2021 Missouri Black Bear Season

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No. 7 – October 19, 2021 - 387 lbs. Boar, Josh Dotson, Zone 2 - Reynolds County – Private Land – No Ear Tags - Cinnamon colored bear

No. 7 – October 19, 2021 - 387 lbs. Boar, Josh Dotson, Zone 2 - Reynolds County – Private Land – No Ear Tags - Cinnamon colored bear
 
I am grateful to have been drawn for a tag and even more grateful to fulfill the tag we had been watching 3 bears on cameras on the farm for a while.

We were seeing them consistently until the acorn drop, what little we had of acorns this season.
Then it got a little bit tougher, I did some scouting and found fresh scat around a patch of acorns in a good group of black oak trees on top of a ridge, with the river about a quarter mile to the North.

I set up a ground blind and put out a couple game cameras and soon found out this bear was coming thru just about every day. I also found out he wasn't consistent with what time he was coming through.

I decided then it was going to be a tough hunt and I was going sit all day every day until he came in or until the quota in my zone was met.

So opening day arrives I sat in my blind around 12 to 12 and a half hours and seen several deer and turkey but no bear. I left the blind, and the only thing I could think about was if the quota had been met or would if I would get to hunt the next day.
The next morning, I called the quota line, and to my surprise zero bears had been killed in my zone, so my attitude changed for the better.

I loaded up and headed to my blind, got settled in and watched more deer and turkey as the day went on, but no bear at around 5 pm, a doe and a fawn showed up I watched as the doe ate and the fawn ran jumped and played for almost a hour then all of a sudden they left.

About 3 minutes later I looked to my right and here come this big cinnamon colored bear, without a care in the world was coming in. I got my AR 15 in a 350-legend caliber and shooting sticks ready. I put the gun up and I started shaking a little bit which never happens when I'm deer hunting.
I felt like I was 13 again trying to shoot my first deer. I calmed myself down and by this time he was about 65 to 70 yards. I found my spot behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger, he bucked and turned and ran down the hill. I heard a loud crash then came the death moan it was unlike anything I had ever heard before.
I called my buddy told him I had a bear down and he was on his way we tracked him about 60 yards from where he was shot.
We drug him to an old grown up road then backed a truck up him by this time it was dark. We had to use a comealong and tree to load him in the truck.

I got him home and weighed him. This big boar cinnamon in color, weighed 387 pounds before being field dressed. Took pictures, showed him to my family then the work began it took about 2 and a half hours to skin and debone him. I am having a full body mount done with the hide and had the meat possessed into burger roast jerky and fry meat the meat is extremely good by the way.  I am extremely blessed to have been able to do this.