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daughters first, pics added

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daughters first, pics added

Postby ishy » 05 31, 2020 •  [Post 1]

Daughter got first big game animal bear with a muzzleloader. She did great, packed,patiently waited for right shot. It only made it 30 yards and piled up. Got it on video, but have to finish my season before putting it together.
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Re: daughters first

Postby Lefty » 06 01, 2020 •  [Post 2]

Post some pics and a you tube link
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Re: daughters first

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 01, 2020 •  [Post 3]

Sounds like "bear down" to me ;)
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Re: daughters first

Postby Swede » 06 01, 2020 •  [Post 4]

Congratulations to your daughter and yourself. Tell us all about it when you get the time.
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Re: daughters first

Postby Elkhunttoo » 06 03, 2020 •  [Post 5]

Congrats...post a link when your done
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Re: daughters first

Postby ishy » 06 05, 2020 •  [Post 6]

Sorry about pics, they are on my phone and it's old enough it is quite the hassle to transfer and resize. So Brooke is 14 (I have 3 girls) has always been into hunting. She loves the Full Draw Tour and has been going with me the last 6 years. She has always loved 3d shoots. But she has been our biggest complainer about on any hike, the bugs, the temp, the length etc... So I have not been in a hurry to let her hunt. She recently shot my cva and really enjoyed it. I asked if she had an interest in shooting a bear? "YA!" was the instant response. Given we live in Idaho and can bait, I have always thought it a perfect starter for new hunters (My opinion may have changed since! More on that later.) They can have a set shot distance, take their time, etc...
So we started baiting. She did better than she has on any hike. A little more motivation and excitement seem to be a game changer for the good. Our baits aren't a cake walk to get too in steep North Idaho country that include crossing a difficult creek (very difficult in first few weeks of the new run off) in waders. First sit she got to see the bear she ended up taking for about 30 minutes as it circled and never came in. It was also her first time sitting in a tree stand. Again a pretty difficult thing to do, it's hard to climb in and out of and sitting any length of time can get old in a hurry. She handled it all like a champ! We sat again middle of the day once just because it was the only time I could bait with my schedule. The third night I just knew it was going to be a good night. The bait had been hammered for over a week. The bear showed up at 7 just 10 yards behind the bait. Brooke was busy taking selfies when I tapped her, "Bear!" She quickly came back to the job at hand, but the bear quietly walked away. The next 45 minutes the bugs got bad, and she was busy swatting and I had to keep telling her that it would come back, but she needed to hold still. Then it showed again, circled below the bait and started in. I watched carefully and when I was sure there were no cubs I tapped her head twice indicating it was legal. I let her choose when to shoot. The bear testing her patience walked into the bait and plopped down facing us. Then sat up, turned slightly, I saw her raise the Muzzleloader and wait...pulled the hammer back and POOF! It only went 30 yards and piled up. She was all smiles. I could tell she was loving it, but after she got down and I was getting the packs and gun ready to send down out of the tree I could see her dancing on the ground and I knew she was hooked.
Pics and video will follow, like I said I have trouble juggling all the cameras, trail cameras, and video camera and cards. This year has been extra challenging as my cards seem to all need reformatting as my gear is ancient. My next sit Brooke didn't make and I'm kinda glad as a cub made its way up my tree with mom below snapping and snarling. I'm not sure how she would have handled that, not sure any of us know till we are in it. Not sure if I should keep filming or grab my sidearm, but filmed as best I could in the moment.
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Re: daughters first

Postby Swede » 06 06, 2020 •  [Post 7]

ishy wrote:I have always thought it a perfect starter for new hunters (My opinion may have changed since! More on that later.)


I figured for sure she would hear the bear going through its death moans and that was the turn off. I am pleased she either did not experience them, or better that she was not bothered by it.
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Re: daughters first

Postby ishy » 06 08, 2020 •  [Post 8]

Actually no, she was ear to ear grin. Her reaction is great through out even the death moan. I had a bit of tense moments my next time sitting as a cub came up my tree with a very upset mom below! Not sure that would have been the best for a newbie to experience. My buddy also had one come up to his tree snapping and growling and never went to the bait for over 30 minutes just overly aggressive. Not sure how my daughter would've reacted. Maybe I'm overthinking it and she may have loved having a tiny fur ball just on the other side of the tree from her?
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Re: daughters first

Postby Lefty » 06 14, 2020 •  [Post 9]

Great story and memory

Im also the dad of three girls. All three had hunted and enjoy hunt trips.

One is quite the huntress and fisherman
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Re: daughters first

Postby ishy » 07 01, 2020 •  [Post 10]

P1050932 small.png
P1050932 small.png (855.89 KiB) Viewed 5012 times
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Re: daughters first

Postby ishy » 07 01, 2020 •  [Post 11]

P1050950 small.jpg
P1050950 small.jpg (295.61 KiB) Viewed 5012 times

So mine was a toad of a sow. I had to watch it for an hour because it came in and just laid across the logs we strategically placed to make them come in broadside. It finally turned broadside I checked both my cameras were running and let it have it. For the record if you haven't shot bears their vitals are farther back than ungulates. If you ever hunt bear save yourself some grief and aim 4-6 inches behind the shoulder! They are not deer or elk. Mine only went 10 yards and died in just seconds. Since I started aiming back I haven't had one go more than 40 yards. You hear lots of horror stories on how hard they are to kill-its because most don't hit vitals aiming like we do for elk.
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Re: daughters first, pics added

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 07 02, 2020 •  [Post 12]

Excellent! Congrats to Bryan and Brooke on their bears this year. Is the young hunter getting a rug made out of her first bear? It looks like it has a nice coat.
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Re: daughters first, pics added

Postby Swede » 07 02, 2020 •  [Post 13]

Good job hunters. You should both be proud.
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Re: daughters first, pics added

Postby Elkhunttoo » 07 05, 2020 •  [Post 14]

Nice!!! Thanks for the explanation too.
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