so waht ya doin today?
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L Ross
Well-Known Member
I will be back at the Winterization of boats and vehicles I suppose. What a conundrum. I love/hate Fall. Fall fishing is good if not great, Fall is hunting season, I love Fall weather, but....... The days are getting shorter and there are so many chores left to do before freeze up. Days are precious and yet I just want to lollygag up on the ridge with my .25-20 and bag a few squirrels.
Back from the reunion (KC), she had a good time, gee those people are really old. Guys that played at the local R&R club still playing but too loud. Had a crowd of about 100, pretty good for 60th. Dropped the broken scope off to get fixed, we'll see. Knew exactly where I was in town, couldn't figure out how to get from one place to the other, they really screwed up the hiway system. Went to Hutch to visits friend with Parkinson's, he's doing pretty well. Agent O got him. She went to get haircut this morning, called and said cops were all over, some guys going into back yards or something. For some owners getting ready to retire, suck the $ out before it closes. Happens a lot.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
That is one reason why I've only gone to one high school reunion, the tenth. I haven't any desire to be among a bunch of people I didn't know then, and who have grown old and look it.
Joshua
Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
What cuts do you corn? When you cook it do you treat it just like corned beef? I’m really out of my element here and could use some bear cookery advice from you all.
This bear is my first big game animal. I had a bear tag with me, but was actually focused on deer hunting. We aren’t allowed to bait or use dogs in my state, our Fish&Game department says that most bears are shot by deer hunters here. My hunting partner has lots of experience with deer, but had zero experience with bears. We got it gutted, skinned, fat removed, and it’s hanging in a cold storage locker right now. Gonna cut it up tonight.
The shot was at 185 yards across a saddle going up the ridge to the top of the mountain. I aimed for the middle of the middle, because I had read on the internet that that was the proper shot placement. Well the bear was slightly quartering to me, and that shot placement was too far back. Took out the some of the liver, busted through the diaphragm and nicked the small intestine. I should have aimed slightly behind the shoulder.
We ended up tracking the blood trail down a thickly vegetated drainage. We bumped it once, stopped for an hour, and then continued tracking. All together it took us 6 hours to find the bear. We lost the trail many many times. Yellow Jacket Wasps found the blood for us at least four times. Total distance from the point of impact to the pileupwas 700 yards.
If there ever is a next time I will be aiming forward of the middle. We were very lucky to recover this animal. Feeling super grateful we didn’t loose it. I would have felt so bad.
The 7mm-08 hand load did a fine job. Broke one rib going in. Was a complete pass through.
Joshua
Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
I had seen some articles like this one linked below. They seem to be more focused at the bow hunting crowd. Bow hunters seem to have a lot of fear that they will get into the shoulder of a bear and loose it, so they advocate pushing the shot well behind the shoulder.
If you Google “middle of the middle bear hunting”, you will find many references to it.
Where to Shoot a Bear, and How to Recover It
Bears have a reputation for being tough to kill, but if you know where to shoot a bear, you will recover them quickly.
www.outdoorlife.com
As far as “quartering” to me. The bear had looked towards us right when I took the shot. It hadn’t taken a step but had twisted its body and head head towards us. It was probably angled about 25° to me when I shot. (Edit: my buddy who was watching through his binoculars when I took the shot says that it was angled towards us. I thought it was broadside. I was a little excited at the time.)
It was a bad shot. But I learned a lot.
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Rick H
Well-Known Member
I saw where the Warren guy has a Utube video talking the middle of the middle, except he says the middle of the middle is really behind the heart lung area, its the diaphragm. That shot is a good one if the bear is quartering away. He used a bear he shot with a bow, through the liver to illustrate. He hit the "middle of the middle" too.
I have never shot a bear.... but it seems to me most critters live in the forward half of their body and the preferred shot has to be either through or tight to the shoulder. I understand the sagging shaggy fur making you want to aim at the middle of the apparent body height. The shaggy fur can fool you. Even broadside you want the shot or arrow to go through in front half of the animal. Tight to the shoulder sounds much better and if you are worried about the bones wait until the leg is forward.
I'm not knocking you at all, nice job on recovering that bear and congrats.
I have never shot a bear.... but it seems to me most critters live in the forward half of their body and the preferred shot has to be either through or tight to the shoulder. I understand the sagging shaggy fur making you want to aim at the middle of the apparent body height. The shaggy fur can fool you. Even broadside you want the shot or arrow to go through in front half of the animal. Tight to the shoulder sounds much better and if you are worried about the bones wait until the leg is forward.
I'm not knocking you at all, nice job on recovering that bear and congrats.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Josh! My last Bear was consumed 100% in stew!! Good place ta start and the 7/08 was a fine choice!!
Bear stew is a favorite of mine!!! Bear fat isnt the same as deer fat. Its very useful and palateable if there eating "good stuff" if they are eating on the town dump... Well the fat tastes that way. But if they are on Corn or blueberries they are much better.
CW
Bear stew is a favorite of mine!!! Bear fat isnt the same as deer fat. Its very useful and palateable if there eating "good stuff" if they are eating on the town dump... Well the fat tastes that way. But if they are on Corn or blueberries they are much better.
CW
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blackthorn
Active Member
Here you go--
Joshua
Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
Thank you. I didn’t think you were knocking me at all.
Stew sounds good. There is about forty or fifty pounds of good bear fat that I am going to render down into bear grease. This was a mountain bear, so no trash or salmon in it’s diet. I think it will be good tasting fat. I make tamales every year at Christmas, I always use pork lard to make the corn meal based masa dough. This year I will be using bear fat to make my tamales!
My shot elevation was good. I just wish I had put it 3” to 4” forward.
What I am so grateful for is that I got into the bear’s liver. I don’t think we would have found it had I been any farther back with the shot. Basically I got lucky.
I’ve been very critical of myself the last few days. I thought about not saying anything on here about the shot placement situation. But maybe someone will read this and learn that the “middle of the middle” is really a little to far back, especially when hunting with a rifle, where breaking shoulder bone isn’t so much of an issue. Also, that when bears twist around to look at you it can vastly change the location of their vitals in relation to shot placement.
It’s embarrassing to admit that I gut shot a bear “sort” of on purpose. My aim was good, shot placement choice wasn’t.
Speaking of aiming and shooting, I want to thank all the guys on this board for all the reloading advice I have gotten here. I wouldn’t have been able to have gotten in all the shooting practice that I did over the last few years had I not reloaded my own ammo. Especially this past summer when I was working up loads for the 7mm-08. I was able to shoot about 400 rounds through it this summer. It was amazing how fast I got into prone position, using my pack as a rest, and acquired the shot.
Here is a picture of the sunrise a few minutes before I lined up on the shot. My shot was off to the northwest in the other direction, so the sun wasn’t in my eyes.
Ok, now I have to go unpack the rest of the gear in the Suburban.
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Joshua
Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
That sure is a nice looking bear CW!
RBHarter
West Central AR
Just my nickle , never shot a bear , butchered a few deer and hogs .
Nice bears , well done .
Tho object of how hunter is to poke a hole where the target is going to leak a lot of blood in a hurry and run out of oxygen to the brain as quickly as possible by sticking roughly a 1-1/4" slot maybe tri or quad pointed . Cutting the diaphragm , liver , lungs , heart , and/or major arteries does that pretty well more so when you combine 2-3 hit points . The liver , apologies for over simplification , is really just a stiff thick blood jello bag for the purposes of making a leaking hole . Cut the diaphragm and lung function disappears pretty fast . Get the liver and a piece of one lung you have a drowning victim .
1000-1200 ftlb spread over and area of a half to 3/4 inch whether is moving 800 fps or 2000 will tend to damage things in upwards of a 65-90³in cylinder and turn bones into projectiles that damage more stuff . Blood turns to shock jello and you have a tube or cone of damaged and hemorrhaging tissue . Get within 2" of the spine on a bone and you get nervous system interruption .
My preferred shot is through the heart and lungs quartering or to wreck the off side shoulder on side leg forward . I've cleaned up a couple of damaged digestive tracts , I don't care for that kind of a hit .
With a bow in my very limited experience a femural artery isn't a bad shot if all you have is ears and tail to shoot although a left quartering away would be worth the wait to get liver and lungs . Either way it's a big leak .
Nice bears , well done .
Tho object of how hunter is to poke a hole where the target is going to leak a lot of blood in a hurry and run out of oxygen to the brain as quickly as possible by sticking roughly a 1-1/4" slot maybe tri or quad pointed . Cutting the diaphragm , liver , lungs , heart , and/or major arteries does that pretty well more so when you combine 2-3 hit points . The liver , apologies for over simplification , is really just a stiff thick blood jello bag for the purposes of making a leaking hole . Cut the diaphragm and lung function disappears pretty fast . Get the liver and a piece of one lung you have a drowning victim .
1000-1200 ftlb spread over and area of a half to 3/4 inch whether is moving 800 fps or 2000 will tend to damage things in upwards of a 65-90³in cylinder and turn bones into projectiles that damage more stuff . Blood turns to shock jello and you have a tube or cone of damaged and hemorrhaging tissue . Get within 2" of the spine on a bone and you get nervous system interruption .
My preferred shot is through the heart and lungs quartering or to wreck the off side shoulder on side leg forward . I've cleaned up a couple of damaged digestive tracts , I don't care for that kind of a hit .
With a bow in my very limited experience a femural artery isn't a bad shot if all you have is ears and tail to shoot although a left quartering away would be worth the wait to get liver and lungs . Either way it's a big leak .
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
Joshua,
I've done a hell of lot of things in my past that, looking back, I could have done better. If I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have learned.
You put meat on the table for your family. I know this sounds pretty corny, but that has been a man's greatest responsibility for thousands of years and in my opinion, still is.
Very pleased that you opted to share the pic and the story with us.
Saw a similar bear, but a little smaller about a half mile east of the homestead a few months ago.
I've done a hell of lot of things in my past that, looking back, I could have done better. If I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have learned.
You put meat on the table for your family. I know this sounds pretty corny, but that has been a man's greatest responsibility for thousands of years and in my opinion, still is.
Very pleased that you opted to share the pic and the story with us.
Saw a similar bear, but a little smaller about a half mile east of the homestead a few months ago.
Kevin Stenberg
Well-Known Member
I started getting the box blinds ready. Heaters / propane tanks
I also started getting the clothes ready for the Daughter & GS
I also started getting the clothes ready for the Daughter & GS