Bear hunting success

[texcl]

Well we all shot our bears yesterday the 1st day or bear season. We shot 7 bears total. I shot mine with my .58 virginia rifle right through both shoulder blades, it fully penetrated and the bear dropped in its tracks. My bear was a cinnimon colored black bear with a tan strip down it's back and a diamond on it's chest, I hunt with 3rd generation bear hunters and none of them have seen anything like it, it'll receive a full body mount, unfortunatly the only pics I got were cell phone, didn't get in till 4am last night. we might take a group photo with the capes I guess that is the only option now.

 

[rabjr]

Cool grats! :thumbsup:

 

[FyrepowrX]

congratulations, sounds like a great hunt. never chased bear yet, but its on the "stuff to kill" list. :wink:

look forward to seein pix.

 

[texcl]

here's the cell phone pic. just as shot, I hadn't moved it yet.

 

[chance]

Congrats!!!

 

[lonehunter]

WOW!, NICE!, congrats, great looking bear. Did anyone get the one you posted photos of?
How many are you allowed? :v

 

[texcl]

Not yet, we can shoot 2 bears per man in the area we are hunting. We helped 2 guys track 2 bears they wounded with a 30-06. I was really impressed with the effectiveness of the .58 it was the toughest angle the ball could take and it still completely passed through, I didn't expect the bear to be laying there when the smoke cleared, I was sure he would run off a little ways and I'd hear the death roar but, it was dead when it hit the ground.

 

[rabjr]

Thats not to bad a pic, god knows I seen worse for cell phones. BUT theres always room for one of those disposable cameras in a pack, to keeep track of memorys like this.

 

[texcl]

The bad thing is I had a camera, but my cousin shot a bear right after me and I got all caught up helping him and just forgot, I'm still kicking myself.

 

[Capt. Fred]

Wow, what a great hide on that thing. Wild coloring.

 

[rdillion]

Congats! :thumbsup: Did you use a PRB or conical?

 

[regansm]

Texcl,

I see from your post that you are, or were at one time, from North Dakota. Is that where you shot your bear? I haven't really thought of North Dakota as a place to hunt bear. If not in North Dakota, where?

Shawnee

 

[vern faulkner]

:thumbsup: I tip my glass to you my friend. Great shot and a great trophy and memories that will last you a lifetime.

 

[texcl]

I shot the bear with a slightly hardened .570 rb in front of 100grs. of kik 3f. I shot the bear in minnesota which is right across the river from me, I was waiting on a 300lb bruin that I got several times on my game cam, but this old bear came in instead. The rb shattered the left shoulder caused major trama to the spine went into the chest cavity hitting the lungs and cutting the arteries and exited hitting the femur on it's way out. It was a really steep shot since I was so high in the tree and the bear was only 30 yards away.The bear looked up at me when I set the trigger but I froze and the bear went back to sniffing the pile, when I moved my rifle into position it looked up again. I could tell the bear was on edge, I wanted to shoot the bear a little farther back but I was pretty confident my ball would make it through the vitals, so I lined up the sights on the shoulder and fired. The ball hit exactly where I was aiming and when the smoke cleared I was expecting the bear to be running off at least a short ways, but she was dead, as you can see in the pick she piled. I tried to retreive the ball but it was buried so deep I couldn't get to it.

 

[rdillion]

That's pretty much been my experience with PRBs on deer. They either drop right there or nearby leaving a massive blood trail. So much for the ethics of or lethality of PRBs for hunting. :thumbsup:

 

[texcl]

Thanks all for your kind words, it was my most memorable hunt to date. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest when I saw the bear. I think I invested over 100 hours into baiting and preparation, but it was worth it, my brother and cousin came up from Texas for the hunt and I was espeacially worried about them getting a bear, but we all had our bears by night fall on the 1st night, I'll never forget it. The bear was well over 200lbs, but the hide in the pic had shrunk in the cooling process.

 

[jethro224]

Grats. :hatsoff:

 

[bdhutier]

I haven't really thought of North Dakota as a place to hunt bear.

A few years ago, we had to shoot a bear who was running around the aircraft ramp when I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB. Couldn't get the bugger to leave, so we had to drop him. Had a lot of moose, too!

 

[The Baron]

Congratulations! :hatsoff: Very neat marking on your bear.

 

[roundball]

:hatsoff:

And I luv the .58cal..."whompability" for sure !!