Vancouver Island Black Bear

[keen.on.it]

Went out Monday for first light, glassed a small clear-cut for a bit and then drove down the road a ways and got out to walk a road on the edge of a big clear cut. About 3/4 of the way up the clear-cut I had stopped to do a good once over with my binos when I heard a huff behind me. I looked up to the treeline and instantly spotted this guy, 60 yards sitting on top of a rock bluff, staring right at me.
I put glass on him and watched for a moment, he didn't seem too nervous about my presence, maybe until I decided I was gonna take the shot.
First shot of 130gr TTSX from my Tikka 270 put him down, when he got back up and started for the trees I hit him again, where he went out of sight. A log hanging over the cliff rattled around for a few seconds, then stopped.
First shot through front shoulder, out last rib, second, double lung.
A 16ft cliff and an easy drag got him to the road, and after all was said and done, pictures taken, it took me 20 minutes to awkwardly get him on a big rock so I could roll him in the back of my truck, only for him to go between the tailgait and the rock, back onto the ground. Of course being ****ed right off got him back on that rock in 2 minutes though .
15 hour day, from leaving the house to go hunt to getting home from wrapping the bone-in-roasts and grinding-the-rest, and still a few hours of making the ground into sausage. Sometimes it does not surprise me why people don't hunt, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

[Baker Alvin]

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing!

 

[ridgewalker]

WOW! Never had a hunt for anything go that smoothly! Congratulations!
Some fine meat for the winter.

 

[Ol' Red]

Congrats on a nice bear. Record time on the hunt and processing. Breakfast sausage or bratwurst?

 

[Straight Shooter]

How big?

 

[crashlanding]

Great story and I agree wholeheartedly on your comment

 

[BHP9]

Very nice looking Bruin.

How much do you think it weighed?

 

[memtb]

Nice, "very"……congratulations! memtb

 

[keen.on.it]

Very nice looking Bruin.

How much do you think it weighed?

Well, of course, had you asked me this question before I took the shot, from 60 yards, sitting all majestic on top of the rock bluff next to a giant downed tree I would have confidently told you 300-350. Upon getting up close to him and the pecker pole of a downed tree, and throwing him around, I'd guess around 250, maybe a bit lighter
Very nice bear though, and honestly I was not mad that he was smaller than I originally thought, I really didn't feel like dealing with him on the ground in the pouring rain, and getting him in the back of my truck by myself was a TREAT.

 

[memtb]

Well, of course, had you asked me this question before I took the shot, from 60 yards, sitting all majestic on top of the rock bluff next to a giant downed tree I would have confidently told you 300-350. Upon getting up close to him and the pecker pole of a downed tree, and throwing him around, I'd guess around 250, maybe a bit lighter
Very nice bear though, and honestly I was not mad that he was smaller than I originally thought, I really didn't feel like dealing with him on the ground in the pouring rain, and getting him in the back of my truck by myself was a TREAT

Unless with other bears…..they are very hard to judge quickly! If time permits…..you can develop a decent "guess"!

Those are some serious claws for a Black Bear…..if claws were a criteria…..that one would be a Boone & Crockett Black Bear!

He must not have had to work very hard for a living! memtb

 

[keen.on.it]

Congrats on a nice bear. Record time on the hunt and processing. Breakfast sausage or bratwurst?

Shooting a bear at first light is luxury, normally I stretch the process of getting them in the freezer over a couple of days, which is very nice for the back, but it was nice getting him done in one day.
Did a few lbs of a fennel/anise mixture and a few lbs of a spicy Mexican sausage (cumin, tex mex, chili peppers) last night. Definitely gonna do a few lbs more of each of those and play around for a couple more. Also gonna start the brining process of a whole bone-in hind quarter for the smoker soon

 

[dogz]

Cool black n white pics!

That first pic makes his snout look really long and slender.

Please put up a shot of a side view, frontal views are incredibly deceptive and tough to get a good feel for size of the bruin.

Congrats!

 

[Dentite]

Congratulations and that is an awesome photo for being by yourself. Tripod with timer?

I've rigged up lots of makeshift tripods with rocks, shooting sticks, etc. The Samsung pen remotely taking the photo has simplified things instead of rushing back with the timer, but sometimes you tell I'm pushing the button on the pen with my finger in the photo haha.

 

[keen.on.it]

Congratulations and that is an awesome photo for being by yourself. Tripod with timer?

I've rigged up lots of makeshift tripods with rocks, shooting sticks, etc. The Samsung pen remotely taking the photo has simplified things instead of rushing back with the timer, but sometimes you tell I'm pushing the button on the pen with my finger in the photo haha.

I take out my Sony a7ii on all hunts from my truck, and on some hikes if I don't have a lot of other gear for these exact moments and to do some landscape photography if conditions are perfect and I feel more like taking photos than actually hunting haha. And I always have a tripod for glassing and now for the arca-Swiss mount that I screwed into my rifle stock.