bear402 Report post Posted December 21, 2010 My First Bear, October 1978. (rifle) Labor Day Weekend 2000 (This bear was aged by the DFG at 18 years old) September 2003 triple. (Mine's in the middle.) (rifle) September 2006 (Archery) 2004 Cousins Bear on my Deer Cart (Archery) August 2009 Archery Bear September 2010 Rifle head shot at 8 feet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Traveler Report post Posted December 21, 2010 Well Done! It is fun to look at old pics. Especially First Kills of a species Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kidso Report post Posted December 22, 2010 Nice bears! Were all of them Arizona bears? I'd like to hear more about the bear shot at 8 feet. Did you call him in, or did you hit him over a water hole? The 70's photo is nostalgic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear402 Report post Posted December 22, 2010 Nice bears! Were all of them Arizona bears? I'd like to hear more about the bear shot at 8 feet. Did you call him in, or did you hit him over a water hole? The 70's photo is nostalgic. All of my bears were taken in the California Sierra Mountains at 6000 to 8500 feet. Archery bear season opens in late August here, followed by rifle season in late September. I hunt as much as possible during that time period. I've taken 10 bears since I began hunting them, 5 archery and 5 rifle I hunt using strictly DIY by spot and stalk, still hunting and ground sitting and waiting. concentating on food sources and travel routes. I have been alone in the field on all of the bear kills I have made. I have had help on packing out a few of them but several of them I have packed out alone. It's a lot of work but very rewarding. I butcher and process the meat myself and my wife and I enjoy the eating the meat to supplement the venison and wild pork that's generally in the freezer. The bear I shot in the head at 8 feet this past September was actually a finishing shot . Here's a rundown on what happened. Not having scored a bear during the archery season, I took the Browning BAR 06 out on the opening day of rifle bear season. I took off with pack and headlamp an hour before light and hiked about a mile up into a rough canyon that I have take bears out of before. It takes a couple of hours to get up to where I set up so I didn't get settled in until about 7: 30 A.M. The spot that I sat was at the top of a large rock out cropping, overlooking a steep canyon of Scrub Oak pines and brush. The bears use it for cover, bedding and as a food source when the Scrub Oak is bearing Acorns. I was set up so I had a good view of the canyon below and a ridge on the far side with expectations of possibly seeing a bear moving through. I had been sitting about a half hour watching the landscape below when I heard a commotion in the brush directly behind me. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was the distinctive sound of a bear busting brush coming right into where I was sitting. I got to my feet and turned around as the racket got closer and closer. The brush and rocks were really tight where the bear was coming through and my field of view was limited to about 20 yards. I remained motionless as the bear kept coming and it suddenly popped though the rocks and brush above me. The bear quickly dropped off the rocks into a brushy depression at about 17 yards from where I stood. It was thick stuff but broken up a little and I lined up the crosshairs on the bears front shoulder as it quartered towards me. I squeezed off the shot expecting the bear to drop on the spot, but instead it just balled up a little momentarily and stayed on it's feet. I was totally surprised as the bear recovered quickly and started running right towards me. The bear closed the distance in what seemed like a heartbeat and was within 8 feet as I realized the situation wasn't going as planned. I instinctively pushed the barrel of the BAR towards the bear and pulled the trigger without thinking. As the rifle roared the bear dropped as it's momentum carried it right past me. As it turned out the first shot had hit the bear in the gut and the bullet exited the rear hindquarter. My off hand shot caught the bear right in front of the ear and exited the back of it's neck .Out of the bears I have taken, this was the closest that one has gotten to me. I don't really think the bear knew where I was when it ran towards me but I ended up right in it's chosen escape route and I am thankful I hade the BAR for a quick second shot. The following picture shows my pack laying at the spot I was standing and where the bear went down.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted December 23, 2010 I hope you had a clean pair of Underware! I would have shoot myself! You da man! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arizonahunter Report post Posted December 23, 2010 Great job on all of your bears. Im hopefull that this is the year I kill one with my bow! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
