2024 Spring Bear Thread

[Blind Squirrel]

First bear, archery 16 yards. It's a North Central Ontario bear and suffice to say I am hooked. He doesn't compare to some of those in here but he's pretty special to me. Im slightly narcoleptic and you can see below when the bear came in and when I recovered him. I know they say Spring bear are lean, but I've got 10 of those little jam jars of rendered fat out him.

Man people are having great spring bear seasons.

Great first bear. That’s awesome. The heart rest data is pretty cool to see. I imagine we all do that, I know the adrenaline rush and then the drop back to normal is something else.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

View attachment 722191
May - Alaska


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Oh my word. You’ve got to give us more details on the hunt and the size of that thing.

 

[tann435]

Caught up with a nice one a couple nights ago. View attachment 709409

Coastal Alaska? Great bear buddy!

 

[WVELK]

Oh my word. You’ve got to give us more details on the hunt and the size of that thing.

We killed 3 ten footers plus at the end of the peninsula. 10’1, 10’2 and 10’4. Weather was terrible and bear sightings were down, so all three of us were blessed to do that well.


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[Blind Squirrel]

We killed 3 ten footers plus at the end of the peninsula. 10’1, 10’2 and 10’4. Weather was terrible and bear sightings were down, so all three of us were blessed to do that well.


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I guess that’s an Ok week . I’d love to hear more about it. What outfitter? Why’d you pick that outfitter? About how many bears did y’all see during the hunt? Basically any other details about the hunt you want to share. Getting a 10’ on the peninsula is my dream hunt.

 

[WVELK]

Sent PM to Blind S


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[BjornF16]

Canadian black bear (Manitoba) taken with 358 Win (Browning BLR) launching 200 gr Hammer Hunter (renamed to 200 Power Hunter)

 

[Rogue Bay]

Canadian black bear (Manitoba) taken with 358 Win (Browning BLR) launching 200 gr Hammer Hunter (named to 200 Power Hunter)

View attachment 722839

Wow that’s a tank! Congrats on a great bear!

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Canadian black bear (Manitoba) taken with 358 Win (Browning BLR) launching 200 gr Hammer Hunter (renamed to 200 Power Hunter)

View attachment 722839

Great bear. That joker’s ears are dang near halfway down his head! Y’all gotta give me more stats on the bears y’all take. Square and skull size should be requirements .

 

[Rogue Bay]

Great bear. That joker’s ears are dang near halfway down his head! Y’all gotta give me more stats on the bears y’all take. Square and skull size should be requirements .

I agree! I’m dying to hear some numbers on that big dude!

 

[Pramo]

Idaho bear 5’11’’ with 6.5 creedmoor and Eldx shot at 20 yards and went 30 yards

 

[Osprey87]

22" skull, bear was north of 450lbs. Shot was 155 yards with 6.5cm. Took out both lungs and heart he went 10 yards and dropped

 

[Rogue Bay]

22" skull, bear was north of 450lbs. Shot was 155 yards with 6.5cm. Took out both lungs and heart he went 10 yards and dropped

That’s a giant! I’d love to hear more of the story.

 

[Osprey87]

That’s a giant! I’d love to hear more of the story

Was one of those odd turn of events, just went out for a cruise in the local mountains that no one ever hunts. Saw 2 small bears on the way up into the mountains, hiked up another mountain just to see a solid bear crest the ridge into the tree line (decent 6 footer). I grabbed the predator call an started wailing on it but he had no interest in coming back out. I remembered the logging company made some nice new cuts 12km further back into the mountains so we headed on over there. Once we got there the cuts were looking fantastic for growth, you knew there just had to be a bear back there with all the green up, we were just slowly creeping along the road and my buddy spots a basketball size patch of hair in the smaller trees that the colour just doesn't look like it fits. Throw the glass up just as he walks out of sight down into a small creek bed. I know the direction he's walking to I quickly run ahead throw my pack on the ground, get lined up for when he comes out of that creek bed and onto a small hill. Waited for him to stop walking for just a second and smacked him, odd thing was he didn't run he didn't even flinch so I racked another round as quick as I could for another shot but he walks even into another group of trees before I can get a 2nd shot. I waited behind the gun for him to pop out of those small trees or hear him taking off into the thick timber down in the cut. 10 mins go by an not a sound, at this point we have 45 mins of light at most so we decided to go in there now to find some sort of blood to even see if he's hit, tracking bears in the dark suck so off we go. Get down into the group of trees and he laying underneath stone dead.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Was one of those odd turn of events, just went out for a cruise in the local mountains that no one ever hunts. Saw 2 small bears on the way up into the mountains, hiked up another mountain just to see a solid bear crest the ridge into the tree line (decent 6 footer). I grabbed the predator call a started wailing on it but he had no interest in coming back out. I remembered the logging company made some nice new cuts 12km further back into the mountains so we headed on over there. Once we got there the cuts were looking fantastic for growth, you knew there just had to be a bear back there with all the green up, we were just slowly creeping along the road and my buddy spots a basketball size patch of hair in the smaller trees that the colour just doesn't look like it fits. Throw the glass up just as he walks out of sight down into a small creek bed. I know the direction he's walking to I quickly run ahead throw my pack on the ground, get lined up for when he comes out of that creek bed and onto a small hill. Waited for him to stop walking for just a second and smacked him, odd thing was he didn't run he didn't even flinch so I racked another round as quick as I could for another shot but he walks even into another group of trees before I can get a 2nd shot. I waited behind the gun for him to pop out of those small trees or hear him taking off into the thick timber down in the cut. 10 mins go by an not a sound, at this point we have 45 mins of light at most so we decided to go in there now to find some sort of blood to even see if he's hit, tracking bears in the dark suck so off we go. Get down into the group of trees and he laying underneath stone dead.

That’s incredible. Thanks for sharing with us and congratulations on the bear of many lifetimes! Funny how hunts just work out sometimes, and rarely the way we envision, at least for me.

How old of a bear are you thinking he is?

 

[Osprey87]

Hard to say, his teeth aren't worn down much. See if I can't find someone locally who's better at aging then myself. Odd thing about this bear was it was mid May when I harvested him but there was well over 6 inches of fat on him. Almost like he didn't hibernate or was up early and feeding. We had a mild winter in BC especially down in the coast

 

[Rogue Bay]

Hard to say, his teeth aren't worn down much. See if I can't find someone locally who's better at aging than myself. Odd thing about this bear was it was mid May when I harvested him but there was well over 6 inches of fat on him. Almost like he didn't hibernate or was up early and feeding. We had a mild winter in BC especially down in the coast

His teeth are certainly in good shape. Beautiful skull!

The biggest spring bears I’ve been around were all much fatter than I would have expected a spring bear to be. My biggest bear had almost 3” over the hams.

 

[Lxhuntinpa]

New Brunswick

 

[Bcon]

I think I posted these somewhere else, but will put here as well. Had a really nice bear act really hesitant to come in the night before and then the next night I heard what I assume was this one chasing off another. Have not gotten age back yet from the tooth I sent in, but really did not feel he was an exceptionally old bear. We did not put him on a scale, but the outfitter and the guy I hunt with both felt he was 450 plus. Hide was in really nice shape. Mixed most of the meat with some beef tallow and have had great "smash burgers" this summer, having a 1/2 mount done.

 

[ynlpabon]

Nice!