Oregon Spring Bear
Frank, I am 58 years old now and hunted Spring Bear for about 8 yrs.
I have been to Hell’s Canyon and hell canyons with no luck, though have seen them 2 miles at the bottom. So I decided to stay close to home do an easy hunt.
We decided to put in for a unit that is only 125 miles away from our home base, which is a lot closer than 300 miles.
We got into 3 bears, with one harvest…
Scouting, the area we found fresh bear scat was everywhere. GREAT! We will come back when the snow has receded a bit more. At least bears have come out of hibernation.
So I my hunting buddy Roar and his son Hayden (the flat belly) always good to have a young flat belly along. Hayden is 6’1″ and 190 lb. 20 yr. old fireman. We hiked 4 miles into NoTellEm Canyon to a nice meadow split up to glass for a couple of hours. I glassed down to where those two were sitting to see them scrambling to get in position for a shot. However they missed a beautiful reddish-brown big boar.
We decided to hike out. All of sudden there goes the flat belly (Hayden). We had to hold him back so he wasn’t so far ahead of us. Some times its pays off to be the older, wiser and slower. We were about a mile and a half from the truck when flat belly and his father rounded a corner ahead of me. As I came to the corner I couldn’t believe my eyes they had woke the bear up from an afternoon snooze. He stood up and looked their way about 50′ away from them. I had my chance, scrambled to get my 300 Winchester off my back and my offhand shot was right on to put him down. Down he went moaning and biting everything in his reach.
2018 all three of us will get Bears
I had spine him (boar). As we approached he started in again, a little spooky to be that close. Finished him with another shot. Now the work begins.
Yea flat belly offered to drag him all the way to the road. OK! How to get him back to the truck. In my infinite wisdom I left the cart back at home (we are not really going to get a bear)?
We call it a pig pole it worked to get him out, but it was brutal.
ODFW Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife took a tooth and aged him at 9 yrs. old.
What a great trip. You bet we’re headed back to the same spot this season.
This time I will bring the cart…………Mark