Ok guys, here goes nothing. The Quebec Bear Quest started about 7 months before the actual hunt with a phone call from Tom Phillips asking me if i was interested in going bear hunting. Now I've know Tom for awhile probably 10 years, he has asked me every year if I was interested. I always declined, for whatever reason.
This year was different. Iv'e been hun ting local deer with a longbow for 16 years or so and with selfbow only for the past four seasons. With some success. It was time to go bear hunting. Called Tom, and said "yes"! Decided to make a bow just for this trip. Had a piece of osage I got locally and a bunch of leg sinew from bow kills I'd been saving for my first sinew-backed bow. After a lot fo work and a few phone calls to Mike Yancy I had my bow: 52 lbs. at 26", sinew backed, osage, bull snake and horn tip overlays. Let's go hunting.
June 21st: the day before the hunt TOm calls and tells me the meeting place and who the "Mystery Guest" is. Just a little intimidated! My first bear hunt and Barry Wensel has to be there. Just Great!
June 22nd: Finally arrives: very nervous, first hunt away from home, 7:30 pm the gathering begins, meet everybody, load trucks, on the road 9:30 or 10:00. The long drive. After lots of coffee and various energy drinks we arrive in La Tuque, Quebec.
Sat. June 23rd: Arrive in camp aroung 1:00 pm, all work together. Camp set up in no time at all. Tom sends everybody out to check baits and decide what stands to sit. Tom, Bowdoc, JC and I gather baiting stuff and head out. Check milemarker 42, the glove, black label and I think longtrail, not sure. All but Black label, which was a new bait, had been hit good. On the way in to check the last bait, we spot something on the trail ahead. Get to the spot and there on the side of the trail is a lynx, maybe 5 yards. Very cool. Nobody has a camera. Bummer! Get back to camp, JC Bowdoc and myself decide to hunt. Didn't drive all this way to stay in camp. I didn't see anything but hares and squirrels, the first night. Bowdoc got a bead, JC arrowed a bear, thinks it's a good hit.
June 24th: Wake up early, make coffee, decide who's doing what. JC, Ray, Tom and myself check baits and start trailing JC's bear. Hopes are high in the beginning. After a long trail and little blood, Tom asked JC what he wants to do: it's never easy giving up on a blood trail. JC decieds to call it off and with heavy hearts we head to the truck. Back at camp, we eat lunch, ready for hunting. I'm to drop JC off at Milemarker 42 and head to The GLove. On our way to the truck my roommate, Mr. Barry Wensel, says to me"Hey Roomie, don't choke tonight. Ha, Ha, Ha"! With that in my head, we head out.
Drop JC off, arrive at the GLove, get set in my stand, listeneing to the creek babbling and the annoying chatter of squirrels. Movement to my right catches my eye, get my first glimpse of a bear! After about 30 minutes of doubting if I saw a bear or not, I see the bear coming in from behind the bait. The bear is good sized, I decide to try and take him. He comes in slowly and I take Tom's advice and let him settle in. Wait for him to present a shot, draw and shoot, watch in awe as my arrow striked the ground harmlessly next to the bear. Needless to way, that bear ran out of there lika a bat out of hell! The only thing I can say is I choked: plain and simple. Didn't focus on my target and missed. Stupid mistake. My first bear and I missed. After about 45 minutes of calling myself all kinds of not nice things, I caught movement to my left. Oh my goodness...a MUCH bigger bear, sitting 40 yards from the bait. I caught movement both times, because the bears are extrememly quiet, not making any noise at all.
Anyway, I let this bear come in to the bait twice before I even tried to draw. The first time I drew back he heard my movement and bolted. He cam back a third time really slow, came into the stand halfway between me and the bait, sat down looking right at me. The bait's only 6 yards, 7 yards, tops, I was just a little nervous. "Dont' choke, Roomie". Luckily he was more interested in the bait, not me. Tried to draw again. He grabbed some bait and took off. I waited 20 minutes, hoping he woudl come back. He finally did. This time, he didn't look at me, went right to the bait and started eating. I was waiting, bow ready , he finally gave me a shot. I drew very slowly, focused on the opposite shoulder, released, wham!! The arrow was there, buried to the fletching, right behind the shoulder. The bear ran away. I'm watching, waiting for him to crash, he makes 6o yards, stops, but doesn't fall. Walks out of sight. Doubt creeps in: was the shot good? Why didn't he crash? Oh man!
I wait for 1 1/2 hours befgore climbing down. I pick up blood in the first 5 yards, it looks very good. Follow for another 3o yards, find the fletch end of my arrow. Lots of blood, follow to where I saw the bear start to walk: lots of blood. It's almost 9:00, I decide to back off because I don't like the idea of following a wounded bear. I get to the truck and wait for dark to pick up JC. I pick up JC, ask him if he saw anything. He says yes and asked me the same. I tell him what happened and he says everything will be fine. Back at camp, lots of stories, everybody says it sounds good, My roommate is very confident.
TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>>
Topic: Quebec Bear Hunt--2 Bears Arrowed on Video--added pg 42!! (Read 44150 times)
