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Bear Down!

S

SkeeterJackson

New Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2021
Messages
13
Location
Minnesota
This is my first post here, so I may be putting this in the wrong spot, or maybe it's not allowed. Either way, I wanted to share my recent success. I live in northern MN where you have to draw a bear tag. My hunting group has been getting into bear hunting the last 3 years or so and we have taken 2 prior to this year. I finally got a tag and on my first sit I was able to harvest my first bear. It's not very big (looked a whole lot bigger while in the tree) but I am very happy and put an absolute perfect shot on it. It ran about 50 yards and keeled over.

I recently just got a tethrd phantom saddle but was not comfortable enough yet to hunt in it. Really, I think I could have, but I was a little nervous being my first time bear hunting and I didn't want to have multiple things to worry about. So, I shot it out of a millenium hang on.

Baited and got in the tree at about 1145 AM. It was windier than crap all day and my tree was swaying about 8-10 inches constantly. Shooting hours were over at 819PM and shot it at about 8 PM. That is the longest I have sat in a stand before and I was very surprised to learn that the stand was comfortable the entire day. Next one will definitely be from a saddle though.

Feels great to have some meat in the freezer before archery deer opens up here. If you have never had a smoked bear roast you are definitely missing out! Some of the best wild meat I have ever had.

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Nice! Congratulations and great work!! Welcome to the forum. Did you use a saddle to take that bear?
 
woodsdog2 said:
Nice! Congratulations and great work!! Welcome to the forum. Did you use a saddle to take that bear?
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No, I didn't. I just got a saddle and some climbing sticks and I have been practicing in the back yard, but I didn't feel I was comfortable enough to hunt out of it yet. I sat in a hang on for this one, but archery deer opens in a couple weeks and I will definitely be hunting in a saddle by then.
 
Congrats! Looks like a pretty good first bear to me. I have been baiting bears off and on for 30 years and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it. It's a very heart racing experience when you see a bear coming in. Much different feeling than deer hunting when you know that the animal that your hunting could do as much harm to you as your trying to do to him :grin:
 
DroptineKrazy said:
Congrats! Looks like a pretty good first bear to me. I have been baiting bears off and on for 30 years and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it. It's a very heart racing experience when you see a bear coming in. Much different feeling than deer hunting when you know that the animal that your hunting could do as much harm to you as your trying to do to him :grin:
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Thanks and man, you're not kidding! The first three hours I was in the stand my head was on a swivel. I thought for sure a bear was going to run up my tree and get me. Then, I finally settled down. When it came in I was shaking like a leaf haha. The bait was about 18 yards away but it came in from behind me and walked within 5 yards of my tree. Not gonna lie, I had my hand on my sidearm just in case. Definitely a different feeling from a deer hunt. So Much Fun!!
 
Great job.its crazy being tied to a tree like the goat in jurassic park.and I don't pack a sidearm so it can be unnerving but the saddle gets it done
 

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tailgunner said:
Great job.its crazy being tied to a tree like the goat in jurassic park.and I don't pack a sidearm so it can be unnerving but the saddle gets it done
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Awesome bear! I always have a sidearm on me when I am bow hunting. We have so many wolves on camera this year it's nuts. They probably wouldnt do anything, but if 4 or 5 of them surround you, you are in trouble. Either way, guns are fun, you should get one haha.
 
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