OneCam
Well-Known Member
The Last Sit- May 2005 Black Bear Hunt
I had heard enough black bear stories in the past that I thought I would never have the desire to hunt them. When a couple of friends decided to invite me on a Canadian Black Bear Hunt I thought long and hard and decided that it would be an exciting trip. My father fished Canada in the past and I thought that it would also be a great time to reflect upon the ole guy and spend some quality think time in the stand.
Excited to say the least my sleepless nights began long before we departed that Saturday morning. Stopping three quarters of the way to Canada we crashed in Grand Rapids and juiced up on Java the next morning. We arrived at our destination in the afternoon to friendly outfitter and a cozy cabin. We had about 24 hours before the first hunt and the wait seemed longer than the past 2 weeks. Everyone fine-tuned equipment and got their game faces on.
The ride some thirty minutes away was very scenic and the amount of timbered country was something I have never experienced. The cab of the truck was loaded with 2 Greenhorn Bear Hunters, a Seasoned Bear Hunter and Eric the guide. He took us in to the bush and just proceeded to go farther and farther in. Several times there were stretches of 200-300 yard rocker high deep waters across the road. A reflection of my redneck "muddin" days with my friends in High School seemed very tame considering the obstacles that were in front of us. The quad ride was nothing short of remarkable either. Eric brought me into the bait area and allowed me to get set-up and left the area shortly thereafter. I had never experienced Ravens and their vocabulary is something between Grover from Sesame Street and a Parrot. The hunt was short and no bears were spotted. Camp life was very enjoyable and the food was belt busting. Watching videos of others experiences were enticing me all the more.
Tuesday's hunt was uneventful but was again a great sit. Wednesday was time for a change and Eric decided to put me into another great spot. The Previous spot I had never experienced that quiet of a stand ... there was nothing at dusk ... the silence was deafening and this new spot was located on the River. Eric told me the direction where the bears normally come from and that I could hear them cross the river. A few hours pass and I hear the movement of water... anticipating the bears coming in I was not disappointed when the water movement continued and followed with some duck quacks. Thursday and Friday flew by as well and no bears ever came into see me. Not discouraged I still enjoyed my solitude and read a book I had wanted to read. A grizzly bear, brown bear and Polar bears harvest stories written by Chuck Adams sure made the sit entertaining. The mind can sure make you ponder and those dark spots that normally are Iowa Whitetails turn into Bears without even squinting.
The last sit...the stand I had been hunting the last several days was occupied by another Iowan 2 years prior that had similar luck to mine. He had not seen a bear the whole trip and harvested a great bear the final evening. It was then called the "Lonny stand". I prepared for the hunt as normal and one of the other guys even made a comment that I could relate to. He compared it to the nervous jitters of a high school ball game. The day just was different, the sun was coming out and it looked to be a great night for movement. We had a visitor at camp that day that talked in length about bear hunting and conveyed again to keep movement to a minimum if any at all. I decided to keep the video camera and the book in the pack as a superstition. Keeping motionless for the better part of 4 hours was wearing on me. I slowly stood and stretched, grabbed a seat cushion for my tired buns and assumed the position. I did notice that the Blue/Grey Jays were definitely sensitive to my movement so I still refrained from moving.
I saw a flicker of black some 150 yards away. I could see 30 yards tops at my stand location but on one finger of the river there was a clearing, I could see 150 yards - nothing more, nothing less. It was a BEAR ... a huge bear. I sat satisfied with seeing that monster at 7pm and wondered how I was going to convey the size with any believability to my friends at camp. I prayed to my Dad that I wished he was there with me experiencing the solitude and beauty that was surrounding me. Honestly I did feel his presence there.
At 7:15 I heard a loud splash (similar to a big rock being thrown in)... just one splash. It was coming from the opposite side of the river and the bear I had seen was traveling the opposite direction. I still assumed it was a bear. I heard nothing for 5-10 minutes and then I heard it again ... a single splash. I heard one more splash shortly thereafter before I spotted movement 30 yards away. It was light brown, underneath an Aspen tree ... I thought it was a squirrel but after I seen it again I knew exactly what "it" was. It was the nose of the monster I seen earlier.
Now the guys at camp stated the 2nd rib of an upright 55 gallon barrel was a shoot able bear. I have seen video of bears of that caliber need to rise on their hind legs to retrieve what's on the top of the barrel. This brute of a bear was on all fours and still lapping the syrup looking downward at the top of the barrel! He turned the opposite direction and stopped ... I had already loaded the release onto the string loop and when he stopped I was at full draw. I aligned my pin on the vitals, touched the release and watched the arrow envelope (thanks Chad) into his chest cavity. He bolted and was in my presence for less than a minute.
I sat with disbelief as what had just transpired. Then came the loudest roar/moan I had ever heard, followed by what I thought was a loud inhale of air and another 2-3 moans. It finally was starting to sink in ... I may have just harvested a black bear. When my surroundings became quiet I sat and cried. It was a very spiritual feeling, I again felt the presence of my dad and I thanked god for the opportunity at such a marvelous creature. I stayed on stand 15 minutes and then called Eric on the radio ... no response. I must be out of range...I walked out while trying to get a hold of him. I briefly looked at where the shot took place...no arrow, no blood.
Walking out I looked to the sky... a rainbow ... it had not rained in several hours but there it was ... another acknowledgment that Dad was with me. Again the mind can wonder. I walked back to my drop off point and tried the radio again ... nothing. I walked what seemed to be 15 miles at a very brisk pace. Sweating and being mauled by Mosquitoes. I tried a hundred times and only picked up Eric's response a couple of times ... once was "Chad is that you"...I responded with ... "to heck with Chad ... this is RUDD!” - No response from him ... walk faster.
The run/walk was pretty sobering and the amount of bear feces on the trail was overwhelming. Great, I just shot a great bear and Bigfoot or another bear is going to kill me. Do I stop and write a message in the dirt that I shot one? Nope, keep walking.
The silence from the radio breaks, "Control Tower we're clear for take off"... what the? I respond with a "this is Major Tom to ground control" ... anyway ... then I hear "Rudd is that you?" Yep ... Eric and Matt drove up and I was a scatter brain ... all I could say was that it was a “big fricken bear”. We hauled keister back to the drop off area and unloaded the quad.
Matt and I walked in following our guide as we came to the stand site. I told Eric where the shot took place and what path I thought the bear took. Matt and I stayed back for a while … Eric went to look ahead. "Ryan over here" in the most monotone voice I could have heard.
“Did he find him”? “YES” he answered! I walked up to him and sure enough there he was, the pinnacle of my 2005 quest for a black bear. The excitement I had is hard to convey ... the birth of my children is at the top of my list ... this was up there. A bear of a lifetime for a memory and me I will reflect upon for many long years.
I had heard enough black bear stories in the past that I thought I would never have the desire to hunt them. When a couple of friends decided to invite me on a Canadian Black Bear Hunt I thought long and hard and decided that it would be an exciting trip. My father fished Canada in the past and I thought that it would also be a great time to reflect upon the ole guy and spend some quality think time in the stand.
Excited to say the least my sleepless nights began long before we departed that Saturday morning. Stopping three quarters of the way to Canada we crashed in Grand Rapids and juiced up on Java the next morning. We arrived at our destination in the afternoon to friendly outfitter and a cozy cabin. We had about 24 hours before the first hunt and the wait seemed longer than the past 2 weeks. Everyone fine-tuned equipment and got their game faces on.
The ride some thirty minutes away was very scenic and the amount of timbered country was something I have never experienced. The cab of the truck was loaded with 2 Greenhorn Bear Hunters, a Seasoned Bear Hunter and Eric the guide. He took us in to the bush and just proceeded to go farther and farther in. Several times there were stretches of 200-300 yard rocker high deep waters across the road. A reflection of my redneck "muddin" days with my friends in High School seemed very tame considering the obstacles that were in front of us. The quad ride was nothing short of remarkable either. Eric brought me into the bait area and allowed me to get set-up and left the area shortly thereafter. I had never experienced Ravens and their vocabulary is something between Grover from Sesame Street and a Parrot. The hunt was short and no bears were spotted. Camp life was very enjoyable and the food was belt busting. Watching videos of others experiences were enticing me all the more.
Tuesday's hunt was uneventful but was again a great sit. Wednesday was time for a change and Eric decided to put me into another great spot. The Previous spot I had never experienced that quiet of a stand ... there was nothing at dusk ... the silence was deafening and this new spot was located on the River. Eric told me the direction where the bears normally come from and that I could hear them cross the river. A few hours pass and I hear the movement of water... anticipating the bears coming in I was not disappointed when the water movement continued and followed with some duck quacks. Thursday and Friday flew by as well and no bears ever came into see me. Not discouraged I still enjoyed my solitude and read a book I had wanted to read. A grizzly bear, brown bear and Polar bears harvest stories written by Chuck Adams sure made the sit entertaining. The mind can sure make you ponder and those dark spots that normally are Iowa Whitetails turn into Bears without even squinting.
The last sit...the stand I had been hunting the last several days was occupied by another Iowan 2 years prior that had similar luck to mine. He had not seen a bear the whole trip and harvested a great bear the final evening. It was then called the "Lonny stand". I prepared for the hunt as normal and one of the other guys even made a comment that I could relate to. He compared it to the nervous jitters of a high school ball game. The day just was different, the sun was coming out and it looked to be a great night for movement. We had a visitor at camp that day that talked in length about bear hunting and conveyed again to keep movement to a minimum if any at all. I decided to keep the video camera and the book in the pack as a superstition. Keeping motionless for the better part of 4 hours was wearing on me. I slowly stood and stretched, grabbed a seat cushion for my tired buns and assumed the position. I did notice that the Blue/Grey Jays were definitely sensitive to my movement so I still refrained from moving.
I saw a flicker of black some 150 yards away. I could see 30 yards tops at my stand location but on one finger of the river there was a clearing, I could see 150 yards - nothing more, nothing less. It was a BEAR ... a huge bear. I sat satisfied with seeing that monster at 7pm and wondered how I was going to convey the size with any believability to my friends at camp. I prayed to my Dad that I wished he was there with me experiencing the solitude and beauty that was surrounding me. Honestly I did feel his presence there.
At 7:15 I heard a loud splash (similar to a big rock being thrown in)... just one splash. It was coming from the opposite side of the river and the bear I had seen was traveling the opposite direction. I still assumed it was a bear. I heard nothing for 5-10 minutes and then I heard it again ... a single splash. I heard one more splash shortly thereafter before I spotted movement 30 yards away. It was light brown, underneath an Aspen tree ... I thought it was a squirrel but after I seen it again I knew exactly what "it" was. It was the nose of the monster I seen earlier.
Now the guys at camp stated the 2nd rib of an upright 55 gallon barrel was a shoot able bear. I have seen video of bears of that caliber need to rise on their hind legs to retrieve what's on the top of the barrel. This brute of a bear was on all fours and still lapping the syrup looking downward at the top of the barrel! He turned the opposite direction and stopped ... I had already loaded the release onto the string loop and when he stopped I was at full draw. I aligned my pin on the vitals, touched the release and watched the arrow envelope (thanks Chad) into his chest cavity. He bolted and was in my presence for less than a minute.
I sat with disbelief as what had just transpired. Then came the loudest roar/moan I had ever heard, followed by what I thought was a loud inhale of air and another 2-3 moans. It finally was starting to sink in ... I may have just harvested a black bear. When my surroundings became quiet I sat and cried. It was a very spiritual feeling, I again felt the presence of my dad and I thanked god for the opportunity at such a marvelous creature. I stayed on stand 15 minutes and then called Eric on the radio ... no response. I must be out of range...I walked out while trying to get a hold of him. I briefly looked at where the shot took place...no arrow, no blood.
Walking out I looked to the sky... a rainbow ... it had not rained in several hours but there it was ... another acknowledgment that Dad was with me. Again the mind can wonder. I walked back to my drop off point and tried the radio again ... nothing. I walked what seemed to be 15 miles at a very brisk pace. Sweating and being mauled by Mosquitoes. I tried a hundred times and only picked up Eric's response a couple of times ... once was "Chad is that you"...I responded with ... "to heck with Chad ... this is RUDD!” - No response from him ... walk faster.
The run/walk was pretty sobering and the amount of bear feces on the trail was overwhelming. Great, I just shot a great bear and Bigfoot or another bear is going to kill me. Do I stop and write a message in the dirt that I shot one? Nope, keep walking.
The silence from the radio breaks, "Control Tower we're clear for take off"... what the? I respond with a "this is Major Tom to ground control" ... anyway ... then I hear "Rudd is that you?" Yep ... Eric and Matt drove up and I was a scatter brain ... all I could say was that it was a “big fricken bear”. We hauled keister back to the drop off area and unloaded the quad.
Matt and I walked in following our guide as we came to the stand site. I told Eric where the shot took place and what path I thought the bear took. Matt and I stayed back for a while … Eric went to look ahead. "Ryan over here" in the most monotone voice I could have heard.
“Did he find him”? “YES” he answered! I walked up to him and sure enough there he was, the pinnacle of my 2005 quest for a black bear. The excitement I had is hard to convey ... the birth of my children is at the top of my list ... this was up there. A bear of a lifetime for a memory and me I will reflect upon for many long years.