So far, the best trophy of my life..

Addy and I made the trip down to the LaSal mountains (where I spent most of my life growing up) on June 2nd, after 13 years of applying for a bear tag, to set up a bait station to lure the bears to us.

My very good buddy Ray, had this tag last year and he hunted this spot and him and his wife both took very nice bears.

He came up on the 2nd from Moab to help me set up the station. We got the bait set, then it was back to work for us for the following week and the plan was to come bear hunting as a family Friday, June the 8th.

A view of the bait from the perch.



On Monday, June the 4th, my buddy Ray made a trip up to the mountain to check on the bait station. When he got to the station, he seen a very large cinnamon color phase bear and got some pictures of him. He decided it was best to just leave him alone and I could re-bait the station Friday when I came up to hunt. I agreed.

He sent me some pictures of the bear and I knew he was a very large fella and very much a shooter bear. It also made for a terribly long work week and I only made it until Wednesday before I asked my boss for an extra day off. He was very understanding and he was very awesome about letting me take an extra day on very short notice.

These two pictures haunted me. I could tell his ears were as wide as his butt, and it’s easy to tell from the broadside picture he is a bonafide hoss.





My wife was super understanding as well as she had a big schedule to rearrange so she could accommodate an early departure.

We got to the mountain on Thursday June the 7th, got camp set, then Addy, Grandpa Les and I got the bait reset about 16:30 pm... The bait was completely gone and there was about 10 very large scat piles circling the bait where I can only assume it was the big Cinnamon marking his territory.

I wasn’t expecting any bear action on the bait this evening so we went back to camp and I gathered up my niece and nephew, Aubrey and Mikey, and took them for a ride on the mountain along with my daughter Addy.

We went for an awesome ride and was able to see several elk, grouse, turkey, deer, and a whole bunch of other critters that do indeed beautify the land.

It was evening time and the sun was still out and we had made our way back around to where my bait station was set. I told the kids I wanted to stop and check the station real quick just to see if by some miracle there was any action on it just a mere two hours after we had reset it. I left the kids in the truck and hiked solo down to the perch that overlooks the bait. I didn’t even take my rifle.

Low and behold, when I checked the bait, my eyes were filled...... let me stop right here and preface this a little. I have hunted my whole life on this mountain. I have seen literally HUNDREDS of bears up here. Some very nice ones and have even seen 10+ in the same day. I have fought bears here, been chased by bears here, have enjoyed the sightings of bears here, and definitely know what a big bear looks like. Now I knew from the pictures that the bear he sent pictures of was a very large bear, but what filled my brain as I first laid eyes on this bear literally left me stupid. He was indeed bigger than any bear I had ever before seen.

I very shakenly hiked back up to the truck and tried to mumble to the kids what had just happened. There is no way I could have kept three kids quiet enough to get to the bait station without running everything in the country off, especially since my niece and nephew have had very little actual hunting exposure. I took them back to camp and promised them they could come help retrieve the bear if I was lucky enough to able to get him.

So Addy and I jumped in the truck and got back to the bait station about 19:00 pm. The sun was still up and I figured I’d be extremely lucky to get Addy and I set up and he still be there.

Much to my amazement, he was...... Addy and I very quietly got set up and right when we were getting settled the wind shifted and hit us in the back. When I put the scope on him I was once again taken back by what I was actually looking at, and couldn’t believe this was actually happening..... but he was very nervous...

There is an old saying I remember hearing as a kid that goes something like, “the eagle sees the leaf fall in the forrest, the deer hears the leaf fall in the forest, and the Bear smells the leaf fall in the forrest...” there is no fooling a bears nose.

I wanted to get this on film but but there was no time. I told Addy to plug her ears, settled the crosshairs on the spot I knew would deliver a fast kill, and gently put pressure on the trigger with my breath held until...... well until the moment of quiet chaos..

Hunters will tell you they don’t even hear the gun go off. In this case, I didn’t either. Not even the 2nd time with the fast follow up to ensure as much fast death as possible.



My senses somewhat came back as me and my beautiful 7 year old relished in the moment of what exactly just happened. We both were shaking like a leaf in the wind. It was a moment I never will forget.

Now I’m not about to take a 7 year old on a bear follow up and put her in that situation. I hiked her back to the truck, told her to get all the courage she had and wait here for me. I promised her she would be okay and promised I would be back and locked her in the truck while I went and followed up on the bear while I still had daylight.

Tracking a bear is nerve racking. I knew I had hit him well both times, but when you are dealing with a naturally cantankerous critter to begin with, it is a hair raising experience. But it was drama free.

There was a good trail and sign right to him and as I approached my trophy, he kept growing and growing. He truly is what any bear hunter dreams of and I am beyond grateful.





Cont...

As per my promise, I went back and got the posse and as a family we made memories I wish every family could bond over.











It’s hard to explain to non hunters why we find so much joy in the pursuit and the taking of these beautiful creatures, and I’m not even going to try here.. but just know this is who we are. We follow in the footsteps of thousands of years of our ancestors and we appreciate and love these animals more than any written word could ever explain.

I’m one lucky man..

God bless,

Todd

Very nice story, and a big congrats! To the whole clan!

Awesome write up!! Congrats on a great bear and memories with your family! Definitely an awesome bear! Did you trail cam the bait station?

Wow! What a bear! Congratulations--well done!

That's a monster there.

Great job!

Good job Todd. Nice bear and family trip. happy for y'all.

Great 🐻. Utah?

Great bear and a great story!

Man, that's great on all fronts.

Nice briun!

That's a good one. Looking forward to trying again this fall.

Awesome!!!

Now that's a BEAR !!

Nice work!!that's a Damn nice bear...

Very well done. Great bear. Great looking fam. You got Lots to be proud.

Good story with a great trophy ending...😎

Killer bear - congrats!

Great story! Awesome bear!

In the pic where the bear is broadside, I had to do a double take because it almost looked like a griz.

Thanks for sharing the tale and big congrats to all who helped.

Thanks all! Sure was a lot of fun!

Todd

Wow thats a Monster! love the color! Rug, 1/2 mount???? any Idea what is weighted?

Man, He needs one more year

What a stud! Congrats

Man what a bear. A big un for sure! I had to do a double take on that broadside picture, for a split second I thought it was a cow.

Nice bear!

Thanks again!

I’m a big guy at 340 and he dwarfed me. I would say a conservative 400 and believe me when I say I don’t use that number lightly. He wasn’t overly fat either. I’d love to see how big he’d be in late fall.

It was a Utah hunt.

I used a 6.5-300 Wby shooting 127 Barnes LRX and I was impressed with how hard it hit. Distance was 130 yards.

Todd

I’m planning on a natural/non-mean full body mount though I have no clue where I’m going to put it!

Todd

Any plans to incorporate a banjo in the mount?

Guess I don’t get it...

Todd

Thanks for the write-up. What a gorgeous bear! Sounds like the hunt was a long time coming, glad it played out so nicely.

I think there is a kids or video game called Banjo Bear. Going back further, I think Disney had such a character, maybe in Somg of the South?

Great bear though!

That is a great bear!

Man, I love bear hunting and that one is a beauty, congrats.

Great story and congrats!!