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Spring bear 24

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Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 04 30, 2024 •  [Post 1]

Here i sit, all downtrodden
Want to hunt but weathers rotten.
Bears are hiding in the trees
They wont come out and play with me's
Snowin blowin All aroun'
I should just head into town.
Get a hotel nice and warm
To wait out this screwy storm.
But ill camp here in my truck
Man i must be one dumb...
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby 7mmfan » 04 30, 2024 •  [Post 2]

You're a true wordsmith Dean.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Lefty » 04 30, 2024 •  [Post 3]

Shmuck!!! :lol:
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 04 30, 2024 •  [Post 4]

Lefty wrote:Shmuck!!! :lol:


Close enough. Lefty wins the runner up prize
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Tigger » 05 02, 2024 •  [Post 5]

Well that made me chuckle. If it makes you feel any better, I was out in a rain storm watching my sons' track meet the other day. Nasty weather, but my 1 son set a PR in the triple jump of 38 feet as a 9th grader.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 02, 2024 •  [Post 6]

Went out poking around in a new area today but couldnt call cause the wind was all kindsa screwy. Still no bears seen or bear turds found, but i did get like 8 or 9 ticks today, so thats sonething i guess. Maybe not the best consolation prize but hey. Anyway i think tomorrow morning ill respray my clothes and pack with permethrin and just sit and glass while it dries. Not interested in getting any more ticks
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 02, 2024 •  [Post 7]

Spring bear season summed up in a single pic. But just assume there are ticks in the frame that you cant see. Cause there probably are.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Lefty » 05 03, 2024 •  [Post 8]

Ticks scare me more than snakes,,, nasty things carrying nasty stuff



If my wife drank, add a lounge chair and she would bear hunt
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 06, 2024 •  [Post 9]

Went home saturday morning after a few hours of glassing. Avoiding some bad weather. Got back this afternoon, still quite a bit of rain today but supposedly its over now and will just keep getting better and better weather. Tomorrow overcast, no rain (supposedly) and after that sunny and getting progressively warmer, into the 70s. I expect to start seeing some bears moving this week. Just been watching whitetail, mule deer, moose and elk so far. And ticks. Got my evening campfire and bottle of wine going. Life aint too bad. I expect my cell cams at home to start taunting me with bear pics any time now.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 09, 2024 •  [Post 10]

Bear spotted.... watching a huge grizz eat a deer!
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Tigger » 05 09, 2024 •  [Post 11]

Sneak up closer.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 09, 2024 •  [Post 12]

No thanks. I watched him for about an hour and decided it was time to gp hunt somewhere else. Man what a crazy thing to wake up to.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby 7mmfan » 05 09, 2024 •  [Post 13]

Never know what you're going to see in the woods. That would be a cool experience to witness, from a distance. Any sign of the black ones yet?
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 09, 2024 •  [Post 14]

7mmfan wrote:Never know what you're going to see in the woods. That would be a cool experience to witness, from a distance. Any sign of the black ones yet?


No sign of the blacks yet. Maybe that big boss grizz in there has something to do with the lack of black bears up there lately. Spent today checkin places out, setting camp now. 15 miles from that big ugly. Of course im camped 50 yards from a usfs grizzly warning sign, but hey. I intend to do some cold calling tomorrow. I figure the odds of seeing two grizz in 2 days are pretty low.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 10, 2024 •  [Post 15]

Moved to a different drainage this afternoon. Whole mess of grizz tracks. May as well go hunt montana at this rate. This spot, its wherei killed a dinky 22yr old blonde sow 4 years ago. And i was cold calling and napping in those woods. Not doing that now! No more sleeping out here. I knew before, academically, that there were grizz here, but in my mind it was kind of an abstract concept. But its full on reality now.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 10, 2024 •  [Post 16]

Starting to wish id brought my 444 lever gun. The bolt action pea shooter isnt very comforting at this point. I just cant stop thinking about that monster yesterday. After he feasted he did a kind of perimiter prowl, and i watched him intentionally running over a few larch trees that were probably 10-12ft tall. Walking right over them, bending them down to the ground. I assume to leavea scent perimiter, warning all scavengers interested in taking what was his. Then he went back to the carcass. Maybe ate more, maybe buried it. Couldnt tell from my vantage point. But he was clearly staking his claim on the kill.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Lefty » 05 11, 2024 •  [Post 17]

wawhitey wrote: I knew before, academically, that there were grizz here, but in my mind it was kind of an abstract concept. But its full on reality now.

Yep knowing they are there,( academically :D !) ,, and knowing they are there are totally separate deals.

Daugher and I came across where the grizz in our area killed a big black bear over a elk carcass

Years back my wife and I walked up on a grizzly track showing all the skin lines,, I realized we had just jun him off The feds killed him a few weeks later, 27 years old and toothless.

Ive been up trees and in caves with lions, ran off wolves on bear baits ,, absolutely no comparison to a grizzly skinning an elk in 3 seconds, or charging through 4 foot sage brush or hanging out at the ATV when coming off the elk stand :shock:
Or seeing a pile of poo the thickness of a baseball bat, or smelling one,,,,,,,,,

Ran into a DEA agent and Immigration and Customs Enforcement hunting the first day of Montana rifle season,,, Real Fed studs They came across a fresh gris sign,,, and they were done hunting that part of Montana, as fast as they could get out of there
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 11, 2024 •  [Post 18]

Small caliber bolt gun just wasnt workin for me sneaking through those woods. Came home. Heading back tomorrow night with the 444 lever gun. Will have monday and tuesday to hunt. If i dont get it dobe ill be back at it in early june
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 12, 2024 •  [Post 19]

Got back up to notellum creek today at 1pm, where all the grizz tracks are, 444 in hand. Felt a lot more comfortable with the situation, but nothing showed but 2 bucks and 5 does, all whitetail. Did find a couple very large lion tracks on my way out. Came back to where i saw the big grizz with just enough light left to glass the kill site. Couple elk were walking not far away, so i think big ugly has left the vicinity. Hopefully tomorrow brings some black bear activity.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 14, 2024 •  [Post 20]

Glassed for 5 hours this morning, just saw a vulture pecking at the remains of the grizz kill, and a couple elk scattered about. Decided to head home to get a couple things done before heading to alaska. Hopefullty this is a quick smooth trip and i can get another week or two in idaho in early june when the black bears are more active than theyve been lately.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby Lefty » 05 14, 2024 •  [Post 21]

wawhitey wrote:Glassed for 5 hours this morning, just saw a vulture pecking at the remains of the grizz kill, and a couple elk scattered about. Decided to head home to get a couple things done before heading to alaska. Hopefullty this is a quick smooth trip and i can get another week or two in idaho in early june when the black bears are more active than theyve been lately.

How old was the kill


Otherwise safe ventures back to work.
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 15, 2024 •  [Post 22]

The kill was fresh when i saw the grizz eating it at 530 am thursday
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Re: Spring bear 24

Postby wawhitey » 05 15, 2024 •  [Post 23]

After i watched the big ugly for a while i texted a local bio and told him. He said hed buy me a steak dinner if i go get him a biological sample. Hair, turds.. i said no thanks, heres an onx pin, go get it yourself, good luck :lol:
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