Alaris Concepts

Bowkaddy Goes Bear Hunting

The weather was tentative, but the time was nigh. May Long Weekend finally arrived and, wet, windy or otherwise, I was going bear hunting. My regular cohorts could not make it on this weekend, so I invited my coworker and friend, Marko Tauriainen, to come and share the annual tradition with me. Two of our three baits were being hit by multiple black bear. We set up camp at Angling Lake, a beautiful pike and perch-infested lake in the heart of our hunting area. We topped off the baits the first day and anxiously awaited the evening sit. We decided to sit together considering this was Marko's first bear bow hunt in unfamiliar territory. I have taken several bear over the years, so was more than happy to carry the video camera in hopes of catching a harvest on tape.

The first night was uneventful due to gusts of wind which couldn't decide which way to come from. No problem - we still had a couple days to go. We headed back to camp for the evening. Against our wishes, the wind continued to blow, so hard in fact that we had to extinguish our thoughts of an evening campfire. Instead of firefighting, we decided to cash in early and get a fresh start the next morning.

Day two found us plowing mud back to the same stand. Our hopes were high as evidence at the site suggested that at least one bear had been there in our overnight absence. The silence of our sit was broken when two rifle shots rang out some 500 yards to the south. Somewhat discouraged, we sat for another hour and then headed back to camp. Well, our objective was slowly changing from shooting a bear to seeing a bear.

Morning came on day three with broken skies and a quiet calm that told me, "Today's the day." With the weather finally cooperating, we hustled around the campsite, finding some food and gathering our gear. We decided to cover a new bait, somewhat more remote but still reachable by pickup. We through our bows in the Bowkaddys and set out. We arrived at the bait and began our three hour vigil over lunchtime. But the bears weren't coming to our restaurant. A solitary squirrel and a couple whiskeyjacks proved to be our only entertainment. I am an eternal optimist, but Marko was starting to think beginner's luck was not on his side.

We returned to the lake and placed a safer bet with an hour of high-action pike fishing. The slough sharks were in a feeding frenzy and the mood was lightened as we formulated our evening plans.

I contacted a good friend in the area who is also a bowhunting fanatic. He graciously offered us one of his stands that would surely produce a bear. Considering our situation, we thankfully accepted his offer and followed him to a pristine stand rising out of the Beaver River valley. As we crested the last rise before reaching the bait, we heard a bear scramble into the woods. Things were looking up. Way up. We climbed into the 25' stands as Clay 'rang the dinner bell' by cooking some fresh honey at the bait. "I'll give you twenty minutes to get your bear!" he said before departing.

Twenty minutes later, Marko checked over his right shoulder and behold...a bear! And a good one! The 250-lb brute walked down the hillside right to the base of our tree. The camera was rolling and the arrow was nocked, but the bear hesitantly returned up the hill, never having reached the barrel. "He'll be back," I whispered to Marko as I turned off the camera.

An hour and a half went by when we heard a branch snap to the west of us. Our sight was limited by the dense mid-May foliage. All of a sudden, the bait barrel was surrounded by three sibling two-year olds. Clay was right - this bait was HOT! Marko looked up at me for the okay to shoot. Never having arrowed a bear before, size was not an issue. I said, "Take your pick and take your time."

Marko reached full draw and settled the pin on the one offering the best broadside shot. The three hungry bears were framed by the camera viewfinder when the arrow was released. A promising 'thwack' and a loud roar were heard as the bear scattered into the underbrush. We passed the next while reviewing the footage of the shot. "I think we can go have a look now," I said.

The blood trail was found immediately and before long, Marko was standing over his very first "bow" bear. Way to go, bud!

Check out the video footage of this hunt at www.alarisconcepts.com/Bonus%20Videos.htm

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