I have not been on TBH much as I have been hunting and working. I took some time off in August and went hunting in New Mexico. My guide is Joe Troyer out of Capitan, and he does a good job. My wife and I loaded up and drove to Capitan and stayed at the Smoky Bear Motel.
Joe picked me up the first afternoon hunt and we went to a 70,000 acre ranch near Carrizozo and done some glassing. The bears were eating the prickly pears and the ones we seen that evening were very high up. We decided to go back to the motel and head out in the morning with the dogs.
We went back to the same ranch and parked in a valley between two mountains. Joe told me that he would turn the dogs loose and head toward the creek. He told me to stay at the truck till the dogs treed and head that way. Well, about an hour later the dogs struck a track and raced up the mountain. I could hear the dogs but could not see them for the junipers. Finally I seen a dog and started glassing the mountain side when I caught a glimpse of a tree top shaking.
The bear looked small from my point of view but the Cedar he was in was a thick old mess. The dogs stayed treed and I headed out. I was packing a 30-30 Marlin saddle rifle my dad bought new in 1959, that old gun has a few kills and one was my mountain lion. I walked about a mile or so up the mountain and it was steep. Lots of scrub trees and loose rocks made it hard walking, but them dogs was raising hell and it kept me moving fast.
I got to the dogs and Joe was ready for me to shoot, I was winded a little and kept looking for a shot. Joe said "shoot him behind the shoulder, he is a biggun". I finally got to a spot where I could see the bear's arm and followed it down to the brown blob(shoulder) in the cedar. That tree was so thick I was not sure, but I pulled the hammer back and shot. I was about fifty yards away from the bear and he fell out of the tree and landed on his back.
That old bear was still alive, hurting and mad. The dogs raced toward him and the bear began sliding down the cliff on his back biting and clawing at the dogs. Joe and I started running down the cliff, them old shale rocks was slick and I was loosing my footing. One old gyp dog kept coming at that bear and he took a big old swing and knocked her away. About that time the bear was fading fast and I took another shot at him dead center chest.
Joe picked me up the first afternoon hunt and we went to a 70,000 acre ranch near Carrizozo and done some glassing. The bears were eating the prickly pears and the ones we seen that evening were very high up. We decided to go back to the motel and head out in the morning with the dogs.
We went back to the same ranch and parked in a valley between two mountains. Joe told me that he would turn the dogs loose and head toward the creek. He told me to stay at the truck till the dogs treed and head that way. Well, about an hour later the dogs struck a track and raced up the mountain. I could hear the dogs but could not see them for the junipers. Finally I seen a dog and started glassing the mountain side when I caught a glimpse of a tree top shaking.
The bear looked small from my point of view but the Cedar he was in was a thick old mess. The dogs stayed treed and I headed out. I was packing a 30-30 Marlin saddle rifle my dad bought new in 1959, that old gun has a few kills and one was my mountain lion. I walked about a mile or so up the mountain and it was steep. Lots of scrub trees and loose rocks made it hard walking, but them dogs was raising hell and it kept me moving fast.
I got to the dogs and Joe was ready for me to shoot, I was winded a little and kept looking for a shot. Joe said "shoot him behind the shoulder, he is a biggun". I finally got to a spot where I could see the bear's arm and followed it down to the brown blob(shoulder) in the cedar. That tree was so thick I was not sure, but I pulled the hammer back and shot. I was about fifty yards away from the bear and he fell out of the tree and landed on his back.
That old bear was still alive, hurting and mad. The dogs raced toward him and the bear began sliding down the cliff on his back biting and clawing at the dogs. Joe and I started running down the cliff, them old shale rocks was slick and I was loosing my footing. One old gyp dog kept coming at that bear and he took a big old swing and knocked her away. About that time the bear was fading fast and I took another shot at him dead center chest.
.
Comment