It has been said elsewhere that every hunter has a species that gives them the fits. Unfortunately for me I have two, Black Bear and Elk. The Elk is partially my fault as I don't dedicate enough time to hunting them (more of a Deer junkie). But Bear is whole nuther story all together. In the fourteen years I have been hunting them I have only managed to kill one Bear. And for the majority of those fourteen years I would spend two weeks or more in prime Bear habitat with nary an opportunity at an adult boar. I would see plenty of Bear during these hunts but they were in the main sows with cubs or immature Boars. And when I did see a respectable Boar I was always betrayed by either the wind or plain old foul luck.
Thankfully this Spring my luck finally changed. I chanced upon this Boar (actually he chanced upon me) in May while still hunting and managed to bring him down with a shot from my .308 Ruger M77 Hawkeye. I wish I could say it was my keen senses and years of hunting experience that allowed me to kill this Bear, but the truth is I was having a nap in a shaded patch of moss when he happened by. A Pine Squirrel pinching a fit woke me from my slumber and I figured I should stay awake long enough to see what he was so peeved about. This Bear walked out on the cutline about two minutes later, hardly forty yards away. After confirming there were no cubs I let him have it. At the bullets impact he jumped and somersaulted in the air letting out a rather hair raising growl and the took off as fast as his feet could carry him. Unfortunately the direction he took off in was directly towards me! I loaded another round and got to my feet but the Bear angled off into the spruce about ten yards ahead of me, and only made it another forty yards before piling into a spruce tree and expiring. And thus ended the most exciting thirty seconds of my life!
I skinned him where he lay and stretched the hide out in the shade to cool before hiking back to the truck for my pack. The hike back was a bit more arduous than I had intended, I had been a bit overzealous and killed the Bear a few kilometres downhill of my truck. But the sweat and sore shoulders was worth it, knowing I had finally ended my Bear curse.
I am a bit new to posting pics but I will give it a try.
Thankfully this Spring my luck finally changed. I chanced upon this Boar (actually he chanced upon me) in May while still hunting and managed to bring him down with a shot from my .308 Ruger M77 Hawkeye. I wish I could say it was my keen senses and years of hunting experience that allowed me to kill this Bear, but the truth is I was having a nap in a shaded patch of moss when he happened by. A Pine Squirrel pinching a fit woke me from my slumber and I figured I should stay awake long enough to see what he was so peeved about. This Bear walked out on the cutline about two minutes later, hardly forty yards away. After confirming there were no cubs I let him have it. At the bullets impact he jumped and somersaulted in the air letting out a rather hair raising growl and the took off as fast as his feet could carry him. Unfortunately the direction he took off in was directly towards me! I loaded another round and got to my feet but the Bear angled off into the spruce about ten yards ahead of me, and only made it another forty yards before piling into a spruce tree and expiring. And thus ended the most exciting thirty seconds of my life!
I skinned him where he lay and stretched the hide out in the shade to cool before hiking back to the truck for my pack. The hike back was a bit more arduous than I had intended, I had been a bit overzealous and killed the Bear a few kilometres downhill of my truck. But the sweat and sore shoulders was worth it, knowing I had finally ended my Bear curse.
I am a bit new to posting pics but I will give it a try.
