Had A Great Hunt Bear Hunt With My Friends

Well, I did not see a bear worth taking. Saw a 120 pound class bear but to little to take. Here are some pictures of my friends and their bears and a picture of me at the end of the hunt. We had a ball camping out and glassing for bear as we were hunting some really tough country. No baiting in Arizona for bear, it was spot and stalk and I went down to holes in my belt during the last 12 days.

Take a few days to recover then post up some stories and some more pictures. do ya'll hunt private or public land?

Shooter wrote:Take a few days to recover then post up some stories and some more pictures. do ya'll hunt private or public land?

We hunt the Apache National Forest.

Yes, it is such beautiful country indeed.

Nice. That must have been a blast. Hunting is much more than just bagging the game.
scott

It was a blast indeed and I will be going back in November to do a four day bear hunt with my grandson and it will be his first time out there. Really looking forward to it.

That looks like a really fine time indeed, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing that... looks like an awesome time!

Beautiful country. What caliber rifles were ya'll shooting? What's the cost of permits, tags and such? Looks like a good time and a good excuse to go back!

388.00 for permits and tags, I was using a 300Win Mag and a 358Win

Poor Smokey The Bear.

MrClean wrote:Great Pics! Hope to get out west one day to hunt. No baited, fences for me either. Even if ya don't bag one, at least it was a fair hunt. Just like Mascott said.... Hunting is SO much more than just bagging the game. I'm sure your grandson will enjoy and wow.... what memories to have the rest of his life!!

Yes, I like the fair hunt also, and I have killed a bear on one of my earlier trips out there, but I worked for it and it was a lot of fun "THE HUNT" which many seem today to be about only one thing, and that is bagging game. I was invited to go to a hunt on exotic game ranch where they are fenced in. Now you just imagine my response since I have been to Africa where there were no fences or feeding stations for the game to come to so you could sit and wait to shoot them. That is right, I told them that was not hunting and I did not want any part of it. Can you imagine a trophy on your wall and someone ask you how the hunt went and if you are honest, you have to tell them, I shot this Eland inside a fenced on a special exotic ranch and they took me to the spot where they hung out so I could step out of the vehicle and sit for a while looking over the one I wanted to shoot? Then the guy looks at you and says, I got mine on a three day camping safari and walked a total of 25 miles in those three days to get mine.

I love it out west, when I hunt mule deer, coues deer, elk and black bear, because it is spot and stalk hunting and they are not standing at some feeder on on some food plot. Even down here in Mississippi I hunt public land and do not sit over food plots, I actually scout out the woods in preseason and do not hunt over some man made and arranged food plot. I belonged to a lease some years ago and got so bored that I refused to hunt the food plots or near any feeder that was set up on the property. By the way, I killed big bucks when I began to hunt the thickets and the woods. Just my opinion and my preference to make it a hunt and not just a shoot to bag game. If someone likes to hunt near feeders or over food plots that is ok for them, just not for me anymore. Oh, I average two deer a year hear in South Mississippi hunting as I do.

What sidearm is that you are carrying? BTW I enjoyed the pics. I love it out west also. We go out to Ouray Co. every year,mainly jeeping the trails. Haven't been hunting out there but would like to.
scott

I carry a 1860 ball and cap 44 caliber colt. I have tested it against media and that pure lead ball does not break up when it hits an animal or media and continues to roll back over it's self allowing for a good cavitating wound and good penetration. I view my carry as an extra long knife for close quarter work when things get bad and I have lost control of my rifle and have no choice but to reach for it. I have killed hog up close with it and dropped a deer. The ball (pure lead swagged ball) and cap revolver is sometimes over looked but I like it. I have used 357 mags and 44 mags for back up, but find that the cap and ball kills good. This is a preference of mine and I am not by any stretch of the imagination saying it is better than a 357mag or 44 mag, it is not, but it does do the job very well and I like it.