THAT'S THE BEAR

[1bush2hog]

What's your DE chambered in?

Soundguy

Mine is 44mag - at the time I bought it the .50 was not available or I would have considered it.

 

[Huckridge]

.
Well, I bought the bear tag just in case he becomes a problem later on. This is the first time I got one. I've hunted all over but never for bear. I haven't tried bear meat, but I might? In reality I must admit it is more of a "defensive" tag though. Elk, wild pigs and deer and I can eat them. Had the heads mounted and still have them. I even hunted Elk cows for the meat only.


Rob,

I had never eaten bear until 2years ago. A friend brought one back from Canada. We had a wild game cook out on the farm and I smoked it on my ceramic smoker along with moose, caribou, venison and fried some rattlesnake. Talk obout some good eating. We've seen a few signs of bear on our place, but never laid eyes on one. Anxious to hear how your experience goes this hunting season.

 

[MarkV]

Wow, now that was an exciting night! I guess the obvious is not to leave any food items like bird seed or dog food in the camp from now on. Do you think that if those items had not been there the bear would have bothered the camp?

MarkV

 

[tallyho8]

My buddy brought some bear meat back from a hunt he went on a few years ago and his wife fixed some excellent bear sauce piquant. Of course she also fixes excellent alligator sauce piquant, catfish sauce piquant, crayfish sauce piquant......................

 

[5053]

I am suprised that your builder did not see any evidence of the bear.
Is the house site far from camp?

 

[3RRL]

Wow, now that was an exciting night! I guess the obvious is not to leave any food items like bird seed or dog food in the camp from now on. Do you think that if those items had not been there the bear would have bothered the camp?

MarkV

Hi Mark,
The bears have come into camp several times in the past 3 years, before we had any food up there. So they just "nose" around to see what they can find. They are curious animals. You are right though about the dog food. It is in a sealed rubber "O" ringed container, but that obviously still had a smell to it. The bird seed .... I had no idea he would go for that.

I am suprised that your builder did not see any evidence of the bear.
Is the house site far from camp?

The log home is about 1/3 mile from South Camp. It is hidden too by small hills and gullies. However, while building the Solar Project, the solar guy saw the bear last year. The builders not yet.
I did get an email from my neighbor after I told him about the incident. He said the same bear has been around his place and ruined his peach trees earlier that week. Tore branches off them to get the fruit. He had them fenced off to keep the deer out, but the bear smashed the fence.

 

[RobertN]

You were asking bushhog, right? But I have one too.
Mine is in .50 cal.

[That thing shoots flat at 100 yds easily and has a wallop to it. Maybe I should take the scope off and bring that to camp?

The DE 44mag I previously had was a tack driver. A local range used to have steel at 100 metres. We never did competition, but would "plink" at those chicken/turkey/pig silhouettes. Pigs, I got 8 of 8 rounds, turkeys 7 of 8, and chickens 6 of 8. 44mag is actually a pretty accurate round; put it in the DE barrel and it is very accurate.

It was fun to go out; another buddy had a DE 44M, and a second had 44m and 50AE. Bruce and I always shot off hand unsupported. Our other buddy shot from the bench. Those steel never had a chance... Funny, because there would be guys missing with 30-30's off the bench, while we hit while standing next to them.

 

[Soundguy]

Skill aint in the gun.. it's in the hand. I've seen numerous examples when shooting with friends and strangers. A long time ago i was taking a handgun class to get a carry license. I had an el-cheapo pawn shop .45acp.. offbrand... non adjustable iron sights.. really a no-frills gun. The other guy in my class had some multi thousand dollar 1911 decked out with every kind of custimization I have ever seen.. adjustable sights.. tritium dots.. trigger work.. the whole enchalada... Guy couldn't put 6 shots on paper at point blank.. or put 1 shot in the silouette at 30'

My saturday night special put all shots in the sil. target at all ranges. IE.. the gun had nothing to do with it...

I have a hawkins black powder rifle.. 50cal. I was out a tthe range with it and a buddy wanted to shoot it. I think we were using somewhere between 90 and 110 gr of pyrodex and round lead balls patched with 't-shirt' material.

On the long rifle range there was only one guy shooting. Had a nice looking ar-15 with a scope on it that looked like it was 3" diameter... again.. looked to be a multi thousand dolalr gun.. had a nice bipod and sandbag setup so the gun was fully bedded and stabilized.. they guy had been there an hour already, shooting at a milkjug full of water down range.. and hadn't hit it yet.

As we were leaving my buddy asked him if he could take a shot a tthe jug.. the guy laughed and said go ahead.. My friend thru that octagon barrel up and squeezed the trigger.. flint went down, frizzen went up.. a second passed.. lots of smoke and the milkjug exploded...

The guy packed up his expensive toy that he didn't know how to shoot and left..

Soundguy

 

[elalexander]

Soundguy. I love a story with a happy ending. We have several firearms and I get the most enjoyment and satisfaction from my 50 cal. Thompson Renegande. My 686 s&w and other hand guns just don't do the trick and like you say, when the smoke clears Ole Dad is usually on the mark. I fire 100 grains of triple F in my Ole black powder rifel. Alsso I load all of my own Maxi balls with Thompson molds.

 

[gmsssi]

Just after we built our house and before we put the yards in, we got a visitor one day. I was watching TV and our macaws were outside (as usual on a nice day) and they started screeching. I went out to check on them and didn't notice anything. Went back to watching the television and before I got set down they started again. Went back out to find this about 30 feet from the back porch!!!

Got the camera, had one of the boys hold the dog back, and I step out onto the porch a took some pictures. He wasn't afraid and when he start towards the birds (and me!!), I shooed him away.........

We get annual visits every summer. Two years ago it was a female (and she only had three legs) with 2 cubs. NW Pa.