The Phony Hunt

Boomer

Boomer

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Uber Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
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Location
Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Maybe you've seen a desireable trophy while you've been hunting, but maybe the season for that particular animal wasn't open or perhaps you were already limited out. Still, you make a stalk bring the rifle to bear and drop the hammer on an empty chamber just to of had the experience. Did the game ever play along?

This was the situation that occurred last weekend when we were coming home from our cabin. My wife spotted a bear on the rocks along the coast, about a mile from the road. We like to check out any bear we see, so we wandered down to see what he looked like. We spotted him in some long grass about a half mile away, then he began to wander in our direction quartering our position.

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We slowly moved with him and his heading brought him on a intercepting course. At one point he scared up a flock of snow geese. It was difficult to tell if he intended to get one, then a couple of minutes later he passed a second flock that watched him, but didn't fly.

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If he had seen us he didn't make any show of it. Finally at about 50 yards he lay down in the willows, and we began our stalk. I found a good position and at 30 yards prepared to take my "shot." His head and shoulders were up, I had a good sight picture, and my .375 went "Click!" He dropped!

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That was great! Playing cowboys and indians with a polar bear and the bear plays along. I clapped my hands a couple of times, he realized the game was over and disappeared into the willows.
 
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Wow..:eek:..I hope you had a pocketful of real medicine when you played your game with him!!! Hope he wasn't playing..."lets see how close I can get to a tasty person" game. Nice bear though :)
 
Great story, I've done it with deer and moose, but I'm not sure I would sneak up on a polar bear to pretend shoot it.

How would you have explained him taking an interest in you and you just happenned to be carrying a 375? Maybe it's normal to carry one in Polar Bear country?
 
martinbns said:
Great story, I've done it with deer and moose, but I'm not sure I would sneak up on a polar bear to pretend shoot it.

How would you have explained him taking an interest in you and you just happenned to be carrying a 375? Maybe it's normal to carry one in Polar Bear country?
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Especially this time of year, I don't leave home without it. The magazine was full even if the chamber wasn't. You never know what they might decide do, and I don't trust their better nature.
 
Boomer, I guess the question that begs asking here is why would you put yourself in such close proximity to a bear when you know things could go wrong and you'd end up having to shoot the bear. The bear was causing you no distress yet you basically endangered its life for this childish game you were playing. I fail to see the point. Maybe you can enlighten me.

I routinely see grizzlies in the mountains but would never play the phony hunt game with them and endanger their life for my amusement. It's one thing when you have a tag and are actually hunting the animal but I'm guessing you didn't and weren't so what was the point of putting this animal's life in danger?????
 
I understand what TJ is getting at here.

This is kinda similar to the situation that I put myself (and the bear in), when I pursued it to take pictures, then ended up with a "sticky" situation.
I know I will be more careful in the future, to keep both me and the object of my picture taking, safe.

Since neither the bear or Boomer were hurt, I guess this worked out fine. No lecture from me...

Btw, I loved the pics Boomer.
 
sheephunter said:
Boomer, I guess the question that begs asking here is why would you put yourself in such close proximity to a bear when you know things could go wrong and you'd end up having to shoot the bear. The bear was causing you no distress yet you basically endangered its life for this childish game you were playing. I fail to see the point. Maybe you can enlighten me.

I routinely see grizzlies in the mountains but would never play the phony hunt game with them and endanger their life for my amusement. It's one thing when you have a tag and are actually hunting the animal but I'm guessing you didn't and weren't so what was the point of putting this animal's life in danger?????
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I did this for the same reason I always do, because I love it! Why do you hunt? Is it not for the experience? I moved here 20 years ago because I'm a bear addict. In 20 years, I've had hundreds of bear encounters, some of them pretty close, some of them in the dark, and so far I haven't had to shoot one. When shooting has been a close thing it has been to protect other people who've put themselves in harms way. I know my limitations, and I have the experience to read a bear pretty well. I got that experience by doing what I do. As a result I am more effective when acting as a bear guard, or when there are bears to deal with at work. I see no reason why I shouldn't enjoy the bears when the opportunity presents itself.
 
Nts

The last 2 post are spot on the money, from where I stand nothing good could have come of your game had that bear decided to take a different action. NTS in my opinion.
 
Boomer said:
I did this for the same reason I always do, because I love it! Why do you hunt? Is it not for the experience? I moved here 20 years ago because I'm a bear addict. In 20 years, I've had hundreds of bear encounters, some of them pretty close, some of them in the dark, and so far I haven't had to shoot one. When shooting has been a close thing it has been to protect other people who've put themselves in harms way. I know my limitations, and I have the experience to read a bear pretty well. I got that experience by doing what I do. As a result I am more effective when acting as a bear guard, or when there are bears to deal with at work. I see no reason why I shouldn't enjoy the bears when the opportunity presents itself.
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Legally hunting is one thing but wantingly endangering an animal's life that you are not hunting is totally another. Doing it for a rush seems a poor excuse and I'd suspect that your actions border on harassment should any Conservation Officers be reading this thread. I think your actions set a very poor example to young and less experienced hunters on here and typify the attitude that anti hunters paint all hunters with. It makes me feel good and who care if it's at the animal's expense. A large part of hunting for me is respecting the animals I hunt and not endangering their lives so I can get an adrenalin rush!
 
We live with bears up here. Some folks don't take advantage of the opportunities that they are presented from living in such a place, because they aren't interested in bears or other wildlife and I guess you could say they stay safe. But to what extent do you guys think an individual should play safe? Does that mean that we shouldn't hunt caribou when bears are in the area? A bear might contest a kill and be shot. Does that mean that we shouldn't have cabins up here because a bear might break into a cabin and get shot? Does that mean no one should be able to walk outside of town because they are close to bears whether they see them or not, and a bear might get shot? The bears are here and I am going to enjoy them and continue to learn their behavior through interaction.

Edited to add . . .
Every year there are dozens of professional photographers who come up here for bear pictures. The pros don't take the "looking down" pictures from the buggies, they shoot at ground level. If what they do is legal and not considered harassment, then when I allow a bear to approach me it is far less so. At work I get paid to harass them, but that is a different situation.
 
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If a CO had caught a glimpse of you doing that, say goodbye to pretty much everything you had with you (rifle, truck, quad etc.)

But I am guilty of doing that as well, just not with a bear. Only deer too small for my tastes get stalked and played with.
 
Boomer said:
We live with bears up here. Some folks don't take advantage of the opportunities that they are presented from living in such a place, and I guess you could say they stay safe. But to what extent do you guys think an individual should play safe? Does that mean that we shouldn't hunt caribou when bears are in the area? A bear might contest a kill and be shot. Does that mean that we shouldn't have cabins up here because a bear might break into a cabin and get shot? Does that mean no one should be able to walk outside of town because they are close to bears whether they see them or not, and a bear might get shot? The bears are here and I am going to enjoy them and continue to learn their behavior through interaction.
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Ah perfect Reductio ad absurdum. I think there is a huge difference between going for a walk in bear country, living in bear country or legally hunting caribou in bear country and going out and purposefully putting yourself in close proximity to a bear for nothing more than your personal amusement when you admittedly know it could result in the bear being killed. Please tell me even you can see that difference. If dropping the hammer on an empty chamber in a phony hunt scenario is your idea learning bear behaviour so be it but I know what it looks like and smells like to me.
 
Boomer I do it all the time too, but have been to embarrassed to admit it on the Internet:D

There is nothing wrong with it, and I encourage others to do the same if they want to learn something new about the animals they hunt. I will be doing some moose calling tomorrow, don't have a moose tag, but want to learn more and hope to draw in some wolves... So you see my fake moose hunt may actualy SAVE a few moose in the end.

It's a way to gain experience. That's why I do it.
 
Every year there are dozens of professional photographers who come up here for bear pictures. The pros don't take the "looking down" pictures from the buggies, they shoot at ground level.
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And how many of them are packing a .375? I'm guessing bear spray is the most damage they could do to a bear and most photographers are very respectful of the wildlife they photograph and would not purposefully endanger the life of a bear and stay a reasonable distance away. I'm sure there are a few that don't share those ethics just as we have similar hunters amoung us.
 
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