Hunting & Fishing Three bears down!

M

M700

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 8, 2003
81
2
Washington State
#1
My son got one Friday evening, then I got one Saturday morning, as did a friend. Three bears down in two days, actually two of them within minutes of each other! Good hunt here in Washington, all spot and stalk hunting too.

My son's chocolate boar, taken at about 150 yards with the good old 1917 .30-06 rifle we've passed through the generations since WWII. This bear had a tremendous will to live. My son put a killing shot through the lungs, but the bear was heading for thick brush, so it got a couple more 7mm & .375 hits to anchor it:
023-1.jpg


I took this one at 306 yards with a single 260 grain Nosler Accubond from the Ruger Number One single shot rifle. It looks black in this photo, but the bear is really a dark chocolate brown color:
040.jpg


Our buddy took another, a black sow, breaking her spine at nearly 500 yards and finishing her with some quick shots at about ten feet!
051.jpg


It was a mighty fine father-son hunt.
 
#8
Re: Three bears down!

Forty-One, I'll try to answer your questions about our Washington bear hunting. I'm sure no expert though!

Washington has a very large black bear population, some parts of the state allow the hunter to take a second bear. The last avail harvest figures are for 2008, when 2,208 bears were taken. You'll find over 26,000 bear hunters that year, but most bear tags are purchased by deer hunters who want the tag in their pocket, just in case they bump into a bear during deer season.

This time of year they're trying to fatten up before winter and are eating voraciously. These bears were very much after the berry bushes at about the 3,800' level. At this time of year they seem moderately tolerant of each other, grudgingly sharing the general territory. Not unusual though to see an adult boar move into a berry bush thicket, and see one or two smaller bears move rapidly out of there. These beasts are very interesting to watch. Abandoned homesteads with old apple or pear orchards are another great place to hunt.

About 12 or 15 years ago the general public voted to outlaw the use of bait or hounds for bear hunting. Wildlife management by ballot... Ugh. Still, traditional western "spot and stalk" hunting produces results. I've met bear hunters who use some very interesting tactics, some of which I'm interested in trying.

On some of the reservations, the Native Americans will "guide" hunters for black bear, and they will use bait. This is perfectly legal on the reservations, and some big bears have been taken. Look up the Quinault reservation and bear hunting for more info on that.

Neighboring Idaho and British Columbia also have large black bear populations.

Over the years I have seen several cougar in Washington, but not while bear hunting. Last year sitting up on my glassing point I heard a cougar scream... Eerie sound... Someday I may tag one. Again with cougar, no dogs allowed here for the past 12 or 15 years, mostly. There are exceptions. I'm one of those guys who always buys a cougar tag, just in case I see one while I'm out wandering the hills scouting or hunting for deer.

Regards, Guy


 
#16
Re: Three bears down!

That is absolutely awesome! Man I am so jealous. I keep hoping the black bear population booms in E Tx so maybe I can get a crack at one!

Off topic - What pack/vest is that in the back of the truck with the bears?
 
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