First BC hunt - Bear down

Jimbob

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,409
Location
Smithers, BC
My Family and I made the move to BC from ON last summer and it was hard not being able to hunt last fall. First hunting season that I have missed since I was a young kid. The long term benefit will be worth it though. So to say I was chomping at the bit to get out hunting was an understatement. My son, Josh, and I headed out for bears and we were not dissapointed.

Josh is 10 yrs old and has been hunting with me for many years but this is his first season behind the gun. He was super excited to move to BC so he could hunt younger. ON you have to wait till 12 and you cannot get your own tags.

We woke up early and hit the road to get into some good bear country. Spotting a couple bears on the side of the hwy always perks the excitement for the day.

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We made it back along the FSR and went for a little walk to check some grassy spots and learn more of the area. At 10:30 we drove up a road with a great vantage point and spotted a bear a km away. We had to circle back down the road to get down wind then climb a ridge to approach the bear from above. An hour later we were in position but the bear had moved into the timber. We hunkered down and waited him out.

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At 12:30 the bear carelessly strolled out of the timber and started mowing down the green grass. I ranged him at 230 yds and asked Josh if he felt good with the shot or if we should wait to see if he gets closer. Josh said he felt solid with his rest but lets wait and see. 5 mins later as the bear continued to feed Josh said he felt good about the shot. "Ok, ease off the safety and take your time. Wait till he is broadside" I whispered. As I watched through the binos I hard the crack of the gun and saw the bear flop to the ground. The 140 grain partition from his 7mm-08 went through the top of the lungs shattering the bottom of the spine and excited out the far side. In vain the bear struggled to get to its feet tossing side to side, Josh took three more shots putting one more bullet through the lungs, aorta, and trachea. Fifteen seconds later the bear was motionlessness in the grass and I congratulated my son on his first big game harvest. So proud of my son on this hunt. All the years of shooting with his BB gun, .22 rascal, .243, and 7mm-08 had paid off. He kept his composure and did everything right. We are looking forward to many more great BC hunting adventures.

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TradAg02

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 28, 2017
Messages
135
Good stuff, congratulations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

NorthCountryAB

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
173
Location
Alberta
Wow nice bear! Congrats guys.
I have been through that Smithers country quite a few times. What a beautiful place.
 

Becca

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
2,043
Location
Wasilla, Alaska
Super awesome! Congrats to your son, and to you for getting out there with him! Our daughter is too young to hunt herself (at 17 months) but I am already so pleased to have her along on trips with us...it’s more special than I ever realized it would be.
 
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