bear402 Report post Posted October 10, 2011 Here's a copy and paste of my story about my October 1st 2011 bear kill. Some of the pictures in it are repeats for a some of you of you, but what can I say ! I like reviewing them ! :roll: Just like last years bear it was at close quarters ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My wife Margaret and I love to eat bear , so I do my best to put one in the freezer whenever I get the chance. I don't get one every year, but I have managed to kill 11 of 'Em in my hunting career. 5 with the bow and 6 with the rifle. I always start looking for bear during archery deer season which starts the 3rd Saturday of August every year here in California. How much time I am able to to spend hunting them during archery season depends on what other hunts I have going each year. 2011 found me in Colorado hunting deer and elk on September 1st so's I got cut short on my archery bear season. Rifle deer and bear opened September 17th , but since I still had an archery only deer tag in my pocket I hunted the rifle opener with the bow just in case I ran across a buck on the hunt. I had No luck on that hunt and found very little bear sign . The second weekend of gun bear season had me re-thinking tactics as I had half an elk that my hunting buddy gave me and my Co buck in the freezer along with a little wild hog meat. It was time to pull out the "BAR 06 " and get serious before the the houndsmen were able to drive all them tasty bears into the brush and cause 'em to go nocturanal. I headed out an hour before first light to climb up into my favorite bear canyon that's loaded with brush, rocks & scrub oak that's often heavy with acorns . I arrived at my spot just after first light to have a sit and watch for hungry bears. Here's a view of the climb up the canyon and some of my different sittin spots from previous hunts and another looking back down with my 2010 bear in it. The climb up. The view 2010 bear. I sat the canyon until 11:00 A.M. with absolutely no bear Activity and then did a scheduled radio check in with My hunting buddy Marc that was hunting another one of our hot spot with his bow which was lower down the mountain in the thick stuff. Marc reported that she had seen 2 bears working a a creek-head with a ferny boggy depression at the top , unfortunately he was unable to get an arrow through the thick stuff the bears were in so he had no shot. Marc indicated he was going to pull out and go look for deer, so I decided since it was dead in the canyon that I would drop down to the ferny bog and sit until almost dark. I got set up about noon and battled the mosquitos , listened to blue jays and pine squirrels raise heck for 5 hours. I didn't see or hear any bears , but I kept thinking that they were bound to get hot and thirsty sometime before dark ! Another 15 minutes passed and I was thinking that it may be time to pull up stakes since there was only an hour and 1/2 of light left beore dark and I really didn't want to skin , butcher and pack bear back to the car with a headlamp. It's rough enough gettin out of there in the dark just packin my old self ! As I sat there thinking about woosing out I suddenly I heard a big commotion up the hill and heard a running animal crashing through the deadfall . I stood up and turned towards the sound of the running critter and pushed the safety off the BAR. In no more than a split second I caught movement right behind a big sequoia tree about 30 feet up from my position. I was shocked as a bear cleared the right side of the trunk of the sequoia headed right down on top of me at full run. I swung the Scoped BAR up and tried to get on the bear as quick as possible but at 15 feet running it wasn't easy. I filled the sope with bear and pulled the trigger. I completely missed the bear but the sound of the shot caused the bear to put on the brakes and as she did I filled the scope again and popped her right in the neck with an exit out the far shoulder. At 12 feet She dropped immediately and after some Involunteery muscle spasms & twitching while still running in place , she let out a death moan and gave it up. As I walked the few steps to the sow as I heard a voice up the hill say " You Got Him Huh ?" As it played out a couple of Laotion hunters had dropped into my area and run this bear off the hill above right down on top of me . I think this poor guy about did a job in his pants when I double popped the BAR off on this bear no more than 60 yards down below him as he was trying to get a shot. I'm glad I shot first or it might have been reversed on that pants poopin Here's a picture of me and the bear with the Sequoia tree that she popped out from behind in the background. That bear is in the freezer now all butchered up. My wife Margaret is a happy camper Now ! Here's few a more pictures of bears I've killt and different areas that I bear hunt in from time to time. My first bear 1978 I like bears & bear huntin !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 10, 2011 Awesome story and congrats on the bears! I've gotta say, I think you are the first person I've heard refer to them as "Tastey Bears"!!! We always pack out the meat and process them into various types of sausages or even jerky but you can do that with any critter and make it taste good. How do you process or prepare your bear meat that makes it so desireable? Thanks for posting and again, congrats! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear402 Report post Posted October 10, 2011 Awesome story and congrats on the bears! I've gotta say, I think you are the first person I've heard refer to them as "Tastey Bears"!!! We always pack out the meat and process them into various types of sausages or even jerky but you can do that with any critter and make it taste good. How do you process or prepare your bear meat that makes it so desireable? Thanks for posting and again, congrats! JIM> Jim, I butcher and process everything I take myself. With bears I debone, trim all fat, sinew and other nasty stuff out. The bulk of it I grind into burger with 10 percent "clean beef fat" that I pick up at the local meat counter. We use the grind for anything that you would normally use burger for like bear burgers, bearhelper bear spaghetti, "bear tacos" ( my personal favorite) ect ect. I also generally package up some stew meat for Chili verde, bear stew, burritos and stuff As far as the sausage goes, if we are in the mood , I mix the sausage seasoning into the burger after I thaw it out . That way we don't run out of the burger and have only sausage left. It's good and lean at 10 % If it's a younger bear I might hold back a roast or two and slow cook it for pulled bear and B Q bear sandwiches. The biggest secret that I can share regarding cooking hunks of bear is to season it to taste and cook it down until it's absolutely falling apart. Then it's mighty fine eating. IMO, If you just throw a bear steak on the grill and cook it up , Ya may as well sole your boots with it. ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks for the info! It all sounds good! About the most adventurous I've gotten with bear is taking bear breakfast sausage and crumbling it into a block of velveeta cheeze melted with some tomatoes and onions and makeing dip for chips. That was outstanding but I got sick eating too much of it, not to mention gaining a few pounds! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 10, 2011 Hey Steve, do you by chance know Greg Southworth "the carrot farmer" in your hometown? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear402 Report post Posted October 10, 2011 I can't say that I do Jim. The biggest carrot grower around here is Grimway farms . Is he affiliated with them ?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
