# dsconnell strikes



## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

Koz..

Is Cass sending that out already.. I will say he is a pretty good watch dog.. He seen everyone of the bears we saw first.. And he did pretty good on the video camera too.. 

Its a tough break and I will probably watch this video a million times.. The shot was a touch low but I would have never expected this bear to live.. I appreciate all the pick me ups and hope to be able to get another crack at one.. Although no matter how big it may be I would rather have recovered the first one.. Here is the unedited version of the hunt.. The shot is at 1 minute and 25 seconds left.. 

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk44/solwithme/?action=view&current=09MIBearHunt1.flv


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Nice video...bad luck.

I noticed, that those lungs and heart are a really small compared to a deer, just recently though. I'm even lucky I got both lungs and a tip of the heart on the one I shot this year. I aimed right behind the shoulder on mine....completely broadside. That's a big bear there though, I'm pretty surprised you didn't hit at least the bottom 2/3rd's of the heart and put a big enough hole in the chest cavity to cause a hemo-pneumothorax.

Poop happens....


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Cass I heard some heavy breathing in the first hour tonight thinking there was a bear beneath us. Nope dans eyes closed and sleeping:lol:

I dont know if there is away to do slow mo on Photobucket but when dan showed me the clip in slo mo tonight, I can assure you that anyone would have thought "That bear is dead" 

Its on tonight Dan


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## casscityalum (Aug 27, 2007)

dsconnell said:


> Koz..
> 
> Is Cass sending that out already.. I will say he is a pretty good watch dog.. He seen everyone of the bears we saw first.. And he did pretty good on the video camera too..


Haha I had that photo sent out before you were even awake 



DEDGOOSE said:


> Cass I heard some heavy breathing in the first hour tonight thinking there was a bear beneath us. Nope dans eyes closed and sleeping:lol:


haha ya I got a good nap in too once..that camera arm makes a perfect rest for your arms


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Tough break. You'll play that shot over a million times but it won't change the results; it happens. 

I was able to stop your video right when the bolt hit the bear; the shot does look pretty low. If you hit a rib it will even deflect lower. Here's a link to the anatomy of a bear; see what you think. http://www.dundeesportsmansclub.com/dundee pic/bearshotplacement.pdf


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## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

I see a low shot as well. From what I'm told slightly higher than placement for deer when your shooting a bear. Tough luck, nice looking bear!


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## Big Buck (Feb 8, 2000)

Dan

Man what a nice bear, real sorry to here the out come. Keep your head up. I have been in the same place with a deer, and it sucks.

Good luck


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Thats a rough deal for sure...... A dog may have made the difference in recovery.


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## Death_From_Above (Jul 29, 2004)

Tough Luck Dan, believe me I know EXACTLY how you feel! Happened to me O exactly six days ago. Pretty much the exact same shot. Right behind the front sholder a touch low. I tracked mine 400 yards wasn't hard as i had good blood the whole way, two hours after the shot. Heard it get up, and I backed out. Went back the next morning, found six beds all with blood in them the last one fresh and the bear was gone. I figure he got up when the quad pulled in as the blood was still real fresh. Followed the blood another 4-500 yards back to a thick swamp until it plugged up. Game over. It does happen, but you still don't feel real good about it.

However I do give you credit for airing in on this forum. Sure to be a few flamers, there always is! Good Luck tonight I hope you connect. 

I'm heading back to the U.P. on Sunday for another five day hunt. Still have some active baits to hunt.


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## target-panic (Jan 9, 2006)

Looked like a great shot to me.......Tough Luck for sure!

Maybe tonight..........


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## jeffthedj (Mar 27, 2006)

Tough break man! looked like a great shot.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Bummer! Keep at it.
You looked comfy napping.:lol:

Big T


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

That's too bad.


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## Wally Gator (Sep 21, 2007)

Yeah, you shot too low and too close to the shoulder. At that angle looks like all you got was a flesh wound... Ive always heard on a bear you should shoot a little bit higher and back off the shoulder to get the lungs... My brother and a couple of my hunting partners all took nice bears with archery equipment a couple years ago, and all the guides were telling them to stay away from that front shoulder... That sucks man, I feel for ya... That's a sick feeling we all have to taste every once and a while.... Hey at least you got to go after a burian this year anyway...


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## N.E. Outdoorsman (Sep 18, 2006)

I'm really sorry for ya. I know exactly how you feel. Same thing happened to me almost exactly a year ago. Don't get too wound up about the low shot. Sometimes it's just not meant to be. My shot was high lungs and he rolled right over. He never bled a drop. I searched high and low, and never found him. So, my point is that you shouldn't blame yourself for a bad hit. It's been said here already, "It Happens."


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

i hate to say it.... but i did tell you Dan was bad luck! and if it makes you feel any better i gave a antelope a hair cut... and im glad you showed this video because that is where i would have aimed on a bear if i were to shoot one last year... i always heard their vitals lay low... after this i think i may shoot center mass next time....

and you should switch to spitfires... you could have been a 1/2 in off


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## swamp_fox (Mar 2, 2003)

Sorry about your luck. I lost one a couple years ago, quartering away and I saw my arrow connect behind shoulder and high. Not many days go by that I don't think about it. I must have been above the lungs. Anyways, I remember a outfitter (Nye I believe) on TV in Saskatchewan who told his clients to shoot the "middle of the middle" and they don't run far. It seems to me that would mean a gut shot. Has anybody heard of such a thing.


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## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

For what ever its worth, it is possible the big bear will return to the bait site if he survives the wound. Happened to me years ago on my first bear. I had a broadside shot from a ground blind using traditional equipment, Hit too far forward nearly hitting the shoulder. Put a bunch of time in trying to recover. No luck. Went back to hunting. A couple days later a bear came in to the bait. when he turned I saw an area of dried blood near his shoulder. Made a good shot that time. Located the kill and saw the stub of a cedar arrow sticking out complete with my Bear Razorhead. It was my arrow for sure. The killing shot was 3 inches back from the first. Just dumb luck...hope you get to experience the same.


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## koz bow (Nov 18, 2006)

Wally Gator said:


> Yeah, you shot too low and too close to the shoulder. At that angle looks like all you got was a flesh wound... Ive always heard on a bear you should shoot a little bit higher and back off the shoulder to get the lungs...


I agree with the off the shoulder point, but not necessarily the higher point. Shooting high on a bear is a very poor percentage shot.

I referenced shooting a bear in the spot where there is nothing there to kill him, and that is high, not low. Low is a much better shot.

The bear I shot was just behind the shoulder and high, and it did not hit anything vital to kill it.

Dan's shot on video looked good to me, low.


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## Terrific_tom (Jan 30, 2004)

swamp_fox said:


> Sorry about your luck. I lost one a couple years ago, quartering away and I saw my arrow connect behind shoulder and high. Not many days go by that I don't think about it. I must have been above the lungs. Anyways, I remember a outfitter (Nye I believe) on TV in Saskatchewan who told his clients to shoot the "middle of the middle" and they don't run far. It seems to me that would mean a gut shot. Has anybody heard of such a thing.


Swamp Fox shot my 1st bear in about the same spot as Dan. The bear did not die, luckily the guide had a tracking dog and we caught up with the bear the next day and finished the job. I got to talking to the guide who had been guiding for bear over 20 years. He told me in the future to imagine the half way mark nose to tail and the halfway mark from bottom of belly to the top of the back and that should be the perfect shot. I took his advice and the next 2 bears I shot did not go over 20 yards, both Double lunged and both let out the Death moan. If you think about it a bear has hair about 2 to 3 inches long and usually at least 1 to 2 inches of fat. That makes a low shot a lot lower than what most think.


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## SNAREMAN (Dec 10, 2006)

Terrific_tom said:


> Swamp Fox shot my 1st bear in about the same spot as Dan. The bear did not die, luckily the guide had a tracking dog and we caught up with the bear the next day and finished the job. I got to talking to the guide who had been guiding for bear over 20 years. He told me in the future to imagine the half way mark nose to tail and the halfway mark from bottom of belly to the top of the back and that should be the perfect shot. I took his advice and the next 2 bears I shot did not go over 20 yards, both Double lunged and both let out the Death moan. If you think about it a bear has hair about 2 to 3 inches long and usually at least 1 to 2 inches of fat. That makes a low shot a lot lower than what most think.


Exactly what my guide told all the hunters in camp,both times I hunted with him.


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

man like i said this is a good training video! sorry at your expense dan... but i always shoot my deer exactly where you shot! and thats where i planned on shooting my bear last year! so im glad i passed on that small bear!!


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Well the hunt ended tonight for Dan with no bear. I filmed for him the last three nights and must have put a hex on him 

Dan being the nice guy that he is elected not to sit a bait whereas he knew he could have killed a 250lb sow. He instead choose to give this opportunity to a woman in camp whom had never killed a bear. 

Well as luck would have it, the sow arrived at the bait the same time as a boar. The woman put a good shot on the boar and it only made it 37 yards. The boar ended up weighing 257lbs.


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## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

swamp_fox said:


> Sorry about your luck. I lost one a couple years ago, quartering away and I saw my arrow connect behind shoulder and high. Not many days go by that I don't think about it. I must have been above the lungs. Anyways, I remember a outfitter (Nye I believe) on TV in Saskatchewan who told his clients to shoot the "middle of the middle" and they don't run far. It seems to me that would mean a gut shot. Has anybody heard of such a thing.


I have heard it just this week they shot a 534lb bear and Rob told that guy to center the bear up and shoot him that way and the bear ran 50 yards and died..


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## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

Like Tommy said.. I went back to the same bait I had passed on a 300+ lb bear the night after i shot the other bear in hopes he would return.. Went to one other that had a real big bear on it and last night went back to the same stand I shot my bear at and got skunked 3 nights in a row.. All were good nights.. Maybe a little too quiet but none the less was a great experience and I will forever have the video as a reminder to never shoot that low on a bear again.. I know someone said that was too close to the should and that much I can tell you it was not.. If that shot was an inch higher that bear would be headed to my taxidermist right now.. I learned a valuable lesson and am sick to my stomach about it but I firmly believe that bear will be just fine.. 

As Tommy said too.. The last night I was supposed to set a stand that we had a 250lb sow coming into and as well another huge bear and instead I elected to let the girl go in and shoot the sow cause we believe the big bear busted the hunters that were in there 2 days before and did not see any sign of him being there the night before last.. Instead a smaller boar ended up coming in and she was able to make a perfect shot which after she had also shot and lost a bear earlier in the hunt was a huge confidence booster and of course her first bear.. 

At any rate thanks again guys for all the support and anyone going bear hunting from here on out keep it at least mid body and about the same distance back or as mentioned on here the better shot I am finding out is center mass.. It surely made quick work of the big one we did bring in.. 

Just got home this morning and me and my brother are off to Ohio tonight to chase whitetails for a few days..


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## Flag Up (Feb 15, 2009)

Dan,

Glad you made it out of there without getting eaten by a bear or worse yet a cougar.:yikes: I didn't say cougar did I. Sorry, my wife thinks its so dangerous whenever I go bear hunting. 

I have allways went with center to center horizontal and center to center vertical then 3-5 inches toward the head from the intersection, rocks em every time.


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## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

I know Casscityalum has been waiting to see his ugly mug but here are a few pics from the hunt.. 









This is a photo of the bear I shot.. Took this the first time he come in!









Casscityalum filmed for me the first 3-4 nights and filmed the night i shot the bear.. 









This is the bear that the lady shot on the last night! And that is Wade.. The man, the myth, the legend when it comes to bears the Nixon boys know their ****! If you are patient enough to wait and draw Baldwin do yourself a favor and get ahold of them.. 

Has taken me a while after it sunk in to come back and look at this thread but its time to swallow the pride and get back at it!!


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## casscityalum (Aug 27, 2007)

sweet!! lol great pics and ya just maybe Ive been thinkin about that picture


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