Great SHOT!  Congrats.   

Congrats on the start to another great season!

Way to go sir! 

What a beast! (The deer). Well done, great shot. 

Thanks all!  My Euro came out pretty good.  I'm still riding high from this one.  Next up Bear and deer camp in the mountains. 

[attachment=1]

Skull is looking good Greg; nice job.
Shick

Congratulations,  very good picture and great buck.

Great work Greg.  I fully expect you to post more harvest pictures by Monday. Good luck this weekend.   

I just missed a nice bear at about 15 yards. Branch deflected my arrow and exploded it on the way. Flustered me and I missed the follow on shot at about 25. Damn my heart is pounding!

Dang. I too had a close call last week with a Bear. Would have been my first and I was carrying my cheetah so would have been very special to me.

Trying to get footage might have been my down fall as I set the phone down on my seat he ran by me at 8 yards after that pic was taken. Was either that or he winded me as wind was blowing that way. But I figured if I don't get footage no one will believe me lol hahahah

After 5 years of hunting the one week, no scent no bait, MD bear season in the past without a single sighting even...I got a good shot at one and a lucky bear was educated. 

The Terrain was a steep Mountain area that has a fire trail running parallel to the ridge line about halfway up.  There is an old abandoned farm and orchard downhill from the fire road and steep hardwoods above.

3 of us went in the fire road at first light.  Walt went uphill first and set up along the ridge.  Brent and I kept going until we reached the access to the farm.  I went uphill and set up in this bench area.  Just walked in and straddled a blow down near the root ball.  No cell service at camp but signal up on the mountain so I checked my phone, and of course that is when I heard a branch snap.  Brent had gone down the fire road that turned around a bend from where I went up and was still hunting.  He must have pushed the bear, but he never saw it. 

I heard something running about 60 yards out and tried immediately to see if it was "brown or black".  It was black! The good-sized bear looked like it was going to pass above me at about 35 yards on a good trotting gallop pace and I had a window.  I thought this maybe my only chance at a shot so as he past a lane I actually pulled back to ¼ draw, but then let down.  This is when it took a right and started coming down!  I went from afraid it would never get close...to Oh my gosh it is going to run me over in a second!  It was still quartering towards me and about to go parallel at only 10 or 12 yards when I drew and picked a spot behind the front leg and the arrow was on the way.  I heard a crack and watched in horror as the bear looked towards me and I watched 2 halves of my arrow fly just over the bears back! I said "SH*T" out loud as I reached back and got another arrow on the string.  The bear had meanwhile taken to or 3 fast bounds and stopped about 25 yards away quartering hard away and looking back at me.  I was flustered by this point and I wanted to try another shot fast and forgot to pick a spot in all the excitement.  This was the shot I want back!  I aimed at the entire bear and watched my arrow go up over it's rear end and thunk into a tree.  I watched the rumpling rear kick up leaves as it careened downhill out of sight towards the thick hedgerows of the farm below the fire road. 

Wow, you don't know excitement until you are at full draw on a predator that close on the ground!  WOW~!

After I dug my second arrow out of the tree (having a pinned head really helps get them out of a tree without the glue line breaking).  A doe actually came up and snorted at me from the tapping of my chisel tipped file to dig out the Hill head...I guess she thought I was a woodpecker and got in close to investigate. I tried to head way down the valley and head off the bear but never got to see it again.

I am pretty sure I caught a glimpse of another bear on the last evening hunt but again I could not get ahead of the animal i spotted way ahead in a valley.

Now I am excited to get back in 2 days for deer camp!

Here is my view of the shot. [attachment=1,msg3041405]
My arrow after it broke you can see the business end stuck in the log in back of the fletching piece. [attachment=2,msg3041405]
Simple camp this year: [attachment=3,msg3041405]
The fall colors in the hardwood forest were amazing! [attachment=4,msg3041405]

Great story Greg.  Trying to find bears in the steep mountains without dogs or bait is quite a challenge. A couple of weeks ago I stalked within 10-15 yards of a bear eating acorns—I put tension on the string but decided to give him a pass because he still had some growing to do.  Super exciting to be that close to them on the ground!

Congrats on the deer. He definitely looked good size
Congrats on the bear hunt as well. You got outdoors and loosed some arrows! Enjoyed the write up.

Congratulations on a fine trophy, great shot and super photo. Thanks for posting the details of yo :clapper:ur successful hunt.

Nice deer and nice shot and pic.  Congrats.

Great Job!!

Looks like your having a heck of a season yourself. Nice buck. I wish we could hunt our Blackbears here in La, we've got plenty but they are still off limits.

Nothing wrong with the new 3 under, bowquiver longbow shooters that seem to be popular now, but im glad to see there's a few of us still hunting the way Hill,Schulz,Swinehart and so many others used to. Back quivers, longbows and animals on the ground. Those ASLs aren't just for show and 3D shoots!

 

Great to have camping weather during deer season.