to the trouble of posting! Also, congrats on a great animal.

[Codywhi]

Kidso,

 

I have had a few opportunities to shoot bears that I have passed.... I once pased a bear about that size with my bow at a range of less than 20 for over 10 minutes with video rolling. I passed because it was rubbed and thin.... and I was looking for something bigger. I have since learned a lot about how to cook bear meat and now, might have a really hard time passing on some tasty bear hams if I had the chance. Congrats on your first with a bow. Next time it will be easier to hold out when the boo boo bear is infront of you. Oh, and nice shot! Did you really try for that?

 

 

 

+1 on the bear meat, been eatting bear roast for the last 3 months!!!!! bear tacos and pendleton whisky.... maybe a lil coke.... congrats on the bear...

[matthewp45]

Kidso,

AMEN Brother! Great Bear and like my momma always told me if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. I think you need to mount the skull with the arrow and broadhead still sticking out of it exactly as you shot it. That would be a pretty cool mount. Please post some pics when you get it done. I bet that meat is going to taste great and be very tender. Let us know how it tastes as well.

[GreyGhost85]

Nice bear! I am just curious, was it hard to get it to stop nursing before you shot it, and what did you use to clean the milk off it's lips for the picture?

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Nice bear! I am just curious, was it hard to get it to stop nursing before you shot it, and what did you use to clean the milk off it's lips for the picture?

 

 

Bah HaHaHa!!!! Now that is funny right there.... I did LOL!

[billrquimby]

"Its not the size of the kill, but the thrill and enjoyment of the hunt that matters."

 

"My choice, my success, my trophy. Your choices, your successes, and your trophies can be different. That's how it should be...America."

 

Amen. If I were king, every hunter would be required to recite the words above from memory before being issued a license.

 

Bill Quimby

[Ernesto C]

Sr. Bill, you are a King!...................at least on my book!

 

Ernesto C

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Maturity you say, I would think at your age you would have the maturity as a hunter to pass on something like that and not have to kill it just to have a succesful hunt. I would have took some video and maybe looked for it next year when it was longer than your 36 inch bow. I mean you have killed 2 nice bears already. Even worse is everyone is saying that its a nice bear. Its not, its a very young very small sow that had no chance to grow and breed before it got an arrow in its head. heck maybe you thought it was a coyote when you shot.

 

Wow somebody needs a little time out behind the shed..............or out in the woods......

 

Nice job on the bear congrats.....

[bonecollector]

Congrats on a beautiful looking bear!

[Buckfever]

I would have to agree with everyone else ... don't let the negative comments get you down. I am trying my first bear hunt this year and to me a trophy bear would be any legal bear. Any goal accomplished results in a great hunt ... congrats!!!

[catclaw]

Not so sure I would have posted a pic of a cub on the World Wide Web that I shot in the head with my bow. Just saying...

 

 

Everyone has their standards and it's legal. It just gonna bother a lot of people and if it bothers this many on THIS site, think of how many Non- hunters might be offended- not anti-hunters, but non-hunters.

 

I have been to several coyote hunting contests where it was made clear under no uncertain terms that if anyone brought a pup into the check-in, they were gonna get an a$$ whoopin. Just to touch-and-go with shooting predators.

 

Nice hunting.

[couesobsession]

A cub you say. I don't know where you live but I once shot a nine year old sow whose only difference from that bear was a bit more fat. And as for the headshot, I noticed no pics of the wound side of the bear. Non hunters or anti hunters should appreciate such a quick kill. They may be angry, but let them stew. Without hunters,as we all know, there wouldn't be animals to hunt. Populations would almost if not completely be wiped out. Is it better to post a story about a small bear killed quickly with some not so graphic pics or a story of a giant that was gutshot and died slowly and show absolutely no pics with the bear? You tell me. That goes for hunters, non hunters, and anti hunters alike. Think about it.