AntlerFest 05'

Anyone heading up here to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the annual AntlerFest? Guess it is going to be a good one this year, Eastman's World Record booth and Boone and Crocket Club is going to be having a display set up for the festivities! I wasn't going to waster my time with it this year as I did not have a chance to do any shed hunting this year, but I think I may have to check out some of the attractions this year.
5,299
WYMULEYMAN
Plans have changed!!!!!!!!! Looks like I am going to be skipping the Antler Fest this year. I have decided to take a short vacation from work to do some spring bear hunting. WISH ME LUCK!!!! I have never taken a bear and I am looking forward to it. We set out two bear baits about two weeks ago and we have had several bears hitting our baits. I am going to be using a bow for the first time as well. Looking forward to being introduced to the world of bowhunting.

Anyone been out scouting yet, I have over the past several winter months been watching a big deer, his photos are on the site somewhere, I think in the Winter 04-05 post and so the past few weeks been looking over some new country to hunt in and desperately looking for his sheds and any sign of this buck. The rain up in the Jackson area has finally decided to let the sun come out and now the spring fever bug has got me excited to see some new antler growth!
2
BOHNTR
WYMULEYMAN:

I've been out about 7-8 times already here on the west coast. I have seen some pretty good blacktail already......should be a great season.

Good luck on you bear hunt. I've arrowed a few and they're a blast to bow hunt. Never hunted them in the spring though. Wish I could, as I'm the mood to shoot some sticks at critters about now. Maybe a pig hunt next month to ease my pain. :)

Good luck and have fun.
2
WYMULEYMAN
BOHNTR;
AAaaaaaaaaahhhhh the sweetness of success. I still don't know how to post a picture but I could email it to someone. We scored on a big old black bear late tuesday evening. Now I am back at work but still hunting in the evenings. I have tonight, tomorrow night, and saturday to get two more bears. The bears were not very active and in fact the one we got was the only one we saw and he wasn't even at the bait site. The guy who shot him was sitting at the meeting spot waiting for me and the other guy to meet up with him and we were about 100 steps away and we heard and saw the flash of the rifle as dusk was upon us. Needless to say he took the bear at 13 steps heading straight for him. He was excited as was I and the other hunter in our party. For five days we busted our tails and the reward was well worth it. Although I did not take the bear myself he would have been a worthy bear for a first. We figure the bear to 300-350 pounds, chocolate brown coat, male, with about a 18.5" skull, and a 5.5" pads. He is a good bear.
2
MuleyMadness
http://www.muleymadness.com/forum/photos/bear1.jpg" alt="" />
2
BOHNTR
WYMULEYMAN:

Way to go bud, nice looking bruin. Sounds like an exciting hunt that got a bit "western" towards the end. Man I love those type of hunts :)
2
WYMULEYMAN
BOHNTR;

It was a great hunt and everything really came together at the end of the trip. It was much more exciting than I had originally thought it was going to be. It was alot of hard work, packing bait in day after day and sitting, glassing, hiking, and lack of seeing bears made it tough. But those are the hunts when the reward is soooo much more sweet in the end. We took the bear late tuesday evening and as far as we were back in the country it took us until late wednesday evening to finally get all the meat out. By the time we got pictures and all the other stuff done on tuesday we basically had time to only skin the bear out and get back to the house which still left us away from home until two thirty wednesday morning before we got back to the house, and we were only driving maybe ten minutes from the house but the hike was killer! The guy that took this bear has always had a life long dream of taking a bear and to say he took an amazing animal for his first would be an understatement.
2
WYMULEYMAN
Hittin' the mountains in search of big ole' black bears again this weekend!

Anyone else have weekend plans for the mountains searching for wildlife?
2