Well, I went out again last night with my son along to do the heavy lifting. Very slow evening, no bears to be found anywhere. Obviously the bears have moved back into the higher country and off the grassy lower slopes. Around 11:30 pm, my son spies a brown blackie coming over a small grassy rise. We drop down into a little swale in the landscape and work up towards him. The bear has been walking down the swale in our direction, as he rounds a gentle curve we spy him at about 100 mtrs. James says "he's a GOOD one, hit him", so up goes the 350 and boom. The bears drops and roars, rolls around and growls, I pop another shell into the chamber and the bears gets his feet under him and heads back towards the bush line. I now have a broadside shot so I gave him another in the ribs and he disappears into the willows.
We walk up to where the bear was and take a quick circle through the light willows and the bear is no where obvious to be seen, so I head back across the creek and out to the open grass where I first hit him. A quick look around and I find significant blood and an obvious trail. I hollered at James that he was too far north and I had the blood trail. We wander into the semi dark in the willows following the obvious blood and dragging leg trail. 20-30 mtrs in he's laying just through a light screen of willows across the small creek. James is in front, and I said "There he is right there just across the creek" at which point the bear tries to rise. James steps to my left and said "give him another, he's still a little too lively to start skinning" I pick what appears to be the front 1/3 and give him another 220 gn Speer, he goes instant still. We walk up and do the eyeball touch to confirm and take a look at him. Last shot took him through the shoulder, up his neck and exited out through the bean. Not much wonder he went still !!
Dragged him out onto the grassy swale where he was first hit and the pictures tell the rest.
He's not super exceptional monster class but is a very respectable Yukon blackie, he should go about 6 1/2 feet and looks to be over 18" on the skull. Still very well haired and in the best shape that I've seen this year. We loaded him whole and got back home at 03:00 and I have a skinning job to do today.
We walk up to where the bear was and take a quick circle through the light willows and the bear is no where obvious to be seen, so I head back across the creek and out to the open grass where I first hit him. A quick look around and I find significant blood and an obvious trail. I hollered at James that he was too far north and I had the blood trail. We wander into the semi dark in the willows following the obvious blood and dragging leg trail. 20-30 mtrs in he's laying just through a light screen of willows across the small creek. James is in front, and I said "There he is right there just across the creek" at which point the bear tries to rise. James steps to my left and said "give him another, he's still a little too lively to start skinning" I pick what appears to be the front 1/3 and give him another 220 gn Speer, he goes instant still. We walk up and do the eyeball touch to confirm and take a look at him. Last shot took him through the shoulder, up his neck and exited out through the bean. Not much wonder he went still !!
Dragged him out onto the grassy swale where he was first hit and the pictures tell the rest.
He's not super exceptional monster class but is a very respectable Yukon blackie, he should go about 6 1/2 feet and looks to be over 18" on the skull. Still very well haired and in the best shape that I've seen this year. We loaded him whole and got back home at 03:00 and I have a skinning job to do today.
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