Its interesting to note that not all these “big boys” were old timers. The youngest bear taken to date, that qualified for the Pope and Young archery record book, was a 4-1/2 year old male. This particular bear had a live weight of over 300 pounds, and was taken with a recurve, by Mark Davison a family friend. My brother Darryl filmed the whole exciting hunt, including the “pass through” perfect shot Mark made.
When ever possible we try and record our hunts on video, and over the years we’ve compiled quite a few bear on tape. We have learned the ins and outs of being successful cameramen. To me this is just as exciting as the hunt itself! I will be filming for my brother Darryl this year, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Other record class bear taken on this same property have been 11-13 years of age, with weights in the 450 pound area. Over the last several years other bear hunters have discovered our little secret, so the extra hunting pressure has seemed to change the bears habits. We have noticed a much smarter/cautious bear now roams these parts. Thats alright with us, as it makes it even more satisfying when you fool one of these hunter wise bears.
Mike