![]() I then walked down the main logging road, away from camp and the direction I had come, with the intention of hiking up every old, overgrown spur I came across, until I found a good bear or ran out of daylight. I woke up the next morning half an hour before first light, enjoyed the second Mountain House meal of the trip, then set about hiking back up the same spur as the night before. I set up camp, opened the first Mountain House meal of the trip, which I believe was pasta primavera, enjoyed it thoroughly, then went to sleep. Slightly rattled, I trudged the rest of the way up the spur to its end, turned around and walked back down, then walked along the main part of the logging road until it got too dark to see, turned around once more, and returned to the car. That was a great-looking bear, and he was only a half-hour hike from the car. If you’ve read any of my other hunting posts, you may be familiar with my habit of throwing away the first good opportunity of most hunts. He, of course, ran away immediately, never to be seen again. The tree had obscured him from my sight, and I became aware of him kind of mid-stumble as I erupted from inside the thickly-leafed branches. Sure enough, standing there on the other side of the tree, twenty yards down the middle of the path, was a nice big bear. The whole thing shook as I stumbled out onto the other side of it. As I stepped over one branch, and ducked under the other, I tripped, and reached out quickly to grab hold of the tree and stop my fall. As I muttered to myself about the less than ideal conditions, I encountered a downed tree across the path that had two large branches blocking the way. ![]() After half an hour of climbing up the old spur, I hadn’t seen any fresh bear crap. The salmonberries were barely green nubs on the bushes, and the grass was only a couple inches long. ![]() I was somewhat dismayed to find that the grasses and berries were way behind schedule. Making camp can wait when there’s bears out there to be hunted. I got out of the car, loaded my rifle, and was creeping up the spur within minutes of arriving. Perfect conditions for still-hunting bears. It winds its way up a steep slope for a few kilometres, and is normally covered in grass in the springtime, with salmonberry bushes overhanging on both sides. ![]() When I arrived in the area, I pulled right up to the base of an old, overgrown spur road that I’ve had success with before. I drove up in the afternoon, with the intention of getting there in time for an evening hunt. That small barrier is enough to turn most people off, and ensure I have a pleasant, solitary hunting experience. It’s a five-and-a-half hour drive to my preferred spot about four hours on paved road, and then an hour-and-a-half on progressively worse logging roads. Like, so many that I might be tempted to make a trip up there this fall just to hunt birds. I hadn’t been up that way for two years not a lot has changed, except that there are a lot more grouse than I remember there ever being before. I drove up there the first week of May, and it was nice to check out the area again. ![]() With the fall hunting season fast approaching, I thought I’d take the time to post about my latest trip to Nootka Sound now, before I have a bunch of other things to write about. ![]()
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