Brown Bear while goat and deer hunting

hammertyme

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Joined
Oct 2, 2008
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357
Location
Kodiak, Ak
Today was an extra special day. It started at 3:30 A.M. as I could not sleep due to excitement of going to one of my honey holes. We have been out several times since the season opened August 1st. Due to velvet still on the deer and a hard winter we had no real plans until today to drop a hammer on a live round.
Well I started forming 338 WSM cases from 300WSM. Got the back packs ready. Made breakfast and woke the little lady up. While she was getting ready I walked outside to check the weather and put fresh wood in the smokehouse. I had just brined twenty pounds of silver salmon yesterday and started the smoking process the night before.
After breakfast it's off to one of several secret spots. Thirty minutes of driving brought us to our spot at a stream full of salmon.
Break: Over the years a number of people have commented at the excessive sized of the caliber of handguns I hunt with. Last year Lisa carried a 338 equivalent a few times and this year with the new brake she carry's it 100% of the time. Mine has always been a 338 CE or bigger as two years ago I met a very large Brown bear Sow with two little bitty cubs 30 yards away from my truck after a day of mountain climbing. At 12' from the very large tree I got behind my two dogs flanked her. The cubs did not follow and with the tall grass she did not know I had help so I did not need to fire. She left! From that point forward I figured my 338 X06 handgun was a tad small unless I took her in the ear if she decided to come around the tree. Every see 700 pounds of fur with long teeth popping her jaws at 12'?

Well Lisa and I put on our hip boots and crossed the stream just after daylight broke. Thirty minutes later and a half mile from the truck those words that Lisa never wants to hear when she is crossing salmon filled streams crossed my lips, "BEAR"! 50 yards in front of us and chasing fish like there is no tomorrow is a 2 year old 500 pound boar brown bear.

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After Lisa took a few pictures in the morning mist I stood higher on the bank exposing myself and yelled at him while waving my arms. Gone in a flash Two dogs and two humans for a little bear, poor guy must have thought an army was after him the way he took off.. SO we walked about a half mile further and stashed our hip boots and put on something more comfortable. Now its off to the races getting across the mud flats with Lisa (following) watching the back trail like her head was on a lazy susan. Then its climb,climb,climb until we break out into the first Alpine at 1500 foot elevation. Whoa baby what is that white spot in the middle of those rocks 800 yards in front of us? Sure enough a very nice Billy Goat was bedded watching the valley (us) below him. The little lady is pretty spent with the last mile of verticle so we take a break and plan our approach. Off we go in a diagonal direction away from him so we are completely out of sight while climbing to the top of a 2 mile ridge that runs behind where he is bedded. Then three hundred yards and 3 miles from the truck it happens. I feel a op in my right calf followed by a tremendous spasm in that same calf and I am down and out. SInce we were in the last of the hideous alders nothing could be done at this point. I had to hobble back down the trail we just made to the last lookout where we were watching the goat. Lisa (RN) has her handy danding prepared for anything kit with her. Determined that I had detached a portion of my soleus as part of my calf muscle on the side was flopping on the 3 mile return trip to the truck. I will say here if one doesn't have a roll of that sticky ace bandage tape it saved a lot of misery on the return trip.

This detachment is my fault and those of you that haven't experienced climbing in the mountains, DO NOT WEAR socks that are tight on your calves. I know this but forgot when I put on a new pair of Polypropolene liners on under my boot socks before leaving home this morning. I was suppose to look when I got out of the truck and put on my hip boots. When I got home and was taking off my socks there was a 1/2" deep crease around both calves right below the detachment.

All for now

Neal
 
Ouch, man! Hope you heal up quick. Probably need surgery? Let us know. Good story. Explain a bit more about the tight sock thing and how exactly you had 1/2" indentation on your calf--that was just from tight socks? Thanks.
 
Wow, what a day Neal. Get well soon, but knowing you it won't keep you down long. At least you got a good woman there to take care of you.
 
Neil

I'm so sorry to hear about that. I too, would like to know the story about tight socks and climbing. I hope your recovery is speedy and there aren't any long lasting problems.
 
Hope you get well soon so you can enjoy the hunting season.
Interesting story, brown bear really close, and then a failed approach to a white goat.
Keep us posted on your recovery, and good luck hunting.
 
Thank you for the concern guys.
Shawn pretty much hit the nail on the head, helps that he knows me. After Lisa wrapped the leg I tried to go back up the hill. Dang that goat was so close and massive bucks haunt this area. Saw a world record there three years ago and I was so close to being there.

Sock: I am 5'8" and 185 pounds. God blessed me with legs and lower body like a running back. I purchased these liner socks years ago (different brand) and wore one of three pairs and literally had to stop and cut the elastic at the top because during the course of the day my calves were getting tired (poor circulation). I forgot to toss the remaining two pairs of liners 1.5 hours of vertical climbing into the high country my legs and most anyones working muscles will swell from exertion. I should have checked as my liner socks had rolled down into a narrow little band. We had heavy rains the past four days and though I was wearing all wool my skin was cold and with the circulation cut off by the liners I really did not have any feeling as to how much my calves had swollen until it was too late. Lisa just wrapped my leg over my socks further making things worse. I ended up having her remove the wrap a half mile from the truck as it had become unbearable.

This would be much like lacing a leather boot to tight while hunting in cold weather. Poor circulation and the feet get cold!

Like most men, we hate hospitals and we hate knifes for anything other than cutting meat to eat. AN MRI may or may not tell the story. The only way I will go to seek medical help is if it does not heal to where it handicaps my ability to hunt. SO like the doctor will say. Ice/isolation for 3-5 days with no stretching that muscle until the pain goes away. Alternate heat and ice at 3 days! When the pain appears to be lessoning then I need to start baby stretching. Time will tell. I have a month roughly before I take Lisa on her wild buffulo hunt here on Kodiak. That is a 18 mile 4-wheeler ride and they are on the flat.

SHawn: Going down hill was without pain. So maybe I will just walk backwards up the hill??

Neal
 
Hammer,

Thanks for the explanation. I wanted to make sure I understood what happened and learn from it. Sorry it happened to you! As much as I hate hospitals, I might go see a good sports orthopedic doc for that. I mentioned this to my wife, a physical therapist, and she recommended getting evaluated soon, based on what little I can tell her, of course. Just to make sure of the nature and extent of the injury and possible treatment options, if nothing else.

Good luck,

Jon
 
Hope you are feeling better, I sure like hearing and seeing hunting in AK.
Sounds like you need to give your muscles a break, pun intended, ducking and running ;-))
 
hammertyme:

Sounds like you're built like me. I spend many hours while growing up on water skiis, and I still have a hard time finding socks that are comfortable. I hate going to the docs as much as you do, but if it means there might be any lasting damage if I don't go, I'm getting my butt there as fast as they'll take me.
 
Thank you Jon- Appreciate you taking the time to speak with your wife.
She is right and my wife will give the same information to the Therapist at the hospital and see what she has to say about correct treatment.

Tomorrow morning when I wake up will probably tell me a lot about the extent of the damage. To have it bruise as quickly as it did and where it did does not coincide with where the discomfort is.
It may simply be a surface tear in the calf as the bruising suggests.

Fingers crossed
Neal
 
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