Brewin? Up a Summer Bruin...

just_a_hunter

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Thought I'd share my hunt with MM

So far, the best trophy of my life..

Addy and I made the trip down to the LaSal mountains (where I spent most of my life growing up) on June 2nd, after 13 years of applying for a bear tag, to set up a bait station to lure the bears to us.

My very good buddy Ray, had this tag last year and he hunted this spot and him and his wife both took very nice bears.

He came up on the 2nd from Moab to help me set up the station. We got the bait set, then it was back to work for us for the following week and the plan was to come bear hunting as a family Friday, June the 8th.

A view of the bait from the perch.

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On Monday, June the 4th, my buddy Ray made a trip up to the mountain to check on the bait station. When he got to the station, he seen a very large cinnamon color phase bear and got some pictures of him. He decided it was best to just leave him alone and I could re-bait the station Friday when I came up to hunt. I agreed.

He sent me some pictures of the bear and I knew he was a very large fella and very much a shooter bear. It also made for a terribly long work week and I only made it until Wednesday before I asked my boss for an extra day off. He was very understanding and he was very awesome about letting me take an extra day on very short notice.

These two pictures haunted me. I could tell his ears were as wide as his butt, and it's easy to tell from the broadside picture he is a bonafide hoss.

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My wife was super understanding as well as she had a big schedule to rearrange so she could accommodate an early departure.

We got to the mountain on Thursday June the 7th, got camp set, then Addy, Grandpa Les and I got the bait reset about 16:30 pm... The bait was completely gone and there was about 10 very large scat piles circling the bait where I can only assume it was the big Cinnamon marking his territory.

I wasn?t expecting any bear action on the bait this evening so we went back to camp and I gathered up my niece and nephew, Aubrey and Mikey, and took them for a ride on the mountain along with my daughter Addy.

We went for an awesome ride and was able to see several elk, grouse, turkey, deer, and a whole bunch of other critters that do indeed beautify the land.

It was evening time and the sun was still out and we had made our way back around to where my bait station was set. I told the kids I wanted to stop and check the station real quick just to see if by some miracle there was any action on it just a mere two hours after we had reset it. I left the kids in the truck and hiked solo down to the perch that overlooks the bait. I didn't even take my rifle.

Low and behold, when I checked the bait, my eyes were filled...... let me stop right here and preface this a little. I have hunted my whole life on this mountain. I have seen literally HUNDREDS of bears up here. Some very nice ones and have even seen 10+ in the same day. I have fought bears here, been chased by bears here, have enjoyed the sightings of bears here, and definitely know what a big bear looks like. Now I knew from the pictures that the bear he sent pictures of was a very large bear, but what filled my brain as I first laid eyes on this bear literally left me stupid. He was indeed bigger than any bear I had ever before seen.

I very shakenly hiked back up to the truck and tried to mumble to the kids what had just happened. There is no way I could have kept three kids quiet enough to get to the bait station without running everything in the country off, especially since my niece and nephew have had very little actual hunting exposure. I took them back to camp and promised them they could come help retrieve the bear if I was lucky enough to able to get him.

So Addy and I jumped in the truck and got back to the bait station about 19:00 pm. The sun was still up and I figured I'd be extremely lucky to get Addy and I set up and he still be there.

Much to my amazement, he was...... Addy and I very quietly got set up and right when we were getting settled the wind shifted and hit us in the back. When I put the scope on him I was once again taken back by what I was actually looking at, and couldn't believe this was actually happening..... but he was very nervous...

There is an old saying I remember hearing as a kid that goes something like, ?the eagle sees the leaf fall in the forrest, the deer hears the leaf fall in the forest, and the Bear smells the leaf fall in the forrest...? there is no fooling a bears nose.

I wanted to get this on film but but there was no time. I told Addy to plug her ears, settled the crosshairs on the spot I knew would deliver a fast kill, and gently put pressure on the trigger with my breath held until...... well until the moment of quiet chaos..

Hunters will tell you they don't even hear the gun go off. In this case, I didn't either. Not even the 2nd time with the fast follow up to ensure as much fast death as possible.

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My senses somewhat came back as me and my beautiful 7 year old relished in the moment of what exactly just happened. We both were shaking like a leaf in the wind. It was a moment I never will forget.

Now I'm not about to take a 7 year old on a bear follow up and put her in that situation. I hiked her back to the truck, told her to get all the courage she had and wait here for me. I promised her she would be okay and promised I would be back and locked her in the truck while I went and followed up on the bear while I still had daylight.

Tracking a bear is nerve racking. I knew I had hit him well both times, but when you are dealing with a naturally cantankerous critter to begin with, it is a hair raising experience. But it was drama free.

There was a good trail and sign right to him and as I approached my trophy, he kept growing and growing. He truly is what any bear hunter dreams of and I am beyond grateful.

I used a 6.5-300 Wby Vanguard Wilderness shooting 127 Barnes LRX @ 3500 FPS. Shot was 130 yards.
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As per my promise, I went back and got the posse and as a family we made memories I wish every family could bond over.

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It's hard to explain to non hunters why we find so much joy in the pursuit and the taking of these beautiful creatures, and I'm not even going to try here.. but just know this is who we are. We follow in the footsteps of thousands of years of our ancestors and we appreciate and love these animals more than any written word could ever explain.

I'm one lucky man..

God bless,

Todd
 
I'll be the first to say congrats!!! Cool story!! Glad you got to share it with your family!

Wait, what, you fought a Bear? and apparently won?

__________________________
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>I'll be the first to say
>congrats!!! Cool story!! Glad you
>got to share it with
>your family!
>
>Wait, what, you fought a Bear?
>and apparently won?
>
>__________________________
>
6717815301.jpg


Yeah... 2005... shot a cranky bear (young boar) in the face at 3 yards with a front stuffer. Thought I'd have to fight a couple others but they were bluffers.

Thanks for the comments..


Todd
 
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing! Congratulations on a fantastic hunt and beautiful trophy. What were the stats on that big bear? Curious to know, as he looks huge! Well done!
 
AWESOME BEAR, Great family hunt lots of memories made right there.
Great write up also.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
>Wow nice job! Not trying to
>be an azz but why
>didn't you bring your gun
>on the first trip to
>check the bait??

No problem! It's a good question.

I did bring a gun, just didn't bring my rifle. I didn't figure there would actually be a bear on it, and if there was, I didn't think it would be this guy or one I wanted to shoot. If this guy was on it, I wanted my daughter to be there. It was more important to me to include her than to fill my tag.

I'm glad it worked out for us.

Todd
 
Congrats on a monster bear and a memorable hunt with your family! Thanks for sharing.

-Hawkeye-

My Favorite Expo Tag Quotes:

"It is fair to ask how much comes in with the five dollar application fees and how much went onto the ground.? Don Peay of SFW during 3/31/2005 Wildlife Board Meeting.

"There will be a full accounting of how the applications fees are spent.? Don Peay of SFW - 9/26/2006 - Monstermuleys.com
 
I haven't measured anything yet. I'm a big guy at 340 lbs and he dwarfed me. I don't use this number lightly and know it's one of the most over used numbers thrown out when people talk about bears, but he was a solid 400+ pounds.. I would love to have seen him in late fall to see how big he was then!

The skull is huge and will definitely get measured when it gets separated from the hide. As of now, everything is nice and tidy in the freezer. He will be dropped off to the taxi for a lifesize Mount soon.

Thanks again for all the comments..

Todd
 
Congrats!! That bear looks like a monster & has a beautiful hide to boot! I am curious what his skull measures so let us know once you find out.
 
That's one beautiful bear

Joe

"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora
 
Wow! What a whopper bear! Thanks for sharing such a cool story. I've got 12 points for bears that I'll cash in soon. Hope to find a bear half that big!
 
Thanks for all the comments.

Here are some measurements for those who asked...

Finally got an official green score of 21 14/16?. He'll shrink some but will definitely make the all time.. His hide measures an honest (no stretching) 7?6?.. He is a bonafide hoss and I'm blessed to be able to call him mine.

Happy hunting,

Todd
 

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