Official PAFOA Harvest Thread (WARNING may be considered graphic by some)

[bogey1]

A friend of mine got a 7pter last night. He said it ran 20yrds, here is the reason it
only ran 20yrds. This is the way to do it if you ask me. I dont know how to load the pic of the deer
from my phone, but this came from my email.

[Gyoas759]

He shot it in PA?

[bogey1]

He shot it in PA?

Yes, chester county.

[Gyoas759]

Finally got my first bear!

On the opener it was foggy in the morning, windy and rain snow mixed in the afternoon. Poor hunting conditions. Only saw 3 deer and a few grouse.

Second day I ranged out a few miles into the mountains to a low spot on the mountain top where I could look into a flat bench beneath me and a hollow to my right. Winds were 45mph much of the day and Temps were high 20s and low 30s. I figured I was wasting my time but still determined to enjoy some scenery and quiet time.

As the sun set the winds calmed some and about half an hour before dark, I turn to check the side hill above the bench and see a bear walk behind a tree about 100 yards to my left. I pull up my rifle on my "shooting stick" (a forked stick about 4 feat long) and get it in my cross hairs. Boom! The bear turned and rolled over and fell about 10 yards down into a tangle of mountain laurel. I was about to put a second round into it but it got up too quickly and ran/crashed straight down the mountain. I could hear the crashing for the next 30 seconds at least and then the mountain was silent again. I walked the distance to where the bear had been and found blood.

Sent my wife a message letting her know I would not be home as early as planned. With darkness coming and the bear a long ways off I started tracking. Had good blood and the bear had not bothered to go around any obstacles. There was a pretty obvious swath of destruction where it had charged through. There were live laurel plants an inch and a half thick snapped clear off. Took me more than an hour to get toward the bottom of the mountain into the thick hemlocks where I hoped to find it. Now pitch black I was moving with a flashlight and nearing a creek. I eased in thinking with the amount of blood I'd seen that it should be piled up somewhere. In the creek bed I found where it had bedded, then moved down the creek. As I jumped down into the gulch I could hear rocks rolling somewhere beneath me. It was somehow still alive. I decided to sit and wait an hour before going any farther. I clicked the flashlight off to save the battery. Half an hour went by and I heard more rocks moving down the creek bed and reset my hour count down.

Sitting in a dark mountain creek bed, alone and near a wounded bear... I can tell you holds a variety of feelings and emotions. Exhilaration at being so near success, worried that the animal I have pursued for 2 decades my get away. That the blood would dry up and I would leave the mountains having only injured a bear. Real, primitive, instinct of being alone in the dark and the adrenaline on a hair trigger knowing a large predator is very near. A little scary but your mind, body and instincts are so alive. Finally after sitting on the same damp log in the dark for an hour and a half, I clicked the light on and started trailing it down the creekbed. It was 8pm now. 3 hours since i pulled the trigger and 2 1/2 hours after dark. It was slow going down the creek with Moss covered rocks and dead falls all over. 80 yards or so more and my light illuminated something dark by a log down the creekbed.

I eased forward with the gun ready and found it laying just below an outcropping of rocks. This time when I threw a stick and rock it did not move. 20 years since I started hunting this place and I finally have my first bear.



It took three of us nearly 4 hours of dragging and the aid of utility cart to get it out of the mountains and loaded in the back of my subaru legacy. My son and I took it to the check station as required so the game commission can get their information. It weighed 284lbs dressed with an estimated live weight of 335lbs which is pretty large for a mountain bear.



Couldn'tbe more thrilled to have it.

[bogey1]

A friend of mine got a 7pter last night. He said it ran 20yrds, here is the reason it
only ran 20yrds. This is the way to do it if you ask me. I dont know how to load the pic of the deer
from my phone, but this came from my email.

20inch tall antlers.

[Daycrawler]

Finally got my first bear!


Couldn'tbe more thrilled to have it.

Nice Bear you earned it!

[ar15jules]

No picture to put up, but I harvested a doe in NY the day before Thanksgiving. I was using a Ruger American compact in .243 that I purchased for my daughter to use in PA. The 90 grain Nosler ballistic tip did a fantastic job at 125 yards. She took two steps and was down. I was impressed with its performance. I found myself wishing that the rifle and scope combination were mine. It is very light and a joy to carry. Hopefully, I can post some pics of my daughter with her first deer come Monday. Good luck to everyone and be safe.

[God's Country]

Finally got my first bear!



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Couldn'tbe more thrilled to have it.

Couldn't be more thrilled for you!
That is a nice bear for around here.
What caliber lever gun is that?

[ar15jules]

Great job on the bear Gyoas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gyoas759]

The rifle is a marlin 336c 30-30. Shooting 170gr remington core lokt. They did the job just fine. Eventually I want to put up the money for a 1895sbl in 45-70 for bear just to give a little wider margin for error. But 30-30 certainly does the job.