Heck of a spot Sask!.
Poscoe, why the screenshots?.

Just got a call.
2 friends have killed. One at 4:05 and one at 4:40.
Both over 300#s.

I'm not gonna get into a " biggest dick" contest with you.

Does anyone remember life before social media??……..

Well…..the bear was right where my brain told me it was. I guess I hit “off” on my alarm I set when I plopped down in the chair to rest and unfortunately didn’t wake up until 4:30. I got up, grabbed the dog and headed out. When I got to my tree I went and strapped my extra headlamp to the tree facing directly toward where I THOUGHT I had heard the noises. I took off from the bait and took the path it took best I could hear. I got out to the overgrown trail that runs through this spot about 40-50 yds from my bait/stand. I said to myself….this is about where I think the bear made it. I had a plan to walk a couple steps and pry back any brush I could to see what’s behind it and squat down to ground level and shine under all over. I figured if I did this I can totally eliminate right along the trail and work off the trail 10-15 ft and try parallel it doing the same. Long story short…..the second clump of brush I pried back I found the bear barely 8 feet off the trail. I had walked right by it at least 3 times from different angles but never hit that clump I guess.

Anyone in Carlton or Pine county knows what a mess it is after our storm last Dec that locked all the brush down all winter long and it has not rebounded. On a normal year this hazel rush would be “easy” to walk through and I’d bet my left but I would have found this bear in 5 minutes or less, but right now it’s a nightmare.

I didn’t even snap a single picture I was so rushing to get him gutted, skun, and boned out. I had him gutted and filled with ice water while I gathered my stuff and had him skun out by 6:45 and mostly broken apart and on trays in the freezer and fridge by 9 to cool. I ended up losing a front quarter due to shot damage and how long it sat out overnight. I was gonna try salvage it but there was black blood all over in it and my fairly lenient nose was just not liking what I smelled compared to most everything else. Had to do a little extra other trimming just to be safe so I got my fingers crossed it is all good. That sucked but it could’ve been worse I guess.

In hindsight, I wish I would have waited for a broadside shot or taken my time to be more precise in the shot I took. I felt myself jump the trigger. This bear was at the bait with another 1 1/2 yr old but this one was larger. He actually came right under my stand and sat there and put his front feet up on my ladder and the tree looking up. But at that point another bear was coming through the bushes and I wanted to be certain it wasn’t a cub or larger bear so I passed for the time being. I got a front quarter real good, a lung real good, and it exited low just nicking a gut. The exit hole was significant and nice, but not nice enough to not get clogged with bear fat! I was shooting a .308.

It was a learning experience for sure. I wish I would have done the headlamp thing and trusted my gut. I wish I would have shot him when he came in a couple hours earlier……but I was being just a tad greedy and hoping for something bigger I guess. I wish I wouldn’t have hit off on my alarm at 2:45. I wish my little buddy would have helped me find the bear but he’s pushing 13 and I think he was mad I made him get off the couch and come out with me! Maybe he’s got covid and his sniffer is suddenly broken. But, I can wish in one hand and crap in the other….and I know which will fill up first!

Happy trapping! ScottW