Posted By: cmnash
2018 Colorado hunt continued. .. - 10/27/2018 12:57 AM
I recently traveled to northwest Colorado to hunt elk. The trip was highly anticipated, well planned, and immediately successful, with me taking my first bull elk.
However, there was a unplanned adventure waiting for me. The opportunity to hunt bears on the elk ranch was brought up during our orientation the day before our elk hunt would begin. The high likelihood of a color phase black bear was mentioned. I would need to travel to town and purchase a bear tag.
I have wanted a to travel to the west and pursue a color phase bear for several years now. Those bears are high on my wish list.
I weighed the cost of the license vs the unique chance to take a color phase bear. In the end, I knew I would never forgive myself if I saw a bear, and wasn't holding a tag. So it was settled, I bought a license and would be hunting bear as well as elk.
The elk portion was done in the first morning of our 5 day hunt, leaving the rest of the season to chase a bear.
But the weather had other plans...
A wintry mix rolled in at dusk the first day, snowing overnight. The temps wouldn't climb for a couple of days. In fact, one night the low temperature fell to 6 degrees. I was sleeping in a tent. I was prepared and had a propane heater. But seriously, 6 degrees. In a tent.
I had a tip on where to find a bear that visited a waterhole every evening with regularity. The snow and bitter cold shut the bear activity down. It was picturesque sit anyway.
On day 4 I slept in an enjoyed breakfast in camp. I then sat in my camp chair, and glassed the ridges visible in the distance. I picked up a peculiar shadow. The shadow moved left?! The shadow moved right?! Then the silhouette of a bear appeared. Not dressed to hunt, I scrambled to my tent, put on my orange, and grabbed my gun and pack. Once again I located the bear feeding up and away fom me on a distant ridge.
I did the only thing that seemed right in the moment;I took of in a fast walk and sprint at times straight toward the bear. I would pick out a landmark to advance to, then locate the bear again with my binos. I did this several times. I glassed him one last time from about 400 yards when I reached the base of the ridge he was climbing. The next move was to climb the ridge and flank him, hopefully intercepting him when he crossed a saddle...
No joy. Something went wrong in the last 200 yards of the stalk. I never saw him again.
This is the view back to camp from the ridge the bear was on. If you zoom to just left of center, the white spot is camp. I swear it was a mile.
What an epic stalk for a hunter from north Georgia. I have never seen something so far away and pursued it.
By the way, the bear was jet black, so I wasn't in a crisis over not finding him.
However, there was a unplanned adventure waiting for me. The opportunity to hunt bears on the elk ranch was brought up during our orientation the day before our elk hunt would begin. The high likelihood of a color phase black bear was mentioned. I would need to travel to town and purchase a bear tag.
I have wanted a to travel to the west and pursue a color phase bear for several years now. Those bears are high on my wish list.
I weighed the cost of the license vs the unique chance to take a color phase bear. In the end, I knew I would never forgive myself if I saw a bear, and wasn't holding a tag. So it was settled, I bought a license and would be hunting bear as well as elk.
The elk portion was done in the first morning of our 5 day hunt, leaving the rest of the season to chase a bear.
But the weather had other plans...
A wintry mix rolled in at dusk the first day, snowing overnight. The temps wouldn't climb for a couple of days. In fact, one night the low temperature fell to 6 degrees. I was sleeping in a tent. I was prepared and had a propane heater. But seriously, 6 degrees. In a tent.
I had a tip on where to find a bear that visited a waterhole every evening with regularity. The snow and bitter cold shut the bear activity down. It was picturesque sit anyway.
On day 4 I slept in an enjoyed breakfast in camp. I then sat in my camp chair, and glassed the ridges visible in the distance. I picked up a peculiar shadow. The shadow moved left?! The shadow moved right?! Then the silhouette of a bear appeared. Not dressed to hunt, I scrambled to my tent, put on my orange, and grabbed my gun and pack. Once again I located the bear feeding up and away fom me on a distant ridge.
I did the only thing that seemed right in the moment;I took of in a fast walk and sprint at times straight toward the bear. I would pick out a landmark to advance to, then locate the bear again with my binos. I did this several times. I glassed him one last time from about 400 yards when I reached the base of the ridge he was climbing. The next move was to climb the ridge and flank him, hopefully intercepting him when he crossed a saddle...
No joy. Something went wrong in the last 200 yards of the stalk. I never saw him again.
This is the view back to camp from the ridge the bear was on. If you zoom to just left of center, the white spot is camp. I swear it was a mile.
What an epic stalk for a hunter from north Georgia. I have never seen something so far away and pursued it.
By the way, the bear was jet black, so I wasn't in a crisis over not finding him.