Post by BlueNorther on Sept 13, 2004 20:04:16 GMT -5
6:15 a.m.,I'm sitting in my ladder stand waiting on sunrise.I've been sitting for 20 minutes and am anticipating what the morning will bring.
We got into camp the evening before,just after sunset.We got the tent hung and the wood burning stove set up.We stowed gear for the night,dogs were fed and the tops of a couple of beers were popped.What would the week bring?
6:30 a.m.,I hear a loud crunch, like a rotten log being stepped on.This takes me out of my day dreaming.I try to focus my attention to where the sound came from but am interupted by the constant barking of a little pine squirrel who has taken offence to my presence in his tree.Minutes tick by and I hear no more sounds in the 12 year old pine growth in front of me.The light is improving by the minute and it looks like it's going to be a bluebird morning,calm air and no clouds in the morning sky.
Movement catches my eye,50 yards out in the pines I see a black shape approaching my stand at a fast pace.I wonder how in the hell my black German Wirehair Pointer got out of his kennel in the back of my truck,then I give my head a shake.A large black bear steps out of the pines onto the game trail.My stand is placed 20 yards uphill of the trail.The bear hits my scent where I crossed the trail and stops in his tracks and sets his nose right to the ground.He lifts his head and I'm staring him right in the eyes,but he sees right through me like I'm not there.Now he's wary and moves like molassas in January.He moves his head to my left and lifts a paw,then he slowly looks to my right and then puts his head back to the ground then lifts it up and pops his teeth
.he starts to walk towards my stand and stops at eleven yards from me.The whole time my bow is still in the hanger with an arrow on the rest.
While all this is happening I've sized him up and he is a shooter bear,approximatly five feet,solid black from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.His hair is glossy and long for a fall bear and is fat as a butterball,he hasn't missed any meals.
I reach for my bow while not letting my eyes off the bear,fearful he'll see the movement and book it.
I feel the handle and slide my hand through the harness,lift it off the hook and bring it in.So far so good,he's still trying to figure out my scent and doesn't know I'm fifteen feet above him.I attach my release to the string and take one last look to make sure the arrow is still on the rest,it is.
I'm sure he can hear my heart beat while waiting for him to give me a shot.Finally he makes a slow turn to my right,takes two steps and gives me a broadside shot.
I take a breath and draw,DAMN,he heard the arrow on the rest and takes two jumps and takes away any shot I had.He's still on the trail but an alder is blocking a shot.He finally walks away woofing and popping his teeth.I let down my draw and start breathing again.I watch him as he cuts up into the pines fifty yards to my right and into thick brush.Man what a freaking rush.
I finally realize I'm shaking and have to make two tries to hang my bow up.I sit there and analyze what just happened.From the time I saw the bear come in and leave was probably only a minute and a half,seemed like forever.I made a rookie mistake by not drawing on him sooner but was too amazed at being this close to this bruin.I berate myself and then figure, so what,it's not like I haven't shot a bear before,I just haven't taken one with a bow and I just came close.
To be continued..........
We got into camp the evening before,just after sunset.We got the tent hung and the wood burning stove set up.We stowed gear for the night,dogs were fed and the tops of a couple of beers were popped.What would the week bring?
6:30 a.m.,I hear a loud crunch, like a rotten log being stepped on.This takes me out of my day dreaming.I try to focus my attention to where the sound came from but am interupted by the constant barking of a little pine squirrel who has taken offence to my presence in his tree.Minutes tick by and I hear no more sounds in the 12 year old pine growth in front of me.The light is improving by the minute and it looks like it's going to be a bluebird morning,calm air and no clouds in the morning sky.
Movement catches my eye,50 yards out in the pines I see a black shape approaching my stand at a fast pace.I wonder how in the hell my black German Wirehair Pointer got out of his kennel in the back of my truck,then I give my head a shake.A large black bear steps out of the pines onto the game trail.My stand is placed 20 yards uphill of the trail.The bear hits my scent where I crossed the trail and stops in his tracks and sets his nose right to the ground.He lifts his head and I'm staring him right in the eyes,but he sees right through me like I'm not there.Now he's wary and moves like molassas in January.He moves his head to my left and lifts a paw,then he slowly looks to my right and then puts his head back to the ground then lifts it up and pops his teeth
.he starts to walk towards my stand and stops at eleven yards from me.The whole time my bow is still in the hanger with an arrow on the rest.While all this is happening I've sized him up and he is a shooter bear,approximatly five feet,solid black from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.His hair is glossy and long for a fall bear and is fat as a butterball,he hasn't missed any meals.
I reach for my bow while not letting my eyes off the bear,fearful he'll see the movement and book it.
I feel the handle and slide my hand through the harness,lift it off the hook and bring it in.So far so good,he's still trying to figure out my scent and doesn't know I'm fifteen feet above him.I attach my release to the string and take one last look to make sure the arrow is still on the rest,it is.
I'm sure he can hear my heart beat while waiting for him to give me a shot.Finally he makes a slow turn to my right,takes two steps and gives me a broadside shot.
I take a breath and draw,DAMN,he heard the arrow on the rest and takes two jumps and takes away any shot I had.He's still on the trail but an alder is blocking a shot.He finally walks away woofing and popping his teeth.I let down my draw and start breathing again.I watch him as he cuts up into the pines fifty yards to my right and into thick brush.Man what a freaking rush.
I finally realize I'm shaking and have to make two tries to hang my bow up.I sit there and analyze what just happened.From the time I saw the bear come in and leave was probably only a minute and a half,seemed like forever.I made a rookie mistake by not drawing on him sooner but was too amazed at being this close to this bruin.I berate myself and then figure, so what,it's not like I haven't shot a bear before,I just haven't taken one with a bow and I just came close.
To be continued..........
