Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2016 2:08:52 GMT -4
Well the 1st wk of Aug has passed & the WA general season is underway. I hope this has a happier ending than my coveted Spring damage control season was. Had an exciting time, made more aquaintenances, & generally enjoyed myself although I had hoped to fill the freezer & the smoker w/some delicious, organic, Ursus protein.
Hope my brother BQO hunters are filling their tags & posting some exciting stories for our enjoyment/edification. Hooked up w/Carlos a chemical engineering graduate who I formerly shared the retail Gun counter with before Wholesale Sports bit the dust. We went out Friday w/high expectations. Drove out to the DNR gates that control access to Williams Mountain. Several years & memories, experiences/education of the world of Ursus Americanus that they control so commandingly. The scenery across the Stillaguamish River brought sobering memories of the March 2014 Oso Mudslide that claimed 40+ souls in just moments of disaster.
Carlos, a descendant of Cuban ancestry who fled the tyranny of a Cuban dictator over 50+ years ago, is younger than my son & is a up & coming bear hunter who is anxious to fill his first tag. I am only too eager to pass on a shooter bear to enjoy experiencing Carlos taking his first bear & being addicted to what you & I love. He reciprocates by patiently pausing on the trail for "grandpa Sideswipe" who finds it necessary to stop & catch his breath more often than last year.
We were overjoyed to find the DNR gate swung wide open...I wasn't looking fwd to the 2-3 mile uphill hike in 70+ weather to get to where the actual still hunt'in begins. Perhaps some logging was going on? We did see the DNR timber sale & logging operation signs stapled to the post at the gate. A few hundred yds inside the gate we spotted a large John Deere tractor w/a brush cutting attachment. It was cleaning up the service roads between the towers that carried the power lines from the Seattle Light & Power dams in the nearby Cascade Mtns & the power hungry city of Seattle. They can leave that gate open all season as far as I am concerned.
We no sooner passed thru the gate than a Toyota pickup w/a young hunter started to pass me on the way out. I hit the brakes on the aging Wrangler & the youngster replied in same. We stopped alongside each other...window to window. I really enjoy the exchange between members of the brotherhood of bear hunters. He had also taken advantage of the seldom left open gate. He shared his observations (no fresh bear sign or ripe berries & a decent 3 pt Blacktail buck). I could sense the earnestness of his conversation & knew that I didn't have to try & separate the truth from the BS in his statements...refreshing.
As we journeyed thru "bear country" we saw no fresh bear sign cuz there were no ripe berry crop to draw them in. The young hunter had spoken true. On the way back we stopped & actually hunted a couple spots that showed promise. The berry patches were there but only hard, green berries that probably won't be ripe for 2-3 wks. Around home, the berries are all about 90% ripe. I was surprised that these berries are "behind schedule". Oh well, we will return. Lots of deer traffic sign & the young, tender tips of the black berry vines nipped off by hungry Blacktails.
Half way out we came upon a white suburban approaching us. Hmmm a lot of bear hunters out today. We did the customary window to window conversation. Older driver & a young'in riding shotgun. The young'in turned out to be a local bear hunter (potential Intel asset). Youngster & older driver both stated they had taken bear near here last season. They also expressed surprise about the late berry crop. While not exciting, it did validate our observations.
Further on we came upon a lone hunter coming in on foot. He was middle aged & had a big pack on his back. I was impressed at his physical prowess. He also said he harvested a 300# bear a few miles from here last year. He was pack'in a Foxpro electronic call which he said the bear he got last year fairly ran up to him using the call last year!
Well, if you have lasted this long...stay tuned to next Friday's hunt. We will be further up north...around Van Zant Dyke & will be pack'in a call.
Look'in fwd to hearing your bear adventures/misadventures!
Hope my brother BQO hunters are filling their tags & posting some exciting stories for our enjoyment/edification. Hooked up w/Carlos a chemical engineering graduate who I formerly shared the retail Gun counter with before Wholesale Sports bit the dust. We went out Friday w/high expectations. Drove out to the DNR gates that control access to Williams Mountain. Several years & memories, experiences/education of the world of Ursus Americanus that they control so commandingly. The scenery across the Stillaguamish River brought sobering memories of the March 2014 Oso Mudslide that claimed 40+ souls in just moments of disaster.
Carlos, a descendant of Cuban ancestry who fled the tyranny of a Cuban dictator over 50+ years ago, is younger than my son & is a up & coming bear hunter who is anxious to fill his first tag. I am only too eager to pass on a shooter bear to enjoy experiencing Carlos taking his first bear & being addicted to what you & I love. He reciprocates by patiently pausing on the trail for "grandpa Sideswipe" who finds it necessary to stop & catch his breath more often than last year.
We were overjoyed to find the DNR gate swung wide open...I wasn't looking fwd to the 2-3 mile uphill hike in 70+ weather to get to where the actual still hunt'in begins. Perhaps some logging was going on? We did see the DNR timber sale & logging operation signs stapled to the post at the gate. A few hundred yds inside the gate we spotted a large John Deere tractor w/a brush cutting attachment. It was cleaning up the service roads between the towers that carried the power lines from the Seattle Light & Power dams in the nearby Cascade Mtns & the power hungry city of Seattle. They can leave that gate open all season as far as I am concerned.
We no sooner passed thru the gate than a Toyota pickup w/a young hunter started to pass me on the way out. I hit the brakes on the aging Wrangler & the youngster replied in same. We stopped alongside each other...window to window. I really enjoy the exchange between members of the brotherhood of bear hunters. He had also taken advantage of the seldom left open gate. He shared his observations (no fresh bear sign or ripe berries & a decent 3 pt Blacktail buck). I could sense the earnestness of his conversation & knew that I didn't have to try & separate the truth from the BS in his statements...refreshing.
As we journeyed thru "bear country" we saw no fresh bear sign cuz there were no ripe berry crop to draw them in. The young hunter had spoken true. On the way back we stopped & actually hunted a couple spots that showed promise. The berry patches were there but only hard, green berries that probably won't be ripe for 2-3 wks. Around home, the berries are all about 90% ripe. I was surprised that these berries are "behind schedule". Oh well, we will return. Lots of deer traffic sign & the young, tender tips of the black berry vines nipped off by hungry Blacktails.
Half way out we came upon a white suburban approaching us. Hmmm a lot of bear hunters out today. We did the customary window to window conversation. Older driver & a young'in riding shotgun. The young'in turned out to be a local bear hunter (potential Intel asset). Youngster & older driver both stated they had taken bear near here last season. They also expressed surprise about the late berry crop. While not exciting, it did validate our observations.
Further on we came upon a lone hunter coming in on foot. He was middle aged & had a big pack on his back. I was impressed at his physical prowess. He also said he harvested a 300# bear a few miles from here last year. He was pack'in a Foxpro electronic call which he said the bear he got last year fairly ran up to him using the call last year!
Well, if you have lasted this long...stay tuned to next Friday's hunt. We will be further up north...around Van Zant Dyke & will be pack'in a call.
Look'in fwd to hearing your bear adventures/misadventures!
