Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Archived Hunting Pics => Shooting and Hunting => 2011 Hunting Pictures => Topic started by: zenmonkeyman on September 29, 2011, 11:27:35 pm

Title: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on September 29, 2011, 11:27:35 pm

I was afraid I'd have to eventually name this bow "Gopher Broke".  I was HOPING to name her "ElKebab" (Get it?) But now I find I will name her "Bear Down"  Because I had to bear down to successfully complete the bow, I had to bear down and get serious about the finer details of hunting, and also because as of today, I have a bear down!  First primitive kill other than a few gophers.  I promised myself I wouldn't post another bow until I could prove it as a hunting weapon.

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j191/zenmonkeyman/img858Medium.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j191/zenmonkeyman/CIMG2738Medium.jpg)

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: barefootbowhunter on September 30, 2011, 12:14:11 am

wow that is a beautiful bear, congrats! and a  clean kill to boot! mind givin some specs on bear down?

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: mullet on September 30, 2011, 12:44:48 am

 Congratulations! I still want to get one.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Cameroo on September 30, 2011, 12:46:33 am

Nice work man! What a great way to lose your primitive cherry ;)  I'm glad that you can now focus on posting more bows -  I like seeing what local-ish bowyers can do with local woods.

Love the bow by the way!  I'm guessing chokecherry or Saskatoon?

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: lowell on September 30, 2011, 01:36:04 am

Very nice...great hunt...great bow and great bear!!!!  Congrats!!!! ;)

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: JW_Halverson on September 30, 2011, 02:24:32 am

Must be a fast bow....it stripped the fletching off the arrow when it was launched!    >:D

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: soy on September 30, 2011, 06:00:45 am

Bear down with the bare minimum! Way to go

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: TurtleCreek on September 30, 2011, 06:54:22 am

  Nice bear and awesome looking bow.  Great job on both.  Congratulations!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: GregB on September 30, 2011, 09:52:37 am

Congratulations on your success, and yes, you have a hunting bow!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: cracker on September 30, 2011, 10:59:02 am

Very excelent kill looks like the bow is well proven. Ronnie

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Pappy on September 30, 2011, 11:08:43 am

Beautiful Bow and beautiful Bear.Very nice job on both. :) :) Congrats. :) :)
   Pappy

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Dazv on September 30, 2011, 11:26:20 am

What an amzing animal make somthing nicw the that hide. Id love to know a little more about your bow maybe a pic or two??? thanks

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on September 30, 2011, 02:30:33 pm

Thanks everyone for the extra kind words!  He's just a little bear, but Dad and I had to grunt to hang him up.  The weird thing is, I wasn't hunting bears yesterday, I was hoping for an elk.  Conditions were perfect to sneak up on a spot where a bull elk beds occasionally, with a steady north wind and a damp (quiet) ground underfoot.  When I heard a noise behind me, I thought it was just the squirrel that was threatening to make a fuss as I passed him, but no; it was this bear not exactly following me, but definitely walking towards me.  I turned and knelt for a steady shooting position, and he crossed to the trail about 10 yards away and stopped full broadside.  I made a perfect shot, so perfect that if I'd taped the problem squirrel over the kill zone, the squirrel would have got the double lung as well.  Couldn't believe the arrow disappeared completely out of this little 40# saskatoon (serviceberry) bow, and I've rarely seen a cleaner kill even with a rifle.  The unfortunate little bear didn't go 15 yards before he was done.

Thanks again for the interest, I'll take some photos and post the bow next week!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: barefootbowhunter on September 30, 2011, 03:32:01 pm

impressive! not every one gets to take a bear on the ground at ten yards thats somthing to be proud of regardless the size of the animal! im sure your adranaline was pumpin like crazy. i would have never thought such good penetration could come from a 40 pound selfbow always knew they were lethal never knew they had that much punch. your bow looks awesome by the way

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: jeffhalfrack on September 30, 2011, 05:49:57 pm

    THAT'S   SOOO   COOOL!!!!!!!  JeffW

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: sonny on September 30, 2011, 08:47:37 pm

nicely done!

cool paint job on the bow too!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: HoBow on September 30, 2011, 09:15:09 pm

Congrats!  That bear fat wood make some good trading ;)

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on September 30, 2011, 11:21:49 pm

Thanks again for the comments!  I was pretty skeptical of how much penetration I would get with a 40# bow, too; at this point I feel much better about tackling an elk.  I'm not sure I want to hit a calcified rib in that old herd bull though?  HoBow, bear grease was the deciding factor in getting a tag this year; especially since the zombies are coming.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: coxral on October 01, 2011, 01:42:45 am

Nice bear! Good job!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: hawkbow on October 01, 2011, 01:43:35 am

well done brother... great job!

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Pat B on October 01, 2011, 02:41:49 am

That's the way to bear down!  8)

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Dazv on October 01, 2011, 08:35:05 am

Did your arrow have fletchings on it???

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: PeteC on October 01, 2011, 04:45:35 pm

Excellent!     Pretty bear and equipment. Congrats on your successful kill. God Bless

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on October 02, 2011, 01:24:47 am

Many thanks for the generous commentary!  Two days on, I'm still constantly reliving the moment and the shot, this has been a long time coming.  The arrow that you see in the picture is what broke off when the bear ran, the fletchings were still inside him.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Little John on October 02, 2011, 11:35:55 am

Congrats on a primitive hunt well done, nice bear and bow. Sure is nice when a plan comes together.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Dauntless on November 01, 2011, 08:07:12 pm

A bear with a 40 pound bow... Nice to hear a saskatoon bow making meat.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: Kent D. on November 02, 2011, 11:58:01 am

Excellent.  Way to go.   Great shot and great story.

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on November 02, 2011, 11:31:11 pm

Hey thanks, now I just have to bear down where deer and elk are concerned.  Didn't hunt tonight, but on my way to Mom's house for supper, I saw (on land I have exclusive permission to hunt) 22 elk (including one very large bull), 6 deer (2 bucks nothing huge), then on the next quarter section (also have to myself at the moment) 4 more deer.  I wish these critters would follow a pattern or something, I have literally hundreds of miles of trail in a section of land, and none of them show habitual usage.  I go days without seeing an animal of any kind.  They must be out tonight because of the falling barometer: snow on the way; the first of the year. Suddenly feeling motivated to get out in the bush tomorrow before dawn...

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: JW_Halverson on November 03, 2011, 12:24:15 am

Quote from: zenmonkeyman on October 02, 2011, 01:24:47 am

The arrow that you see in the picture is what broke off when the bear ran, the fletchings were still inside him.

Stick with my story....bow so fast it strips fletching when it shoots!

Curiosity killed the cat.  Well apparently it ain't so healthy for bears either!  The two highest goals I have for bowhunting are mountain lion and black bear. 

How has he been for eating?

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: ErictheViking on November 03, 2011, 01:24:59 pm

Very cool stuff Zen, congrats on your first being a bear! love the bow by the way-sweet paintjob! 

Title: Re: Bear down cause I bore down with "Bear Down"
Post by: zenmonkeyman on November 04, 2011, 01:58:17 am

Thanks guys!  I really should get busy and post the bow.  JW, the bear tastes great! It's amazing meat, you can cook it and cook it and it doesn't suddenly turn into cardboard the way deer or elk does.  Not only that, the fat actually tastes good. There's no need to obsessively trim it off because there is no unpleasant flavour or pasty tallowiness. It's very tender (my young animal is anyway), nothing stringy or chewy in any part I've eaten so far. The only thing annoying about it is that since I made a batch of jerky, my dog has been insufferable with the begging.