|
|
|
| Offline |
|
Title: New Mexico Bears and Antelope
By: ocagent
Date: Sep 9, 2009
|
I'm a little late on this report, but I am just now getting to a computer as we have been guiding dove hunters and getting ready for deer season. But, before all that started, I had a great hunt out in New Mexico, with clients, for bears and antelope.
In addition to guiding full time here in Texas, I guided antelope hunters with one of the outfitters we book for near Raton, NM. This late August hunt takes place before our hunting seasons start here in Texas, so I go out there first because after all summer in the office booking trips, I am ready to get out in the field!
This hunt is on one of the largest and most historic ranches in NM, over 300,000 acres of beautiful country. Its not just flat antelope country, much of it is broken by mountains and mesa, which also hold great elk and mule deer, as well as bears.
All of the 20 hunters in camp took good goats and all had great hunts. We also had two bear hunters in camp. August 15th is the start of bear season in NM and we were after the bears using the outfitter's excellent pack of hounds. We looked forward to a great hunt, since Bridger had already taken a nice blonde colored bear a few days before.
We started the first morning checking a waterhole at the base of a pinon pine covered mesa where a good track had been seen. Sure enough, there were some good fresh tracks, so we turned a dog lose. He started cold training the bear immediately, sounding off every few seconds. Every few minutes we turned another dog loose to join the trail, and in about ten or fifteen minutes they jumped the bear and the hound music began in earnest!
We turned more dogs loose to join the chase. They moved the bear around the mountain so we drove around to get closer. They got close and for a few minutes we thought the bear might run out in the clearing we where watching. We could hear the brush breaking and the bear fighting with the dogs and then they went back over the mountain from the way they came. So again we drove around the mesa and set up to listen. After about thirty minutes, we decided from the baying of the hounds that they had either treed the bear or bayed him up, so we started our climb to find them.
After about a third of a mile climb, with the baying of the hounds getting louder and louder, we found the bear about fifteen feet up in a big pinon. One of the dogs found a way to climb the tree, but got too close and the bear grabbed him by the nose, pulled him off of his limb, swung him around and flung him about twenty yards. But that dog went right back up the tree, though this time he kept his distance!
After determining the bear was a boar, the hunter decided to take him. Unfortunately, the shot was a little low, so at the shot, he bailed out of the tree, right into the pack of hounds. The fight was on, bears and dogs rolling down the mountain attacking each other and guides and hunter following, waiting for a clear finishing shot. Finally, the bear cleared the dogs and the immediate shot put the bear down for good!
Everyone was excited, except ol' Hank the hound, who the bear grabbed by the foot in the fight and threw down the mountain, he was torn up pretty good and was taken to the vet for surgery. But the bear was down, a beautiful cinnamon colored bear weighing around 250 pounds.
A few days later we had another great bear chase, putting a kind of grizzled looking bear high up in a pine, but it turned out to be a sow, so we let her go. We also put the hounds on the cold trail of a lion whose tracks we found, but after hours of trailing they never could located and jump the cat.
I'm sorry no pics of the bear hunt, I forgot my camera. It was an awesome sight to hike up the mountain to a dozen hounds at the base of a tree with a bear up in it. The hounds were baying so loud we had to yell in each other's ears to be hear. Truly an exciting experience! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
