CANADA: First Hunt In Canada

[CAustin]

I was hunting a Grizzly up in BC In 2012 at this time of year, sadly I didn't get one but I did get a black bear

Glad you didn’t go home empty handed.

 

[CAustin]

So day one was a big success for a a first time black bear hunter. My guide and I started the process of loading the bear using the ATV wench and a snatch block strapped to a tree. However, we couldn’t get the bear up high enough to make the swing over to the ATV. So we called for help from another guide an his hunter who were on their way back to camp, while doing our work another bear of very similar size kept walking up on us. Several times in fact. Each time I would shine my 800 lumen head lamp on him and yell while waving my arms. But he kept coming closer each time. The guide finally chased him down a path with the ATV and he stayed away until we left. Trail Camera pictures show him at the barrel ten minutes after we left. Help arrived and four of us along with the wench got this big guy on the ATV. Then three of us sort of pushed up on the back end of the ATV as it went up the ramps into the truck to keep it from tipping backwards. It was midnight when we got to camp and everyone was anxious to see the big bear that had been phoned into camp. I think everyone was just as excited as I was but for different reasons. You see a non hunter 20 year old who came with his aunt had taken an 8 footer the previous week. So we all knew BIG BEARS were in the area. While mine had not yet been measured all the guides knew he would be over 7’6”. So chances for everyone seeing big ones was really looking good.That late at night I was surprisingly hungry and some hot soup and fresh baked bread was just what I needed. So it was off to be to be up early as the camp skinner wanted to get at the bear by 7:30 so we had to take pictures at 7 to let him work. What would day two hold? Would there be another 7’7” bear near by camp.?

 

[CAustin]

Day two we got the pictures done and Cody started skinning my bear! Then breakfast. Well I was going to go take a shower but from my tent I heard this loud crashing noise. The elevated water tank collapsed an shattered the tank. Guess what no shower. The outfitter was on the phone early trying to locate something g that would work but they wouldn’t be able to pick it up until Tuesday. We wouldn’t get the new tank going until Wednesday and by then let me tell you it was way to cold to take an outdoor shower. After lunch my guide took me even farther from camp….something like 28 kilometers. I was in a blind by 4pm awaiting bears. Fresh bait was in the barrel and tired onto a tree. At 7:30 momma bear with two little cubs shows up. I am 20 yards from her so she clicks her jaws a couple of times and the babies went right up the bait tree. She was right on the beaver. Then went to the barrel and got a big chunk of pork out and slinked off into the woods, Her cubs came out of the tree and went with her. Well this scenario repeated itself four times with momma staying out of site for ten minutes or so and then coming back to eat on the beaver tied to the tree. But by 9:30 she was gone for good and my guide walked right in to pick me up. Momma bear got within 10:yards of me twice but never came all the way to the blind. It was a long slow ride back but we had to stop to help a father son load two bears up. Both were 6 foot color phase chocolate bears. Arrived at camp about 11:45 and it was soup time. And bed.

 

[CAustin]

Day three I sat at another bait station again but on this day the wind was blowing so hard it turned off really cold. It was all I could do to last until 10 pm being that I really wasn’t layered In Clothing. When it gets down into the low 40s and you’re sitting still it gets pretty difficult. This was the first sit since arriving in camp that I saw no bears at all. My guide texted me at 9 to see if I was ok and I told him he could come get me a little early. He picked me up at 9:45 and we started the long slow drive back to camp. Yes 28 or so kilometers would take an hour traveling unmaintained roads. Round a corner too fast and you might find yourself in a Hole caused by water over topping a beaver dam. By the time we arrived back in camp it had dropped to 32. Hot soups and a double sleeping bag arrangement made sleep most welcomed.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Nothing like oil lease roads and cutlines for a bumpy ride.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Serious beaver dam!

 

[CAustin]

Nothing like oil lease roads and cutlines for a bumpy ride.

Yes sir but I was glad the roads were not wet and muddy. The staff at camp said that there are times when the one hour drive becomes two.

 

[CAustin]

Serious beaver dam!

That thing was about 200 feet long and curved like a man made dam. There were several beaver lodges in the pond created by the dam. One morning we drove around a curve near that dam and the beavers had dropped a pretty good size tree in the road. It was a good thing my guide had his chain saw in the truck.

 

[CAustin]

So day four was Wednesday and after a really good lunch we headed out to a bait area that was the farthest yet. We drove for well over an hour to a spot my guide promised would be hot with bear movement. The camera there was sending pictures of multiple bears back to Duke, lead guide, in Camp. When we walked into this particular bait area the place reminded me of the Forest moon of Endor from the Star Wars movie. The trees were thick and blow down was everywhere. There was a good trail in to a small clearing and beyond that looked to be something I wouldn’t want to try to get through. The chair and pop up blind went into a position 10 yards from where the guide set the barrel back up. He tied it to a sapling and then dumped a sack full of stinking stuff into into the void. The second sack held the skinned beaver which he tied to a tree maybe five yards beyond the barrel and just on the tree line. I asked my guide, Chad, to trim a few branches off to the right which would give me a better view of the tree line on that side of the blind which was about 25 yards away. With eight my sites to bait he left me to sit and watch around 4:15. The last thing he said was that he should be finished baiting other areas around 8:30 if I needed anything. So for 4 hours I sat in my blind without seeing so much as a squirrel. At 8:30 I texted Chad to let him know all was well but that I had seen no activity. No sooner had I hit send that I looked up and a color phase bear was standing on a log just behind the tree with the beaver. I had not heard a thing nor seen even a glimpse of this animal as it approached my position. But sure enough there one was 15 yards away . As I sized the animal up I decided it could be a shooter but only on the last day if I had no bear at all. But given that I already had a very good black bear in the salt I decided not to shoot. This bear started to mo e off to my left through the brush that I could see moving out of his way as he walked out of sight and up the hill. So I sat there for a few minutes with my head on a swivel but seeing nothing. I texted my guide at about 9:10 that I had some activity and to stand by for news. I heard crashing noise and running to my left and I looked up just in time to see the color phase bear running across the hill as fast as he could. It occurred to me that the running bear might indicate a bigger bear could be around. Like a ghost there he was standing on the same log the other bear stood on earlier. Where in the heck did this animal come from. It had moved through all that blow down with complete stealth. Rifle in had I knew this bear was a shooter. He was staring right at me and sort of swaying from side to side. I think he was deciding if he wanted to advance towards the barrel. He quartered towards me and I leveled the Ruger #1 on him. With the crosshairs on the point of his right shoulder I let the 375 thunder in the forest. The shot literally knocked him backwards off the log and flipped him over. I ejected the spent Federal cartridge and slipped another into the breach. As soon as I pulled up on the lever I could see the bear getting up so I very quickly got off another shot. Mind you all of the shots taken on both bears were off hand with no assistance from a shooting rest And I was sitting in a low to the ground chair. As he moved off to the right I wasn’t sure if I had struck home with the second shot or not. Now I had to dig into my pack for the cartridge wallet and draw out the last three rounds I had with me this night. One was loaded into the #1 and the other two went in my jacket pocket.I could see the bear stumbling to my right but there wasn’t a possibility of a third shot until he hit the lane that I had asked the guide to trim some limbs from. At about 25 yards all I could see was his right side so I punched a hole through that. He took a couple of steps and disappeared. I could hear him move off and away from the blind area and for a few seconds I could hear him. Then there was silence. Was he dead? It’s now 9 pm and I text Chad to come …..we got a wounded bear. Although in the back of my mind I am thinking no way this animal is not going to die soon if not already. Well guess what…..Chad says he is helping another guide lot another hunters bear and that he is 30 minutes away. Crap it will be sunset in 30 minutes and dark by 10, but even sooner in this thick forest. I get out of the blind and walk over to the log where I shot the bear and knocked him over backwards. What I saw immediately behind the log was what looked like someone had thrown a bucket of blood all over the ground. I turned on my head lamp and crossed over this first log only to see a second log with blood on it. Carefully I crossed the second log and stepped onto a rotten one which gave way under foot. I looked off to the right and frankly as far as I could see there was blood trail. Frankly my six year old grandson could follow this blood trail. But damn this stuff was thick. I stepped over another long or two looking in every direction but I didn’t see a bear. I decided to go back to the clearing and await me guide. He arrived sooner than I thought just before sunset.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Yes sir but I was glad the roads were not wet and muddy. The staff at camp said that there are times when the one hour drive becomes two.

Or more

 

[BRICKBURN]

Good plan to turn back to the clearing. Bears in that thick stuff are scary.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Good story Charlie! I got to the cliffhanger end of your last post, and I figuratively fell off. Looking forward to more.

 

[CAustin]

So my guide gets there and I see he has no gun. Where is your gun says me??? I didn’t bring one today says him. You’re shitting with me right!!? Well to my way of thinking it just is what it is and if the beast is still alive I will just shoot him in the head. We start following the blood trail and Chad is moving ahead. He is actually a logger so crossing over all the dead stuff is second nature to him. I was pleased to have purchased a really super head lamp a couple of years ago for my leopard hunt. It sure proved it’s worth on this particular night. I told Chad to slow up and not get to far ahead of me just in case the bear decided he wanted a little taste of human before dying. Folks this blood trail was still easy to follow after snaking around for over 100 yards but then it started to thin out. I was wondering if that bear still had any blood. I fully expected to cross over a log someplace and see him on the ground. I saw movement up ahead but Chad did not see it or hear me when I said “ there is the bear”. Well the bear was on the ground facing away from us but he turned his head back to look at his pursuers and when he did Chad’s head lamp illuminated two green eyes not five yards away. He jumped back and yelled there he is shoot shoot shoot. Well get out of my way buddy and I will. Now the old warrior is try to rise but I shoot him through the spine. There is still some slight movement and Chad says shoot him again. I do and I am out of ammo. We back out and wait the arrival of Duke and his two hunters. Leaving in a different direction Chad marks a few trees with some fluorescent tape. It takes awhile for the others to arrive and during the wait Chad fetches his chainsaw and ATV. Duke arrives with two hunters and the five of us start working through all the undergrowth and chainsawing all the way. When we reach the bear Duke claps me on the shoulder and says this is a bear of a lifetime. He allowed that he had been hunting this area for some 40 years and only seen a couple like him.
I had downed a 7 foot 5 inch chocolate colored black bear. His head measured 19 and 3/16 inches. Yep this is one beautiful bear who fought to his last breath. I feel blessed to have taken him. It took all five of us to pick this animal up and put him on the ATV. Then it was back over the recently sawed out trail to the clearing and then on to the truck. It is 11:30 whe we finish getting everything thing secured. At 1am we arrived in camp with everyone still up waiting to see this mighty Chocolate color phase black bear. The province of Alberta, County of Lac la Biche had indeed been very good to me. Sherwood Outfitters had delivered on their promise and I was tagged out after four days.

 

[CAustin]

Good story Charlie! I got to the cliffhanger end of your last post, and I figuratively fell off. Looking forward to more.

Thanks man!

 

[CAustin]

Good plan to turn back to the clearing. Bears in that thick stuff are scary.

Yep while I am confident in my shooting ability with the lack of light and all the fallen trees a close in bear would be hard to get on quickly.

 

[CAustin]

Serious beaver dam!

I have never seen anything like it that’s for sure.

 

[CAustin]

Nothing like oil lease roads and cutlines for a bumpy ride.

Even at 30 KM and hour my guides truck felt like an old fashioned horse drawn wagon sometimes.

 

[ActionBob]

Wow Charlie congratulations! Not only 2 really phenomenal bears but a great hunt in a great place! Can't ask for better than that! And to get a color phase that big is a really great, rare accomplishment

Those two together are going to be great trophies. Have you got the taxidermy figured out yet?

 

[BRICKBURN]

Well done Charlie. You have to be happy with that set of results.
Lac La Biche certainly has some good bears.

 

[jey3122]

Looks like a great hunt and fun time. Congrats