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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Iowabowhunter on June 18, 2024, 09:23:47 PM
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Just got back home from the last weekend @ Stickflingers up in NW MB Canada.
This past Saturday the 15th I pointed the truck 1,027 miles NW heading for my first ever guided hunt and first black bear hunt.
Pulled into camp @noon and got setup in one of the bunks, shot a little & had some delicious lasagna then got stuff ready for my first sit!
Didn’t look like it was supposed to rain much & with my smaller whitetail pack I brought space was tough so I left my rain gear & cold weather stuff in the bunk.
Parker dropped me off first @ “dump” stand. After I got my harness on I was getting my bow hanger up and getting the thermacell’s setup, when out of the corner of my eye a sow was strolling up the 4 wheeler track towards the bait!
During the course of the sit I don’t think I went more than 40 minutes without a bear in sight, altogether I saw a dozen different bears including 3 cubs.
Bringing the wrong pack mistake came back to bite me HARD. Rained pretty consistently for a good hour or so & the wind was howling!
25mph consistent wind with some gusts that had to be pushing 40, couple of times I thought my tree was going to topple over!
During that sit I witnessed three trees falling over and heard easily 10 more, awfully windy.
About 7:15 or so the first nice boar comes into the bait, it can stand over the barrel with all 4 feet on the ground & I estimated it would have been really close to the top of the barrel had it not been knocked over 3 minutes into my sit.
I estimate it was a low to mid 6’ boar, great fur on him! Considering it was the first night I decided to pass, and truth be told unless it was a giant black bear I really had my heart set on a chocolate phase.
Content to watch him, I practiced drawing back & picking a spot on the “shiddle” as David would say. Couple of times the good idea fairy got a bit louder in the back of my head & I about sent an arrow his way, so I decided to hang the bow up 😁
By this time (8pm) I’m freezing cold and shivering bad. I had decided that I was going to stick it out because the guides wouldn’t be by to pick me up until dark (after 11) and was going to learn my lesson of not being prepared the hard way.
Multiple really cool encounters including 2 sows fighting each other did its best to keep away the brutal cold from being wet & dang near blown out of the tree.
I will say I did see arguably the most courageous ground squirrels I’ve ever seen-on more than one occasion the boisterous little critter got within inches of a good size sow who had laid down to eat the crushed corn & peanuts at the bait site!
Good size sow had stayed at the bait for well over an hour & finally meandered off as two little cubs came up to get some food, really entertaining to watch the youngsters!
About 9:30 the cubs chuffed & took off running when the biggest bear I’d seen yet came strolling right into the bait. This sow had great fur and was a toad!
Just a few minutes after she had gotten to the bait she looked back towards my left and took off like a scalded cat!
I slowly turned around to see what could have spooked her & was scanning the forest when I saw a no doubter bear!
This was about 9:45 I’d say, and this bear was just standing looking at the sow that had run off. I had instantly dropped the one hand warmer I brought back in my pocket & got ready in anticipation of the big bear coming into bait.
I had been standing for 10 or so minutes when that sow had been scared off & had shivered the entire time, now combine that with a real nice bear & it appeared that I was vibrating!
For reasons unknown that bear behaved quite differently than the other 11 who visited “dump” that evening. Instead of coming right in that bear glared a hole through me then slowly sauntered back into the impenetrable forest.
I figured that it would come back so I sat down quietly, prayed that I would warm up & kept scanning the woods hoping to see the bear again.
Close to ten I see movement off to my left, & the big one is back coming in on a different trail!
I slowly stand & get ready because if it keeps coming I’ll have a 6 yard shot!
Maybe two steps before it comes into the clearing it stops & stares & the freezing and shaking figure in the tree, then sits down on its hind legs.
I got a decent chance to examine the bear & based on its chunky ankles, more “fit” stomach line & not having a jacked up rear end I decide it’s a boar-a gorgeous chocolate with incredible fur!!!
Well once again the bear doesn’t like what it sees & back tracks towards the 4 wheeler trail we drove in on. I rotate around the tree & unwrap myself from the harness, just as the bear does a 180 & comes back towards where it had just been.
Maneuvering around the tree (and avoiding the harness) I get back in position, had to be 10:15 I suppose.
Instead of coming on the original trail it takes a left and skirts the first trail, stopping JUST before an opening around 22 yards & at that distance I feel good, but a pine obscured the shooting picture.
He stands there for another 5 or so minutes, then walks quickly thru the opening giving me no shot.
I figured he’s going to come around the back way to the bait so I reposition my feet while keeping an eye on him so I can have a better view of the bait.
For whatever reason he doesn’t like that either and turns back towards the pine, but instead of heading back behind me takes a trail that leads closer to the bait.
I’m not comfortable with a frontal angle so I just hope he comes to the bait.
I’ll pause the story & say this is my first attempt @ a bear and I booked this trip with the intent of getting my first animal with a stick bow. It was not an inexpensive venture that also required over 15 hours with no stops just to get to camp + time off, and with a job that requires me to fly all over time is in short supply.
At the overview when we all got to camp the guides had said that in prior weeks guys had passed bears on the first day & not seen another bear they wanted to shoot & encouraged us not to pass on something we’d be happy with.
Back to the story-
The gorgeous chocolate had passed behind a big pine that led right to an opening where the bait was-game on!
Got my grip settled, feet were in position & got my tab in position while putting just enough pressure on the string to get everything settled.
Few seconds later that chocolate steps out & it’s game time. I get to anchor and send my feathered shaft towards the boar I had traveled to Canada for.
The arrow seemed to fly in slow motion-I know I hit my anchor but my Achilles heel (peeking) reared its ugly head, and my arrow hits slightly to the right of where I was aiming (height was perfect center).
I hear an awful crack @the shot and the boar roars & runs faster (and more quietly) than I expected. When he turned away from me it appeared that I had a half an arrow’s worth of penetration, and I instantly thought I hit offside shoulder, so I listen intently but didn’t hear a crash.
This is probably 10:30 at this time & end of shooting light was approaching, so I finished packing as quietly as I could & snuck down the tree.
I wait @ the pre-arranged pick up spot hoping & praying for a quick ethical kill.
As I’m sitting there in the pitch black (guides request) I happen to look back over to the trail we drove in on & there’s a bear not 20 yards away.
I quietly let the bear know to get out of here & decide at that point to get my knife out of my pocket lol.
It’s about 11:40 when I get picked up (last guy) and am still brutally cold-relay the story to the guide & we decide to give it until morning considering the circumstances.
Needless to say sleep does not come easily & I’m up at 6:30 grabbing coffee waiting for 8 o clock to go track.
Few yards into the track job Parker finds the arrow & my heart drops, I got MAYBE 3 inches of penetration, I assume that when the bear spun it gave the impression that the penetration was better than it was in reality.
We follow the tracks (no blood on the ground) as far as we can, on occasion seeing blood only on big trees that the bear scrapes (left fur behind) as he runs off.
We trail based on tracks & most likely trail the bear would have taken, holding out hope that I somehow got the job done, but no go.
Both guides eventually agree that the bear is alive and well outside of having a sore shoulder & will be none the wiser.
While I’m bitterly disappointed that I didn’t put a good shot on that bear, I do feel better that I didn’t gut shot him & that he’ll live to fight another day.
That was a long drive home (once blood is drawn your hunt is over) spent reflecting and I came up with a few conclusions.
1. DONT LEAVE YOUR RAIN GEAR AT THE BUNK HOUSE
2. I need to have Mr. Tom Phillips @ Bison Gear build me a better pack to use for whitetail/bear/treestand hunting.
3. Bears give me just as much “buck fever” as big whitetails do.
4. This is bowhunting with a traditional bow, I can only control what I can control.
Had I brought my compound I’d be calling my taxidermist to figure out how to get the cape to him for a rug.
BUT
I was determined to give it a go with my recurve, and I’m glad I didn’t hit my easy button & bring the compound along.
Stay tuned as I WILL get some Iowa whitetails with my Wessel recurve this fall.
Good luck to all the fellow week 6 Stickflingers & STAY OFF THE SHOULDER
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Its tough to take. But it seems like you have the right mindset to use as a learning experience, and you will be back in the "saddle" again soon.
Mike
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It was Mike, that drive home was a little arduous.
BUT-I got what I went up there for, great experience, chance to see bears & I even got to take aim @ a gorgeous chocolate-just have to execute better.
Ryan is booked for quite a few years, researching other outfits hopefully for next spring!
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You experienced something that I think only time will heal your raw emotion. I really, really have empathy for you. The time, financial resources, and personal commitment it takes to drive to the edge of modern civilization creates so much excitement and expectation; that failing to meet those expectations really hurts. Eventually the experience of seeing a great land with its unique wildlife and indigenous people will fill the void you might be experiencing now. What an adventure!!!
My own one time experience with Stickflingers was after sitting a week for the right bear; I missed a ground pounder over the back on the last afternoon of the hunt. One of my travelling buddies, wounded a great bear the first 20 minutes on the hunt of a lifetime with his compound.... and sat the rest of the week in camp waiting on me and another friend to complete our hunt. I don't know how he did it with so much class and sportsmanship. The worst part on his memory is he got the bear on video; so he gets to relive it over and over again:) The other guy with us...killed a bear that just missed being a booner. I was on the recovery of his bear. What an experience!
We are all going back next May...all of us plus three more friends. I've spent three years playing back that last shot in my mind that sailed over the back at about 22 yards. As you know, the shots are set up to be about 12 to 15 yards. When you shoot at a large bear that hangs up on the fringe...it some times makes it look further than it really is especially in the shadows of dusk.
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Ah man that hurts!
I’m glad you get to head up next year, after season is over I’ll get my name on the books for a future date for sure.
I suppose saving a couple of days of vacation isn’t bad.
I do need to find another hunt to go on-while I do love living in Iowa & chasing whitetails I dearly miss Montana & the wide variety of game I got to pursue with a bow.
Maybe it’s time to get together with some other folks for a pig hunt…
I forgot to mention, camp was full of PBS members. Special shout out to Bob for letting me borrow a base layer top (can’t believe I forgot mine at home :knothead: as well as Mr. Preston Lay for talking me through tuning issues I was having with my bow-everyone in camp including the guides, chef Denise & Hank the lab were fantastic
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See if I can get this video to load-first bear of the trip not 10 minutes after getting dropped off at the bait site
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Hair had been rubbed off as you can see. Also the bait barrel didn’t last long standing up haha
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Great 'recap' Jacob; Not the end result you hoped for but one helluva trip/experience. Next time.
Shick
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Sounds like you had a great hunt. Glad you won’t give up. Remember the harder something is the sweeter the reward and adds that much more to an accomplishment.
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Good write up of your hunt and thanks for sharing it with us. It hurts to lose an animal (been there done that), but it sounds like he will live to see another day! Good luck on your next! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Yes, great write up! I enjoyed reading it right up to where you did not find the bear. Mainly because I have hunted with Stickflingers three times. Two of the three times I was successful, culminating with a 7 ft class boar .But the last brute sticks in my mind because I wasn’t successful either.
Unfortunately, the one I didn’t get was bigger I think. It happens. I’d love to go back again, I know that.
One I got.
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That’s a tough pill to swallow, but it happens to the best of us from time to time. What were your gear specs (bow weight, arrow weight, broadhead)?
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That is a hard pill. Learn from it and move on, which it appears you what.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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That’s a tough pill to swallow, but it happens to the best of us from time to time. What were your gear specs (bow weight, arrow weight, broadhead)?
Hey Rob, I used my new Wessel recurve, 51# @ my draw length, Easton Axis arrows with VPA 3 blade 1 1/4. Arrows weigh roughly 560 grains.
Arrow flight was beautiful & did exactly what I told it to do, which unfortunately was just a bit too far into the shoulder. I believe another 2-3 inches left & I’d be helping skin out a beautiful chocolate boar.
I’m really excited to see what I can do with this bow on some Iowa whitetails, and am already planning a bear hunt in 2025 for redemption
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Sounds like adequate tackle. With that set up you think a guy could shoot middle of the body and be ok? Must have been a great bait site he had you set up on!
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Oh yeah it certainly would have been.
Pretty tough to replicate shooting conditions being that cold & jacked up from being so close to a big bear
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Sounds like adequate tackle. With that set up you think a guy could shoot middle of the body and be ok? Must have been a great bait site he had you set up on!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I hope it’s considered and not taken incorrectly. I’ve worked 2 bear camps. Shot plenty, seen lots more taken. The middle is NOT where we want to shoot. Think about what that implys? If you shot middle of the body, that means id hope you want middle or nearish middle of vitals. Where would that put back edge at? Between the legs? Would that leave room for intestines? Think about that next time someone says “middle” unless an angling forward shot where we adjust initial impact
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Thanks for sharing. Build your confidence and skills on the whitetails and small game this year.
I shot over a bull’s back on my first elk hunt with a stick bow after 20 days of hard mountain hunting. I decided right then that I would never, ever miss again. I put in the work, and you can, too.
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Sounds like adequate tackle. With that set up you think a guy could shoot middle of the body and be ok? Must have been a great bait site he had you set up on!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I hope it’s considered and not taken incorrectly. I’ve worked 2 bear camps. Shot plenty, seen lots more taken. The middle is NOT where we want to shoot. Think about what that implys? If you shot middle of the body, that means id hope you want middle or nearish middle of vitals. Where would that put back edge at? Between the legs? Would that leave room for intestines? Think about that next time someone says “middle” unless an angling forward shot where we adjust initial impact
100% agreed. I was aiming for the “shiddle” as the guide calls it, just peeked and pulled my shot a couple inches too far to the right unfortunately
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Sounds like adequate tackle. With that set up you think a guy could shoot middle of the body and be ok? Must have been a great bait site he had you set up on!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I hope it’s considered and not taken incorrectly. I’ve worked 2 bear camps. Shot plenty, seen lots more taken. The middle is NOT where we want to shoot. Think about what that implys? If you shot middle of the body, that means id hope you want middle or nearish middle of vitals. Where would that put back edge at? Between the legs? Would that leave room for intestines? Think about that next time someone says “middle” unless an angling forward shot where we adjust initial impact
Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m just trying to learn about shooting bears.
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Maybe I missed it but how far was the shot ?
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Maybe I missed it but how far was the shot ?
Too close not to have drilled it. 12 yards I’d guess
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I have a tendency to want to peek at close range as well.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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Thank you for sharing your experience. I could feel your anticipation building for this dream hunt. It indeed is a tough pill to swallow with so much invested. That being said you’re already processing future returns on that investment. You had an amazing hunt and seen things many will never see and that is a blessing. Thankfully the bear will live, and you will continue to grow as a traditional bowhunter.
Good Providence in your future endeavors :campfire: :pray:
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Hey Jacob,
I have been to Stickflingers six times now and it is addictive. The numbers and size of the bears is impressive. I can’t wait to go back.
I am sorry to hear about your outcome. Bears can be very bold or very timid. Figuring out when to shoot is a big part of the challenge. Keep practicing with that stickbow and you will be fine when you go back.
DP
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We were there at the bed and breakfast camp a week or before before you and we froze and get drenched as well. Both my travel partner and I had been prior and both hit bears with no recovery on the first trip. (I made a bad shot; partner shot well, just no recovery.
We did better this trip, both brought home bear, but due to weather same deal take would you would feel comfortable with. I brought rain jacket, no rain pants and suffered for it. Still we saw a lot of bears, had a fantastic time with our hosts and super guided. Going back in ‘26.
We were much more careful about bear positioning and shot angles, seeing a good many bears without shooting helped prepare us better for the shot. I used a string tracker on the stick bow on what turned about to be a very short trail. Would definitely use again.
The first trip 1/2 of the hunters used compounds and only 1 brought home a bear. Bears for those of us without tons of time around them struggle to understand size, sex, and the best shot placement.
Thanks for sharing your story, takes a lot of courage to relive an unhappy outcome.
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We were there at the bed and breakfast camp a week or before before you and we froze and get drenched as well. Both my travel partner and I had been prior and both hit bears with no recovery on the first trip. (I made a bad shot; partner shot well, just no recovery.
We did better this trip, both brought home bear, but due to weather same deal take would you would feel comfortable with. I brought rain jacket, no rain pants and suffered for it. Still we saw a lot of bears, had a fantastic time with our hosts and super guided. Going back in ‘26.
We were much more careful about bear positioning and shot angles, seeing a good many bears without shooting helped prepare us better for the shot. I used a string tracker on the stick bow on what turned about to be a very short trail. Would definitely use again.
The first trip 1/2 of the hunters used compounds and only 1 brought home a bear. Bears for those of us without tons of time around them struggle to understand size, sex, and the best shot placement.
Thanks for sharing your story, takes a lot of courage to relive an unhappy outcome.
Bud as I stated, bears are about one of the easiest animals to kill. They often fall down 15-20 yards. 40 is prob the longer end. A consideration.,,,
Your buddy’s hit was less than well. Just be advised of that so he doesn’t shoot at the same place, angle and expect different outcome. A well hit bear is I’d say almost always recoverable. Even with no blood, how long does it take to look over 40 yards?
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We were there at the bed and breakfast camp a week or before before you and we froze and get drenched as well. Both my travel partner and I had been prior and both hit bears with no recovery on the first trip. (I made a bad shot; partner shot well, just no recovery.
We did better this trip, both brought home bear, but due to weather same deal take would you would feel comfortable with. I brought rain jacket, no rain pants and suffered for it. Still we saw a lot of bears, had a fantastic time with our hosts and super guided. Going back in ‘26.
We were much more careful about bear positioning and shot angles, seeing a good many bears without shooting helped prepare us better for the shot. I used a string tracker on the stick bow on what turned about to be a very short trail. Would definitely use again.
The first trip 1/2 of the hunters used compounds and only 1 brought home a bear. Bears for those of us without tons of time around them struggle to understand size, sex, and the best shot placement.
Thanks for sharing your story, takes a lot of courage to relive an unhappy outcome.
It was a really fun trip, I got everything I came for except brining a bear home.
Congrats getting to bring home some bear meat this trip!
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It was a pleasure to share camp with you and I was bummed you didn't get your bear. I hunted that stand last 2 nights saw so many bears but not your chocolate.
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It was a pleasure to share camp with you and I was bummed you didn't get your bear. I hunted that stand last 2 nights saw so many bears but not your chocolate.
You as well sir, and congrats on your bear!!!
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Bowhunting is a game of inches. Sounds like a great opportunity and enjoyable experience.
Good luck in the future.