BigGameHoundsmen.com

Maybe I need to re-think this one a bit. My buddy just called me and they just whacked a bear 30 minutes ago that goes about 550 lbs, if not more.

Said it has a head the size of a Toyota pickup and it was bayed up in some think manzanita brush... They got in there and this sucker charged them and was serious about it.

He said the bear grabbed my one red pup and in his words, "He ate Gus and shit him out the back end." Mauled another dog pretty hard and he said there was no shortage of blood on the ground.

There wasn't a lot of time to look the bear over, it charged them and this dude hammered it. He said it's a massive bear, but has a couple of dogs wondering about this whole bear hunting thing.

Maybe I need to re-think the whole gun thing after the phone conversation I just had.

It only takes one bear in your face to understand why a guy packs heat to the tree dawg........................I've had biologist and game managers try to tell me that black bears aren't any part of the depredation on deer and elk in this country, or that I didn't have any proof of it. A black bear's teeth are like fighting an guy with a knife, only he has around 1200 foot pounds of biting pressure behind his canines.

ike

I'd imagine if a bear ever gets me I'll be trying to defend myself with a little camera. No way I'm packing a rifle, and I can't hit my ass with a pistol so I'll just take my chances. Been in close on plenty of bears but they've always seemed more concerned with the dogs than me.

I don't really know about bears and the deer and elk situation. If they are preying on the deer and elk herds they're sure doing a lousy job of it.

My vote is still the same. My gun of choice is the blue and red caliber that shoots out of both ends. I'll leave the Clint Eastwood stuff to others.

The only protection I've ever felt inclined to carry on a bear hunt is from the hookers down in Shiprock......

I have to say you should carry whatever you are most accurate with. Shot placement is the key to killing. I know several old timers that killed more bears with a .22 than I will probably ever see. So use what you are most comfortable with and pick your shots carefully.

kevin, I know what you mean.. ha ha shiprock is a scary place

Ike wrote:"I tell my clients the bear is theirs in the tree and keep shooting until it's dead....but when it hits the ground alive it's open season for everybody with a gun." Now I understand why he said that.

It's hard for me to believe that any hound man said that. If the client can't finish the bear while its in the tree, I sure don't want them to keep shooting after the bear hits the ground with my dogs in the background. Personally, I tell my clients that if the bear hits the ground alive then it is mine and I will be the only shooter. The only time a client can shoot after the bear hits the ground is if he has the end of the barrel of his gun in the bears mouth.

Bill

[/quote] It's hard for me to believe that any hound man said that. If the client can't finish the bear while its in the tree, I sure don't want them to keep shooting after the bear hits the ground with my dogs in the background. Personally, I tell my clients that if the bear hits the ground alive then it is mine and I will be the only shooter. The only time a client can shoot after the bear hits the ground is if he has the end of the barrel of his gun in the bears mouth.

Bill[/quote]



Yeah, that's just what he said.......what you said! "Personally, I tell my clients that if the bear hits the ground alive then it is mine."

The only problem is it's not legal in this state for you as a guide to shoot a bear for a client unless that bear charges you--whether it's wounded or not, or whether it gets away or not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Matter fact, you can't even pack a gun as a guide unless you have a valid concealed weapon permit. What I can't believe is that any hounddogger or guide would post that he intends to shoot a bear when it climbs down if the hunter hasn't killed it. I do understand the concern but it isn't legal in this state. I carry a gun to the tree as a guide, on pleasure hunts, when running down problem bears, and it's loaded and legal, but it isn't going to be used except in self-defense........................

If the client or hunter can't get the bear dead before it leaves the hounds should tree or bay it again. If not the hunter didn't deserve the bear after making a poor shot anyhow--probably time to take that hunter to town and point him home.

Keep'em treed,
ike

Ike wrote: What I can't believe is that any hounddogger or guide would post that he intends to shoot a bear when it climbs down if the hunter hasn't killed it.

ike

LOL at ike, Words have specific meanings, if you will notice, I did not say, "If the bear hits the ground alive, I will shoot it for the client", I said"if the bear hits the ground alive, it is mine"I just make sure that I have a valid bear tag with my name on it in my pocket, that way I don't have to worry about any illegallities, either in posting it, or in doing it. Since 87 I've only had to use my tag once, but that once made it worthwhile buying all the tags I ended up throwing away.LOL

Bill

You'd for sure need a tag if you shouldered a rifle and took a shot at a bear I'd put a hole through cause I sure as the hell wouldn't tag it.........In my state, the last guy to shoot has to tag the bear according to law on any game animal. And I'll bet it's hard to get any references from a client if you shoot and take their bear after taking their money And if anybody told me they could shoot on the ground and I couldn't--with a legal tag in my pocket and all--I'd just roflmao........

ike

No guiding or legal issues here in WV. We always have someone at the base of the tree ready to finish things if it needs to be done. Saves on vet bills. Just an opinion from another perspective.

Ike wrote:You'd for sure need a tag if you shouldered a rifle and took a shot at a bear I'd put a hole through cause I sure as the hell wouldn't tag it.........In my state, the last guy to shoot has to tag the bear according to law on any game animal. And I'll bet it's hard to get any references from a client if you shoot and take their bear after taking their money And if anybody told me they could shoot on the ground and I couldn't--with a legal tag in my pocket and all--I'd just roflmao........

ike

If you are talented enough with a gun to make a clean, one shot kill on a treed bear, you would not have anything to worry about. On the other hand, if you are so inept with a gun, or so ignorant of bear anatomy, that you "put a hole through" a stationary, treed bear, and it still came out of the tree with enough life that I still had to finish it, then you are right, I would have to tag it, because you sure wouldn't get to.

As far as references go, I figure that the hunting buddies of somebody that inept are probably also inept, so I wouldn't want to take them hunting anyway, so I really couldn't care less about the references I get from the one hunter in the past 20 years who didn't get to take his bear home.

As far as roflmao, you would be welcome to do that to your little hearts content, but on my property, behind my dogs, I make the rules, and if a prospective client doesn't like them, or thinks that they are funny, he is welcome to laugh all the way home if he wants to, but he will not get the opportunity to hunt with me.

I realize that there are areas of the country where the topography and vegetation do not always allow an ideal shot angle, and, when hunting in those locations, I make allowances for that. But, where I do 99% of my hunting, there is absolutely no excuse for not making a clean kill on treed game, therefore, when hunting in those areas, I accept no excuses. I do suspend this rule as a professional courtesy to hunters who own there own dogs if in my judgement they are competent enough to shoot the bear and not hit my dogs. I also suspend this rule for anyone else who has dogs on the ground, but if I don't feel comfortable with them shooting around my dogs, they don't get to hunt with me anyway, so that one is kind of moot.

Actually, since I started requiring prospective clients to provide references, and I do check those references, I have not had a problem in this area. However, I keep the rule in place in case I ever make a mistake and take some one hunting when I shouldn't have.

I understand that with my rules and idiosyncracies, some people will say that I run off a lot of prospective clients, and that is probably true, but I still have more people wanting to hunt with me than I have time to take, so the number I run off doesn't really concern me.

Bill

broncobilly wrote:

Ike wrote:You'd for sure need a tag if you shouldered a rifle and took a shot at a bear I'd put a hole through cause I sure as the hell wouldn't tag it.........In my state, the last guy to shoot has to tag the bear according to law on any game animal. And I'll bet it's hard to get any references from a client if you shoot and take their bear after taking their money And if anybody told me they could shoot on the ground and I couldn't--with a legal tag in my pocket and all--I'd just roflmao........

ike

If you are talented enough with a gun to make a clean, one shot kill on a treed bear, you would not have anything to worry about. On the other hand, if you are so inept with a gun, or so ignorant of bear anatomy, that you "put a hole through" a stationary, treed bear, and it still came out of the tree with enough life that I still had to finish it, then you are right, I would have to tag it, because you sure wouldn't get to.

As far as references go, I figure that the hunting buddies of somebody that inept are probably also inept, so I wouldn't want to take them hunting anyway, so I really couldn't care less about the references I get from the one hunter in the past 20 years who didn't get to take his bear home.

As far as roflmao, you would be welcome to do that to your little hearts content, but on my property, behind my dogs, I make the rules, and if a prospective client doesn't like them, or thinks that they are funny, he is welcome to laugh all the way home if he wants to, but he will not get the opportunity to hunt with me.


Bill

You don't ever have to worry about me hunting behind your dogs or hunting your property, cause I wouldn't even consider shooting a bear that my dogs hadn't treed. As for my shooting abilities, I'll say they are far greater than average and surely up to the task. I've killed several bears in my time and have never had to shoot one the second time; I have had lots of hunters that couldn't get the job done with multipy shots which is one reason I don't care to hunt dudes.................

http://www.ingramwildlife.com/bear.htm
Tree'em if you got'em,
ike