HSO Bear Photo's

[Jim Uran]

You could do it now too hookset! As long as you have the skin peeled off. Officially though, like previous poster said, it has to dry for 60 days. Measure the width at the widest point and the length, front to back, without the bottom jaw. These two measurements added together, to the closest one sixteenth inch, will be your bears score.

[hookset]

i will try to pick-up the hide and skull from the locker today. I will check with my taxidermist to see if he knows how to score a skull.

thanks

Joe

[Boar]

This is awsome, I dont remeber seeing so many nice bears on the forum. Congrates to everyone, an to those still working keep it up, the best time is coming. So I have been weighing every thing while butchering, but it's only on a bathroom scale so it's not precise, but right now as it stands I have 240 worth of bone an meat, the only thing left to weigh is the head an hide, an I can tell by lifting that it's alt least all of 60 lbs. But we'll see. Boar

[picksbigwagon]

That is a beautiful bear. Your smile says it all....did you sleep much that night?

[NWBuck]

Couple of great looking bears...congrats guys!!

Swap Buck, that appears to be a full and very shiny coat on your bear...a rug in your future?? Congrats again.

[Cooter]

My buds from MN:

[HotPocket]

Nice bears everyone.

[Basseyes]

This was my first year bear hunting in more than a few years. I've only done it 2 other times with only helping out with the chores of baiting and setting up stands. My first trip I had a 200# bear in 3 hours of hunting. I felt very fortunate. My 13 and 15 year old kids helped out with the baiting and setting stands along with my 78 year old dad and brother. My brother had a great bait supply of pastery, candy bars, granola bars, cookies and other sugary treats. Only catch was they were individually wrapped. So on 3 seperate occasions my wife and kids sat down and un wrapped all the good stuff into 5 gallon buckets lined with garbage bags. Many hands made for quick work of the task at hand. We baited 5 sights with 2 full 5 gallon pails. We went back up 4 days latter and had 3 out of 5 baits getting hit. Only having hunted the area for 4 years for grouse and a couple years for deer didn't think that was bad at all. The second time we only baited a single pail. Went back up opening day and had a fourth bait hit. This time we watied till we were ready to hunt putting out only a single ice cream pail of bait. Our trail cameras had caught about 5 different bears as well as a mom and 2 cubs hitting the sights. Most were in the day light hours but a lot at night. We got baited up and sat in the stands till dark. My 15 year old sat in a portable and had one behind him he could never see. My 13 year old and I sat together in a permanet type box blind where eye level is about 9 feet while sitting down. The bait was about 22 yards to our left. He got to sit on the left side of the stand looking over his left arm at the bait. Tuesday we didn't see anything. Was a long day on the stand.

Tried to sit Wednesday morning for a few hours but it got very warm very quick. Got out and went to eat lunch back at camp. About 3 we went back out. We had a mom and twin fawns come right by the stand eating slowly through. Then a half hour latter we hear some noise right by the bait but coming more our way. Was a yearling doe by itself walked right next to the stand again. We also watched a skunk for a while at the bait pile.

Thursday we opted not to hunt in the morning. Went out and baited about two oclock spooking a bear off the pile. Wouldn't you know it was a big bear we had yet to see on the trail cameras had come early before sunrise. Then again at 8:30, 11:30 and at 1:30. Along with 2 or 3 other bears. We baited quick and got up into the stand. A very persistent pine martin was going after the bait. We had a flock of grouse behind us driving me nuts drumming, fluttering around and making all kinds of raquet all evenging. Every once in a while I could hear something moving around we figured wasn't the grouse. 7:00 rolled around and I was going a bit stir crazy knowing bears were in the area but just not showing themselves. Started second guessing everythying we were doing. Doubt is a bad deal but every hunter or fishermen seems to go through it at times, at least I do.

Just as I'm trying to restratigize the kid stiffens up a bit. I see why as I look towards the bait pile. A nice bear walks by the bait to our sign stands up sniffing the sign and molasses covered bark on the same tree. Both out hearts are pumping. I'm expecting the bear to go to the bait. I was standing at the time because of a sore back. The stand is next to a tree and I was trying to hide behind it. I thought he would go right to the bait pile. He didn't he went up to the camera and sniffed that. Then he started coming towards us. I'm not happy with this move and start getting concerend he might see me standing up even though the blind is wrapped with a tarp then covered with burlap. He got to with in less than 6 yards and stopped to eat a raspberry. I didn't want to shoot but was getting worried we might spook him if he got any closer. Fortunate for us he moved back to the bait. My kid with no promting from me lifted the gun and set it on the railing of the stand as the bear was walking away looking towards the bait. After watching the bear for over 7 minutes was sure this wasn't the mom with cubs. I helped him get his safety off quietly. As the bear turned broad sided on the logs of the bait pile I told him to kill the bear. He calmly squeezed the trigger. The rifle shot cracked the quiet still evening air like a kid dropping a glass from a high counter top onto a cement floor. The bear jumped, ran, death mowned and the woods fell quiet. All but our hearts beating as only a hunter from the dawn of time till now knows. We waited in the quiet woods for about ten minutes. Not hearing any movment from where the bear went I thought we were safe to get down and inspect the bait pile. Getting to the bait I was not happy with what I saw. Flesh. Not blood but flesh. Standing there I said nothing for what must have seemed like an eternity for the poor kid. My mood was wavering a bit. I had thought he had shot a bit low. Now I was sure he had. The way the bear jumped at the shot I thought he'd hit it but low. The thing that I teach my kids is you are not on top of the food chain because of the gun in you hands but your most powerful weapon of all the grey matter between your ears. Thinking about the death mown and no movment I knew the bear wasn't far. Ten feet past the bait pile was what we were looking for. A spray of blood all over the grass and forest floor.

Twenty yards latter lie his prize having died very quickly from being hit in the heart. I asked him why he shot so low? He replied something to the affect of that is where you showed me the heart was almost puzzled why I would ask.

Friday morning my brother came up and we checked baits and had all 5 getting hit. Was fun having all baits getting hit. Going into it would have been happy with one getting hit. He got to see our same pine martin easy to ID because of a tail issue.

We ended the last day of the trip on Saturday evening with my 15 y/o and I seeing the mom and 2 cubs. She came in edgy. She spooked at about 20 yards not even knowing she was there. She went down the edge of the field we were sitting on and stood up looking for something. That was cool to see. She came in and they worked on cleaning out the bait. I'm guessing she did not like the idea of that big bear that was in the area beign around her cubs.

Bear hunting is a lot of work. But the smile on my kids face after he saw his bear I will never forget.

[hookset]

is that a collared on that big bear?? was it accompanied by a researcher??

Congrats nice bear!!

[Joe15]

Very nice article along with the pictures. I enjoyed reading it and can't wait to shoot mine

[bearslayer]

Congrat's to evrybody on their bears so far. Hopefully I'll have a chance to join the board. Action is pretty slow right now.

[Joe15]

nice bear. What did he weight dressed?

[Boar]

I shot it sunday night so finding a scale in these parts is tough, I should have one but dont. So I have been weighing everything bit by bit on a bath room scale, an so far I'm at 240 meat an bones an still havent weighed the head an hide, an i think that a little consevative being a bathroom scale. Boar

[hookset]

Any body know how much a bear skull will shrink during the drying period.

my bear green scored real good and was woundering what i can expect for shrinkage.

thanks

joe

[Swap Buck]

Well I always see a lot of shrinkage when I come out of cold water. So I would not put it in cold water;)

What was your green score? What does it take to make the book?

[Cooter]

12 year old in WI just got a 580lber, I'm working on getting some pics. Nice bears all!

[Walleye Guy]

Hookset. Let your skull dry in the freezer. You'll get less shrinkage.

[harvey lee]

Nice bears all.

[Boar]

If there is a difference between drying in the freezer an not drying in the freezer, would'nt that disqualify one or the other to the books or are both acceptable. Boar

[Walleye Guy]

There are no rules that I am aware of on temperature or humidity when it comes to the drying period for antlers or skulls.

[Archerysniper]

I have heard of people drying thier antlers in tubs of water for the 60 days

[mudslinger64]

i shot this guy with my bow right before dark last night.very nice coat on him but i almost passed because i wanted the blonde i had seen last thursday he looked nice so i put him down.what a pain it was getting him out,he ended up running down into some very thick brush for about 75 yards from my bait.it kind of reminded me of dragging him through a hairbrush,i had to drag him about 400 yards but i got him out.

[Coach1310]

Nice bear Mudslinger..... those darn animals always run AWAY from the truck and into the think stuff when shot, don't they!!

Congrats on the bear!

[Boar]

Very nice mudslinger very nice, ya i never park my truck in the right spot either. Congratulations. You guys look like best buds hanging out on the tailgate at keg. Boar

[mudslinger64]

haha,ya we bonded on our way out of the brush.it was an experience i won't soon forget.my bro in law was with me and kept offering to switch out on the drag but i figured i shot it so i will get it out, i told him you just keep me going in the right direction.we made it but it was a tough one.