25 January 2016, 23:08
Wendell ReichRomanian Bear Redux
I returned to Romania this spring for some unfinished business with a Brown Bear. I hunted in 2014, came home Bear-less, but it was my fault, not Marius. I wounded a running Bear on the first day. A huge Bear … Let’s not dwell on the past. So, after some thought I decided I needed to return to Romania for a second shot at a Brown Bear. After seeing the size of the Bear that I wounded, I knew this country had some serious Bears.
The day of arrival in Romania, I asked Marius if we were hunting that evening. Even after a long flight, I was ready to hunt. He said Yes, and explained that there was a good Bear coming to bait every evening around 10:30
In Romania it is legal to hunt at night and the Brown Bear hunts in the Spring are baited hunts, similar to Lion and Leopard hunts. In fact, I saw a lot of parallels in the two.
He showed me this game camera picture on his phone of a Bear coming to a bait. You like this Bear?
Umm, yes, that Bear will do!
We met the ranger for the area and took his Land Cruiser up the mountain and then climbed another 20 minutes up the mountain in the snow. This Bear lived way, way up the mountain. There was still a substantial amount of snow on the ground.
Ranger’s Land Cruiser
We walked up the hill to the blind, which turned out to be a little different than the ones I hunted in last year. Those had beds. This one had a log to sit on!
Well, my back isn’t in the best shape, but I want this Bear, so I find an old jacket in the blind fold it up to make a cushion and push the log back into the corner of the blind. After cooling off 30 minutes later from the climb (I brought way too much stuff) I dressed for the cold night and crossed my arms and promptly fell asleep sitting upright on the log. Remember I had just flown in.
About 1:30 a “problem” that developed while I was still at home reared it’s ugly head.
“I have to go to the bathroom!”
“There is a pee bottle over there.”
“No, you don’t understand. We need to leave now!”
So, day one was over. I was tired anyway.
We stayed in a hotel high in the mountains that was quite nice. It was new, and a tourist destination I guess. Very surprised to see it there. It seemed out of place in the middle of a small Romanian mountain village.
We named this Bear “Snow Bear” since in the photo there was a Bear and snow. Very creative, I know.
Anyway we hunted “Snow Bear” for two days. Marius realized on the second day, that he would come circle the blind, smell us and then leave. He figured our odds of killing this Bear were slim. So, we came up with a new plan.
There was an area that was down in the plains that had a couple Bears coming in to bait. The owner told us that every day at 8:00 a Brown Bear would come in and 8:20 or so a very black colored Brown Bear would come in. He said the dark black colored Bear was a good Bear. So we decided to give it a go.
This blind was definitely not as nice as some of the other blinds I have hunted in in Europe. In fact, one of the most primitive. But, we were not going to stay long in this blind.
About 8:30 or so a very tall Bear came sneaking through the woods to the bait, he grabbed some food and got out of there quickly.
“Do you not like that Bear?” Marius asked.
“No, he’s too small.”
“That is not a small Bear. His legs are long, it makes him look small. That is a big Bear.”
This is why I don’t guide Bear hunts.
Ok, well, we didn’t see him again. We did see another Bear that I thought looked very nice. Big fat head, small ears, thick Bear. Probably would have shot him, but he grabbed food and ran off. I thought that was a big damn Bear!
Marius is thinking, There must be a big Bear here since these two guys are grabbing food and leaving so quickly.
Bear no. 2 came sneaking back through the woods to grab another bite and stopped in his tracks, concerned with something over his shoulder. He stood there for a minute, as he stood, I studied him and thought this was a very good Bear, I would be happy with this one. I was ready to shoot this Bear!
The trees exploded with a snarling growling Brown fury chasing off Bear no.2. Didn’t take a genius to figure out this was a shooter, especially if he is easily scaring off a big Bear!
He made his way back through the trees, toward the bait. I was shooting a Blaser in 8x68 with a Swarovski Z6i scope. It was getting quite dark, but I could still make out the bear. He stopped and quartered toward me, so I put the dot on the point of his shoulder and shot.
He jumped up spun around, snapped at his shoulder and was gone.
Marius asked about the shot, I said, it was good. Well, the Bear wasn’t in the immediate area and you don’t go poking around the thick “alder like brush” in the dark for a huge wounded Brown Bear so we left him for the next day.
Long damn night. I hate leaving a wounded animal, even if I am sure he is dead, but there was no other wise choice.
We returned and with the help of some dogs found him not too far from where I shot him. He was not dead, and he was quite angry! A slug from a shotgun, and a couple rounds from the 8x68 and he was down.
The autopsy showed that my shot went where it was supposed to. In the top of the shoulder crossing inside the Bear coming to rest on the opposite ribcage farther back. Exactly as I would suspect. Why it didn’t kill him was a mystery to me. We sat down at dinner and talked it over. Well, they talked about it, I sat there and wondered what in the hell they were talking about.
Marius related to me the autopsy results to me. By then, it didn’t matter. I had my Bear finally and he is a dandy of a Bear!
It is worth noting that my knees are pushed up against the Bear's shoulder in this photo. There is no trick photography necessary on this Bear to try to make him look big!
I am sitting on the Bears back leg in this photo.
That is my hand on his neck. Yes, this was a big fat Bear!
