According to Kirkland, the big, trophy boars were slower than usual coming out this spring. He says hunters usually see 30 to 40 bears, but he estimates seeing about 20, with few adult boars. On the next-to-the-last day of his hunt he finally took what he describes as a huge bear just before dark. The bruin scores 19 7/16 SCI, surpassing the record book minimum of 18 inches. He says it measures over seven feet and has flawless, thick, black fur. Ironically, he says they saw an even bigger boar, "a real monster," the last morning while packing out his hide and meat. The other hunters also tagged good bears late in the hunt, all around six feet eight inches to six feet 10 inches.
The hunting was conducted by driving the logging roads each day high into the mountains looking for bears in openings along roads, lake edges, clear-cuts and small clearings. Generally, Kirkland says they looked for places with grass where the bears might be feeding. When they'd find a bear they'd glass it to decide whether or not to put on a stalk. Kirkland says the scenery on this hunt was drop-dead gorgeous with tall cedar trees, beautiful mountain valleys, seacoast and ocean. "This is perfect country for black bears and the place was crawling with them," he says.
Despite having to hold out until late........(continued)
