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bigbore442001



It seemed as if the quality assurance meeting we had thursday afternoon took an inordinate amount of time. I was listening to one of the directors talk about some new training as my mind drifted to a distant place. A place where the drone of daily existance would be put away. A place where a man will be able to reclaim a past existance. A place where you are closer to the elements. Not soon enough the meeting ended and I was off. I planned to have a good nights rest and head north in the morning. I went to bed with some anticipation of getting a black bear and thinking about a plethora of things that involve a hunt.

Morning arose and all of my things were packed. Some have a specific passion when it comes to hunting. Some love the bow while others love the smell of burning black powder. My passion is a hunting method that is uniquely American. For this hunt I would be using a specialty hunting handgun. As i sit here I can recall that time many years ago when we took a trip to Kittery Trading Post and a purchase of a Super 16 barrel in 45-70 was made. That barrel had become my favorite barrel. It has accounted for a lot of game in my pursuit with the handgun. This barrel has a Burris 1.5 x to 4 x scope mounted on it.

As I headed north my mood elevated and changed for the better. I was smiling as the road winded northward towards the White Mountains. The image of seeing the Whites is very awe inspiring and will fill one's soul with joy. I was blessed with good weather so far but on the horizon as I approached Franconia Notch I could see the overcast pall. As I passed through the notch I hit some rain. Showers and a fine mist materialized as I crossed this portion of the mountain range.

I headed north on Rte 3 through Twin Mountain and recalled many memories of my youth. This was the place summers were spent and family communed. In the past my father and grandfather hunted deer in a different time. Many stories were told and have always intrigued me as a child. Now I will be in the same general area but after black bear.

I met Pat, an internet friend who has a trailer at a local campground in the town of Bethlehem. We exchanged pleasantries and then discussed the plans for the upcoming hunt. I have a baitsite where the plan would be for me to sit that evening in the hopes of a bruin would come by. Soon we were off. Pat and I went to check out a potential baitsite . We walked around and spotted bear droppings in one location. As we walked around a good spot for a treestand was not feasible. Soon we walked down an old cart road and then to an abandoned rail road. As we walked I stepped on what I thought was solid ground at the end of a small bridge. I right foot, along with the bad knee, plunged downward through a hole between the bridge abuttment and a rail road tie. I quickly recovered myself and checked what happened. No problems and so we're off. As we walked down the railroad we spotted trails that bear had made crossing the area. After walking a bit we headed back.The plan was to go to a bait site.

That evening we climbed a small hill and proceeded through some thick woodland to the bait. I popped up the blind and set up a small chair. In addition I ignited the Thermacell insect repeller and sat with my TC Contender in hand. We live in a rushed society. Time seems to be on some sort of fast forward. Sitting in a blind waiting for game is a great way to test patience and to reboot your instincts for patient observation. I sat and listened. The forest is very much alive. Red squirrels and blue jays flitted to and fro until the waning light of the sun turned to darkness.

At the end of legal shooting light I unloaded my TC and repacked the blind. If a bear were to show up sometimes their curiosity gets the best of them and you may find a mess in the morning. I walked out of the woodlands and met Pat. We chatted and discussed what transpired. Soon we were headed back to camp for a meal of moose chili. Tommorrow would arrive early enough.
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Nice story - thanks for posting!

Sounds like a nice getaway. I wish my life could be spent out of the fast paced, self defeating society that we live in, and in the woods and waters making a living from something better than this modern chaos. I always said, even as a child, that I was born in the wrong century. Thanks for sharing!