Bear Story UPDATE, THE CONCLUSION
Nov 5, 2020 19:47:36 GMT -5
davet, blackbruin, and 5 more like this
Post by CoureurDeBois on Nov 5, 2020 19:47:36 GMT -5
This past Saturday, my son, while gathering firewood for a camp fire at his Halloween party and jumped a bear on the adjacent property, which he has permission to hunt. Earlier this week his one friend and oldest son when looking for it. On Saturday the bear, which he said was big, was hold up in a mountain laurel patch on a steep bank off the road to his place. So my grand son and son's friend set up along an old railroad bed, while he walked along the edge of the road throwing rock down into the laurel, bur to no avail.
Fast forward to this evening. My son talked me into coming to his place to try again, once his son was done with school. Got there about 3:30 and the three of us walked from his place down the old rail road bed, which also runs through his property, to the patch of laurel. This time he went down the steep bank across a small stream and entered the laurel, he hadn't gone 20 feet when the mountain laurel started moving in front of him like there was a bull dozer going through it, and he yelled it's in here get ready. My son then headed to the top of the bank, next to the road, so he could see down into the gully between the railroad bed and road, while his 13 year old son and I spread out a few feet on the old railroad bed. I could tell the bear was headed our way by watching the mountain laurel. Bear finally cleared the thicket, grandson left a bolt fly but missed. I got down on one knee waiting for the bear to climb the 20 foot 50 - 60 degree bank and give me a clear shot when it came on to the old RR track bed. What's that saying about best laid plans? Bear never paused at the top of the bank, I think it literally flew across the old bed, because all I saw in the crossbow's scope was a blur of black, never had time to even pull the trigger. It was a good one like my son said, don't think it would make the 510 pounder he kill 10 or so years ago, but I think he was well past the 400 pound mark. We did another small push of the thicket it ran into but no luck. We think he crossed Beech creek and headed up the steep mountain on to the state forest.
Have a feeling we'll try one more time come rifle season, if he's there, he might not be so lucky again.😆
Fast forward to this evening. My son talked me into coming to his place to try again, once his son was done with school. Got there about 3:30 and the three of us walked from his place down the old rail road bed, which also runs through his property, to the patch of laurel. This time he went down the steep bank across a small stream and entered the laurel, he hadn't gone 20 feet when the mountain laurel started moving in front of him like there was a bull dozer going through it, and he yelled it's in here get ready. My son then headed to the top of the bank, next to the road, so he could see down into the gully between the railroad bed and road, while his 13 year old son and I spread out a few feet on the old railroad bed. I could tell the bear was headed our way by watching the mountain laurel. Bear finally cleared the thicket, grandson left a bolt fly but missed. I got down on one knee waiting for the bear to climb the 20 foot 50 - 60 degree bank and give me a clear shot when it came on to the old RR track bed. What's that saying about best laid plans? Bear never paused at the top of the bank, I think it literally flew across the old bed, because all I saw in the crossbow's scope was a blur of black, never had time to even pull the trigger. It was a good one like my son said, don't think it would make the 510 pounder he kill 10 or so years ago, but I think he was well past the 400 pound mark. We did another small push of the thicket it ran into but no luck. We think he crossed Beech creek and headed up the steep mountain on to the state forest.
Have a feeling we'll try one more time come rifle season, if he's there, he might not be so lucky again.😆
JM