MontanaElkFanatic
Member
After a long week of work I spent the weekend home with the family. I was lucky enough to have monday, 21 May 12 off so I took advantage of my luck for a day hunt with a buddy of mine. The morning started at 0300am and found me picking up my buddy at 0400am. After a good 1 1/2 drive we finally reached the trailhead as daylight was breaking. We took our time getting situated and started down the old logging road that was closed for wildlife security. There was a mountain side I wanted to sit and watch for a few hours only one mile from the truck. As we made our way to the location we came upon many deer that we stopped to watch while they ate and moved on.
Once we reached the area I wanted to be in I took a look around and knew the key terrain was the high ground to my right. I figured if we climed to the top and got on the point we would have a grand view to our left, right, and we could see the mountain side completly in front of us as well. We took our time and headed up the mountain.
As we got to the area I wanted to spot from my buddy and I looked to our right and this was the scene, since my camera was handy in my cargo pocket I snapped this pic before the shot:
(Cant really tell, but that black blob is the bear hahaha)
We didnt have our packs off or the spotter out yet and already a bear was about to catch a hurtin from the 300 wby mag. I took my time and used my Eberlestock J34 as a shooting platform. I took a solid rest:
and took a well placed shot. The bear was at 154 yards and the 180 grain barnes TTSX bullet hit true. The bear spun around just like I have seen tons of times watching the shows on tv. She was hit hard and my buddy confirmed the hit was true. She took a few steps and fell, then regained her composure and tried to walk away. I had to wait a good bit to get another opportunity for a follow up shot because she was in some think branches. As I found a small opening I held steady until she presented a clean front shoulder shot. I tucked it low and behind the shoulder, lights out! Upon the second volley she dropped and didnt move again, after further review the second shot incinerated her heart.
It was indeed a great morning and all this action was completed at 0640am. With my tag punched and bear prepared for travel we went back to our stand and glassed for a few hours with no other sightings. That quick one mile hike in took us two hours to pack this bear out. We tied the paws together and placed a long branch in between her paws then carried her out. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do, either a shoulder mount or a rug so I didnt want to skin her on the spot. Hope you enjoyed the story and here are a few pics.
Please excuse the tongue in some of these pics as I didnt know until I viewed the pics on the computer. Next time I will cut that dang thing out prior to pics being taken.
Once we reached the area I wanted to be in I took a look around and knew the key terrain was the high ground to my right. I figured if we climed to the top and got on the point we would have a grand view to our left, right, and we could see the mountain side completly in front of us as well. We took our time and headed up the mountain.
As we got to the area I wanted to spot from my buddy and I looked to our right and this was the scene, since my camera was handy in my cargo pocket I snapped this pic before the shot:
(Cant really tell, but that black blob is the bear hahaha)
We didnt have our packs off or the spotter out yet and already a bear was about to catch a hurtin from the 300 wby mag. I took my time and used my Eberlestock J34 as a shooting platform. I took a solid rest:
It was indeed a great morning and all this action was completed at 0640am. With my tag punched and bear prepared for travel we went back to our stand and glassed for a few hours with no other sightings. That quick one mile hike in took us two hours to pack this bear out. We tied the paws together and placed a long branch in between her paws then carried her out. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do, either a shoulder mount or a rug so I didnt want to skin her on the spot. Hope you enjoyed the story and here are a few pics.
Please excuse the tongue in some of these pics as I didnt know until I viewed the pics on the computer. Next time I will cut that dang thing out prior to pics being taken.
