Spent 5 day`s camping in Idaho`s Targee Nat. Forest, 70 miles from Idaho Falls, hunting spring black. Missed a chance on a large bear with a golden coloration that I will replay in my mind for the next 10 years. Spent 2 more days hunting the Cache Nat. Forest near Soda Springs with no luck. The first photo is a selfie of me at one of the many ponded maedows I staked out in the Targee forest. 2nd photo is another meadow with a blowdown that I was behind. 3ed photo is another selfie of me about a mile in on a logging road, in the Cache Nat. Forest, that I used a 4-wheller to get to .I was packing my 454 this time.. The 4th photo shows that all I got was the shitty end of the stick after a week of uard hunting......

Better luck next time. Where did you go in Idaho, incidentally?

70 miles out of Idaho Falls in the Targee Nat. Forest where I camped next to the Wyoming border line. Then went to Soda Springs to hunt the Cache Nat. Forest for 2 days.....Drove the dirt road into Wyoming to take this photo......

The way I see it, 5 days spent hunting is by definition a success. Sure beats sitting at home. Likewise every time you don't score an animal, it simply reinforces the challenge in our sport.

If you bagged a bear 5 minutes into the forest every time you went out, then what would be the point?

James, just the sighting of the big blondie was worth the whole trip. Thanks for sharing.

And that is why they call it hunting...... Can you imagine how boring it would be if every outing resulted in a success? Sorry it didn't pan out, James, but you did have the privilege of seeing a color phase bear in the flesh! Hunting black bear can be a tough racket.

Well dangit anyway, James. But, I am pretty sure you enjoyed those 5 days there a whole lot more than I did here. Better luck next time, eh.

Metha says you just weren't looking in the right places......

I thank the good Lord for the friends I have on this site and the words you guys say that ring true.... Makes me think of the recent words Dick Thompson said to me about how good we all got along at our get-together after we introduced ourselves, which were "handgun hunters are like that".....

I agree, but if I could come home successful slightly more often, that wouldn't be half bad.

Have you thought about black bear hunting in eastern North Carolina? That end of our state has some of the largest black bears in the lower 48.

I couldn't agree more! LOL!

James

Did you hunt up by the Targhee Ski Area.I have been up in that area.Have an old friend that lives in Driggs. You are in go trout fishing areas.

Bisley

Russ, Should have followed you and Metha when the storm hit... I think she knows more about hunting then most...

Buddy, Hunted off the dirt road that ends at a Jedediah Smith Wilderness trailhead with corral for horses in Wyoming... Had a friend that owned a small ranch in Driggs. My brother took the glider ride.... PS- great to here from you

Remember nm with dogs is there

Better luck next time. I agree I would much rather experience a hunt without success in the great outdoors than not at all. The experience is worth a lot to me.

I saw one on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few weeks ago while on vacation that took two strides to cross a two lane road. This dude was HUGE!
A black bear hunt is on (the top of) my bucket list.

Hey James, it was great meeting you at the Soda Springs gathering.

It's tough spending the time and money to travel across the country and come up empty. The bright side being the experience and the beautiful setting you were in - memories that will still be treasured.

Take care buddy.

-Kraig

Your retired. The bears are waiting for your return. Go get em.

I would call it an unfinished hunt, not unsuccessful. You got to see and hunt in great country, that's a success. The fact the bears didn't completely co-operate a mild annoyance. But you could have been like a majority of the rest of us, and been at a job working. It all depends on how you look at things.

Well stated!

What he said.

Forgot to mention the lady I meet in the Bull Moose bar during the three days I spent in Alpine , WY..... Success

No wonder you didn't get no bears . They don't hang out at the BullMoose bar, only Cougars hang out there.

Sounds like one of them caught you!

James was a lot of fun & is a fine handgun shot as well. One day while we were doing some long range shooting in the canyon along the Bear River I handed him my custom 5 shot 480 using 385 gr. HP's & told him where to hold on a river rock at 275 yds, iron sights. After shooting just over it with the first shot he pounded it with the next four, turned & said @^$%*!, wow! He's used the bullet before but not the gun but he was very handy with it, he loved shooting long range out to over 400 yds, explaining that he had never done it before, we'll do it again.

Dick

Ohhh...so THAT is why it is called hunting...

I hunt the WY side of that area. That's my favorite place to hunt bear and I try to make it over there every fall when the huckleberries are ripe. (Personally haven't done much good in that area in the spring)

Back in the day when they were still cutting timber in that area I used to average seeing a bear a day!!!!!! It was awesome hunting...........not so much any more but I still enjoy going over there.

I had a very similar experience (bullet failure) on a huge blonde bear in the Clearwater almost fifteen years ago. Still think about it, but there have been other bears since to salve that memory, and every trip is another chance! I don't think there is a "Bull Moose" in that area (LOL).