So on thursday evening there was a slight chance of rain. I had my new first lite pants on but went with a different top, sitka with gore windstopper. I sat down and watched my bucket for a while and then broke out my kindle and started to read. Then it started to drizzle about 5 and it steadily got heavier and heavier until about 6:30 it was just coming down. Thankfully I was staying pretty dry but reading my kindle was just getting my bag and its contents wet so I put it away for the last hour of shooting light. I was watching my friends the chipmunks because the birds had disappeared with the rain.
About 7:05pm the chipmunk that had been messing around the bait can took off. And by took off I mean I've NEVER seen a chipmunk run that fast with his tail up and I knew there was something up. My brother and I had been joking nabout whether the animals would give us a warning if a bear was coming in. Well 30s later one came in. He came up the hill to me and I first saw the light color of his muzzle against the dark background and I was pulled up and on the bait barrel. He sat down behind it on his butt like a dog and reached around it to get a handful. I thought the barrel was a 55 gal drum and he was 2x+ as tall so I was pumped. After he ate his handful he looked up and smelled the air. I had recently watched the meateater episode where they're scented at 8-900 yards by a black bear so I went on full predator mode. He looked at his paw, then sniffed the air again and took a small step back. I was down looking through the scope and remember thinking "this is not how the story ends, you don't leave this location without lead being sent downrange". I squeezed off a round and my visual had me thinking lung, liver and hopefully exiting out in front of the rear quarter. He flattened popped up and ran off down the hill and then I heard what I thought was a deer sized animal either blowing through some brush or the death roll/flop.
I then began to shake like a leaf for a few minutes. Shooting light was until 7:30 and I was normally the last one picked up. I finally climbed down and had my head lamp and my phone with the gps on and my stand already saved on the gps so I could get back to it. I walked up to where I was getting picked up at and dropped off my stuff. I walked down the bait barrel and found a few small drop and smears of blood. At this point its raining hard and I'm nervous.
The guide and everyone shows up and I tell my brother (we've tracked countless deer together) to get out with the guide. As we walk down to the barrel I mention that if it was a questionable trail before we mess it up to call up some dogs because I know conditions are not good. We get to the barrel and find the first drops of blood. Then We start tracking and its very minimal blood for about 10 yards and I'm glad I know how to track because it wasn't easy. Then it changed. It was if someone had taken a 8-10" paint roller and was running it down the woods and against every tree. He made it about 80 yards until we found him, I had heard him roll but he never did the "death moan".
We drug him out and weighed him (119.6#). I got him tagged in, skinned out and cut up. I haven't had any yet but I shared some with my brother and he said the sausage was excellent.
