[35whelen]

Went up to Idaho for a week to hunt bears. It rained non stop the first five days but I had the whole drainage to myself. The night 5 I shot a bear at about a hundred yards and fell itback and it ran straight down into the drainage through steep nasty woods. Found the blood trail a hundred yards down the hill and followed about 200 yards until it stopped just short of the trail above the creek at the bottom. Spent the rest of the trip side hilling circles around the end of the trail n tripping over branches n cussing. At one point I stopped to rest on a log on the hill above a drop off and a fat ol bear started waddling up over the edge 10 yards to my right with a few skinny pines between us. I barely had time to react when he winded me and turned around like he caught me on the toilet. I saw him sprinting down the trail by the creek through a gap in the trees. I never found my bear. Most of the was spent wet n shivering and bored out of my mind, but the last two days were full of exciting ups and downs. Needed the time alone to recharge my batteries n focus on one thing. That fat ol bear will haunt me though. He was easily 300 lbs.

 

[colorcountrygunner]

And you were probably using a stout medium bore cartridge too huh? Crazy.

 

[35whelen]

I was. Probably only reason I got so much blood. I think I hit the liver. He probably made lasted a half hour n covered a mile or two.

 

[Slap That Quack]

I feel your pain, that happend to me once. It sucks! Dont beat yourself up too much. If u hunt long enough it happens to everyone.

 

[ISHY]

Sorry, totally sucks. Been there too...but after doing more research I found that bears thoracic cavity sits back farther than ungulates. Makes me sick looking at bear anatomy targets knowing they aren't correct. I moved where I aim back from the shoulder 6-8 inches and haven't had a bear go more than 30 yards. Last one made it ten yards and piled up with archery gear. Wished someone would have enlightened me earlier!

5 Tips for Shot Placement on Bear

After all the work of getting within shooting distance of a big bear this spring, you’ll need confidence in your ability to make a great shot. Bears are big, tough animals that are unforgiving when hit bad. Many new bear hunters carry with them shot placement and strategy derived from experience...

www.bear-hunting.com

 

[35whelen]

He was all balled up digging when I shot him. I aimed middle of the middle but I musta aimed a lil too far back. Didn’t have much time to react. I can’t bring myself to do a shoulder shot n waste any meat. That place is magical though. You don’t see bears for days n they just appear right in front of you.