Every year, Georgia holds an 'early' rifle bear hunt on several of the WMA's up in the mountains. That hunt was this past weekend. It's typically archery-only at this time of year for deer and bear, but this one weekend you get to tote a rifle.
My fiance got me an old Savage 99 in 300 Savage for Christmas. I got it outfitted with a 2x7 scope, and decided that's what I wanted to shoot a bear with. Just like the old Savage ads in Outdoor Life! Met up with 4 friends for the weekend at one of the mountain WMAs. We had scouted a few spots earlier in the summer, and I knew just the ridgetop I wanted to go sit on. Huge mast crop this year, making it easy for the bears to stay close to bedding areas, except to get to water. Most of the bears we saw this weekend were in draws up around spring heads.
I saw a shooter bear Saturday am. Was sneaking up an old roadbed right before sun up, and just after 7a, got to about 30 yds from where I had put a camera earlier in the summer, that I planned to recover, since it hadn’t taken a pic in a month. I was stopping to look and listen every 5 yards or so. Had stopped for maybe a minute and picked out a horizontal black line through the trees, about 30 yds away. Thought “is that a bear? That looks like a bear.” I bobbed my head around a tree, and made out the bear head. He was looking down the mountain to my left, and the wind was in my face, blowing from him to me. Pulled the rifle off my shoulder, and about the time I got it up to my shoulder, bear turned around and started walking across the roadbed from left to right, as I was trying to get him in the scope. He stopped for a second, just as he started up the bank, and looked my way, but not long enough for me to get the crosshairs on him. And then he was gone. Like a silent ghost. If I had to guess, it was maybe 175-200 lbs. Not huge, but average for a GA bear. If I'd had my iron sight 30-30, I'd have put one through his boiler room.
That evening, went to basically the same spot, and had a small young bear stroll by me at 20 yds or so. Best I can tell, it never knew I was there. It looked to be maybe 40-50 lbs. probably had a sow somewhere around, but never saw it.
Figured I was in a hot spot, so went back there Sunday am, and saw diddly-squat.
Saturday am, one of my hunting buddies was hunting with a longbow. He was moving pretty quick at first light to get up to a spring head he'd seen a 200 pounder at the day before. He stopped to take off his hoodie, take a drink of water, and freshen up his dip. Once done, he picked his bow up, and took three steps, clearing a big deadfall, and came face to face, at 15 yards with a 300+ pound bear. He and the bear looked at each other, and he slowly pulled an arrow from the quiver, knocked it, and got it pointed in the bear's direction. As he started to draw back, the bear turned and ran.
We both are ready to get back out there to try to close the deal. Pic of the small bear from Saturday evening.
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My fiance got me an old Savage 99 in 300 Savage for Christmas. I got it outfitted with a 2x7 scope, and decided that's what I wanted to shoot a bear with. Just like the old Savage ads in Outdoor Life! Met up with 4 friends for the weekend at one of the mountain WMAs. We had scouted a few spots earlier in the summer, and I knew just the ridgetop I wanted to go sit on. Huge mast crop this year, making it easy for the bears to stay close to bedding areas, except to get to water. Most of the bears we saw this weekend were in draws up around spring heads.
I saw a shooter bear Saturday am. Was sneaking up an old roadbed right before sun up, and just after 7a, got to about 30 yds from where I had put a camera earlier in the summer, that I planned to recover, since it hadn’t taken a pic in a month. I was stopping to look and listen every 5 yards or so. Had stopped for maybe a minute and picked out a horizontal black line through the trees, about 30 yds away. Thought “is that a bear? That looks like a bear.” I bobbed my head around a tree, and made out the bear head. He was looking down the mountain to my left, and the wind was in my face, blowing from him to me. Pulled the rifle off my shoulder, and about the time I got it up to my shoulder, bear turned around and started walking across the roadbed from left to right, as I was trying to get him in the scope. He stopped for a second, just as he started up the bank, and looked my way, but not long enough for me to get the crosshairs on him. And then he was gone. Like a silent ghost. If I had to guess, it was maybe 175-200 lbs. Not huge, but average for a GA bear. If I'd had my iron sight 30-30, I'd have put one through his boiler room.
That evening, went to basically the same spot, and had a small young bear stroll by me at 20 yds or so. Best I can tell, it never knew I was there. It looked to be maybe 40-50 lbs. probably had a sow somewhere around, but never saw it.
Figured I was in a hot spot, so went back there Sunday am, and saw diddly-squat.
Saturday am, one of my hunting buddies was hunting with a longbow. He was moving pretty quick at first light to get up to a spring head he'd seen a 200 pounder at the day before. He stopped to take off his hoodie, take a drink of water, and freshen up his dip. Once done, he picked his bow up, and took three steps, clearing a big deadfall, and came face to face, at 15 yards with a 300+ pound bear. He and the bear looked at each other, and he slowly pulled an arrow from the quiver, knocked it, and got it pointed in the bear's direction. As he started to draw back, the bear turned and ran.
We both are ready to get back out there to try to close the deal. Pic of the small bear from Saturday evening.
