Birthday bear

[chilcotin hillbilly]

JUne 5 the birthday of my pups Cookie and Burger, both turned one. What better way to spend a birthday but chase a bear . Rigged this guy about 7 pm and dumped the dogs. Within 200 yards they had the bear bayed up, but got it running before we got there. My son Colton had a friend with him and this was his first hound hunt so this was all new to him.Well this birthday bear put the hammer down and 1 hour , and 7 miles later Cookie got this guy up the tree.For the first time all year Burger never showed up at the tree but was waiting for us at the truck when we walked out.

Will with my son Colton on the right

[Ike]

Congrats on another catch, and I'm glad to see you getting those youngsters under the tree as well......I hate it when those bears squirt out and take a guy and his hounds across so much country. But it sounds like you might have broken that bear from running for a day or two.

I missed most of the spring bear hunt this year after turning my ankle about the time I was gonna start. I did get out and hunt the last few days for a big boar, rigged and drove over a few sows, sows with cubs and some young ones that had been kicked off their mother. We finally found a couple really nice boars and trailed one old track for a few hours and the dogs just started quitting the track in the afternoon. We tried for that boar the next day and nothing.........

The next day we moved into another area and found where another boar had chit on the road, and worked him the last two days hoping for a run. I drove and made the last cut after 5:00 PM and nothing, no brass ring! On our backtrail out I told my hunting partners that we were about due to have a bear cross on our backtrail, and he did about 5:30 PM.

It was kinda funny, as those hounds were all laid up on or in the box and half asleep when we hit that bear scent and they all seven of them roared at the same time. Well, it only took me a few seconds to get stopped and cut that pack of hounds loose and they barreled down the canyon like those race horses come from their starting gates at the Derby........

We then looked for the track and he had crossed running, leaving a front pad just over five inches wide. That boar and my hounds used up about all the realesstate on the mountain and anchored just after 9:00 PM, just no way to get under the tree before dark and legally put a bullet in him. But kudos to Ike, Kody and Maverick for getting on the engine and blowing the air out of him and making him climb..........

ike

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Ike, I was wondering how your ankle was holding up. Good to hear you are getting out now. Sounds like your hounds are still getting it done even without many runs. How long does your season run, mine ends the end of June. I hope to put up another 20 this month with any luck. Best of luck

[Ike]

The spring season ended here on most of the units last Sunday, May 31st, only leaving the Wasatch open until tomorrow I think. But bear pursuit ended with the other units and a guy has to have a hunter on one of the open units to run bears now. So I guess it's over cause I don't know anybody with a tag for that unit....

I do, however, keep and carry a harvest objective lion tag which is good yearlong for most of the units in this corner of the state. And that tag allows me to get out all summer long and hunt for cats. However, staying legal is tough and I pretty much rig, walk and look for tracks to cover my butt. I've even gone to taking photos of the tracks when possible with teh date stamped on them to cover my butt and stay legal.

Yesterday I made a five or six mile hike with four of my older dogs, Ike, Choco, Kody and Griz. They all wear shock collars and listen to the old man, in every and all situations. The struck one day old sow, a couple bobcats and maybe one day old lion track. I didn't let them run on any of the tracks, but instead called them in to find a fresher lion track. I'll most likely load up again tomorrow and hunt an area or two that presents some lion opportunity. It's one hell of a lot more fun when both seasons are open, and a hot rig is usually more fun than a cold one, but the way the laws have changed around here a person has to stay to task..........

Last fall I had one of the head fish and game officers tell me that they believe lots of the houndsmen are just using the lion season to run bears. And if that is true, or if they get that in their heads, we'll most likely loose our yearlong lion hunt. If I tree any good toms this summer they are gonna hit the ground, and that is because nobody ever kills and checks one in around here in the summer months. I have a friend or two that has kill tags, and if they are willing to follow me that time of year a tom or two is gonna go down........

keep sharing those photos,
ike

[pat_kemp]

congrats on another bear.. keep em coming.