Post by Wapitiwill on Jun 4, 2006 22:20:53 GMT -8
It was about two in the afternoon when I called archerynut to see if he wanted to go bear hunting. Of coarse he said(it isn't hard to convince him to go). So we loaded up about 4:00 pm and off to look for bears. We arrived at the shooting rock.The shooting rock is a very big rock that is the perfect redneck shooting bench. It is perched up on the side of a fairly deep canyon in a newer clearcut, and directly across the canyon is a twelve year old clearcut that is easily watched from the shooting rock. The site of tore up stumps and logs brought good hopes of seeing a bear. We took our positions on the rock and began glassing the adjacent reprod for bears. This is actually a complicated task due to the fact that bears will feed in the same spot for an hour or more sometimes. They also will find a log or stump and curl up in the sun for a nap. So we were looking hard for anything that resembles a bear be it red or light brown and black. We found that there were a lot of black burnt stumps to stare at. Did you know you can stare at a black stump long enough and it will appear to move? Alot of times you will only see part of the bear sticking out of the blackberries or out from behind a stump so this makes anything black attractive to stare at for a good amount of time. Hey, some times it pays off, most the time you are just watching a black stump or shadow. So here we are with about an hour of light left debating on weather or not to stay till dark or go home. After a very short debate we both agree that the last hour of light is the magic hour so we will stay. About half an hour goes by and nothing. The last three hours of staring into binoculars looking at every thing black made us wonder if we were skunked. Then about 500 yards across the canyon out stepped a decent bear. It never made a sound coming out into the clearcut, it just appeared. I laid across the rock with my bi-pod down and told archerynut I was going to shoot. It's funny that I never took into account we only had about fifteen minutes left of light. BOOM my seven mag lit up the canyon with thunder . The bullet hit the bear with a loud thump and the bear hit the ground. Nice shot says archerynut. Then the bear gets up and we both know a wounded bear is bad news so we give it a twenty-one gun salute as it runs for the bottom. I looked at archerynut and said,"go call my wife tell her to bring lights, I'm going down after it" With out a second thought off I went sliding and stumbling down the steep hill. When I reached the bottom I found my self waste deep in ferns and wild blackberries . Wild blackberries are a low down to the ground natural trip wire the strings itself everywhere you want to go.
Now I am standing in the ferns with just enough light to see across the creek,as I walk to wards the creek I can see where the bear had came off the hill. With the light fading I approach the creek with caution knowing I am looking for an animal that is not going to be happy. I should have backed out but I just didn't like the thought of this bear having to spend the night or the rest of its life crippled. I was about ten yards from the creek when I looked down at my feet and there it was . We saw each other at the same time, as it stood up I swung my gun to shoot but it didn't matter how hard I pulled the trigger it would not go off. THE SAFETY WAS STILL ON! The barrel of my gun hit the bear in the stomach and it looked down at me. I wanted to run but I didn't want to turn my back on it either. So as i fumbled with the safety the bear pushed me down by my shoulders. I hit the the ground ,wiggling like a fish out of water, trying to get some space between us. It came down on my legs. I thought this was it , I spend my whole life hunting animals and now I was going to get killed by one. I was pinned to the ground by the bear. I managed to lift my gun and place it on top of its nose. The gun went off and the bear dropped on my legs. I don't ever remember taking the safety off after i went down but some how I managed. The whole episode only lasted about three seconds but to me it was in slow motion. The bear was a twelve year old sow that we figured weight about 275 to 300 pounds. Archerynut was up at the rock and I walked slowly up in the dark to him. It all hadn't really sunk in cause it happened so fast. When I got up to the rock it hit me and I was shaking like a leaf. I should have waited for lights and reinforcements, but the thought of the animal suffering for longer than it had to out weighed the risk. This is a true story I didn't get to wake up!!! LOL. ;D
Now I am standing in the ferns with just enough light to see across the creek,as I walk to wards the creek I can see where the bear had came off the hill. With the light fading I approach the creek with caution knowing I am looking for an animal that is not going to be happy. I should have backed out but I just didn't like the thought of this bear having to spend the night or the rest of its life crippled. I was about ten yards from the creek when I looked down at my feet and there it was . We saw each other at the same time, as it stood up I swung my gun to shoot but it didn't matter how hard I pulled the trigger it would not go off. THE SAFETY WAS STILL ON! The barrel of my gun hit the bear in the stomach and it looked down at me. I wanted to run but I didn't want to turn my back on it either. So as i fumbled with the safety the bear pushed me down by my shoulders. I hit the the ground ,wiggling like a fish out of water, trying to get some space between us. It came down on my legs. I thought this was it , I spend my whole life hunting animals and now I was going to get killed by one. I was pinned to the ground by the bear. I managed to lift my gun and place it on top of its nose. The gun went off and the bear dropped on my legs. I don't ever remember taking the safety off after i went down but some how I managed. The whole episode only lasted about three seconds but to me it was in slow motion. The bear was a twelve year old sow that we figured weight about 275 to 300 pounds. Archerynut was up at the rock and I walked slowly up in the dark to him. It all hadn't really sunk in cause it happened so fast. When I got up to the rock it hit me and I was shaking like a leaf. I should have waited for lights and reinforcements, but the thought of the animal suffering for longer than it had to out weighed the risk. This is a true story I didn't get to wake up!!! LOL. ;D
