Spring is an exciting time of year! It has been a busy application season; however, I managed to slip away from May 4-11 for a black bear hunt in BC. I went to vet an outfitter up there that I am very pleased to announce runs an excellent operation and will be a great offering for Full.Time.Hunts. clients.
My Story:
Upon arrival to Vancouver, I was picked up at the airport. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to bear camp which is a 3.5-4 hour drive. Once we arrived at camp, I was shown to my tent. I had my personal 8' x 12' canvas tent, complete with a wood floor and wood burning stove. The tent was amazingly clean and spacious... all I had to do was unroll my sleeping bag and quickly fall asleep. The sound of the river 30 feet from my tent made sleeping easy. I awoke at 7:30 the next morning to a fresh pot of coffee and the smell of sausage on the grill. As I explored the rest of camp, I was pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor shower, a homemade refrigerator box over the river, a complete outdoor kitchen, and comfortable chairs around a constantly burning fire pit. Morning in camp was very relaxing.
Around 11:00 we loaded our packs, grabbed our rifles and headed out on a quad in search of a big bear. The forest here in BC are so thick that hunting would be near impossible if it were not for logging roads and clear cuts. The 1 and 2 year old clear cuts are the first areas to green up in the Spring. Because of this, the bear hammer the new growth. We hunted all afternoon checking the clear cuts and saw a few smaller bear. We did see one good bear but the wind was wrong for a stalk.
That evening, we sat up on a 2 year old clear cut that was filled with bear food. As we sat overlooking this cut, I watched a sow and cup feed their way across the cut. About an hour later, I saw a bear... upon glassing him at 400 yards, we headed in for a closer look. At 300 yards, there was a dirt bank that made a great shooting rest. The bear was feeding towards us and my plan was to let him feed as close as he would prior to shooting. I watched him feed for awhile and we decided that he was a 6.5' mature bear. He was fat, had a great hide with no blemishes, and was jet black (which was the color phase that I was hoping for). He never did feed closer to us; in fact, he turned to leave. I quickly ranged him at 326 yards, put the cross hairs behind his right shoulder, and squeezed off a shot. I had chosen to use a 280 Ackley Improved loaded with 150 grain Barnes TTSX. The bullet entered exactly where I had aimed and exited where the left shoulder meets the neck. The bear did not take another step!
We took photos and skinned out the bear and made it back to camp just prior to dark. Dinner was fantastic with Moose Lasagna and garlic bread. We spent the next day salting the hide and boning out the meat. I was done on the first day. I spent the rest of the week scouting with the outfitter for his next group of hunters. We encountered several really good bears between 6-7' and found a really old bear on the last evening that I was there that would be over 7'. Overall, this was a fantastic hunt with a very well run outfit.
My Story:
Upon arrival to Vancouver, I was picked up at the airport. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to bear camp which is a 3.5-4 hour drive. Once we arrived at camp, I was shown to my tent. I had my personal 8' x 12' canvas tent, complete with a wood floor and wood burning stove. The tent was amazingly clean and spacious... all I had to do was unroll my sleeping bag and quickly fall asleep. The sound of the river 30 feet from my tent made sleeping easy. I awoke at 7:30 the next morning to a fresh pot of coffee and the smell of sausage on the grill. As I explored the rest of camp, I was pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor shower, a homemade refrigerator box over the river, a complete outdoor kitchen, and comfortable chairs around a constantly burning fire pit. Morning in camp was very relaxing.
Around 11:00 we loaded our packs, grabbed our rifles and headed out on a quad in search of a big bear. The forest here in BC are so thick that hunting would be near impossible if it were not for logging roads and clear cuts. The 1 and 2 year old clear cuts are the first areas to green up in the Spring. Because of this, the bear hammer the new growth. We hunted all afternoon checking the clear cuts and saw a few smaller bear. We did see one good bear but the wind was wrong for a stalk.
That evening, we sat up on a 2 year old clear cut that was filled with bear food. As we sat overlooking this cut, I watched a sow and cup feed their way across the cut. About an hour later, I saw a bear... upon glassing him at 400 yards, we headed in for a closer look. At 300 yards, there was a dirt bank that made a great shooting rest. The bear was feeding towards us and my plan was to let him feed as close as he would prior to shooting. I watched him feed for awhile and we decided that he was a 6.5' mature bear. He was fat, had a great hide with no blemishes, and was jet black (which was the color phase that I was hoping for). He never did feed closer to us; in fact, he turned to leave. I quickly ranged him at 326 yards, put the cross hairs behind his right shoulder, and squeezed off a shot. I had chosen to use a 280 Ackley Improved loaded with 150 grain Barnes TTSX. The bullet entered exactly where I had aimed and exited where the left shoulder meets the neck. The bear did not take another step!
We took photos and skinned out the bear and made it back to camp just prior to dark. Dinner was fantastic with Moose Lasagna and garlic bread. We spent the next day salting the hide and boning out the meat. I was done on the first day. I spent the rest of the week scouting with the outfitter for his next group of hunters. We encountered several really good bears between 6-7' and found a really old bear on the last evening that I was there that would be over 7'. Overall, this was a fantastic hunt with a very well run outfit.
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