1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation podcast network powered by 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Interstate Batteries from your truck to your trail camera. Interstate 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: Batteries as you covered. Visit your local Interstate Batteries store 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: today or online at Interstate Batteries dot com. Interstate Batteries 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: outrageously Dependable. My name is Clay Nukeleman. I'm the host 6 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: of the Bear Hunting Magazine Podcast. I'll also be your 7 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: host into the world of hunting, the icon of North 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: American wilderness and bear. We'll talk about tactics, gear conservation. 9 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: Will also bring you into some of the wildest country 10 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: on the planet. Chasing bar. Welcome to the Bear Hunting 11 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: Magazine Podcast. It's October the first, and if you hear 12 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: the hum of a Silverado Motors Altra entires, it's because 13 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: I'm recording this podcast alone in my truck. I'm headed 14 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: to Southeast Oklahoma today. Is uh Is it almost a 15 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: sacred day for me? October one has been the Oklahoma 16 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: opener for several years now, and I look forward to 17 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: it as much as any date on the calendar. I 18 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: truly do so. I'm I'm heading to the red Neck Blind. 19 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: Some of you may have been watching the watching the 20 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: Bare Hunting Magazine YouTube channel and seeing our vlogs. But 21 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: back in August, we put up a red neck blind 22 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: in southeast Oklahoma on private land. We can bait bears 23 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: on private land and in Oklahoma in four different counties. 24 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: And I put up this red neck blind on a 25 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: any on a proven property. And now it wasn't new 26 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,559 Speaker 1: actual bait side. I'd never baited in that particular spot, 27 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: but I had baited bears within let's say five yards 28 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: of there, so it was close enough that we knew 29 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: that it would be inconsequential in terms of drawing in bears. 30 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: But it was a new bait site. Put up a 31 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: redneckline because because there this site had this place had 32 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: proven to hold big bears year in and year out. 33 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: There were usually some really big, over mature mail bears 34 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: that would be that would be utilizing the bait. But 35 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: they're always super hard to kill. And usually what happens 36 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: is if they are coming in in the daytime when 37 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: the season rolls around, they just know the system and 38 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: they know to scent check these baits and and and 39 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: basically they'll get down on wind of debait. They'll smell 40 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: a human in there and they won't come in and 41 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: you won't kill them. There's you know, as a white 42 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: tail hunter, sometimes you think, well, why don't you just 43 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: get the wind right? Well, this really is a unique 44 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: situation and you're and you're dealing with an animal that 45 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: I don't want to say the reason more than a 46 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: white tail deer because I don't know that an animal 47 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: really reasons. But you're not dealing with a white tail deer. 48 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 1: You're dealing with an animal that's coming to a specific spot. 49 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: You're dealing with an animal that knows there's a human involved. 50 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: Like when we come in and bait, we're not trying 51 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: to hide our human presence on this particular bait. We 52 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: drive right up to the bait, we get out, we're sweating, 53 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: we're handling the food that we're feeding these bears. So 54 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: these bears know that there's a human involved. They know it, 55 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: and so the trick is is too on the day 56 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: you hunt, convince them that there is no human there. 57 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: And from a tree stand, that's pretty hard because these 58 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: big bears, they know the city, them their scent, checking 59 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: these baits, and in the mountains of southeast Oklahoma and 60 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: the mountains of Arkansas. I have yet to hunt a 61 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: mountain area where the winds weren't variable. I mean, if 62 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: the wind is predominantly out of the southwest and you've 63 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:22,039 Speaker 1: got your stand set up accordingly to blow your scent 64 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: away from the bait, well that's just the direction the 65 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: bears come from. They they really play the wind. Well, 66 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: so this red Neck blind, it's a big one. It's 67 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: the Buck Palace. It's been up for two months. The 68 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: bears don't mind it. The bears have not torn it up. 69 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,119 Speaker 1: The bears have climbed up the ladder and they've messed 70 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: with it, but they have not hurt the blind in 71 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: any way, which was a big question going into this 72 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: this hunt, because what the bears just shredded. Bears are 73 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: notorious for shredding anything that is a patrolling based product, 74 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: like a blind that has a rubber on it. If 75 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: you if you left a uh four wheeler set out 76 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: at that bait site, even though they know it's not food, 77 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: there's no calip caloric value inside that seat, they would 78 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 1: just shred it. And we were uncertain of how they 79 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: would respond to it. But they have not bothered it 80 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: in the least. Now, granted we have not used the blind. 81 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: There's there's no human sent in there, there's no food 82 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: sent in there, there's nothing. We've just been in there 83 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: a very little time. So today I will be entering 84 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: the Redneck blind, and like the ARC, I'm gonna shut 85 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 1: the door and the hunt will be on. But the 86 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: reason for the Redneck is for scent containment. The Redneck 87 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: is not one hundred percent sent free because it it's 88 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: not an airtight box. I mean, you've got to breathe 89 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: inside of there. But I do believe that it reduces 90 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: your scent dramatically, dramatically. All the windows on that blind 91 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: are sealed with rubber gaskets. There is one small air 92 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: filter hole in the blind that's designed let it air 93 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: in and out. Uh. But I don't I don't think 94 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: it's gonna be enough two to alarm the bears. And 95 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,280 Speaker 1: you remember this bait site already. These bears, no, I mean, 96 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: these big old mature males. I mean they know the system, 97 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: they know those are human involved. They just want to 98 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: come in there when that human scent is dissipated enough 99 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: that they think that we're nowhere to be found. So 100 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: it I'm running a little bit late. It's currently about noon. 101 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: These bears are typically not coming in until the last 102 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: hour of daylight. And we're on a once in a 103 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: decade pattern right out with these bears in Oklahoma. We've 104 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: been hunting this property since so let's see, we hunted 105 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: it fifteen sixteen, seventeen eighteen, so this is the fourth 106 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: year that we've hunted it and the first year that 107 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: we hunted it. These two bears that are coming in 108 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: right now were there. We call them yellow Tag and Batman. 109 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: Yellow Tag was a big, big bear with two yellow 110 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: air tags. And the other bear his ears curled out 111 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: in a unique way and he looked like Batman. To 112 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: meat called him Batman. Both these bears big males. I'm 113 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: not gonna tell you what I think they weigh and 114 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: felt just a little bit later, But that first year 115 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: we baited it was almost like the honeymoon phase of 116 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: this property. And the bears didn't They just kind of 117 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,119 Speaker 1: felt like they found a bird nest on the ground 118 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: when they found our bait, and they treated it very, 119 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: very haphazardly. And any way, I actually let a friend 120 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: hunted that year and he he he wounded the Batman 121 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: bear to what I believe was batman bear shot him 122 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: lowing the brisket. The animal did not die, it was 123 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: just a flesh wound and he missed. Yellow Tag. Yep, 124 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: veteran bow hunter guy, have a ton of respect for 125 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: had never hunted bears, and both of these bears came 126 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: in the first day we ever hunted the property, and 127 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: at the time they were probably three fifty two four 128 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: hundred and over a little over four hundred, you know, 129 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: both these bears. Well, these bears have become like characters 130 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: at this bait side, and that's the cool thing about hunting, 131 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: these hunting bears over bait cameras out and bears are 132 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: quite distinguishable by many many things, coloration, muzzle color, body shape, um, 133 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: white patches on their chests, just their different features, just 134 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: like humans, they just all are a little bit different. 135 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: And so these bears have become mainstays at the spait. 136 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 1: But since that time, these bears have been unkillable, absolutely unkillable. 137 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: Nothing we've done has allowed us to to slip their radar. 138 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: Last year, my good buddy James Lawrence, I did not 139 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: hunt Oblama last year. Last year James hunted it and 140 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: he had Yellow Tag come in on the first day 141 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: that he hunted and the yellow tag smelled him and left. 142 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 1: So these bears are smart. But it is today's October one, 143 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: and as of yesterday, these bears were still pounding this bait. 144 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,199 Speaker 1: These bears ate roughly three pounds of bread in the 145 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: last two days. They've eaten a tremendous amount of food. 146 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: So they're really they're really doing what you want them 147 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: to do, which usually right now they're starting to fade 148 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:02,359 Speaker 1: off the baits when we start bating in early September, 149 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: these baits are these bears are coming out of a 150 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: stress period, which is the late summer when it's hot. 151 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: Bearris are dried up. It's a it's actually a stress period, 152 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: just like for white tails, and these bears will almost 153 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: need anything. A bear will be coming to bay. He'll 154 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: be there during the daytime. He'll be sleeping in front 155 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: of your barrel. And all these guys are sending me 156 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: pictures saying, man, I got a huge bear, What tax 157 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: german should I use? You know? And I I myself 158 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: have fallen for that trap before, is that man? Just 159 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: because you've got that bear coming in like crazy, even 160 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,439 Speaker 1: in mid September, it doesn't mean a thing. I'll tell you, 161 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: the only thing that counts in baiting bears in Arkansas 162 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: and Oklahoma is when you've got a bear in front 163 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: of you the day season opens. Because in twenty twenty, 164 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: well you know what we bought that we've we've been uh, 165 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 1: we've been bathing that property since fourteen because in Batman 166 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: and Yellow Tag we're coming in and two days before 167 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: season they left famished, never to be seen again. At 168 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,079 Speaker 1: that bait, I ended up taking a lesser bear that 169 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: was I believe a hundred pounds lighter than Yellow Tag 170 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: or Batman. So I actually harvested the bear that was 171 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: the lesser of those two. He weighed three d sixty 172 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,439 Speaker 1: pounds and had a skull score of twenty and eight sixteenths, 173 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: which made him qualify for the Boone and crock At 174 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: All Time awards. I mean a Boone and crock At bear. 175 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: So my biggest bear today has come from southeast Oklahoma 176 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: right here. And the bear, the biggest bear I've ever killed, 177 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: skull size is smaller than these two bears that I'm 178 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: on today. I want to back up, though, because I 179 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: got my dates wrong. My buddy at wounded Batman and 180 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: missed Yellow Tag that would have been. So we've now 181 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: been hunting the space for five years. So these two 182 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: bears are still here. And bears have a much longer 183 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: lifespan than a white tail. These bears can live twenty 184 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: five years. They really can't, and I don't I don't 185 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: know how old these bears are, but there, they're mature animals. 186 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: They've been around because they were big and mature five 187 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: years ago. So this is a tremendous I mean, my 188 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: my emotions almost don't really even know how to respond 189 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,959 Speaker 1: to a day like today. Um, it's it's so exciting 190 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: to me. But at the same time, I don't want 191 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: to get my hopes up too much because these bears 192 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: have given us a slip so many times. But today 193 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: is a great day. And man, I'm just grateful, absolutely 194 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: grateful that we can hunt bears in Oklahoma, that we've 195 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: got bears over there, and that I get to hunt 196 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: them as nonresident So for that I am. I am 197 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: truly grateful. So yesterday I was personally not able to 198 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: go over and bait. I wanted to go over there 199 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: and bait and check the cameras and really know exactly 200 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 1: what was going on. I wasn't able to do that 201 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: because I'll tell you why. Because we were tracking a 202 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: bear in Arkansas, and I want to tell you a 203 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: heartbreaking story and I just hit the high points. But 204 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:37,280 Speaker 1: in Arkansas, we gained access to a landlocked piece of 205 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: property that have basically has no roads to it. The 206 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 1: property has an old trail to it, but there's no 207 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: way to drive a four wheeler. There's no way to 208 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 1: drive a car now, so there's no roast of this property. 209 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: And it's surrounded by national forests, so you can't drive 210 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: a four wheeler to it. And we have been using 211 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: our rules to pack in bait, gained access. It's about 212 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: an our mule ride, our walk back in to this area, 213 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: and for whatever reason, I just had in my mind 214 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: that that's where I wanted to take my fifteen year 215 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: old daughter River this year. River is River kills a bear. 216 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: Two years ago Rivers killed the buck with her boat. 217 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 1: The river is really an outdoors won't she truly is? 218 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: She really loves hunting. She gets it. She's tough, there 219 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: is and I mean this, she is tough. There's if 220 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: I were going on like a you know, a five 221 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: mile backpack trip to do something like really hard, I 222 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: can't think of anybody else I'd rather take with me, 223 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: just in terms of bringing someone that wouldn't complain, that 224 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: wouldn't want to go home, that wouldn't get bored. I mean, 225 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: like she's she's a real deal and she loves bear hunting. Anyway, 226 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: about ten days before seasons when we gained access to 227 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: this property, which was pretty late, and we started baiting 228 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 1: the property. We took two mules in there, and we've 229 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 1: never been up to the property before. It's been a 230 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: long time since we've been there. I had I was 231 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: there once when I was younger. We get to the property, 232 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: we bade bears to put up our camera. The way down, 233 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 1: I've got two mules. We've got one riding saddle on Izzie, 234 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: my easie mule, and the river was pretty tired, and 235 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 1: and I said, hey, you want to ride the mule 236 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: down and I'll lead the other one. Because the other 237 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: one had a had a soft buck on it just 238 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: like pack saddle couldn't ride it. So I said, would 239 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: you like to ride Izzie down the mountain so you 240 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: don't have to walk? And she said yeah, And so 241 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: rivers a river is a pretty good rider. So river 242 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: gets on Izzie, but the River is not used to. 243 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: Is he is he as young? Is he's three years old? 244 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 1: And is he is now pretty fresh because she's had 245 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: this she's had all this weight on her back all 246 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: day and all of a sudden it's off of her 247 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: and then now rivers on her back. And I felt 248 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: like she was kind of spunky, almost like just fresh 249 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: out of the trailer, and she was acting a little spunky, 250 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: not bad, just spunky. And I was given I was 251 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: instructing River about what she should do. You know, hey, 252 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: don't let her push you around a lot of times. 253 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: For those of you who have not written equine animals much, 254 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: I mean a really just dead broke, old horse or 255 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: old mule might not act like this, but a young one, 256 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: you get on one fresh, they're they're kind of gonna 257 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: want to do what they want to do. They're not 258 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: necessarily gonna want to buck you off. That's not what 259 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: happened at all, but just just wanting to try, wanting 260 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: to go faster, wanting to go their way, and they 261 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: need an experience rider to just tell them and show 262 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: him whose boss. And so River was trying to do that. 263 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: We get a little ways down the trail and the 264 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: trail is brushed in, there's limbs, and so limbs are 265 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:19,680 Speaker 1: whacking river and and there. That's really not a problem. 266 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: But there was a limb about as big as your 267 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,479 Speaker 1: wrist that was hanging out that was gonna hit her 268 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: about in the chest when the mule was going under it. 269 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: And so when she saw it coming, she ducked off 270 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: to the side, grabbed the saddle horn with her hands, 271 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: dropped the reins and was just gonna go under the 272 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: limb and then pop back up and grab the reins. Well. 273 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: When she went unto the limb, I believe what happened 274 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: is she squeezed her legs to stay on the animal. 275 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:48,360 Speaker 1: When she squeezed her legs, that's the cue that I've 276 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: taught Izzie to to go faster. So as soon as 277 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: she kind of leans off the mule going to this limb, 278 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: the mule starts to trot well, River starts to lose 279 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: her balance. River squeezes her legs even harder. The mule 280 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:11,360 Speaker 1: starts to lope. They're going downhill in the woods. River 281 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: no longer has the reins in her hand, and she 282 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: is She never really regained her balance from stepping under 283 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: the limb and so I see all this happening, and 284 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 1: basically Ellie is running loping down a pretty steep incline 285 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: with the river just barely hanging on, and they basically 286 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: run out of sight, and I'm hollering and I run 287 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 1: after river. And as a as a father, this is 288 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: as it was happening. I knew this was the moment 289 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: that I thought would someday happen, but I prayed that 290 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: when it did, that God would be merciful to us. 291 00:18:57,680 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: And it was happening right before my eyes, almost as 292 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: slow motion. I mean, the river was totally out of control, 293 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 1: the mule was out of control, and this mountain is 294 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: littered in boulders, steep, rugged, rough, and it was, it was, 295 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: it was frightening. I run down the mountain and and 296 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: the last I had seen Izzy was kind of dropping 297 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,680 Speaker 1: over the horizon at the slope of this mountain. You 298 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,360 Speaker 1: could probably see fifty yards before the mountain just kind 299 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:36,919 Speaker 1: of crested down, and I see the mule running, and 300 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,879 Speaker 1: I see river coming off the side. I mean, I 301 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: see her just start to fall off the animal, remember 302 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: at like a full almost at a full gallop, I 303 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:53,239 Speaker 1: I don't know, And I crest over the hill, and 304 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:56,920 Speaker 1: I see the mule turned back towards me, looking up 305 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,360 Speaker 1: towards me, where their ears perked up, and no river. 306 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: And then I run a little bit further and I 307 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: see Rivers sprawled out in the woods on her back, 308 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: with her feet up the mountain, her head down the mountain, 309 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: and man, it scared me. She was obviously crying. I 310 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 1: run up to her. I tell her not to move. 311 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: I touch her neck, I touched her shoulders, I touch 312 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 1: all around on her legs. I knew that if I 313 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: if I touched something that was broken, that she would 314 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: be really that should be really sensitive to it. I 315 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: could not find anything that I believed was broken on her. 316 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,439 Speaker 1: The only thing is when I ran my head my 317 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: hand on the top of her head. My my hand 318 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: was covered in blood. So I just raised her head 319 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: ever so slightly, and she had just smashed her head 320 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 1: into a rock man. We who we sat there on 321 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: the ground. I got that, I got the mules tied 322 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: up and caught, and I just told her to lay there. 323 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: And we she laid there for probably solid ten, maybe 324 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes. I'll tell you exactly what we did. We prayed. 325 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: I just asked God to help her. I thank God 326 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: that she was alive, and uh, and I just kind 327 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: of lamented the decision that I had made as a 328 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:39,919 Speaker 1: father to let her ride down that mountain. And anyway 329 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: off the mountain we came. We still had another hour 330 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 1: to the truck. River said, was you know, she was 331 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 1: bleeding all down her head and all down her neck. 332 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,639 Speaker 1: So we go to the emergency room and the little 333 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: rural town we were near and spend a ton of 334 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: time at the e are a ridiculous amount of time actually, 335 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: and uh, she had eight staples in her head and 336 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: for not to be too gruesome, but the cut was 337 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: about two inches long on the back of her head 338 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 1: that you could actually see her skull. So River had 339 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,679 Speaker 1: a pretty major crash. They did a CT scan on 340 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: her and there was no there was no cracking the skull, 341 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,719 Speaker 1: there was no damage done to the actual brain. So 342 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,160 Speaker 1: River River really took it, took it in the face 343 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: on that one. So that was day one of our 344 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,400 Speaker 1: bear baiting on the mountain. We'll call it the pack 345 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: End Bait. So that was day one of our bear 346 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 1: baiting at the pack End Bait. Well season against to 347 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: roll around. I make it one other time up to 348 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: the mountain debait by myself. We had several bears coming 349 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: in there and opening day comes, which opening day in 350 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:01,640 Speaker 1: Arkansas was September. We had ter ricial rains come through 351 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: on September twenty one and two. To get to the 352 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: place where we had to across the river to hunt, 353 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: or to get to where we needed to park to hunt, 354 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: we had to cross a a stream. Well, the water 355 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: had risen so much that we could not cross the stream. 356 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: So on day one we couldn't even hunt our bait, 357 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,919 Speaker 1: and so the river and I said, you know, on 358 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: the first day when she banked up her head, we 359 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: said the mountain one Newcomb's ze Road. On day on 360 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,119 Speaker 1: the first day of the Arkansas season, when we were 361 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 1: unable to even get to the bait, we said mountain 362 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: to Newcomb's z Ro. On the on the second day 363 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,159 Speaker 1: of the season where we were able to cross the 364 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,120 Speaker 1: creek and go hunt on the mountain, and we went 365 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: up there check the camera. There was a big bear 366 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: that had been coming in at night at a time 367 00:23:57,119 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: or two late in the evening, and it was a 368 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: big bear, I mean like a four hundred four fifty 369 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:08,639 Speaker 1: maybe even bigger type four and river decided that she 370 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: wanted to wait for that bear, and so she did, 371 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: and she passed seven bears on opening day at that 372 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: bait site, and not a single one of those bears 373 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: was over about a hundred and eighty pounds. So she 374 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 1: passed all those bears, and it was an amazing day 375 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: in the stand when there was hardly a ten minutes 376 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,880 Speaker 1: section where we weren't watching bears. You'll, you'll, you'll have 377 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: hunts like that in Canada. You rarely have hunts like 378 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 1: that down here. Most of are hunting over bait. Here 379 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: in Arkansas is you're seeing one or two bears, and 380 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 1: you're usually seeing them at last life. You usually don't 381 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: just get the viewing opportunity like you would and Canada. 382 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you go to Canada on a really good high, 383 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:55,160 Speaker 1: you're gonna see a lot of bears. You gonna watch 384 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: a lot of bears. But not so here. I mean, 385 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: we're we are usually by open day, we are usually 386 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: hunting the juvenile stragglers because our season dates are set 387 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: up such that older mature mails are typically gone from 388 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:11,159 Speaker 1: the bates or they're nocturnal by the time season opens. 389 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 1: And it's what it's done in Arkansas has it's it's 390 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: created a culture where a guys shoot the first bearer 391 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 1: that they see. I really wish the game departments would 392 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: move our seasons back to where they originally were. Originally 393 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: they opened on September for many many years, and it 394 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: really doesn't make sense. The numbers don't add up. I 395 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: think it's an issue of convenience, but we need to 396 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,159 Speaker 1: get that earlier opener in order to harvest older, mature 397 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: mails because we're building the hanging culture where we're just 398 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:44,280 Speaker 1: killing juveniles. And uh, I mean I haven't seen the 399 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,640 Speaker 1: staff in a few years, but most of the bears 400 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 1: killed in Arkansas are two and three year old bears. 401 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: I would like to see us manage for I mean, 402 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: there's no wildlife that you really want to manage in 403 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,040 Speaker 1: that way, But for some reason, that's the way we're 404 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: managing our bearers here in Arkansas. And there's more to it. 405 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: It's complex, but there's not much more to it. And uh, 406 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: I would like to see that change in Arkansas. That 407 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: would that would help us, and it would also help 408 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: it would also help if we had an earlier season 409 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: date to begin to educate the public about how did 410 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: not shoot the first animal that comes to the barrel. 411 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: Don't shoot juveniles. Don't shoot juvenile females. Don't if you 412 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: know it's a sou do your best and not shoot that. 413 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: Soal now, right now, guys to shoot the first animal 414 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: to the barrel. And there's kind of a there's kind 415 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: of a a group of guys in the state that 416 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: are really targeting these older mature males, and we're frustrated 417 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: as we can be, but there's no shortage of them, 418 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 1: but they're very, very difficult to kill. So day one 419 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 1: and the packing bait comes and goes, and the river 420 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: didn't fire an era. We had to go to school 421 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,600 Speaker 1: the whole week. But on Saturday, the next Saturday, which 422 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 1: I believe would have been September, we went back to 423 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: the packing bait. I had been able to go in 424 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: there one other time in bait, and when I did, 425 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: the bears have been pound on the bait. So i'd 426 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: September twenty seven. River Izzy and I go to the 427 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 1: top of the mountain and we get there and we 428 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: checked the card and what happened is one of the 429 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: most exciting things that can happen in hunting. It truly 430 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,159 Speaker 1: is I mean, this is why I hunt part of 431 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: it aside from wildlife related commodities that we that we 432 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: get that we used throughout the year. But we checked 433 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,879 Speaker 1: the camera and there had been a whopper bear in 434 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: there that day, that morning, and it had found the 435 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: bait that morning, and it was a four plus pound 436 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: mail bear, and the evening before a second four pound 437 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: plus color phase bear, and this bear maybe four fifty 438 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,239 Speaker 1: had been in there in the daylight. So basically what 439 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: I'm saying is there were two four pound plus males, 440 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: different bears that had been to that bait in the 441 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 1: daylight in the last twenty four hours that the first 442 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: bear at the bear we'll call him number one, We'll 443 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: call him Hippo bear. He had a big, old, saggy 444 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,120 Speaker 1: belly and sway back. He had been in there through night. 445 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 1: At at like almost ten o'clock that morning, he was 446 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: still feeding at the bait. We get there at one o'clock, 447 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: so I mean just three hours before he had been there. 448 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:36,919 Speaker 1: We knew he was close, We knew that he had 449 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: found the bay and he liked it. He hadn't been 450 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: spooked off by anything, and this was his first time 451 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: to the bait. Was that morning when you roll into 452 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: a situation like that. That is a very favorable situation 453 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: for that bear to return that evening. I mean, we 454 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: just knew it was gonna happen. Climb up in the tree, 455 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: was running an osonics, two of us in the tree. 456 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: Not much we can do for scent control, and that 457 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: particular situation, the winds were light, invariable, winds would go 458 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: on from many different directions. We had also hiked an 459 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 1: hour in eighty degree temperatures, so we were sweating. And 460 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:21,200 Speaker 1: long story short, the hippo bear comes in at four o'clock. 461 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: Broad daylight comes in at four o'clock, comes down window us. 462 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: Those onyx was blowing perfectly. It was a light light 463 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: probably three to four mile per hour wind coming out 464 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: of the west. Ozis was set up perfectly, and the 465 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 1: bear smelled us. And I is in the knock on osonics. 466 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: I've still got in my bag right now. But I mean, 467 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: if it, if it reduced our scent, which I'm sure 468 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: that it did, it did not reduce enough for that 469 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 1: bear to smell us. And it was truly the perfect 470 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: situation for it to really work. And the bear was 471 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: intolerant of us, and the hippo bear through his nose 472 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: in the air and probably thirty five before the yards 473 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 1: turned his nose up and left and we never saw 474 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: him again the rest of the evening. So we're sitting 475 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: here and we actually see a sow with this year's 476 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: cubs come into the bait and watch these little bears. 477 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,640 Speaker 1: Is the first time I believe I've been on a 478 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: in in that close proximity to a soal with little cubs. 479 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 1: Super fun to watch. She was not aggressive towards us 480 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: at all. Every bear that came into that bait knew 481 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: exactly where we were, and they make made eye contact 482 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: with us. They knew were there, but they really didn't 483 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: seem to care. So the sal comes in. There's another 484 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: smaller bear that came in, you know, probably a hundred 485 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: and thirty pounds four that came in. It was eating 486 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: quite a bit, and so we got there. We mayna 487 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: start hunting to two o'clock. At four o'clock, pipple bear 488 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: came in. It's dark about seven fifteen ish, and we 489 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: knew that this uh, big color face bear had been 490 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: in there the day before, and I'll be done if 491 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 1: that bear didn't show up. At about six thirty. The 492 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: bear we see him come within you know, forty yards, 493 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: we see him out there, we immediately recognize him as 494 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: the big color face from the camera. I mean it 495 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: says sometimes it's man, it's it's tough. You see, uh, 496 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: you know, four in a fifty pound bear. And and 497 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: you'll probably see this footage at some point through bear 498 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: horizon of the vog you see this big bear and 499 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: you're like, yeah, these guys see big bears all the time. 500 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: I want to put that into perspective. I have not 501 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: seen a four d plound four hunder pound plus bear 502 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,600 Speaker 1: from the tree stand while hunting over bait in Arkansas. 503 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: Let me think about this before I said it's true. Ever, 504 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say that. Ever, I have killed a five 505 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: hunder pound bear in Arkansas, but I killed in the 506 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: National Forest without bait. Um. I have put people on 507 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: big bears. There was about a four year period there 508 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: when I was basically auctioning off my best stand for 509 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: the Arkansas Black Bear Association, and we put some people 510 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 1: on some good bears. But killing a big bear over 511 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,920 Speaker 1: bait is no joke. It is no joke at all. 512 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: And so here comes this bear and so, I mean 513 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: one of the biggest the biggest bear I've ever seen 514 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 1: in my life over bait in Arkansas that was killable. 515 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: Was coming in shooting light and rivers shoes, forty three 516 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,719 Speaker 1: pound bow. She had a hundred and fifty grain iron 517 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 1: wheel broad head. It was a light set up. But 518 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: river killed the bear two years ago about a tune 519 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 1: or twenty five pound mail passed all the way through 520 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: the bear. I mean the the forty at that time 521 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: it was. It was a forty pound boat. Forty pound 522 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,880 Speaker 1: boat shot an arrow through the bear. I mean the 523 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 1: arrow is laying on the ground under the side of 524 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: the bear. So I know this is a totally different 525 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:35,240 Speaker 1: animal animal that's twice as big. But still I felt 526 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: like the arrow, the bow had the energy. We had 527 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: a cut on impact broadhead, we had some weight on 528 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: the arrow. It felt like everything was right. I truly 529 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: was not worried about the river not being able to 530 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: or not. I wouldn't worry about the boat. Well, the 531 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,680 Speaker 1: bear smells us. It was really interesting. The bear smelled us. 532 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: I mean, he he was out there, ozonics was blowing 533 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: just right, and man, that bear has his nose in 534 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 1: the air and he pinned us. But this bear had 535 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: been using the bait for the last week to ten days. 536 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,080 Speaker 1: This bear had actually come in twenty minutes after we 537 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: left on the second day, well, the first day that 538 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,879 Speaker 1: we hunted, the second day of the season. This bear 539 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: had been standing where we were standing twenty minutes after 540 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 1: we were there. So this bear in inevitably knew there 541 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: were humans involved. He had smelled us before, and when 542 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 1: he smelled us this time, it didn't bother him that 543 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:43,880 Speaker 1: much because despite his nose telling him that we were there, 544 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,839 Speaker 1: he walked right in, actually looking at us. This particular area, 545 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,520 Speaker 1: we weren't able to get very high in the trees. 546 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:52,719 Speaker 1: There weren't very many big trees, so we were only 547 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: about my thirteen probably thirteen feet high, and basically this 548 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 1: big four was just on foreigner plus found bear colored face, 549 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 1: kind of a chocolate he tinge comes walking in, just 550 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,600 Speaker 1: making eye contact with us, looking as looking at us 551 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,680 Speaker 1: up in the stand the river standing up. She's got 552 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: her bow in hand, and the bear comes into like 553 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: eight yards, turns broadside, river, draws her bow, river shoots, 554 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: and she hit the bear slightly high. We think maybe 555 00:35:31,239 --> 00:35:35,319 Speaker 1: it caught the back tip of the scapula, which is 556 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: his shoulder blade, and the Arab penetrated about five inches. 557 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 1: The bear ran off. The next day, we trailed up 558 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:46,400 Speaker 1: for over a half a mile off of blood that 559 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: was being basically rubbed off high on bushes, and we 560 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:58,360 Speaker 1: never recovered the bear, never recovered the bear. I felt terrible. 561 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: I truly felt terrible the shot. The shot was just 562 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:13,960 Speaker 1: inches away from right where you wanted to be, and 563 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: it was it was a tough one. It's a tough 564 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 1: one for River, she worked so hard, so resilient, and 565 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,480 Speaker 1: it was tough one for me. I mean, I hated 566 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 1: to to see that bear get away from us. But 567 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,800 Speaker 1: you know, we tracked that bear on our hands and 568 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 1: knees through Paul Paul Thicket all morning yesterday. And I 569 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: really just had this sense that part of the human 570 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:45,000 Speaker 1: experience is dealing with disappointment, and a lot of who 571 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: we are as men and how we respond to life 572 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:53,160 Speaker 1: it has to do with how we deal with disappointment. 573 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:56,319 Speaker 1: And I truely I was more disappointed than that than 574 00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:01,480 Speaker 1: probably any animal that I personally have ever not recovered, 575 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 1: you know, And it was partially maybe it was a 576 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:08,680 Speaker 1: selfish thing, you know, like my daughter taking a spare 577 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,839 Speaker 1: on film. You know, it would have been good for me. 578 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: I don't know. I just wanted her to I just 579 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:17,920 Speaker 1: wanted her to get it. She worked so hard she 580 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: passed nine bears, and I'll tell you the bear hunting 581 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: culture in Arkansas, there's not many grown men that would 582 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: have passed these nine bears that she did waiting for 583 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 1: the big one. And the big one shows she does 584 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:36,279 Speaker 1: everything right, just a little bit high and and we 585 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,400 Speaker 1: don't recover the bears. So man, the pain and the agony, 586 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 1: the choys, in the agony of hunting, it's really what 587 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,880 Speaker 1: makes it what. It is, really a complex, complex deal 588 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:55,000 Speaker 1: because it's a high stakes game. If you win, the 589 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: rewards are high, found in the commodities given to us 590 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:07,239 Speaker 1: by God from wildlife, meat, hide, fanging for but the 591 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: consequences are significant when we do not capitalize on an opportunity. 592 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:16,720 Speaker 1: And this is two days after and I'm really still 593 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,360 Speaker 1: not really over it, And to be honest with you, 594 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:23,800 Speaker 1: I'm I'm headed to Oklahoma to potentially one of the 595 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:26,319 Speaker 1: best hunts I've ever been on in terms of just 596 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 1: gathering the data going into the hunt. The conditions are favorable, 597 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:37,479 Speaker 1: got to giant bears on bait, and uh, man, I'm 598 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 1: I'm almost not even excited to be honest with him. So, hey, 599 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 1: we're thirty eight minutes in this podcast, and this is 600 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,799 Speaker 1: what I want to do. I'm gonna kind of take 601 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,080 Speaker 1: his step by step through my afternoon. I'm gonna bring 602 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:54,040 Speaker 1: the gonna bring. I'm gonna bring you into the blind 603 00:38:54,120 --> 00:39:00,399 Speaker 1: with me and give you some commentary as we as 604 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 1: as this hunting fold. So I'm about an hour out 605 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:05,840 Speaker 1: from getting out of the truck walking to the stand. 606 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:10,560 Speaker 1: It's twelve forty one on October one. Got my non 607 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:16,960 Speaker 1: resident Oklahoma bear tag in my pocket, and man, what 608 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:28,879 Speaker 1: great day to be a bear hunter. I just got 609 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:34,080 Speaker 1: to the property here or baiting bears. I'm parking, probably 610 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 1: close to half a mile from where I'm hunting. I 611 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:43,160 Speaker 1: don't trust these big old bears one lick and I 612 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,239 Speaker 1: don't want to get close to him. I want them 613 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:48,839 Speaker 1: to think there's nobody in the country. I just did 614 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,040 Speaker 1: my I'm kind of doing my pre hunt ritual. I 615 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,839 Speaker 1: just took a bath in the creek, getting all my 616 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: stuff together. If I do not kill a bear this evening, 617 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,880 Speaker 1: my plan is to spend the night in Redneck blind. 618 00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:08,840 Speaker 1: So I've got food, I've got equipment to stay the night. Um, 619 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:13,359 Speaker 1: I'm just making my final preparations here. I hadn't told 620 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: anybody this um there, hadn't made a big deal about it. 621 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,080 Speaker 1: But I was gonna shoot the traditional bow on this hunt. 622 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:25,000 Speaker 1: And uh, I couldn't shoot the tread bow out of 623 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: the Redneck blind. It's a pretty big well, it's a 624 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: big blind, and I probably could have done it, but 625 00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:35,720 Speaker 1: did not want the weapon to be the limiting factor. 626 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: I actually borrowed a bow, Halen thirty two from my 627 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: good buddy Aaron Wiss down Outdoor America in Springdale, Arkansas. 628 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,279 Speaker 1: He set this bow up for me like two days ago. 629 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:52,320 Speaker 1: I'm shooting great with it, shooting some two d and 630 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:57,439 Speaker 1: fifty grain iron Well broadheads, and uh, you know, kind 631 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:02,760 Speaker 1: of I'm kind of geared up for like a big 632 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 1: game hunt. You know that these are big critters. So 633 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: I'm about to walk up the hill to the stand. 634 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to give you a play by play 635 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 1: when I'm in the blind. I feel like I'm gonna 636 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 1: be able to talk some because those blinds are pretty 637 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:33,160 Speaker 1: sound proof. But uh, all right, it's four three pm. 638 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:37,040 Speaker 1: I've been in blind an hour and a half, just 639 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,920 Speaker 1: kind of getting everything situated. This is my first time 640 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:46,040 Speaker 1: in the blind with the compound boo, with the cameras, 641 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:48,839 Speaker 1: so I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm gonna 642 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: do this. I think I've got a system that works. 643 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,600 Speaker 1: I'm planning to shoot out of one of these long 644 00:41:55,960 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: corner windows made for bowl hunting, so I'll be shooting down. 645 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:10,000 Speaker 1: I've got a camera filming out of the long or 646 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:12,799 Speaker 1: the standard shooting window to my left. I have a 647 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 1: camera to my back, and I've got to go prow 648 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:18,799 Speaker 1: out in front of me. My buddy, James Lawrence, came 649 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: in here yesterday and baited several with several hundred pounds 650 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:30,840 Speaker 1: of bait. They have eaten almost all of it. They're 651 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,480 Speaker 1: not a lot of bears on this bait, but the 652 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:37,319 Speaker 1: two giant bears that are on here are eating a ton. 653 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,960 Speaker 1: I mean literally they ate. I don't know the weight 654 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:45,720 Speaker 1: of bait he put out yesterday, but I would venture 655 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:50,120 Speaker 1: to say easily two hundred pounds of bait and it's 656 00:42:51,719 --> 00:42:56,080 Speaker 1: five gone. That's exactly what you want to see as 657 00:42:56,080 --> 00:43:01,319 Speaker 1: a bear hunter when you come into the bait, he said, 658 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:06,080 Speaker 1: just be demolished. So again we put up this redneck 659 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 1: blind for the sole purpose of scent control, which if 660 00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:15,480 Speaker 1: it doesn't backfire on us, is going to be ingenious. 661 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,880 Speaker 1: But the negative side of it is I am roasting 662 00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:23,200 Speaker 1: in this blind right now, got all the windows shut, 663 00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 1: and it's eighty six degrees outside. Let me let me 664 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,399 Speaker 1: put it to you this way. When I opened the windows, 665 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:35,520 Speaker 1: which I have opened wine just to look outside, it 666 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:40,359 Speaker 1: feels like it's thirty degrees outside as the cold air 667 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:43,919 Speaker 1: rushes in. I don't know how hot it is in here, 668 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:47,040 Speaker 1: but it's hot. But it's a small price to pay 669 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:56,200 Speaker 1: for almost scent control. When hunting trophy black bear over bait. 670 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,839 Speaker 1: Like I said earlier, I've been hunting these bears, these 671 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: particular bears for five years. I have never been able 672 00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 1: to catch up with him. And this part of what 673 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 1: I part of to me, what makes a successful hunter 674 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:24,960 Speaker 1: successful is he's able to identify the limiting factors of 675 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: his hunting and improve those things. So here's an example. 676 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:35,600 Speaker 1: I shoot my Matthews Halant two right now. I can 677 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:39,720 Speaker 1: shoot it so well that it is not the limiting 678 00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:43,879 Speaker 1: factor of my hunting. If I have ten kills and 679 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:49,840 Speaker 1: those kills are successful ten PC or failures, it's never 680 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:55,080 Speaker 1: gonna be because I can't hit a dot at yards. 681 00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:58,560 Speaker 1: And now it might be panic in the field, it 682 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,880 Speaker 1: might be making a bad decision in the field for shot, 683 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:05,640 Speaker 1: the shot placement or whatever. But my point is is 684 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:08,319 Speaker 1: you got to focus on what is the thing that's 685 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:12,799 Speaker 1: keeping you from being unsuccessful, And for me in this situation, 686 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 1: it was scent. I do not believe in any other 687 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:20,520 Speaker 1: type of scent control. I just I had bear smell 688 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:26,080 Speaker 1: me um running some all kinds of products. I don't 689 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:31,400 Speaker 1: want to name any names, but I just there's nothing 690 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:33,320 Speaker 1: that you could do in an open tree stand to 691 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:38,480 Speaker 1: fully contain your scent against the bear. So this red 692 00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:42,160 Speaker 1: nick blind is the best solution that I've got. However, 693 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:46,919 Speaker 1: I am cooking in here, so I mean literally, my 694 00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:51,280 Speaker 1: clothes are almost soaked, so I do smell worse than normal. 695 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:55,359 Speaker 1: So for some reason the scent is leaking. It's gonna leak, 696 00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:57,919 Speaker 1: It's gonna leak good, but I don't think it will. 697 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:02,120 Speaker 1: I'm able to whisper in the splind because these red 698 00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:07,560 Speaker 1: neck blinds are insulated. They've got foam insulation all around them. 699 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:11,239 Speaker 1: I have no doubt that then the ways I'm making 700 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:16,680 Speaker 1: right now is not um I'm gonna impact these bears. 701 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:21,239 Speaker 1: There was a bear here when I arrived. It was 702 00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:23,759 Speaker 1: a younger bear there, just a smaller bear of sow. 703 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:27,759 Speaker 1: I kind of snuck up on it, and I thought, well, 704 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:32,000 Speaker 1: I could wait until the bear leaves and not disturb it. 705 00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:35,440 Speaker 1: But the wind was kind of swirling, and I thought, 706 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:37,839 Speaker 1: I'm out here in the open. I know these big 707 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:41,000 Speaker 1: bears are close. They really are. I mean I I 708 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:43,160 Speaker 1: have a good feeling they aren't beded more than a 709 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,719 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty yards from the space. And so the 710 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,080 Speaker 1: longer time I spent out of the blind, there was 711 00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:52,000 Speaker 1: a better chance that the big bears were gonna smell me. 712 00:46:52,719 --> 00:46:55,840 Speaker 1: So what I did is I chunked rock kind of 713 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:58,400 Speaker 1: on the back side of this bear down the woods 714 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:02,880 Speaker 1: and spooked it off, and I climbed up in the 715 00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:06,880 Speaker 1: pop blind and went and checked my cap or grabbed 716 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,120 Speaker 1: the card out of the camera quickly came back, and 717 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:13,120 Speaker 1: I've been unable to read the card because of a 718 00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:17,040 Speaker 1: I just bought a brand new little SD card reader 719 00:47:17,040 --> 00:47:21,800 Speaker 1: that plugs into your phone, and it it godidly. It's ridiculous. 720 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:24,480 Speaker 1: You got a download a app and do all kind 721 00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:28,680 Speaker 1: of stuff, and I still cannot get it to read pictures. 722 00:47:29,560 --> 00:47:33,200 Speaker 1: I am highly frustrated with that. But I am in 723 00:47:33,239 --> 00:47:39,600 Speaker 1: the blind looking too. Let's see. In the north, I'm 724 00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 1: looking back at about a quarter acre of food plot. 725 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:45,280 Speaker 1: To my south, i'm looking at about a twenty acre 726 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:51,080 Speaker 1: I'm excuse me, twenty year old replanted pine what used 727 00:47:51,080 --> 00:47:54,319 Speaker 1: to be just like a clear cut. This property was 728 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:59,120 Speaker 1: cut about fifteen twenty years ago, and so I'm looking 729 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:02,560 Speaker 1: at a big stand at pine timber. We came in 730 00:48:02,600 --> 00:48:06,239 Speaker 1: here and hung this red neck blind back in August, 731 00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:10,439 Speaker 1: and UH cut some shooting lanes, and these bears don't 732 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:12,279 Speaker 1: want to be out in the open. They don't want 733 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:14,719 Speaker 1: to be in a food plot. They want to be 734 00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: in the shade. Their black animal they're designed to live 735 00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:23,440 Speaker 1: in the shadows, and so they want to be in 736 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:28,239 Speaker 1: the timber. That's where they feel comfortable. So my bait 737 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:32,880 Speaker 1: is off in the woods. I placed the bait close 738 00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:36,680 Speaker 1: to the stand in case I was shooting a traditional 739 00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: bow of s blind. So the barrels are no more 740 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:43,160 Speaker 1: than probably eight yards for me, which is close. I 741 00:48:43,160 --> 00:48:46,560 Speaker 1: have to watch myself on shot angle. But here I 742 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:58,920 Speaker 1: am just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. It's four fifty two 743 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,120 Speaker 1: and I've seen my first bear from the red nick blind. 744 00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:06,600 Speaker 1: I've got a bear out here at about forty five 745 00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:14,760 Speaker 1: yards that's lounging on the west side of the food blood. 746 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:22,360 Speaker 1: It appears to be a smoiler bear. It's just only 747 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:24,520 Speaker 1: because of the food plot I man am I able 748 00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:27,240 Speaker 1: to see it because there's not a thick vegetation around. 749 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:29,960 Speaker 1: But it kind of confirms what you feel like these 750 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:34,440 Speaker 1: bears are doing. You feel like they're they're eating and 751 00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 1: then they're just going out sight and laying down where 752 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:40,440 Speaker 1: they can smell and listen to the bait side. And 753 00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:42,799 Speaker 1: this bear, I see it bobbing its head up and down, 754 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:48,080 Speaker 1: kind of smelling. It's panting, and uh so that's the 755 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:51,840 Speaker 1: first bear. I figure it's waiting for to hear the 756 00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:55,400 Speaker 1: barrels clank, or to smell another bear, or to smell 757 00:49:55,400 --> 00:49:58,719 Speaker 1: a human coming in here. So first bear of the 758 00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:09,360 Speaker 1: evening four two p m. One. I just had to 759 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:13,800 Speaker 1: year old cubs, a year and a half old cubs 760 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:18,839 Speaker 1: show up to just get black little guys came in. 761 00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:22,319 Speaker 1: I was watching this other bear that was bitted down 762 00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:25,239 Speaker 1: the food plot, and it jumped up and ran off, 763 00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:31,600 Speaker 1: and then minutes later here came these uh, two little cubs. 764 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 1: They probably weigh sixties seventy pounds apiece. I do not 765 00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:42,720 Speaker 1: see their mama because I was unable to read the card. 766 00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:49,279 Speaker 1: I don't recall seeing cubs on the card on Thursday, 767 00:50:50,040 --> 00:50:54,520 Speaker 1: So perhaps a sound two cubs have showed up? Were they? 768 00:50:54,719 --> 00:50:59,600 Speaker 1: Indeed have? They keep looking back behind. I figured their 769 00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:08,880 Speaker 1: mama's not far. One thing that's interesting about a hunted 770 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:13,480 Speaker 1: bear population is that it actually grows faster than an 771 00:51:13,560 --> 00:51:19,759 Speaker 1: unhunted population. So there the bears in this part of 772 00:51:19,760 --> 00:51:26,240 Speaker 1: the world, Arkansas, Oklahoma are fairly rapidly increasing their range 773 00:51:26,520 --> 00:51:30,760 Speaker 1: because the hub of the bear population in Arkansas, Oklahoma 774 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:34,920 Speaker 1: is in the Ozark and Washingtaw Mountains. These rugged mountains 775 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:40,480 Speaker 1: between a thousand and three thousand feet okanackree Forest climax, 776 00:51:41,719 --> 00:51:45,600 Speaker 1: and this this was historic range of the bear, lots 777 00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:49,040 Speaker 1: of national forests, lots of big open country, lots of 778 00:51:49,040 --> 00:51:52,480 Speaker 1: perfect bear habitat. Well, what's happening is the bears have 779 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:57,520 Speaker 1: saturated that habitat and now they're beginning to bleed out 780 00:51:57,840 --> 00:52:03,240 Speaker 1: in every direction on the Ozark and Washtall mountains down 781 00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:07,400 Speaker 1: into areas that typically wouldn't be great bear habitat like 782 00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:13,080 Speaker 1: the pine plantations of southern Arkansas, pine swamp plantation, uh, 783 00:52:13,239 --> 00:52:16,120 Speaker 1: you know, like just timberland. They're starting to get a 784 00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:19,480 Speaker 1: lot of bears, the timberland and deeper southeast Oklahoma is 785 00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:21,840 Speaker 1: starting to get a lot of bears. Bears are moving 786 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:26,120 Speaker 1: north into the northern Ozarks of Missouri, which that's a 787 00:52:26,120 --> 00:52:30,719 Speaker 1: good bear country. Bears are moving into northern Louisiana, they're 788 00:52:30,719 --> 00:52:36,560 Speaker 1: moving into western Mississippi, and it's because we're hunting them. 789 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:40,440 Speaker 1: We're hunting this population of bears, which this hub is 790 00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:44,680 Speaker 1: in Arkansas, and these bears are expanding. So there's tons 791 00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:47,880 Speaker 1: of cubs. We saw cubs two days ago in Arkansas 792 00:52:48,360 --> 00:52:53,800 Speaker 1: on Rivers hunt. So really great to see a thriving 793 00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:58,080 Speaker 1: barren population because that's what we want as hunters and conservationists. 794 00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:01,200 Speaker 1: We don't want to kill them all. We want to 795 00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:05,799 Speaker 1: keep all of them, and we're gonna cherry pick some 796 00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:09,880 Speaker 1: off the top, cherry picked the surplus. We're the good guys. 797 00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:19,520 Speaker 1: It's five one and that the South finally came in. 798 00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:21,959 Speaker 1: She let these cubs feed at this bait for Paul 799 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:28,560 Speaker 1: twenty minutes. Without her, she isn't untagged, good sized south, 800 00:53:28,719 --> 00:53:35,200 Speaker 1: probably over two hundred pounds. We see a lot of 801 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:39,480 Speaker 1: tagged bears in this part of Oklahoma. They estimate the 802 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:43,560 Speaker 1: bear population here to be about two thousand bears, and 803 00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:49,200 Speaker 1: they have captured and tagged or collared roughly two hundred, 804 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,040 Speaker 1: so ken percent of the bears they believe that are 805 00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:56,520 Speaker 1: in Oklahoma have actually laid their hands on, and that 806 00:53:56,680 --> 00:54:00,960 Speaker 1: they ire tagged the bears and mark them just so 807 00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:04,239 Speaker 1: they can say, you know, we we caught this bear 808 00:54:04,320 --> 00:54:07,040 Speaker 1: here and he was harvested over here, he was hit 809 00:54:07,080 --> 00:54:10,360 Speaker 1: by a car here, or we never heard from again. 810 00:54:11,160 --> 00:54:14,880 Speaker 1: But they also have some number of sows, probably fifteen 811 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:17,319 Speaker 1: to twenty sous collar that they go in and do 812 00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:21,200 Speaker 1: den studies on. So any bear that's caught is tagged. 813 00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:25,919 Speaker 1: This bear has not been caught, so this is one 814 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:29,920 Speaker 1: of the of the free bears. One of the big 815 00:54:29,960 --> 00:54:34,400 Speaker 1: bears that I'm after tonight, that I believe is probably 816 00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:38,960 Speaker 1: close to six hundred pounds, is a tag bear. He 817 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:43,480 Speaker 1: had two yellow ear tags back in so he's been 818 00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:47,040 Speaker 1: tagged for a long time. He does not have a collar, 819 00:54:48,160 --> 00:54:51,120 Speaker 1: but he's a whopper. You know. I meant to say 820 00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:56,440 Speaker 1: earlier that the two bears that I'm hunting. One of 821 00:54:56,480 --> 00:54:59,200 Speaker 1: them I believe is five fifty to six hundred plus 822 00:54:59,400 --> 00:55:02,080 Speaker 1: and we call yellow tags. He's got two yellow tags. 823 00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:07,480 Speaker 1: The other one is probably four fifty to five, and 824 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:11,200 Speaker 1: I call him Batman. I will shoot either bear that 825 00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:15,560 Speaker 1: shows up tonight and be as happy as I could be. 826 00:55:16,280 --> 00:55:20,120 Speaker 1: I figured both of them are potentially putting crooked animals. 827 00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:27,600 Speaker 1: It is nearing six o'clock, the magic hour for bears, 828 00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:30,720 Speaker 1: and I'm staring out the window this red neck blind, 829 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:39,680 Speaker 1: a big sound two cubs at about eight yards six, 830 00:55:41,680 --> 00:55:45,400 Speaker 1: and the sound cubs just threw up their head and 831 00:55:45,719 --> 00:55:51,120 Speaker 1: ran off, huffing. For sure, there's another bear coming in. 832 00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:57,359 Speaker 1: I haven't seen it yet, which gives me even more 833 00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:00,640 Speaker 1: reason to believe it may be the big one. A 834 00:56:00,840 --> 00:56:04,960 Speaker 1: big one has come in, and it's just kind of 835 00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:44,000 Speaker 1: skirtain out there. It's Batman. H oh Man, just shot Batman. 836 00:56:49,200 --> 00:57:01,120 Speaker 1: Just shot Batman. Holy cow, just shot Batman. I just 837 00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:06,320 Speaker 1: shot Batman. I can't believe it. It It was about six fifteen, 838 00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:12,440 Speaker 1: full daylight, just great, great light. He came in. He towered, 839 00:57:12,840 --> 00:57:16,240 Speaker 1: towered above the barrel, a bear whose shoulders are over 840 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:21,880 Speaker 1: thirty six inches. It's a that's a big bear, big bear, 841 00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:26,960 Speaker 1: and this bear towered over the barrel, filled out, big legs, 842 00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:30,600 Speaker 1: huge head, big old curled ears, looks like Batman. That's 843 00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:36,000 Speaker 1: why we call him Batman. This bear is uh oh 844 00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:40,040 Speaker 1: my gosh, I can't I can't believe that. I'm almost speechless. 845 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:43,240 Speaker 1: There's so much work that goes into this hunt. I mean, 846 00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:46,000 Speaker 1: we for months have been working on this redneck blind 847 00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:50,600 Speaker 1: We've we've had this access to this property for for 848 00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:54,400 Speaker 1: five years. We had this bear on the camera five 849 00:57:54,520 --> 00:58:00,120 Speaker 1: years ago and he was big then we've got The 850 00:58:00,600 --> 00:58:04,360 Speaker 1: crazy part is that he's not even the big bear. 851 00:58:04,840 --> 00:58:07,280 Speaker 1: This is a lesser of two bears. There's another bear 852 00:58:07,320 --> 00:58:10,240 Speaker 1: in here that's got two yellow tags that I believe 853 00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:15,960 Speaker 1: is pounds bigger than Batman. And just off the cuff. 854 00:58:16,560 --> 00:58:19,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna step out on a limb, and if I'm wrong, 855 00:58:19,480 --> 00:58:21,840 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be happy that i'm wrong. If I'm right, 856 00:58:21,880 --> 00:58:25,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be happy that I'm right. Um, I don't care. 857 00:58:25,880 --> 00:58:29,720 Speaker 1: I think the bears is five pounds now, he could 858 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:33,360 Speaker 1: be fifty pounds on either side of that. But folks, 859 00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:36,000 Speaker 1: he is the lesser of two bears on the spate, 860 00:58:36,560 --> 00:58:39,080 Speaker 1: and I want to talk about the implication of that. 861 00:58:39,240 --> 00:58:42,240 Speaker 1: So we've got these big bears on bait that we're hunting, well, 862 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:46,320 Speaker 1: the implication is that or what you can imply from 863 00:58:46,360 --> 00:58:49,920 Speaker 1: this is that bears are thriving in this part of 864 00:58:49,960 --> 00:58:53,120 Speaker 1: the country. This is a testament to wildlife conservation. It's 865 00:58:53,160 --> 00:58:55,840 Speaker 1: a testament to the reintroduction of black bears in the 866 00:58:55,920 --> 00:58:59,320 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties and sixties back into Arkansas and their movement 867 00:58:59,360 --> 00:59:02,440 Speaker 1: into south st Oklahoma where their native range was at 868 00:59:02,440 --> 00:59:07,400 Speaker 1: one time. Where you've got older mature males, it indicates 869 00:59:07,440 --> 00:59:11,120 Speaker 1: that the population is stable. It indicates that the population 870 00:59:11,280 --> 00:59:15,120 Speaker 1: is well balanced. It indicates a healthy population. And older 871 00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:18,400 Speaker 1: mature male is an indicator animal. You know, in a 872 00:59:18,440 --> 00:59:20,440 Speaker 1: deer herd, we have no mature bucks. You know that 873 00:59:20,520 --> 00:59:24,640 Speaker 1: something's out of whack. Uh, either the hunting culture, you know, 874 00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:30,240 Speaker 1: the management, or the habitat or um or or for 875 00:59:30,320 --> 00:59:33,240 Speaker 1: some reason, those older males aren't making it to maturity. 876 00:59:33,240 --> 00:59:37,280 Speaker 1: Where older males make it to maturity, everything beneath them 877 00:59:37,440 --> 00:59:40,760 Speaker 1: is in perfect order. And so, man, this is a 878 00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:47,200 Speaker 1: testament to conservations, a testament to hunting. And man, I'm thrilled. 879 00:59:47,440 --> 00:59:49,720 Speaker 1: Man if I never kill a bear. The rest of 880 00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:54,880 Speaker 1: my life. I'm I will feel like I have experienced 881 00:59:54,960 --> 00:59:59,400 Speaker 1: the the top of the mountain of bear hunting, that 882 00:59:59,640 --> 01:00:04,280 Speaker 1: I conic animal of North American wilderness right here within 883 01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:07,680 Speaker 1: driving distance in my house. What an amazing place that 884 01:00:07,760 --> 01:00:11,840 Speaker 1: we live in, What an amazing country that we live in. God, 885 01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:18,400 Speaker 1: long live the Hunter's, Long live the beast. Oh man, 886 01:00:18,560 --> 01:00:21,040 Speaker 1: My dad is on his way with a tractor. James 887 01:00:21,160 --> 01:00:24,800 Speaker 1: Lawrence is on his way. Ryan flint faced Grab is 888 01:00:24,800 --> 01:00:29,000 Speaker 1: on his way. Ryan Grab is the master big bear 889 01:00:29,080 --> 01:00:35,040 Speaker 1: hunter of Arkansas. No doubt he's coming. And uh, we've 890 01:00:35,040 --> 01:00:37,000 Speaker 1: got a long night of work in front of us. 891 01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:40,280 Speaker 1: But hey, man, that's what we that's what we that's 892 01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:43,840 Speaker 1: what we do it for. I'm drenched in sweat. This 893 01:00:43,960 --> 01:00:47,680 Speaker 1: red nick blind with the window shut is hot. But man, 894 01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:52,880 Speaker 1: I tell you, I attribute this kill to that, to this, 895 01:00:53,120 --> 01:00:55,600 Speaker 1: to this blind. He couldn't smell me. He had no 896 01:00:55,720 --> 01:00:58,000 Speaker 1: idea that I was here. If I had been in 897 01:00:58,040 --> 01:01:03,000 Speaker 1: a tree stand, the winds are swirling, the thermals are changing. 898 01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:06,800 Speaker 1: He came from downhill. I mean, if I would have 899 01:01:06,920 --> 01:01:09,960 Speaker 1: killed the bear in an open tree stamp, it would 900 01:01:09,960 --> 01:01:14,440 Speaker 1: have been just happenstance. I mean, probably of the time 901 01:01:14,440 --> 01:01:16,240 Speaker 1: I would have killed it, sixty percent of the time 902 01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:18,080 Speaker 1: the bear would have smelled me and not come in. 903 01:01:18,920 --> 01:01:23,560 Speaker 1: So this, this blind scent is limiting factor. This blind 904 01:01:23,680 --> 01:01:29,080 Speaker 1: has remedied that scent factor the limiting factor, and it 905 01:01:29,200 --> 01:01:32,880 Speaker 1: worked just like we thought it would. James Lawrence has 906 01:01:32,920 --> 01:01:36,640 Speaker 1: an Oklahoma bear tag and man James has done nothing 907 01:01:36,720 --> 01:01:39,840 Speaker 1: but helped me and be a great friend for a 908 01:01:39,880 --> 01:01:43,160 Speaker 1: long time. And he will be hunting the yellow tag 909 01:01:43,240 --> 01:01:47,160 Speaker 1: bear and we'll see what Batman weighs. But I believe 910 01:01:47,160 --> 01:01:53,400 Speaker 1: that yellow tag is uh dred pounds bigger than this 911 01:01:53,520 --> 01:01:57,200 Speaker 1: bear that I just took. So the troops are on 912 01:01:57,240 --> 01:01:59,480 Speaker 1: their way. They're all about an hour hour and a 913 01:01:59,560 --> 01:02:02,800 Speaker 1: half away, so I may get down and go track 914 01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:12,160 Speaker 1: this bear. Um if he's dead. Oh, I just found 915 01:02:12,200 --> 01:02:17,080 Speaker 1: the bear. He ran about fifty yards from where I 916 01:02:17,160 --> 01:02:22,920 Speaker 1: shot him, and he is a giant. I do not 917 01:02:23,080 --> 01:02:25,680 Speaker 1: know what he weighs, but we are going to find out. 918 01:02:27,040 --> 01:02:36,480 Speaker 1: And he's beautiful. All four canines are wore down. He's tall, 919 01:02:36,720 --> 01:02:42,280 Speaker 1: he's long, he's fat. I could barely get him turned over. 920 01:02:43,280 --> 01:02:50,280 Speaker 1: Holy cow, this is probably the biggest bear I've ever killed. 921 01:02:50,880 --> 01:02:53,480 Speaker 1: The scales will tell we've got an eight hundred pounds 922 01:02:53,520 --> 01:02:56,560 Speaker 1: scale by Dad. I can hear my dad coming up 923 01:02:56,600 --> 01:03:00,240 Speaker 1: the mountain with the tractor he was on on hall. 924 01:03:00,800 --> 01:03:03,680 Speaker 1: James Lawrence is on his way. Ryan Grabs on his way. 925 01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:06,040 Speaker 1: We are gonna know the way to this bear. But 926 01:03:06,120 --> 01:03:08,400 Speaker 1: I am I don't care what he ways. I'm just 927 01:03:09,080 --> 01:03:14,840 Speaker 1: grateful to partake in such a sacred event as to 928 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:18,480 Speaker 1: harvest a big, old, giant Oklahoma black bear like this. 929 01:03:19,040 --> 01:03:22,720 Speaker 1: What a testament to conservation, What a testament to hunters 930 01:03:22,760 --> 01:03:27,760 Speaker 1: that we've got bears like this here? Man, you the 931 01:03:28,560 --> 01:03:33,640 Speaker 1: joy but also the agony of hunting. Two days ago, 932 01:03:34,640 --> 01:03:39,360 Speaker 1: I was in just the agony as we lost Rivers bear. 933 01:03:40,040 --> 01:03:43,840 Speaker 1: I FaceTime River a minute ago, and she is ecstatic, 934 01:03:44,680 --> 01:03:47,360 Speaker 1: truly is. She wanted to play by play, she wanted 935 01:03:47,360 --> 01:03:49,800 Speaker 1: me to FaceTime or when I got the bear. I 936 01:03:49,800 --> 01:03:52,320 Speaker 1: wish so bad she could be here. But this is 937 01:03:52,320 --> 01:03:56,560 Speaker 1: what makes it all worth it. And uh and to 938 01:03:56,640 --> 01:04:01,840 Speaker 1: share it with Dad's as in the creek, to share 939 01:04:01,880 --> 01:04:06,720 Speaker 1: it with special people, my dad, James Lawrence, my buddy 940 01:04:06,800 --> 01:04:12,640 Speaker 1: Ryan Grab. It's a phenomenal, phenomenal day. I hit this 941 01:04:12,800 --> 01:04:15,919 Speaker 1: bear just right in the boiler room. I don't think 942 01:04:15,920 --> 01:04:17,880 Speaker 1: I got an exit wound. I could have swore that 943 01:04:17,920 --> 01:04:20,800 Speaker 1: I got a total passed through, but I don't think 944 01:04:20,800 --> 01:04:23,160 Speaker 1: that I did. I hit him about probably four inches 945 01:04:23,200 --> 01:04:26,560 Speaker 1: behind the shoulder mid body, I mean, you know, midway 946 01:04:26,600 --> 01:04:31,160 Speaker 1: from the top to the bottom. Um it just I 947 01:04:31,160 --> 01:04:33,600 Speaker 1: mean the bear ran fifty yards. He was done before 948 01:04:34,200 --> 01:04:36,240 Speaker 1: before he left, and I knew that he would be. 949 01:04:36,280 --> 01:04:38,600 Speaker 1: I didn't even trail blood. I just walked back here 950 01:04:39,160 --> 01:04:41,360 Speaker 1: and saw him piled up, and it took me about 951 01:04:41,400 --> 01:04:50,919 Speaker 1: twenty minutes to get him rolled over. I didn't even 952 01:04:50,920 --> 01:04:53,040 Speaker 1: blood trail him, Dad, I just walked back here and 953 01:04:53,080 --> 01:05:01,640 Speaker 1: found him. Hey, so the arrow disappear into the bear, Okay, 954 01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:07,680 Speaker 1: just gone? I think complete passed through. Let it never 955 01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:13,440 Speaker 1: passed through the bear? I think, well, surely not. But 956 01:05:13,520 --> 01:05:16,360 Speaker 1: I think the entire arrow is inside and or it 957 01:05:16,480 --> 01:05:25,880 Speaker 1: broke off. But look at this sucker. Look at those ears. Man, 958 01:05:28,680 --> 01:05:31,720 Speaker 1: hear him fall? No, I just heard him bust off 959 01:05:32,720 --> 01:05:36,200 Speaker 1: through the brush, and I mean just plowing over trees. 960 01:05:37,120 --> 01:05:39,240 Speaker 1: He kind of growled when I shot. BA didn't death 961 01:05:39,280 --> 01:05:43,320 Speaker 1: moan of all the bears I've killed about the death Moon. 962 01:05:44,000 --> 01:05:46,680 Speaker 1: Everybody's like, man, you gotta hear the death Moon. One man, 963 01:05:46,720 --> 01:05:49,480 Speaker 1: I don't. I just don't hear it that often. Now 964 01:05:49,600 --> 01:05:52,920 Speaker 1: was he? Uh? Was that era going in towards his 965 01:05:53,040 --> 01:05:56,280 Speaker 1: other should little back? Yeah, it was just like this, 966 01:05:56,800 --> 01:05:59,400 Speaker 1: so you got both longs just what you did. Yeah, 967 01:05:59,520 --> 01:06:03,840 Speaker 1: it was just a tin ring double lung. But look 968 01:06:03,920 --> 01:06:07,919 Speaker 1: look at that angle right there, hand right on his neck. 969 01:06:08,080 --> 01:06:11,600 Speaker 1: I mean he's wide. You know, his head might be small, 970 01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:15,800 Speaker 1: it's not small, I guarantee. I bet my truck it's 971 01:06:15,840 --> 01:06:20,840 Speaker 1: over twenty. I mean, I'm serious, I bet my truck. 972 01:06:20,880 --> 01:06:22,800 Speaker 1: And now I might eat my words, but I'm gonna 973 01:06:22,840 --> 01:06:25,200 Speaker 1: be well. The only reason I say that his neck 974 01:06:25,320 --> 01:06:27,840 Speaker 1: is so stinking big. But man, that's a long ways 975 01:06:27,920 --> 01:06:31,240 Speaker 1: from ear to ear. I mean it's a long ways 976 01:06:31,240 --> 01:06:35,160 Speaker 1: across there. Yeah, I don't know what. But hey, the 977 01:06:35,240 --> 01:06:37,560 Speaker 1: way this is how you know that he's gonna be 978 01:06:37,960 --> 01:06:42,320 Speaker 1: big is look at those teeth. Those He does not 979 01:06:42,480 --> 01:06:46,320 Speaker 1: have a single canine. He needed to be killed, didn't he. 980 01:06:46,320 --> 01:06:49,240 Speaker 1: He'd already contributed to the gene pool. I mean, we 981 01:06:49,360 --> 01:06:54,680 Speaker 1: had this bear on camera, and I am not sure 982 01:06:54,760 --> 01:06:58,640 Speaker 1: that this is not the bear that are good buddy shot. 983 01:06:58,720 --> 01:07:02,360 Speaker 1: And we've never found the bear we tracked. Yeah, yeah, 984 01:07:02,440 --> 01:07:04,920 Speaker 1: I'm not sure that this is not him. Yeah, well 985 01:07:04,960 --> 01:07:08,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna look for a scar down low on his brisket. 986 01:07:08,960 --> 01:07:11,480 Speaker 1: But you know, and the thing is is that this 987 01:07:11,680 --> 01:07:14,280 Speaker 1: as far as body size, is the lesser of those 988 01:07:14,320 --> 01:07:20,000 Speaker 1: two bears. But now they've worked there three big bears. 989 01:07:20,120 --> 01:07:23,160 Speaker 1: Well there there is another board that's in the three 990 01:07:23,240 --> 01:07:27,880 Speaker 1: hundred pound range, which he's this is the second largest bear. Yeah, 991 01:07:28,000 --> 01:07:30,760 Speaker 1: there is a bear that is bigger body size than 992 01:07:30,760 --> 01:07:34,960 Speaker 1: this one. I mean it, it's just unbelievable. But I mean, 993 01:07:35,000 --> 01:07:37,920 Speaker 1: you know, when this animal walks up, you can't pass 994 01:07:37,920 --> 01:07:42,720 Speaker 1: it easily. It'd be crazy. I thought about it. You know. Well, 995 01:07:42,760 --> 01:07:47,040 Speaker 1: I mean that other bear at waigs this thing out 996 01:07:47,080 --> 01:07:50,000 Speaker 1: bed maybe so. And see, that's what's gonna be so 997 01:07:50,040 --> 01:07:52,360 Speaker 1: cool to find out what the spare ways. I mean, 998 01:07:52,400 --> 01:07:54,880 Speaker 1: if it weighs foreign pounds, then we go, oh that's 999 01:07:54,880 --> 01:07:57,880 Speaker 1: a five that's a other one's five hundred. But if 1000 01:07:57,920 --> 01:08:00,240 Speaker 1: this one weighs five hundred, then we know we've got 1001 01:08:00,240 --> 01:08:04,479 Speaker 1: a six pound bear, you know. So that's what's gonna 1002 01:08:04,480 --> 01:08:07,680 Speaker 1: be interesting. Hey. You the other thing I learned about 1003 01:08:07,720 --> 01:08:10,480 Speaker 1: this bait side is I could hear you driving up 1004 01:08:10,520 --> 01:08:14,760 Speaker 1: the road before you got to the creek. I heard 1005 01:08:14,760 --> 01:08:17,960 Speaker 1: your truck a long time, and then I heard you 1006 01:08:17,960 --> 01:08:22,479 Speaker 1: across the creek. So that tells me, Oh yeah, yeah, 1007 01:08:22,520 --> 01:08:24,920 Speaker 1: I figured you could well at least when I crossed 1008 01:08:24,920 --> 01:08:26,920 Speaker 1: the creek. We'll see when I could you hear all 1009 01:08:27,000 --> 01:08:30,479 Speaker 1: the banging manute drug worseness ever drug? Yeah, yeah, we'll see. 1010 01:08:31,160 --> 01:08:33,760 Speaker 1: When I'm coming in here to hunt, I'm thinking about, 1011 01:08:33,880 --> 01:08:36,320 Speaker 1: what are these bears here? And and they're here, and 1012 01:08:36,400 --> 01:08:39,320 Speaker 1: it's a long ways away, so it's good that I 1013 01:08:39,360 --> 01:08:42,320 Speaker 1: parked on the other side of the creek. Is extremely 1014 01:08:42,439 --> 01:08:50,720 Speaker 1: loud now that I've taken it. Oh, looks like the 1015 01:08:50,760 --> 01:09:22,599 Speaker 1: boys are here. Yeah, he's just right down there. That's angle. 1016 01:09:23,840 --> 01:09:49,000 Speaker 1: Hey there, David, all right, right, man, that's a big step. Yeah. Hey, 1017 01:09:49,080 --> 01:09:55,120 Speaker 1: look at these teeth. Yep, it's not gonna be wrong. 1018 01:09:55,160 --> 01:10:00,280 Speaker 1: We need five, tracker, let me give five four pready 1019 01:10:00,320 --> 01:10:05,720 Speaker 1: seven holy smokes, Hey wait, go play. We were gonna 1020 01:10:05,760 --> 01:10:09,400 Speaker 1: put you up for adoption. What is ridiculous is that 1021 01:10:09,439 --> 01:10:11,800 Speaker 1: when he walked up and I didn't see those double 1022 01:10:11,840 --> 01:10:15,840 Speaker 1: yell air tags, I thought, man, oh just wait, just 1023 01:10:15,840 --> 01:10:22,320 Speaker 1: wait and see. I had a good bear. Remember, Nickel 1024 01:10:22,400 --> 01:10:26,200 Speaker 1: would have passed the spar up five forty nine point 1025 01:10:26,320 --> 01:10:36,960 Speaker 1: four five is not exactly man and the money and 1026 01:10:37,040 --> 01:10:41,760 Speaker 1: you know that they say those skills are are accurate. 1027 01:10:43,640 --> 01:10:51,000 Speaker 1: That's what the even get a picture? I won't read 1028 01:10:51,040 --> 01:11:00,080 Speaker 1: it alright, what's he looks like? He's scot Man. That 1029 01:11:00,200 --> 01:11:05,160 Speaker 1: is awesome. Congratulations, Thank you very dad, Thanks for all 1030 01:11:05,200 --> 01:11:12,880 Speaker 1: your help. Man. Yeah, hey, it's a lot bigger than 1031 01:11:12,880 --> 01:11:16,160 Speaker 1: this bear. Look at the hit of that sucker. Hey, 1032 01:11:16,200 --> 01:11:21,479 Speaker 1: thanks for listening to the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. Hey, 1033 01:11:21,520 --> 01:11:24,920 Speaker 1: while I'm standing over this bear, I want to ask 1034 01:11:24,960 --> 01:11:28,800 Speaker 1: you to subscribe to our magazine. When you subscribe to 1035 01:11:28,840 --> 01:11:32,080 Speaker 1: our magazine, you're supporting our cause you're supporting our brand, 1036 01:11:33,080 --> 01:11:36,519 Speaker 1: and you get an awesome magazine six times a year. 1037 01:11:37,040 --> 01:11:39,080 Speaker 1: I also want to ask you check out our YouTube channel. 1038 01:11:39,080 --> 01:11:40,799 Speaker 1: You'll be able to see this hunt on our YouTube 1039 01:11:40,840 --> 01:11:44,519 Speaker 1: channel at some point really soon. And more than anything, 1040 01:11:45,360 --> 01:11:48,880 Speaker 1: let's keep the wild places wild because that's where the 1041 01:11:48,920 --> 01:11:49,599 Speaker 1: bears live.