Wyoming hunter River Mossberg ended up shooting and killing a 5XL black bear while out hunting. He stalked the animal from 118 yards away and brought it down with a rifle.
Rather than using bear bait, he tried to spot and stalk his prey.
"Sitting in a blind, I just get too bored. I like to go out and hike, and get my butt kicked trying to find a bear," he said. It's something that he enjoys more than sitting and waiting for the animal to come to him. The hunter bagged the black bear after getting his truck stuck prior.
"I flat-out buried my pickup, even with chains on all four of the tires," he said. "I had to hike out until I found somebody to come help pull us out."
Massive Black Bear
The next day, the hunter returned and had more success.
"With bears, the important thing is to sit and glass (observe an area through a pair of binoculars and/or a spotting scope)" he said. His dad called him about the black bear. "He calls me and tells me, 'There's a big bear.' He just couldn't get close enough to seal the deal. I finally got a glimpse of him coming up over a ridge toward me through my spotting scope. I thought, 'Holy cow! This sucker is size 5XL."
Then the moment came for the kill.
"Finally, I saw him and I ranged him at 118 yards," Mossberg said. "I waited for him to come into an opening and I 'woofed' at him. He stopped and turned broadside to me, and that was it. When we got up to the bear, their reaction was 'goodness gracious, this thing is goofy big.'"
Overall, it was a successful hunt for both the father and son.
"Back east, you might find some 700-pound black bears. But for Wyoming, over 300 pounds is huge," Mossberg said.
