A couple of firsts (WARNING....there is blood).

[durangodds]

My son shot this bear on Wednesday night at 62 yards. She came out right at the end of legal shooting light. She was quartering towards us and he placed the shot at the base of her neck inside the near shoulder. She dropped like you'd dropped a grand piano on her. Not bad for 12 years old.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa184/durangodds/zachsbear08.jpg



The next night, Thursday I shot one of my own. This was the first animal I've killed with my bow. I shot him at 12 yards through both lungs. He ran 14 yards and piled up dead.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa184/durangodds/mybear08.jpg

[Haggis]

Well Done! Congrats to both you and your boy! I bet that your house was full of excitement those nights. Mmmm...bear burgers...bear roast...bear steaks...

What rifle and calibre was you're boy shooting?

[durangodds]

What rifle and calibre was you're boy shooting?

He is still shooting the 7mm-08 with the 120 grain Barnes TSX bullet. That thing just kills everything it touches. I'm going to carry the same thing on my elk hunt in October I like it so much.

[toyrunner95]

Why?



Don't get me wrong, i'm not against hunting. I was just wondering if it was hunting season or what?

[durangodds]

Why?
I really didn't think I would have to justify bear hunting when I posted on the Sportsman forum, and I still don't. Start another thread on "why hunt bears" if you would like.




Don't get me wrong, i'm not against hunting. I was just wondering if it was hunting season or what?
Of course it was the season. I've never shot anything out of season, and if I did I certainly wouldn't post it on the internet.

[Haggis]

He is still shooting the 7mm-08 with the 120 grain Barnes TSX bullet. That thing just kills everything it touches. I'm going to carry the same thing on my elk hunt in October I like it so much.

My dad was the first to get the 7mm-08 for my daughter and is it ever an impressive round. We were hoping that Allison would land a PA elk tag this year to test her 7mm-08 on an elk, but unfortunately nobody from the Clan got lucky enough to get drawed. No elk meat this year.

[toyrunner95]

sorry, i didnt mean to anger anyone. you just didnt say that you were hunting. but i guess i should have figured that. sorry bout that.

[Tanto]

Excellent work.

I hope to have my kids out when they are older. The bonding my dad and I had is unforgettable. I've never been bear hunting, kinda different when the game can eat you. :eek:

[pskhaat]

...if I did I certainly wouldn't post it on the internet.

Ah c'mon we know how you really feel about them'thar bears.

[Funrover]

So what tie can I show up for dinner? :sombrero:

[durangodds]

Ah c'mon we know how you really feel about them'thar bears.

Ya, it's true I used to despise them. After studying all I could about them for the past couple of years in an effort to kill one I've come to have a lot more respect for them. They're very cool creatures, awesome to hunt, and absolutely beautiful up close.

[MaddBaggins]

Nice! I've never had bear meat, but I hear it's pretty good.

I've got an cow elk tag for december. Getting pretty excited about that one.

[GaryMc]

You plan on eating it?

[net4n6]

What does bear meat taste like? More like beef or pork? or chicken? everything taste like chicken.

[Haggis]

What does bear meat taste like? More like beef or pork? or chicken? everything taste like chicken.

Bear meat is a richer flavor than beef but is a lot like it in texture. It is our families favorite meat and if we serve bear burgers or roast beside venison or beef, the bear will be gone first. Bear meat can be ruined by folks that don't take proper care of their kill, such as driving around to all the bars and their buddies houses to show off instead of getting the animal properly skinned and dressed and letting it cool down. We tend towards treating a bear carcass like we were butchering a cow. Also you should never let the outside (the hairy side) of the hide come into contact with the flesh as there is a musky oil in the hair that can taint the flavor of the meat, especially when dealing with a big boar. Like all game meats, proper care and butchering makes all the difference in the quality of the meat. Just ask some of the guys from our Monongahela '07 trip about how good bear is. I served them Moose steaks and Bear stew for dinner one night and it was gone in a flash.

Self edit: I'm down to 1 bear roast and 1 package of bear burger, I wish I had 2 bears sittting in my freezer right now, but I've got to wait to November before I can go hunt one of those tasty critters.

[durangodds]

You are the 4th person I know who has told me it's their favorite meat. I took great care of both of these so they should be excellent. Would you mind pm'ing me some recipes or post them here. I want to get it right on the first try as my wife is pretty nervous about it as she has heard nothing but negative.

[Haggis]

You are the 4th person I know who has told me it's their favorite meat. I took great care of both of these so they should be excellent. Would you mind pm'ing me some recipes or post them here. I want to get it right on the first try as my wife is pretty nervous about it as she has heard nothing but negative.

We cook it just like beef or elk. Simple rub of salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic with extra virgin olive oil and roast or grill to your liking. Steaks done in a wine marinade are great and the burgers are simply salt and pepper and grilled to perfection. Bear gravy is awesome over some yukon gold 'taters. Good gravy this is making me hungry just thinking about it....Assure your wife that it's going to be great. Tales of bear meat being bad are usaully from people who don't know how to handle game, can't cook or are talking out the wrong hole " Bear meat..fart..is...fart...inedible...FAARTTT."

[BigAl]

Who's is bigger? Hope the boy's:sombrero: Great story, great pics.

[durangodds]

The boy's was just slightly bigger. The taxidermist thought they were the same age while the DOW thought mine was younger. We'll find out in a year when they post the data on line.

Mine is the prettier of the two though.