Now I'm not very happy about my bear!!

dcw17 · #1 05-19-2015, 10:24 PM

For the first time I decided to put some effort into harvesting a spring bear. I put a thread on the forum about eating bear. I was really looking forward to try it. I had a friend help me set up a bait site north of Athabasca.
So this weekend I took a five and a half foot blackie. I was pumped. My first bear, the first animal I took with my bow. I was excited to say the least. My plan was to tube skin the bear and have it tanned to hang on my wall. It smelled pretty bad, but I thought it was normal bear smell. I skinned the hind in the dark so I could gut it out and finish the rest at home. When I hung it and finished skinning it I found a broken arrow and arrow head in the bears neck!!
it smelled so bad, it was rotting on the inside. Needless to say I'm not going to eat an infected animal. When I turn the skin back out the fur was falling off the skin around the wound.

So there you have it my first bear hunt ruined by another hunter that was a crappy shot. No meat, no good fur!!!

PLEASE STOP SHOOTING BEARS IN THE NECK!!!!
It doesn't always work
Rant over
Thanks

J0HN_R1 · #2 05-19-2015, 10:58 PM

Sh!tty deal... Better luck next time.

Redfrog · #3 05-19-2015, 11:07 PM

Had the same thing with a calf moose a couple seasons ago.

Toad tip for the day. You need to get bears skinned ASAP or the hair slips, and I mean ASAP.

I've never tubed a bear, but I think it would take longer than I'd want to .I've skinned lots of bears but not tubed, so I could be wrong.

CBintheNorth · #4 05-19-2015, 11:50 PM

Crappy deal for sure, but what makes you think someone intentionally shot it in the neck?
Was the arrow sticking in head-on? If so, perhaps who ever shot it was doing so in self defence?
Lots of scenarios, hunt long enough and you'll probably experience some yourself.

On the bright side, you have an active bait, a second tag available, and the best part of the season just getting started.
Congrats on your first critter with the bow.

C Taylor · #5 05-20-2015, 05:36 AM

Best part of baiting bears is that you can take your time an check the bear out before you shoot it. Bears can also have rubbed patches on the fur that can spoil a hides look

dj240 · #6 05-20-2015, 05:46 AM

The same thing happened to a buddy of mine. He shot a wall hanger mule buck, we thought he was real stinky. Got to skining him and found the whole brisket full of puss. He survived a bad shot to far farward in the brisket and was slowly rotting. Thankfully my friend seemed to put him out of his misery. F & W issued him another tag.

H380 · #7 05-20-2015, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj240

The same thing happened to a buddy of mine. He shot a wall hanger mule buck, we thought he was real stinky. Got to skining him and found the whole brisket full of puss. He survived a bad shot to far farward in the brisket and was slowly rotting. Thankfully my friend seemed to put him out of his misery. F & W issued him another tag.

Did F&W allow him to keep the head ? Congrats to Original poster of this thread on your first with a bow . Just know that mistakes happen in hunting . Good luck on another

58thecat · #8 05-20-2015, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H380

Did F&W allow him to keep the head ? Congrats to Original poster of this thread on your first with a bow . Just know that mistakes happen in hunting . Good luck on another

Yeah it happens in all forms of hunting. Hopefully you contacted F&W and they let you keep the head.

H380 · #9 05-20-2015, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Yeah it happens in all forms of hunting. Hopefully you contacted F&W and they let you keep the head.

not trying to derail this thread on bear, but no , in my case they said decide which you want , the meat or the head . Not a tough choice , the warden took the carcass and left me with the head

Talking moose · #10 05-20-2015, 07:23 AM

Crappy deal. But s____ happens. Lots of time from the time you decide to release and arrow impact. Bear could of decided to move at that instant. Maybe it was a spot and stalk and an unseen twig deflected the arrow. Nobody aims for the neck on a bow shot. Again, crappy deal, but s___ happens out there. Could of happened to you and some other hunter could be writing this post ranting on other hunters.

ATE · #11 05-20-2015, 07:30 AM

sorry about the loss/congrats on the kill. It was actually really good that you where able to connect with that bear and put it down though... If you saved the skin and it was only slipping at the infected wound it would probably leave you with only a small bald spot on the finished tan, but I wouldn't eat it.

But yes I strongly recommend always field skinning bears, I've also never tube skinned one, but they are so fat and the body stays so hot that it will spoil fast if you don't get it cool immediately.

edmhunter · #12 05-20-2015, 08:03 AM

Lost a moose once to the same thing, the moose had an arrow sticking out of his ribcage, which I did not realize until I walked up to it.

He stunk really bad and we we opened him up his whole side was greenish and his stunk to high heaven, pretty sure he had gangrene, and he would have died pretty soon.

All the meat stunk and we could not use any of it. That poor moose was suffering, so in the end I am happy that I put it out of it's misery.

What also surprised me is that the bow shot placement was hot entirely bad, but the penetration was not that deep.

Diamondhitch · #13 05-20-2015, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H380

not trying to derail this thread on bear, but no , in my case they said decide which you want , the meat or the head . Not a tough choice , the warden took the carcass and left me with the head

I shot a 193" mulie years ago with the same problem and was told I could either have another tag or the rack, not both. Easy choice, that deer looks great on my wall.

fish_e_o · #14 05-20-2015, 09:25 AM

perhaps someone here could share their meat so you could try some?

i might find some time and someone who wants a hide. if i do that i'll go plug one and give you a few roasts

AB2506 · #15 05-21-2015, 07:21 AM

It happens. Stop whining.

Get the skull cleaned. That in itself is a great trophy.

Grizzly Adams · #16 05-21-2015, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AB2506

It happens. Stop whining.

Get the skull cleaned. That in itself is a great trophy.

x2 and a new tag, still time and the tag will be good for Fall.

Grizz

walnut12ga · #17 05-21-2015, 04:15 PM

Try again, you might be lucky next time

H380 · #18 05-22-2015, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

x2 and a new tag, still time and the tag will be good for Fall.

Grizz

I'd be surprised if they give you a new tag and let you keep the skull ... maybe , maybe not .

diamond k · #19 05-22-2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diamondhitch

I shot a 193" mulie years ago with the same problem and was told I could either have another tag or the rack, not both. Easy choice, that deer looks great on my wall.

Same here 2 years ago keep the head and burn the tag or get a new tag was the message from F&W officer in Edmonton. They kept the deer and sent it in for testing and CO phoned me back and said that it was determined deer had suffered internal injuries most likely by a collision with a car at some point.

I kept the head and called it a year.

dcw17 · #20 05-26-2015, 06:42 PM

So I got my second tag went back in. Had two bears on the bait when I walked in. Both to small to shoot. Watched them feed from about 25 yards away. It was cool to watch till one of the bears got up and limped away!! I checked my trail cam for pics and sure enough this bear had been shot in the shoulder. Someone in my area isn't practicing there archery skills!!!

Hopefully I can get on another bear this weekend wish me luck!!

dcw17 · #21 05-26-2015, 06:45 PM

By the way I'm keeping the first bear. I'm getting the skull done and the hide done. Bald spot and all. Its still my first bow kill !!!!

Grizzly Adams · #22 05-26-2015, 07:48 PM

Good Luck.

Grizz

CBintheNorth · #23 05-27-2015, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcw17

So I got my second tag went back in. Had two bears on the bait when I walked in. Both to small to shoot. Watched them feed from about 25 yards away. It was cool to watch till one of the bears got up and limped away!! I checked my trail cam for pics and sure enough this bear had been shot in the shoulder. Someone in my area isn't practicing there archery skills!!!

Hopefully I can get on another bear this weekend wish me luck!!

Does the picture show an arrow sticking out? Would be interesting to see that picture, would you mind posting it?

SBE2 · #24 05-27-2015, 03:38 PM

It was cool to watch till one of the bears got up and limped away!! I checked my trail cam for pics and sure enough this bear had been shot in the shoulder. Someone in my area isn't practicing there archery skills!!!
[/QUOTE]

Nothing says it was an archer with a poor shot, or that it was even a bullet or an arrow. Could have easily been inflicted from another bear, and more likely I would think. Just saying...

HowSwedeItIs · #25 05-27-2015, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBE2

Nothing says it was an archer with a poor shot, or that it was even a bullet or an arrow. Could have easily been inflicted from another bear, and more likely I would think. Just saying...

So you're going to try and tell a guy what he saw?

Grizzly Adams · #26 05-27-2015, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBE2

It was cool to watch till one of the bears got up and limped away!! I checked my trail cam for pics and sure enough this bear had been shot in the shoulder. Someone in my area isn't practicing there archery skills!!!

Nothing says it was an archer with a poor shot, or that it was even a bullet or an arrow. Could have easily been inflicted from another bear, and more likely I would think. Just saying...[/QUOTE]

Lousy archery shots are actually quite common, one reason I never got into it. Shot placement is much more critical than with a bullet, good news is an animal is much more likely to survive it.

Grizz

dcw17 · #27 05-27-2015, 07:10 PM

No there was no arrow sticking out that's just silly. The hair on the shoulder was matted and wet, just like the neck on the bear I took. If I had to guess I would say both bears got shot from to far away. On my bear the arrow was only about four inches in the neck. Even a 40# bow at 20 yards would have gone deeper then that. I shoot 65# and my arrow broke the opposite shoulder at 20 yards. Shooting further would also explain the poor arrow placement.