2017 Idaho Bear

Adkjake

FNG
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Messages
40
I already introduced myself over on the introduction forum. However, I think the best way to truly introduce ones self is a good hunting story. And I was lucky enough to be a part of one this spring. I never had any intention of spring bear hunting in Idaho. I was in the middle of planning a fall trip with to Idaho with my buddy, Dan to meet up with an old college friend, Spencer, and chase elk and mule deer. Mid way through March spencer and I were talking on the phone and looking over maps planning for the fall when he mentioned that perhaps I should take a trip out and learn the territory hunting bears.... A month later and I was on a plane west with a backcountry bear tag in my pocket.
I landed around noon and by nightfall we were 5 miles into a wilderness area. The next morning I woke up to a broken rifle scope. Good news spencer had his rifle along but now we were a one gun team. Three days and 12 miles from a trail head we had only seen one bear and decided to start working our way back. We were discouraged to say the least. That's when we ran into a fellow named Craig (Craig you might read this and I'd like to say thank you). Craig was on his way toward the trailhead and pointed us in the direction of a bear he had passed on earlier in the day. We jumped up from our glassing spot and were off. We never found Craig's bear but in the process located another one in the next drainage over however, It was too late to get to it. So we waited until the morning.




The next morning we got into a good glassing spot on the adjacent ridge and scoured the hillside trying to find him bedded. Around 11 Spencer located him laying asleep on a ledge of a cliff face.We packed up and started the hike around the bowl not knowing if he was still there. Four hours later we were 500 yards above where we knew he was. I crept/slid down the hill, keeping a small ridge between me and the bear. I located him at 125 yards still on his ledge.my heart was racing, I could barely get a range I was shaking so bad. I took some deep breaths to calm down and picked my spot...... bang! He jumped off the ledge toward me and stood, looking woozy. I put another one in him for good measure and he was done.






I couldn't have been any happier! After Spencer came to meet me and we got him all cleaned up we spent the rest of the afternoon getting him out of the hell hole he was in and to the trail and had bear tenderloin for dinner. We packed him the rest of the way out the next morning.




This was the experience of a lifetime for me. I couldn't be more thankful to Spencer for all the help he was along the way. We learned so much on this trip about finding bears and backcountry hunting. The amount of game we saw was tremendous, elk, mulies, whitetail and sheep. Now I can't stop day dreaming about what this fall will hold for us.

-jake
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
2,160
Congrats on the great hunt and holding your own in rugged beautiful country.

What kind of elevation were you at if you don't mind sharing? Good grass around? Lots of fun hunting those guys in the spring.
 
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Adkjake

FNG
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Messages
40
It was an off brand. It's been getting me by for eastern whitetails but doesn't cut it for the rugged territory out there. I'm really not sure why it broke, but I must've banged it in the dark while hiking and when I woke up the eye piece along with one of the inner lenses had fallen out. It didn't have any marks from being hit and I don't remember hitting it at all.
 
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