Bear happy

This morning I headed to a favorite spot on public land, hoping favorable weather would bring me some luck. And did it...

I was fortunate enough to take this bear at first light when we crossed paths on a ridge top


I used my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 with Federal Fusion factory loads on a hasty shot at about 20 yards. The bear reacted immediately and made a short run into the laurels. I heard him moan, but waited for the sky to brighten a couple of minutes before I followed the trail. There was no reason to worry. The 240 grain bonded hollow point was well placed, and had absolutely hammered him, leaving a copious blood trail.

Possibly the best part of the morning was that he was only a half mile from the truck, and even better, the drag was downhill.

I enjoy bear meat, and I am confident this guy will be good eating.


It has been a goal of mine to take a bear off of public land with my revolver for a while now. It feels good stalking these mountain ridges with just a sixgun on my hip, and my daypack.

This mornings hunt has left me genuinely happy.

Way to go buddy. A good hunt most certainly doesn't have to be a long painful one.

Love it when things work out. Congratulations on a nice bear.

Very well done - Congrats!

Great hunt, Matt! To get it with an iron sighted six shooter makes it even better - congrats!

I?m ready to go on another bear hunt, it just gets in your blood.

Awesome hunt, and thanks for sharing.

This is so cool Matthew! I wish that we had a huntable population of bears in my county. Obviously, the Fusion bullets work well

Wat to go Matty? The Fusion bullet did its job....

Congrats. Black bear is on my bucket list.

Nicely done Matt!

Congratulations Matt! The old 44 has claimed another victim.

Outstanding!

Well done Matt.

Nice looking bear! So far this season it's just been squirrels for me. Will have to relay the news to LisaG.

Congratulations ! Nice bear. A great revolver trophy!

Congratulations on a great bear! Congratulations, too, on getting him to hang upside down on that log!

I've never had a huge interest in chasing bear until this recent trip to New Mexico. I saw two over the course of the week - a small cinnamon and a nice size black. They are really cool critters to watch - almost human like. Anyways, I was really wishing I had bought an over-the-counter bear tag before packing in.

What is your favorite way to cook bear meat?

Congrats matt.well done.

Matthew, very nicely done! Congratulations! I too love bear meat and that one will likely eat very well!

I love bears. I love watching bears just do bear stuff. I love walking in the country bears call home.

...and I love grilled bear chops. Montreal steak seasoning and a charcoal grill makes it happen.


A bear the size of my most recent or similar makes great steaks and chops. The trimmings make stew chunks and the ground makes fantastic tacos. The largest bears are too marbled with fat to make table cuts. I chill them to firmness and trim fat, trim fat, and then trim fat, before grinding them. Please remember that bear meat is subject to the same parasites and illnesses as pork, so cook thoroughly. Unlike lean venison, I can blacken the bone without burning the steaks.

Great hunt!

Congratulations and glad to hear the Fusion round did what it should.

Public land solo hunt, one shot with a favorite 44, close to the truck, and downhill. Does not get any better than that. Well done! Congratulations.

You've got that right!

AMEN!

Congrats!!! Here in PA, our general firearms bear season starts in about 3 weeks, can't wait!

I have my Super Blackhawk sighted in with a Burris Fastfire 3. It's my short range deer/bear gun where the farthest I can see is about 50 yards (thick stuff).

I also have a T/C Contender with a scope, sighted in at 100 yards. It's my longer range hunting handgun.

Great job! Congrats!

l can see it now. A hundred yrs in the future a deep carving

spotted in a great 0ak Tree-- ''C M NASH kilt a BAR 2019''

Matthew is a 21st Century Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett..

A true Mountain Man!!

Well done Matt!

That is very cool!

HARDLY

I am just a guy who is called to climb these ridges, watch the sky change colors when the sun rises, and for a fleeting moment, share the ground with the beautiful animals that call the mountains home.

Congrats on a BEAUTIFUL bear!
I too love bear meat. Enjoy

That is absolutely OUTSTANDING! way to go...

Congratulations on a fine bear with a six gun. That's not easy to do & you made it happen, outstanding!

Dick

Nice job, congrats. I love bear meat. Almost tastes like sweet beef.

Thanks again guys!

I grilled some steaks and chops from this bear yesterday, and it is GREAT.

Huge congrats!!!!!

Cool report especially since it went so well. Job well done.

Wow! What a cool goal to be able to check off your list. I also LOVE eating what I kill, so it's really neat to hear you relate the recipes and feedback on the meat. Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations, 20yards is a collision ot crossing paths, good shooting