Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings BBF 97 Bear Hunt

The week before last, I took my Blaser BBF97, 9.3X74R/20 gauge, to Alberta Canada, on a bear hunt, with North Star Outfitters.

Arrived Sunday, and after a quick lunch, was taken too a stand, over a bait, in a very beautiful little clearing in the Canadian bush. After about an hour the bears started coming in, and coming in, and coming in! I was on the brink of full bore, bear overload. The first evening was worth the whole price of the hunt in my honest opinion.

Later in the evening, as three juvenile bears where fussing with each other at the bait, a larger bear came in the back of the clearing, reached as high as it could up a four inch tree, and shook the snot out of it. got the smaller bears attention real fast, then came barreling in, and run them off in a hurry. This was now the 13th bear I had ever seen, close up, in my life. From what I had learned in my studies of bear judging, it was perhaps not as big a bear as I had wanted, but it had a very nice coat, and I needed a rug for my small office.

It was standing flat footed, eating off the top of the 55 gallon bait barrel. I placed the illuminated dot, of my Swarovski Z6I 2-12X50,tightly against the rear of the bears left leg, and at the shot of the 250 grain Barnes TTSX, the bear just folded up against the the barrel.

I texted the guide to come and retrieve me, and he texted back he would be right there to track my bear. I texted him back that if he could not find this one, he was a pretty poor guide, as it was slouched up against the barrel. He thought this was friggin hilarious. And when he pulled up, he was shaking his head, and laughing. When we skinned it out, it was just a good honest 5'6" bear.

After I shot the bear, two more different bears came in, that I had not seen before, but did not eat, as you could tell, the dead bear was a bit of a dinner spoiler.

In total, I saw 15 different bears that night, and several of them would leave, and come back, numerous times, so it was solid bear, activity for hours.



I then decided to keep hunting, and would only fill my second tag, if I could take at least a 6'6" bear.

Next night saw seven bears on another bait, and one was a really nice boar, with a pristine looking coat, but I judged him to only be a skosh over 6 foot.

Next night saw 19 bears, and several of them where sows with three little cubs, that where just from this year. one had one little color phase baby, and another had two color phase cubs. When it got dark, the wind calmed down, and as I waited to be picked up, you could hear bears clicking teeth, woofing, scrambling up trees to avoid bigger bears, all around me. I bet there may have been as many as 30 in the immediate area.

Went back to the bait of the night before the next day, as they had pictures of a big one, maybe a seven footer, but he never came in. Saw five bears though.

Same bait the next day, wind blowing, and swirling badly. saw three bears. Two bears winded me, came over started climbing up the tree to check me out, I spit on them, and they backed down. Nether seemed to upset about it, as they went back and ate a bit more. I figure they were just curious.

The next day, not only was it windy, but it was raing pretty steady. The outfitter said the bears would likely not be very active, and due to the rain, would take me to a bait, with an old plywood blind, 90 yards from the bait. he said they only had two bears coming to this bait, one small and one large, and the large was only coming in after dark. He hoped the rain might change the larger bears pattern. Ether way, he said, at least i would not have to set in a stand, and get soaked.

After about an hour, a little bear came out off my right shoulder. walked by about 45 yards away, and went to the bait. He messed around there for about 20 minutes, and exited a trail directly behind the bait, and was gone.

Two hours later, a big bear came in along the same route. He at first glance did not look very big. He went to the bait, walked in front of the barrel, and as I studied him, he did not look big enough. He made another pass by the barrel, and again I decided him not up to the size I wanted. He went around behind the barrel set on his butt, and started eating. I was watching him through my Swarovski 8X32, compact ELs, and thinking. First thing that came too me, was the beast was soaked to the skin from the rain, and might not look as big as he normally would dry. Secondly, his ears looked small, when compared to his head size. Another thing I noticed through my binos, was the barrel was setting up on a bit of a hump of dirt, and a tree root. Also the bears had dug out the ground a bit in front of the barrel. I then decided he was probably at least a 6'6" bear. Now the problem was, he was behind the barrel. Only getting a look at his head every now and then. He was eating peanuts the other bear had pushed off on the ground behind the barrel. I watched him through my scope for nearly twenty five minutes, hoping he would come around to the front again.I could see the steady rain, coming down through my scope. I started fearing he would get his fill, turn around, and exit the trail behind, and i would never see him again. I made the decision to shoot him in the head the next time it popped up, and not worry about having a nice bear skull for a trophy. Finally he popped his head up, and as I was getting ready to put one between his eyes. He looked hard off to his right. I held the illuminated dot about an inch below his left ear. at the shot, he crumpled.The last thing to go through the bears mind was a 9.3 250 grain TTSX. All I could see was fur on both sides of the barrel. After about 5 minutes his head relaxed into view on the left side of the barrel, and I could see my shot had struck exactly where I had aimed.

I texted the guide, and told him he was not going to get much of a tip for tracking on this hunt, as I had another one leaning against the barrel.

When he pulled up with the for wheeler, and trailer. He had a smile on his face from ear to ear. I got out of the blind and walked down, and he whispered too me, that it was at least a 6'6" bear, and might go 6'8". After skinning and squaring it up, measured 6'9".

The outfitter, and guide were impressed with the light weight, and precision of the Blaser BBF97. Also thought the 9.3X74R, might possibly be one of the better rounds for bears, that clients brought with them.

I have several rifles that I shoot on a regular basis, but when I go hunting, the BBF, in 9.3/20 gauge is all I want to take. Have to force myself to hunt with anything else.





This is a picture of my loaded round. A week or so before my hunt.

very cool, Corjack...

Sounds like an all round fun trip... and great telling and pics...

Thanks for posting the story and pictures. Looks like a great trip. Gotta love the 9.3.
Bfly

What a great story. Thanks for the detail. Enjoyed it.

^^
What Blackfly said!

Nice Bear gun u have ,sure got the job done

A fine job in the telling. Maybe fodder for a magazine article. Tell about the loading and why you chose the 250 gr Barnes and the rest. I happen to like the Barnes in most any style.

Very nice write-up and pictures of a wonderful hunt. Congratulations!

I too enjoyed the story of your hunt and especially the pictures. I've owned and hunted combo guns before but presently I only have a couple of drillings. Oh and a double in 9.3 x 74 R. Great caliber for a bear rifle. IMO.

Great bears! Just curious but do you keep a 20ga slug in the other barrel just in case of the need for a quick close range second shot?

Yep! A couple years ago I knocked down one deer with the rifle barrel, the other deer jumped ten yards, looked back and a 3 inch Brenneke laid it low as well.