Thursday night my son and I pack up our bikes and our truck and head out first thing on Friday to get us some bear. We first started to hunt bear last year and my son took a nice sow 8 years old with a 30-30. I was thrilled for him and we have decided to make it an annual trip. My freind has started a Bear outfitting buisness and this is how we got hooked I thougt it would be neat to help him out and at the same time give my dad a cool gift for his 60th birthdayso last year I took him and my son to my freinds camp for a four day hunt. Well this year we couldn't wait to get there. Friday morning we headed out for the four hour drive and arrived at 11:30 am unloaded our gear and got settled into our camp. at 2:30 we headed into the woods and set up our stands. My Dad would be joining us later this evening.
Ron our outfitter had been baiting using beaver and donut grease he told me that a large bear had been hitting my bait regularly and that a smaller bear had been hitting my sons bait. I got settled into my stand at about 3:30 and was only using a bow this time my first time using a bow in the field I have been practicing for two years in trees and on the groud and have become quite proficient or so I thought. My son was also going to use his bow and if he made a shot I was very confident in his shot. When at the range he challenges me at the turkey and at 30 yards who ever hits the turkeys head (white only) has to buy the other pizza. But being alone this year he also took his 7mmWSM along as well just in case.
Ron my outfitter told me that the bear would come down the hill in front of me to the bait and to be patient so I watched intensly the hill as I am new to bear hunting and what he told my son last year is exactly how things happened. At 5:10 Iheard a branch break behind me which was louder than any of the chipmunk noise that had been going on and I looked behind me and there was my first ever live bear while hunting in the woods coming right towards my stand I mean it was at least three feet from my stand. when I couldn't see it I stood up and got ready with my bow in case he was going to climb my tree to investigate what I was and at that very instant he bolted to my right and with two crunches he was gone. But it doesn't end there as upset as I was I didn't move a muscle and listened very patiently hoping he may come back. You would beleive how load chipmunks and birds are when you are listening that intensely.
At 6:45 all of a sudden this big boar starts popping his jaws about 100 yards up the hill in front of me and I can only see the movement from his mouth as the bush is so thick yet and the time of day isn't very bright. It takes this big boy over a half hour to make his way to the bait all the while chomping his teeth and popping his jaw. Finally at 7:15 or so he pops out not quite facing me smelling the bait at 25 yards I have the bow at full draw for at least three or four minutes but it seemed like an eternity. I had him in my sights quarter to me right behind the front shoulder ( As I find out not a good shot ) I shoot the bear and he runs fifteen yards up the hill My arrow is lying on the rock he was standing on and looks clean. I am thinking that I must have missed him and he begins to come back down the hill towards the bait when he is just about in the openhe turns and begins walking back up the hill where he comes from. I begin to lip squeel and he stops for a second in a slight opening but nothing good and I fire off a second shot which is low and hits the ground below him. I wait about another 15 minutes and get down from my stand and walk over to ehere I first fired at him and find my arrow covered in blood tip to tip. It definately passed through him and there was plenty of blood on the trail thick red blood which looked as if it was beginning to coagulate already. I quickly got out of there and went for my guide.
We returned about a half hour later and decided to wait until morning to track this big boy. I think I slept about 15 minutes all night just replaying all the events that took place and how the bear had just walked off like as if I tatally missed him. Finally 6:15Am and I am up waiting on my guide at 7:30 we meet and head to my stand and when we get there we find a good solid blood trail and are able to follow it about 400 yards through the bush and then it stops We searched and searched and searched but were not able to pick up the trail again. My guide was afraid of that happening as the old bear just walked off rather than run which might have helped keep the blood flowing better.
I feel terrible about what happened and realize that I shouldn't have ever taken that shot. If I ever get another chance I will wait until I have the perfect shot before releasing another arrow. I hope that the bear survives and makes it for another year. The rest of the weekend was great we seen Moose while on our stands, there were all kinds of deer we seen three while hunting and we even seen one swim across the lake and back and was coming up on the landing where our camp is when my Dad's dog spooked it and it swam back to a point on the lake and just laid in the water I guess it was so tired my son was out fishing about three hours later and canoed over to it because he thought it might have died from exhuastion as it was still lying in the water, it jumped up and crossed a stone and a patch of grass about four feet and layed down in the water on the other side of the point it was just wiped out.
I hope that my story helps another Newb bow hunter and he or she waits for the perfect shot I am so used to rifles and I would have taken that bear without any challenge with a gun. So if anything else if you are bow hunting I have learned you need to be more patient and it will happen don't rush it.
Ron our outfitter had been baiting using beaver and donut grease he told me that a large bear had been hitting my bait regularly and that a smaller bear had been hitting my sons bait. I got settled into my stand at about 3:30 and was only using a bow this time my first time using a bow in the field I have been practicing for two years in trees and on the groud and have become quite proficient or so I thought. My son was also going to use his bow and if he made a shot I was very confident in his shot. When at the range he challenges me at the turkey and at 30 yards who ever hits the turkeys head (white only) has to buy the other pizza. But being alone this year he also took his 7mmWSM along as well just in case.
Ron my outfitter told me that the bear would come down the hill in front of me to the bait and to be patient so I watched intensly the hill as I am new to bear hunting and what he told my son last year is exactly how things happened. At 5:10 Iheard a branch break behind me which was louder than any of the chipmunk noise that had been going on and I looked behind me and there was my first ever live bear while hunting in the woods coming right towards my stand I mean it was at least three feet from my stand. when I couldn't see it I stood up and got ready with my bow in case he was going to climb my tree to investigate what I was and at that very instant he bolted to my right and with two crunches he was gone. But it doesn't end there as upset as I was I didn't move a muscle and listened very patiently hoping he may come back. You would beleive how load chipmunks and birds are when you are listening that intensely.
At 6:45 all of a sudden this big boar starts popping his jaws about 100 yards up the hill in front of me and I can only see the movement from his mouth as the bush is so thick yet and the time of day isn't very bright. It takes this big boy over a half hour to make his way to the bait all the while chomping his teeth and popping his jaw. Finally at 7:15 or so he pops out not quite facing me smelling the bait at 25 yards I have the bow at full draw for at least three or four minutes but it seemed like an eternity. I had him in my sights quarter to me right behind the front shoulder ( As I find out not a good shot ) I shoot the bear and he runs fifteen yards up the hill My arrow is lying on the rock he was standing on and looks clean. I am thinking that I must have missed him and he begins to come back down the hill towards the bait when he is just about in the openhe turns and begins walking back up the hill where he comes from. I begin to lip squeel and he stops for a second in a slight opening but nothing good and I fire off a second shot which is low and hits the ground below him. I wait about another 15 minutes and get down from my stand and walk over to ehere I first fired at him and find my arrow covered in blood tip to tip. It definately passed through him and there was plenty of blood on the trail thick red blood which looked as if it was beginning to coagulate already. I quickly got out of there and went for my guide.
We returned about a half hour later and decided to wait until morning to track this big boy. I think I slept about 15 minutes all night just replaying all the events that took place and how the bear had just walked off like as if I tatally missed him. Finally 6:15Am and I am up waiting on my guide at 7:30 we meet and head to my stand and when we get there we find a good solid blood trail and are able to follow it about 400 yards through the bush and then it stops We searched and searched and searched but were not able to pick up the trail again. My guide was afraid of that happening as the old bear just walked off rather than run which might have helped keep the blood flowing better.
I feel terrible about what happened and realize that I shouldn't have ever taken that shot. If I ever get another chance I will wait until I have the perfect shot before releasing another arrow. I hope that the bear survives and makes it for another year. The rest of the weekend was great we seen Moose while on our stands, there were all kinds of deer we seen three while hunting and we even seen one swim across the lake and back and was coming up on the landing where our camp is when my Dad's dog spooked it and it swam back to a point on the lake and just laid in the water I guess it was so tired my son was out fishing about three hours later and canoed over to it because he thought it might have died from exhuastion as it was still lying in the water, it jumped up and crossed a stone and a patch of grass about four feet and layed down in the water on the other side of the point it was just wiped out.
I hope that my story helps another Newb bow hunter and he or she waits for the perfect shot I am so used to rifles and I would have taken that bear without any challenge with a gun. So if anything else if you are bow hunting I have learned you need to be more patient and it will happen don't rush it.
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