Speaker 1: 0:00

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Speaker 2: 1:06

I'm Frank.

Speaker 1: 1:08

Mastika Today. Guys, it's been, I think, what Two weeks, maybe a little over a week. We haven't dropped a single podcast episode, just because one of the most important seasons for New Jersey came along and for anyone who knows or doesn't know, it was New Jersey's archery bear season, and this is an annual tradition. One bear season starts for all the guys here who love to go out there and hunt bears, like it's marked on the calendar and it's just go time. So everyone we are going to dive in to our bear season recap. Joining us is American Mike, who was busy as hell out in the woods getting clients on bears and everything like that too as well, so he's going to be giving us a recap as well. So let's get into this episode and remember to always chase the unknown. So, guys, what a week. That was such a fun, crazy week, perfect, the perfect weather. First of all, disclaimer.

Speaker 3: 2:30

Monday was perfect.

Speaker 2: 2:33

It sucks for me.

Speaker 1: 2:35

You're right, the temperature wise was perfect, the temperature was beautiful.

Speaker 1: 2:40

The wind was not perfect at all. Actually, with the wind not perfect at all. Right, and actually with the wind, I was still surprised that 90 bears were still killed on the first day With that, with how strong the wind. I think everyone I talked to agreed that it felt like we were flying. It was crazy, it was absolute crazy. It was it was crazy, it was absolute crazy. So, um, we're gonna break down on on monday. So, like I said, 90 bears were killed in zone 1, there was 19. In zone 2, there are 22. In zone 3, there's 28. Zone 4, there's 21. And zone 5, there was zero.

Speaker 1: 3:20

This is courtesy of american mike. He posted all this on instagram and everything like that, uh, for everyone to see. So all these stats are not specifically coming from him, but he took from new jersey wildlife's page and put it on his page, so it makes it a little easier for us. Um, I remember, guys, we were, we were at camp, so we went up and set up camp and everything like that and we're camping out and I mean we had a blast where we're going to be doing this from here on out, but it started there with we went into monday just on a, on a high. We're like, all right, we're gonna see bears.

Speaker 1: 3:54

I had, brandon, me and bobby ran into a bear who basically was stalking us, the like the night before and everything like that. We're so like, all right, we're gonna, we're gonna. We're so like, all right, we're going to, we're going to shoot some bears, like we're. We're going to see some bears on Monday, like we're. We're pumped up and we got into the woods and I think it was calm for maybe like the first, like 30 minutes to an hour, and I think after that the wind just freaking, started to pick up and it went insane from there and it just got worse and worse and worse. Trees were breaking. I mean america, mike, for you, you guys, you're, you're sitting on the ground. I don't know which one's worse in in that point, to be on the ground where a tree might fall on you or be up into a tree, where you're gonna go down with the tree.

Speaker 3: 4:40

So I'm not sure which one's really worse. We heard a tree crack and fall, maybe about a good 60 yards to our left too and I'm like what the fuck? And my dad's like. Can we close the window?

Speaker 1: 4:54

it was yeah, no, it was really bad. Um, I mean it, I was like damn name, father, son of holy spirit, please get me out of this situation.

Speaker 1: 5:05

It hasn't been all season. It has not been windy. We've had a very. I can't even remember in that summer when it's been that windy either. I know it's hurricane season now and down south has been getting hit like crazy, but I think that was the windiest day that we've had in probably I don't know a month, six months, at least seven months, maybe even longer, I mean since season started. We have yet to have a day like that. I can. It's usually been like four, seven miles per hour at maybe nine miles per hour at the most, but I heard the gust on monday was up to like 37 miles per hour and everything like that you know, so monday and wasn't really wasn't.

Speaker 1: 5:49

Uh, you know anything, good, you know for us, but did you guys see any on monday at all?

Speaker 3: 5:56

no dude, we had, as you saw, all those check-ins. We had seven hunters in the woods, five separate spots and the two spots we did not hunt. That day bear showed up, yeah yeah, of course, yeah and then we know the one semi-guided that was uh, sitting in james's spot.

Speaker 1: 6:17

He ended up shooting his bear on monday okay, all right, yeah, yeah, I, that's the one that you guys had to find with the the next day right all right, so we're gonna get.

Speaker 1: 6:30

We're gonna, we're gonna be diving into that and everything like that. Um, you know, and I will say like we have two different methods of of hunting here. Um, you know american mike, they do a lot of work baiting and everything like that. And you know Merrick and Mike, they do a lot of work baiting and everything like that. And you know running cameras how, when do you start running cameras? And when did you guys start baiting and running cameras for bears?

Speaker 3: 6:51

Honestly, this year we kind of slacked off a lot. James had surgery and I actually have plantar fasciitis, so it's been pretty hard for us to get out there and start putting up cameras and bait sites.

Speaker 3: 7:03

So we started baiting and putting up cameras for bears only three weeks before the season started which was really I wasn't feeling confident going into that until three days before the season when, like, every camera was blowing up and I'm like, oh, this is awesome, we're sending the clients all the pictures, like, look at this man, look at all these bears coming in.

Speaker 1: 7:26

Yeah, and when do you usually start, like in the years in the past?

Speaker 3: 7:31

As soon as we harvest our dough in that first week. That's it. It's time to start concentrating on bear. Okay.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Yeah, all right. So you got the late start, but still within enough time. You know three weeks that bears had consistently came on. We're coming on cameras and everything like that. I know Frank's at a is at a new property that has a lot of bears on it. Well, I don't think there wasn't really much baiting and prep work for you guys, right.

Speaker 2: 7:59

No, not really, because we were seeing them constantly. So we're like, oh, like I mean I baited a little bit, probably like a week, week and a half before, but I'm like, I'm guaranteed, I know these bears, I'm gonna see them.

Speaker 1: 8:13

I was wrong um, and then for for us, what we? We scouted one day we kind of had a general idea where the bears are, which we were right. I mean, every place that we scouted one day we kind of had a general idea where the bears are, which we were right. I mean, every place that we scouted had insane bear sign, um, and we were just trying to a lot of hanging hunts, a lot of moving, and we're just trying to find the honestly kind of get lucky. Cause you kind of had to get lucky, like you knew where they are.

Speaker 1: 8:42

But yet again you're even with with Mike, you're not hunting them on on baits, you know you're. You gotta be a hundred yards off if you're even using it. So you got to try to yes, it's, there's a lot of Intel to collect, but they can come from any any trail that they that they really want to. So you just have to kind of get like lucky to to pick the exact trail or have a way where they can only come in one way. But it's kind of hard when you're on like a state land or something like that where you can't really set it up, uh, the way that you really needed to. On on a on a private piece, and I think that was the problem. I mean, I think we had bears around us most of times. It's just they just were in a different cornfield or a different oak flat, or you know. The sign was there and every time we would go back and fight we'd find brand new, fresh sign, you know.

Speaker 1: 9:29

So we knew where we were in the we're in the ballpark and going into Tuesday's hunt, we all three of us who me, um Peyton and me Peyton, bobby and um our new team team member, zach we all decided to hunt scrapes that morning because we knew it was gonna, it was going to be a deer moving day, and I think everyone in this group chat and everyone out there had deer running all over the cameras for for that whole week. I mean it was, it was insane. The cameras were blowing up everywhere, um, but we played it as a fact. You know, we'll, we'll kill a bear. Well, we'll kill a deer in in the morning, you know, or just get lucky enough, have a bear cruising through, because we were at oak flats anyway. And what do you think happens? 9 am, we get a text message from from peyton that there is a bear down, and of course, you know what that means.

Speaker 1: 10:28

It's time to get to work and we all got down, we all went up and met with peyton, and two years in a row, same area, and I. Of course, when he comes on you know whenever he comes on he's gonna tell the story in his view. But this damn son of a bitch owes us so much. His debt for dragging out animals is high as hell. So it was. He said two things oh, it's not as big as as the last one and it's not that far from from the last spot. Okay, we get to the spot where he killed it last year. We're like, all right, like we're gonna walk a little bit, and then it's gonna be there. Oh, we're still walking, we're still walking. We're like paying. Where, where is this bear? Oh, it's, it's's, it's a little further down. We're almost there. Okay, we're still walking. And then finally, we, we get like in the area and now we're on a trail like this. So we're on the trail and it just goes straight down into a bottom. That bear was on the side of the ridge, just straight like just straight down. He was going straight to the bottom. When, when he died and we were as close, close, we kept getting closer we're like no, this is a big bear. This is much bigger than what you told us. It was going to be right.

Speaker 1: 11:55

So we, we did everything that we needed to do, you know, and we finally put the bear in the sled and I'm pretty sure two people had to pull up, while two people were on the back, basically on hands and knees, trying to push from the bottom of the sled up on up to top. Thought I was gonna die there. First of all, I'm pretty sure all of us thought we were, we were gonna die there, and peyton, being the engineering genius that he is, created a with ropes, a, basically a. Um, what is the thing that they do with the dogs? Um, the, but the sled, the dog sledding. He created a whole bunch of things so we would be in a, a line with each other and we would have our own ropes and we would actually be able to drag the bear for the rest of the way using all four of us, instead of using two people and then two people pushing from from the back, right. So, thank god he came up that way, because we blew through that quick as hell. Um, every time we had to go up a hill, of course, we had to take a break and we thought we were going to.

Speaker 1: 13:09

You know, especially probably Bobby and I were like, oh my God, like this is rough here. But absolutely incredible, bear and Mike. I finally had Bear Hart. You know, hart is always a tradition for everyone, but I've never had it with bear. Let me tell you, for us we could tell a difference. I don't know if maybe it was just the bear, maybe it was just the way that we Cooked it or whatever, but this shit was the best heart I've ever had. It was phenomenal that bear heart.

Speaker 3: 13:43

You know what made it taste so good Hunger is the best seasoning, and after that I know you boys were hungry.

Speaker 1: 13:52

Well, we still had to go on a hunt too, so we still hunted after too as well. So we didn't really eat much until every night. It was every night at camp we were eating, and I mean the food was just. Maybe you're right. We were just all so damn hungry that this was the best food. That were everything that was being cooked. I was like holy shit. I was like this is amazing, this is the best thing I've ever had.

Speaker 3: 14:14

It's a proven fact that any meal that's cooked in the outdoors tastes better than being cooked inside I mean that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 14:21

That's why camping listen, camping, camping food is. It does smack, it does hit completely different when you're in the middle of the woods just just camping or whatever you know. You got the nice cold breeze coming in, you got a campfire, you got a few drinks and everything like that, Like there's there. Nothing beats that at all. So, and Frank, you guys had a, you guys had a busy morning too that day yeah, yep, so it was.

Speaker 2: 14:49

It was right around the same time. It was like 7 30 on on tuesday morning. I just happened to turn around and I see I see something black like just below me and I'm like that's got to be a fucking bear, it's got to be. It starts moving. I'm like yes, and it's coming right up the hill for me. I'm like oh yeah, here we go. Then I see a second one coming. So I'm like all right, second one's bigger, like they were. They were both pretty much like around the same size. So I was like all right, like the second one was a little bit bigger. So I'm like all right.

Speaker 2: 15:25

All of a sudden wouldn't you know it, they turn and my buddy actually that I'm hunting, his property is probably like 120 yards away from me, and they turn and they're going right for him. So I grab my phone, I'm texting him, yo, like get ready, the bears are coming, like you know. But wait for the second one. Like don't get eager, shoot. Second one. I'm watching the whole thing. I watch this bear. It's going to him. All of a sudden it stands up on two legs and it walks probably only about like five or ten feet and then it gets down and then all sides here smack and I see the bear running and could just see, you know, its whole side covered in red.

Speaker 2: 16:08

And I'm sitting there with my binoculars, I'm watching it and I watch it run down down this hill. Almost where it came from, there's like a rock wall with a log, and then I, every now and then I would see it. I would see it then it wasn't there. Then I would see it. Then wasn't there. I'm like it wasn't there, then I would see it. Then wasn't there. I'm like it's gotta be, like it's probably laying down. Then all of a sudden I see it again and I watched it lay down. I'm like like it's going to be a wrap.

Speaker 2: 16:36

So I told him look like the bears laying down, like give it time, don't rush it. So we gave. I think about, like we still gave it like an hour, even though I watched it. We get down and wouldn't you know, I mean there's just blood everywhere. And like, right when he shot it actually let me back up for a second right when he shot it, I was just about texting the group chat and payton's text comes through first goes bear down. I'm like shit, peyton.

Speaker 2: 17:05

I was just about to say like my buddy just shot one. But, um, yeah, so I went there, he, he actually he shot it with a Grim Reaper, believe it or not, and he severed an artery. That's how we actually got it, cause he actually rushed the shot a little bit bit, so he just got back in the hunt and he was by himself. So I told him I was like listen, it's not like a deer, a middle of middle man, like and you'll be fine, but what he didn't account for, it was like so, since he's so new at it, the bear was actually walking and he aimed for the middle and he hit it towards the back.

Speaker 2: 17:48

But he I mean I'm telling you he got so lucky because it it severed the artery where the bear dropped in like 60 yards. There was just blood everywhere and I was like all right. And then, and then I get the text from mike, like frank we're, we're going to need your help. I'm like dude, we got a bear down. Like if I can make it, I'll try. Like I don't even know what the hell I'm doing.

Speaker 1: 18:09

Yeah, it was, it was a great day. And Mike, you guys, uh, you guys found that bear the next day as well, correct?

Speaker 3: 18:23

Yeah, tuesday was the recovery of that bear. The the next day as well, correct? Yeah, tuesday was the recovery of that bear and, um, tuesday was the second day that we had alicia hunting with us. The first day, she, these bears, dude, I swear to god, they have it marked. When Christopher Columbus is, we had this one stand completely on fire. I think James had sent the Snapchat of like a 300-pound bear with his stomach dragging on the floor when he was sitting in that stand.

Speaker 3: 18:54

So, ever since we found that bear we've been trying to keep him in the area. We never seen him again, but we just got a whole shit ton of other bears. So we had this one stand that we were like yo, this is the dedicated stand, like this is the, you're going to see a bear in that stand. So we put her out in that stand the first day, windy as hell. I don't know how she did it, but she did it. She stayed in that stand, windy as hell all day. The second day we put her in one of our blinds and when she gets set up in the blind, james says make sure you're able to draw back, because she's shooting with a compound bow. She wasn't really confident in the drawing back. So James is like okay, here I'm going to give you my crossbow. When you're done you can just leave it here, because she took a half day crossbow.

Speaker 3: 19:43

When you're done, you could just leave it here because she took a half day so she ended up not seeing anything in the morning. But when james goes to go get his crossbow, he says, fuck it, let me just sit here for the evening. I have no other guides for the day, let me just enjoy the evening. He sits there for an evening hunt and the fucking bear comes out. He gets. I don't know if maybe his nerves got to him. I think his crossbow is faulty and I'm like pushing him to get a newer one.

Speaker 3: 20:09

But James ends up shooting this bear really high. He said the reaction that the bear had was great, the blood was great, but it's just the fact of where it ran and the way how he felt about the shot. He wanted to let him lay. So he calls the dog. They go to track it the next day and you know we got trail camera pictures of bears that night, whatever not. They're tracking it. They're tracking it the next day, tracking it. They can't find it. They come to the conclusion that this bear is definitely still alive. So James is like me let me check back this trail camera photos again and let me see. Let's just let me sit here and think about this. Dude, I shit you not. We have trail camera photos of this bear coming back on camera with a fucking bolt sticking out of it in the same spot aimed that so that bear is still alive.

Speaker 3: 21:06

James ended up sitting that evening in hopes that he came back, but it just it never came back and we never saw it back on camera for the rest of the week. But that was how our. That's how our tuesday into wednesday pretty much went yep jesus christ.

Speaker 1: 21:21

yeah, I remember seeing that, that picture of the bear with the with the bull, and it's. It's crazy, cause I remember we were talking and Peyton hit his high, but because he was up in the tree you know it was no, it was no issue, and that's the mind.

Speaker 1: 21:35

I remember the one hunt when I was hunting deer on the ground and you're like, make sure you just shoot lower than you would shoot, obviously, in a tree. You know you want to put it, put it lower, you know, and I guarantee if he was in a tree that probably would have been a, would have definitely been a, a dead bear for for sure. But you know that's hunting, you know at the end of the day.

Speaker 1: 21:58

I mean things happen. But on day two and here's the real let's, let's go to I think it was 84 bears were killed 15 in zone one, 28 in zone two, 23 in zone three, 18 in zone four and yet again zero in zone five. But here is the craziest thing, and I remember texting Mike this New Jersey may have now another world record bear in going into. Whatever it would end. This I think is going to qualify is the biggest archery black bear taken. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I believe some of the other big, big, big ones were not with a bow, so I think that this is going to break the record for that. But the funny thing is that 770 pound field dress bear pulled right behind Peyton. So Peyton got to see the bear firsthand and the guy was yeah, the guy was behind him and you know, I think they talked and everything like that. So the story behind that is absolutely wild and we're going to be trying to work to get him on the podcast to tell that story because the amount of drama that went into it and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 23:34

Suppose, like everyone knew that bear. Suppose, like everyone knew that bear, like suppose I think Peyton said when they pulled up to the check-in station, like the warnings knew, like everyone knew, the bear in the area, of course, a bear that big. But I heard that there's another bear, I think just as big as that one, in the area too as well. So there is still time. Hopefully I will say hopefully it doesn't get killed with the gun this year, but that would be sick if somebody can get another bear that big the next following year for the archery season. Um, and even in our area, we, we found a very, very big bear, a very big bear. Um, so, gosh, we have such big bears, we really do we have such a great population of bears.

Speaker 2: 24:31

I mean, it's crazy yeah, on the property I was hunting we had one that's probably. I think it was like five or 550. I nicknamed him jelly roll. I was waiting for him. You think you'd show up?

Speaker 1: 24:44

not a chance, it's and you know you, mike, you, you know all of us being jersey guys, we, we can, all you know that's something that we're saying. Six days of hunting is really you got to be perfect. Like you look at what we do for for deer season and all the other seasons, like sometimes to kill a giant buck. You need to. You know how many days goes into killing you know a giant buck. You know how much you know preparation everything like that with with bear.

Speaker 1: 25:16

Six days and you got to be hoping for perfect weather you know, and not everyone can take off, work and and do this and do that like it's it's. It's a it's a damn shame, because you know something that all of us, you know, have been very passionate about since I can remember, since I first interviewed mike on on this podcast and he said his dream was killing a bear with the recurve bow. You know, four, four years now, that everyone has just fallen in love with black bear hunting. You know Peyton has fallen in love with. Now he's killed two bears back to back. You know I have the new team guy. This is his first time freaking out hunting bears. He's a deer hunting maniac and he's obsessed with it, he loves it and he says he can't wait to do it. You know, again, it's such an amazing animal, such a beautiful and just remarkable animal that I wish we we had a little more time.

Speaker 1: 26:22

I wish we had two weeks for archery season Cause I know we get the gun season, everything like that. But you know that's a completely different ball game. You know, or I think someone brought the fact, maybe it might've been, you might push it earlier in the season.

Speaker 3: 26:36

Yeah, man, I would love even two weeks earlier 's good, that's it, that's it oh, I agree first, like that last week in september. First that that right there is perfect. But this on top of that, the full moon really messed up the bear hunting as well yeah, yeah, that was bright it was great for deer it will. It had the deer moving Kevin tagged out this week, but the bears and the moon. It didn't work out that well.

Speaker 1: 27:10

Man, I could tell you honestly that shit was bright as hell. You needed no light.

Speaker 1: 27:17

You needed nothing, you just get down, walk it. You could walk in the field that are into the woods and not be scared that you're gonna bump into something, because you can see everything. And that that goes to imagine what all the other bears and deer and everything like that, like they see so much better than us, like at night too, like um, but yeah, like you said, hey, one of my giant hillis bucks got killed and I had a feeling he was gonna get killed. This you know, the week I was up at uh, at bear camp, and he did. But I think even a bigger, the minute he died, an even bigger deer showed up. I think and mike.

Speaker 1: 27:57

Mike, you know how. I only say, I don't call every deer a monster and a stud, frank has a huge stud what I mean is he made his other deer look small.

Speaker 2: 28:14

Small, literally. Actually. I'll send you the video after this, mike.

Speaker 1: 28:22

This is a perfect.

Speaker 2: 28:23

But Tuesday night I was all set up for Bear. I think it was like 5.30 or quarter to 6. I just happened to turn around and he's standing there Head down, has no idea. I'm even there. I'm like, oh my God, god, I was facing the other way. I'm like trying to move the camera. I'm like trying to figure out how, like how I'm going to turn around the saddle, because I really didn't. I mean, I practiced, but I was like I think I was so nervous huh, this is jersey, yeah. And uh, I turned, I had him, he was coming right. If you would have, huh, jersey, yeah. And uh, I turned out I had him, he was coming right. If you would have stayed on the path I would have shot him at 16 yards, but he turned and I had him at 29.

Speaker 2: 29:10

I actually came to full draw and all I see was limbs. Like I could see him and I'm just like I'm like, ah, so he started. I'm see him. And I'm just Like I'm like, so he starts. I'm watching him Walk away. I range, find the next opening. It's like 37 and he gets there. And I was just Like I Don't want to screw it up after what happened to me this year, so I'm like.

Speaker 1: 29:35

And also let him walk. You're gonna get another shot, and that's what I want to tell people Sometimes like it's not worth it taking that long shot and wounding an animal like that, like that type of caliber deer, you want to kill on the first.

Speaker 1: 29:51

So, like you know and yes, of course there's people that can shoot 40, 50, 60 yards and listen, that's great right, but I want a deer like that. I honestly want him at five fucking yards because I want the littlest thing I don't want anything to to get screwed up, and archery is a game of inches you know, exactly mike. When you see him he's gonna I you know I'm thinking one fifth like 150 he's a giant, like a picture, a perfect, um typical deer, just like a perfect. His antlers are literally perfect.

Speaker 2: 30:29

Like I've never seen a deer he's huge, my like like, let me tell you he's.

Speaker 2: 30:36

And then I was like oh so I was like a little bum. Two days later he Daylights again in the morning when I'm at work, walks right by my stand, the way I needed him to walk. That's the way he walked that morning and I was like you gotta be shitting me. So I mean I was, I hunted a few times. Actually, I went in there and hung a lock on. I got in a Bigger tree. It's a lot more open to where I'd be able to get on them a lot quicker and I could see them coming a lot further to get ready. Yeah, so I mean you can.

Speaker 1: 31:11

You can even use a set, like I use the saddle on lock on yeah I do enjoy bringing lock-ons up there and just using the saddle, because now you have so much a bigger platform, but then also, like you could, still have the tree. You could still use the tree for cover, but if a deer comes behind you, or however you have it set up, you can now easily turn with and that's always been my like me doing hunting out the saddle now Like I've gotten pretty comfortable, but you can't rush it because it's such a small, like you know.

Speaker 1: 31:40

So your, your movement definitely has to be more um concealed and you know, every little movement I think is just a little more important in the saddle than it would be in a a lock on stand yeah, no, actually that's a really good idea, mike.

Speaker 2: 31:58

I'm actually kind of glad you brought it up, because I didn't even think of that. Yeah, that's what I. Yeah, that's a really good idea, mike. I'm actually kind of glad you brought it up, because I didn't even think of that. Yeah, that's what I.

Speaker 1: 32:03

Yeah, that's what I do I use old sticks too, like on stuff like that, I'll just throw up sticks um, and just use sticks because honestly, like especially once we get closer to winter I don't need, I don't want to be carrying all this freaking equipment, so I hunt a lot more pre-hung stuff and everything like that, and sometimes it'll literally just be sticks.

Speaker 1: 32:24

No platform, no, no, nothing like that, just sticks, and I'll, I'll make it work. But, um, yeah, this, that that beer is, yeah, just a stud. But for us the rest of the week, I know, you know, I know frank, you got out, but for me wednesday I'm going to leave, you know, go hunting and get a call that you know A bear might have been shot. You know, and our new guy Zach is, his goal was to spot and stalk a black bear and that's exactly what he did he spot and stalk a black bear. And that's exactly what he did he spot and stalked a black bear. Um, you know, yet again, when he comes on, whether it's um soon or you know next episode, like I don't know the full details, you know, but he thinks maybe his nerves got got to him or something like that. Like this was a big bear, he said, and in an area that we had scouted and we just saw so much fresh sign that, uh, it happens and I think he either shot right over or right below the bear. You know it's, it's one of those things that it does happen. But I give him credit, because I don't know if I could spot and stalk a black bear Not New Jersey, I think, maybe like out in Alaska or something like that, where there's way more planes, where I can see the bear from very far away, and then make a move, put in the woods.

Speaker 1: 33:51

You know, here that's a little different. I don't know if I could do that one, not yet, oh God. But yeah, no, it went from there. I went out, same spot, thought we were going to see bears. Nothing, just saw a big, bright ass moon. That's it. That was the only thing. And that ended my bear season, because I had to get to work and I was the best man at a wedding which I had a lot of fun. But, um, you know, next year, um, the goal will continue, you know, and it's, it's, uh, the best time. Like anyone who hasn't done it, it is the best time. But, mike, what for you guys? What? What did the rest of the, uh, bear week look like for you guys?

Speaker 3: 34:33

Well before bear week even started. You've been up to the lodge, mike I've never in my life.

Speaker 3: 34:40

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I've never in my life seen a goddamn bear at the lodge. And how ironic, the one weekend we're up there to hunt bears in jersey there's a bear at the lodge. So I went to go. I went to go, shut off the light by the door and I looked out the window and I'm like, oh shit, the back glass to my truck is open. I'm like I left it open, what the hell? So I go, I open the door and to go out there to close the back glass and I look there's a bear sitting at the goddamn picnic table eating an apple. And I don't like a 200 pound bear, a 300 pound. This thing was brolly. He was bigger than my atv. He was as big as the goddamn table and I'm not over exaggerating. I got a video of him walking away. He was big. It was to the point that I was just standing there saying, holy shit, he's big, holy shit, he's walking away.

Speaker 3: 35:38

This bear went in the back of my truck, opened the back of the glass, helped himself I had like some shit that I was going to throw out for the deer Helped himself to. We had like a spoiled melon and a couple of fruits that we had laying around in the house. Then I have all the Gerard scent and everything back there. There's things like torn to the side bags on the floor. I couldn't, I could not believe that a bear went in the back of my truck and, thank god, I just looked out the window and saw that my glass was open. It was like, let me go close it. Yeah, meanwhile he opened the glass. Imagine I'm. I'm walking to the back of the truck and there's another one in there or some shit that's how we started the bear week.

Speaker 3: 36:27

So, like you said, the day before you guys were stopped by one or something like that and it just had the adrenaline going. That's how we started it off and, um monday, the client ended up shooting his, his bear, but ended up needing to track it with a dog because he said the bear was. What we did was we took a rope and tied a dog toy to it and covered it in scent a niece scent and hung it in a tree. It's supposed to be for the deer to like, kind of you know to fuck with. But james just soaked it with a niece and the bears were like like cats, like playing with the thing. So the bear was up playing with it, pushing it against the tree, and the guy said he shot it in the middle of the middle. But you got to think of it this way gravity is going to shift those guts down in that. So when he shot it in the middle of the middle he missed the vitals. But it was a low middle of the middle shot, to the point that when that bear's running away I think the tracking guy posted some of the pictures literally intestines and stomach matter and everything's just coming out of this bear along that track, uh, but the dog ended up finding it the next day. That was great.

Speaker 3: 37:48

The next day was when james missed wednesday. Was wednesday, our client ended up seeing a bear walking in in the morning, like legit walked in, sat up, set up Bears there. Sun comes up for shooting light, bears gone. What else is new Thursday?

Speaker 2: 38:10

was our only day.

Speaker 3: 38:12

Thursday was our only day that was dry. I mean, no bear, no deer, no fox, no coyotes, just squirrels. No bear, no deer, no fox, no coyotes, just squirrels. And then Friday James took a client out. And I took a client out Friday morning. James was sitting his spot with the client and I think the first thing they saw was a deer. And then I get a text message says bear incoming, and they sent me a picture. I think I posted it up on my Facebook page, sent me a picture of like this black spot off in the distance.

Speaker 3: 38:44

I didn't get that much detail from him, but when we met back up at the truck at the end of the night, the client's like yo, I shit you not this bear stood up to scratch his back and he's at least eight feet tall, easily 500 pounds. I'm like what feet tall, easily 500 pounds. I'm like what? And because james always over exaggerates on the size of something, so I'm thinking like when james told me that it's the big brute, I'm like yeah, okay, whatever, everything to you is fucking big. But when the client told me that it stood up on his hind legs and was easily seven to eight feet tall, I was like hell, yeah and uh, right then, and there, right then, and there he locked in his dates and he booked a three-day semi-guided hunt for next year fall nice great, that's great good good the client that I ended up taking out the morning.

Speaker 3: 39:30

We didn't see anything. Then we went and had lunch and he was so happy that we went out and had like great lunch. We went to amp bagel. He was having a blast. They're from south jersey so, um, I'm like, I'm like I'm going to introduce you to taylor ham. This is, this is what it's all about, attaboy there you go and um.

Speaker 3: 39:49

We sat for the evening and a pretty decent buck was working this ridge line coming down towards us but never came out close enough for him to get a shot off. But it was a good sit for Friday.

Speaker 1: 40:01

Yeah, so Wednesday's numbers Zone 115, zone 219, zone 322, zone 45, zone 5. Finally, with a one.

Speaker 3: 40:14

There we go, there, you go.

Speaker 1: 40:26

And then Thursday Zone 115, zone 21, 214, zone 314, zone 46, then the zero zone, friday zone 119, zone 2010, zone 222, zone 311, zone 49, another zero. And then saturday Zone 4, 9, another 0. And then Saturday 14, 17, 9, 6, and another 0.

Speaker 3: 40:46

That one guy, whoever it was that shot a bear in Zone 5, should get like a trophy, like more than just that, he should get like a nice.

Speaker 2: 40:56

I would agree there.

Speaker 1: 40:58

I would definitely agree, and that would bring the total for segment A to 392. So a pretty good first segment. You said it was more than last year's. Right, it was more than last year. Still, I think the minimum that they look for is to get to 20. The max that we can get to is 30. So I mean a hell of a season, even though it started off slow, and for some guys it was slow and everything like that. What I would like for them to do is to put a public versus private, like and what. How many of the bears were killed?

Speaker 1: 41:43

in public or like a wma state land or or something like that. Um, so we can kind of see like where more of these bears? You know, I've I did hear a long time ago that more bears were killed on wma, but that was before the ban and everything like and I mean the full ban um, so I'm wondering if it's, if it's back to being close to even you know what's the case, um, you know with that, but a you know just absolutely phenomenal everything around. I mean so much fun that we had, and um, mike had said that there were how many, how many tag bears were there.

Speaker 3: 42:26

It was your boys calling me your boy. I had a screenshot of it One second.

Speaker 1: 42:37

Yeah, you had it. Oh, I think it screenshot of it One second. Yeah, you had it somewhere. Oh, I think it was 40-something. But while he's looking that up, I mean, those are good numbers, those are good numbers. A lot of big bears were shot. Obviously, a new state record was shot, but there are a bunch of guys that had a bunch of great bears.

Speaker 3: 42:57

45 of those bears were tagged 45.

Speaker 1: 43:04

Okay, that's pretty cool. One of them was was our guys? Peyton's bear was tagged, had the tattoo and everything to match nice.

Speaker 3: 43:10

The one that he shot last year was tagged as well, right?

Speaker 1: 43:12

no, that one was not this one was great and I'll let I'll have him tell you. You know, when he comes on, do all the statistics and everything, because, just like yours, mike, they were able to tell all the details and everything like that. And, uh, the age of the bear, they, we know the age of the bear, which was very surprising. And this is gonna, I think, when, when people listen to, when peyton goes over and everything like that, um, the sheer size of these animals is going to be like holy shit, that's the age. And I think it was a 230-pound field-dressed bear, right, which was a little smaller than last year's, but still a very good-sized bear Like this was a big bear.

Speaker 3: 44:03

The skull, I don't think as big as as the last one, um, his head, but still a very impressive bear so, like the bear the bear that was shot monday the people that at the check-in station estimated that bear to be a six-year-old bear and it was only like 160 pounds. Wow, but it's. It's teeth okay, so that's yeah the teeth like no freaking molars, just rounded off teeth. I wonder around. I think I posted.

Speaker 1: 44:35

It's one of the pictures, yeah, I wonder, if that bear didn't get killed, how much longer it was going to survive in the wild exactly we were.

Speaker 3: 44:45

We were all saying, like this bear was definitely going downhill.

Speaker 1: 44:48

Yeah to be that weight that's a yeah, because you got to look at it. What can he really eat, you know?

Speaker 1: 44:57

at that point it's getting to the point where, like, same thing, when you see deer too, when they have, like at what point it's tough for them to eat, you know when it's it's tough for him, where now that six and a half year old bear with no teeth is not the dominant boar in in that area. So everything, at that point, even the second year cubs right are probably packing a little more, starting to pack a little more punch than than that bear. Now that bear has the experience and everything like that, which I imagine, but he's not looking to really fight or anything like that. So all the good food sources and everything like that, he's probably getting pushed out of.

Speaker 1: 45:36

You know, um, so I mean that that's a light, that's a for a six-year-old bear, that's, that's more definitely on the decline of probably like who knows if this is a bad winter, who knows if he would even have made it, he probably would have suffered. He could have suffered this winter, he might not have been fat enough to get through the winter or anything like that. So that's a big advocate and check for us of why doing what we do is such a crucial situation and you know it's not always all about just, you know the killing and everything like that, like we're conservationists at the at the end day because those other people they're not. They're, they're not doing conservation. You know what I mean? It's just us out there. So, yeah, that's an old bear. I did see that teeth and that was.

Speaker 1: 46:26

That was um, that was wild, that was uh yeah, I that that boy probably ate a lot of, uh, good stuff when he was, when he was younger. But um, ooh, there we go. One of my running backs just got a touchdown.

Speaker 3: 46:44

Love to see it. Fantasy football, baby. There we go. One of my running backs just got a touchdown love to see it.

Speaker 2: 46:50

Fantasy football baby, there we go, real care and pick or something.

Speaker 1: 46:52

Yeah, I will say that the cameras were on fire. Fire, I mean, I had some studs sparring and everything like that. Um, the buck that I almost killed, he's fighting. Now this new big one here. They're starting to get a little testy with each other. And twice this new buck daylighted. So I'm actually going to go in and try to kill him tomorrow. And I remember I was going to work, mike, and then you said remember the one time where I didn't think I was going to see anything in that very hot weather because it's supposed to be back in the lower 80s down over here and everything like that.

Speaker 3: 47:33

They like any drastic change. It doesn't have to be colder, it doesn't have to. You know, if it's getting hot, go out there. If it starts raining and stops, go out there If it was a beautiful weekend. There's one cloudy day, go out there. If it start raining and stopped, go out there if it was a beautiful weekend. There's one cloudy day, go out there. They like that change of weather yeah, yeah, yeah so I agree I'll.

Speaker 1: 47:54

I'll be out there. Hopefully you guys are getting a call for big buck down there.

Speaker 2: 47:59

You can I hope?

Speaker 1: 48:01

so permit season. Permit season's right around the corner for us, so make sure payton comes and drag it for you. He's probably going to be the first person I call, even voicemail after voicemail. Peyton, I'm not taking no for an answer. I don't want to hear that you got to work the next day. No one told you to move two hours away.

Speaker 1: 48:24

Get your ass up here now. But, boys, any last words for our Field Notes. Week 7 wrap-up of Bear Camp. We will be back out for Beer Camp at December. Mike, when's the second season of Bears?

Speaker 3: 48:43

It's actually pretty. I think it's like the 9th or something.

Speaker 2: 48:47

December 9th, yes, december 9th.

Speaker 3: 48:48

yes, December 9th is the first day. I will be up there from the 7th all the way to the 13th. I am looking forward to that shit. Good food, good drinks, great people, beer week Everybody brings a case of Bears.

Speaker 2: 49:06

Hopefully I'll let you guys know. I should be able to make it. If you do we want those cookies. Huh, I already knew, brother, I got you.

Speaker 3: 49:17

I don't even care what they look like. The cookies themselves were good.

Speaker 2: 49:23

No problem, brother, I got you.

Speaker 1: 49:25

Bianca makes her shepherd shepherd's pie. Yes, um, and yeah, we're gonna have a blast. So that's the next big event for us where we're all gonna be together. Um, looking forward to that, everyone. Um, another drunken podcast another drunken podcast yeah, yeah, we're looking forward to that. That'll be fun, um, and you know, guys, the time of the year is here. This is it's go time. These bucks are starting to get fired up of.

Speaker 1: 49:53

You know, scrapes were popping off in the woods and everything like that. They're starting to get a little testy. I imagine you know soon if, if you're not an area that they haven't started chasing yet. I mean, I imagine, the next week or two, right, because halloween is literally yeah, a week and a half, you know.

Speaker 1: 50:11

So it's, it's go. Time like this is the time, um, I took today off after the wedding. I was gonna go out to the woods and move some cameras, but I was like you know what, let's go get the last uh fiance thing out the way. Let's go to the uh, let's go to the farm or go apple picking and pumpkin picking.

Speaker 2: 50:28

I got all out that way.

Speaker 1: 50:29

I kind of took a little nice day to myself. I'm about to go get into bed, get some nice sleep, sleep in, hopefully catch up on some sleep, and then it's game time. Then it's time to just. I am still looking for a doubt. I won't start holding out until permit season this year.

Speaker 1: 50:49

Usually I start to hold out now, but there's so many goddamn does around and everything like that, that I still, I still would like to get another doe. But if that freaking buck comes by, oh, and if I even get a glimpse at him, I probably won't. I, I might be like this and if I kill him, jesus boys, it's going to be a party. Do it All right, everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Our breast cancer shirts are available, mike. I got to give you yours, frank, did you?

Speaker 2: 51:28

talk to Megan yet. Yeah, I met up with her the other day. Perfect.

Speaker 1: 51:31

If anyone is interested, please let us know. I'm giving everyone a heads up now. We are going to most likely be at a event, two events actually I don't know when Mike wants to do his introduction, but to to his but we are probably gonna be at the empire state show, um, in the end of february, early march, and then we'll be doing another one at the the same time. So we're gonna be, we're gonna be doing a double um, so, and then, of course, we'll be holding our game dinner and everything like that. I think ours is going to be in the first week of april, um, and then, yeah, moving from there, I know there's a lot of things going on and there's going to be a lot of events, um, that people are working on um, multiple people, and everything like that. So, as they come out and you know things like that, we are going to be dropping that, that information, and we are going to be. You know, we'll giving you guys the dates and everything like that.

Speaker 3: 52:34

So look, keep a lookout for all those things too do you have or did they post the exact date for that empire state show yet?

Speaker 3: 52:42

um, yeah, she did um, it is february 28th, first and second yeah, because they had some pretty good, uh like fishing booths yeah I lost my tackle box the first day I met mark, because mark passed out on the boat and we had to like help him off the boat. So I lost my tackle box, my saltwater tackle box. So I need to go there and definitely load up. Their fishing boots are pretty good. I think they had more fishing than hunting. Yeah, I think they did too.

Speaker 1: 53:16

But it was fun last year so we're really looking forward to it. The plan is that we will be there, so we'll figure it out and plan it all. I'm going to be busy on the first, I know that, so I'll be probably working a lot on on the boost and then having to do a big drive um and then drive all the way back. So, uh, I'm I'm looking forward to it. That's still plenty of way, but I want people to start, you know, getting that in the calendar and everything like that, and we're going to be actually announcing probably I'm going to start posting all the the numbers for our archery hunting competition that we have the boondocks hunting archery competition and you know it's teams and everything like that. I'm going to eventually get you know everyone out there involved and everything like that and see who's going to win and and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 54:00

So it's that, that's heating up. I will tell you that's heating up, um, where I think almost everyone now at the point, except for like maybe two or three people, have killed something and a bunch of big bucks have gone down. Two big bears my teammate got a bear down, um. So it's it's. That's a lot of fun too and that's going to be made public um pretty soon, everything like that. So, uh, any last words guys no, not really um we'll let everyone know.

Speaker 3: 54:30

You could save the date. I don't have exact information, but it is going to happen. In jersey city we are having our first game, dinner, meeting, meetup, fundraiser, whatever you want to call it. You know. When comes to us it's good food and good drinks. March 1st. March 1st it's going down, so anyone listening and want to come on out and support the Back Damn Crew March 1st we're hosting a game dinner here in Jersey City and there is parking available, so don't worry about that, because Jersey City is bad with parking.

Speaker 1: 55:02

Are you guys going to do I mean mean, you may not know this yet, but are you gonna do another uh, pheasant raffle?

Speaker 3: 55:08

I could probably talk to carl and get, get a pheasant hunt.

Speaker 1: 55:12

That's the only thing I will ever. If there's a pheasant raffle that from you guys, from now on, that's the only. Thing I'm putting my money into um and we're gonna be. We're gonna be doing props, possibly two hunts. Do you know how many birds we got?

Speaker 3: 55:25

you got 10. You won two hunts at 10 birds each, so you got 20 birds. Okay, 10 birds each 20.

Speaker 1: 55:31

Okay, cool, cool, perfect, that's, that's perfect. So we're gonna be doing that and, um, you know, every, every time there's gonna be fed, I mean that's the only thing I'm gonna be looking for. So there goes my money. Yep, yep. But all right, everyone, I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. I hope everyone enjoyed bear camp. If they went, good luck to everyone. We're going to start getting other people out there as the as the times heat up. We had American Mike on today talking a little bit about bears and how things went, but now we're going to start getting other people on from different states and giving you a little got the hiccups, giving you guys a little update on what the deer movement looks out there as everything starts to heat up. So, uh, look forward to that, um, and we'll, we'll see you guys next time is that right now, of course?

Speaker 2: 56:25

of course. Yeah, I had a bear.

Speaker 1: 56:28

I had a bear daylight on on uh saturday, while I was at the wedding yeah, of course I was like you got. You got to be kidding me, like, of course, the right right past my camera. Nice, nice size bear. So all right guys.