It's Time for another Bear Hunt

[Gary Norris]

I hope you're ready for another Bear hunt story.  This will be a good one.  4 arrows and 4 Black Bear - - What could be better?  Well , I won't go there just now,  it's Mother's Day.
Charlie Lamb, Russ Ecklund, Tim Taylor and I had  been talking about hunting Black Bear in Minnesota  for a long time. You'll meet Tim later, he has been a great friend for a long time and he will be telling his part of the hunt.   Charlie was sorta  over being afraid of the dark and we were ready to try it again after the Canada trip had worn off.
 I had wanted to start shooting a long bow and Charlie was making me one for the hunt.  It was called the Ozark Hunter Longbow and came in at about 65 lbs.
 I started shooting it about 3-4 months before the hunt to give me plenty of time to get used to it.  To be real honest with you, I couldn't hit a 5  gallon can at 15 yards with it after a couple of months and I was getting worried.  How was I going to tell Charlie that I was afraid to hunt bears with it ?
I called Russ to ask him what to do .  He shot one of Charlie's longbows. It was some awful heavy thing that was like pulling a truck spring with a rope on it for a string.  He told me to keep shooting and it would just come in.  You know, it did.  After that I shot longbows for years and they just shoot where you look.  I've attached only one picture tonight,  There will be plenty more good ones to come.  This is to show you how well Lamb shot back then.  I'm tossing up nickels for him to shoot.  He would hit 3 or 4 out of 5.  He still shoots about that good but , has had to go to quarters.  Something about his eyes and the sun, etc.
Back to the hunt.  Russ had a place in MN and had a nice hunting cabin on it and we decided to get a guy to bait for us and put it together.  We would head to Pelican Rapids, MN where Clyde Hoadley had been baiting for us for 5-6 weeks.  A little about Clyde or "Griz"  as he was called by those who were afraid of him.  His idea of baiting was to fill a 30 gallon oil drum full of meat , put it on your shoulders with a strap and carry it off into the woods.  I have some good pics of Griz.  You'll understand how he could do it.  He had a tattoo of a Grizzly bear on his forearm.  I guess he liked them.  Funny thing is , I felt very safe with him around. I'll let Charlie fill you in on the trip up and we'll go hunting tomorrow night.  See ya,  Gary

 

[mmgrode]

Cool!  Looking forward to the story!  Cheers, Matt

[adeeden]

Cna't wait to hear the rest of this one Gary!

[just_a_hunter]

Sounds good!

Todd

[Charlie Lamb]

Well, I don't have a lot to add at this point, but will add a line or two.

I don't remember much about the trip north for this hunt, other than it was long. With good company, though, it was more than tolerable and passed pretty routinely.

The area we would be hunting was far in the northern counties of Minnesota. Baiting restrictions were far more lax in those days as was permit aquisition.

Clyde was a premier bear guide and really new his stuff. He had many bait stations established and most of them were working with multiple bears checking and feasting at the all meat baits.
 

At the time, I had worked for a company that was associated with a bakery for a large retail grocery chain and had aquired 40 or 50 pounds of assorted cakes and other sweets for addition to the baits. Just to sweeten the deal, so to speak.

As was the norm for these group hunts we assembled from all points of the compass. My old friend Russ would haul in from western Wyoming, with the rest of us from Missouri... Gary and Tim from the western part of the state near Kansas City and me from the eastern part of the state.

My memory is a little cloudy on the equiptment particulars, but I know I was using an all osage laminated Hill style longbow of my own manufacture. It was a stiff mother at 70# and it pushed a cedar shaft with big Magnus I along with authority.

Russ and Gary both were shooting one of my longbows. I don't recall what Russ was shooting for broadheads at the time (probably Ace Standards), but I'm almost positive Gary was shooting Pearson Deadheads.

We were all champing at the bit for the hunt to begin.

[Missouri CK]

Just in case you missed the first installment of this bear hunting tale here is the link to the earlier story.

  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=055929;p=1#000000  

Chris

[Whip]

This is going to be good!  

[Charlie Lamb]

Yeah Joe and the really cool part is that it takes Gary longer to write a story than I ever thought it could!  

[Charlie Lamb]

Maybe a little background of the hunters is in order here.

Many here know me already so I won't bore you with my stats.

Gary and I had met in our first year of college and became almost inseparable... a friendship that lasts to this day.

He already had a background and love of the bow when we first met. That was the bond that nurtured the friendship and still plays a big part in it.

As good as anyone I ever shot with, Gary quickly honed his rudimentory skills to a fine edge. We'd share many adventures along the way.

I remember during one of our almost daily outings in the early days Gary asked what would happen if he shot a broadhead into a tree.
It was easy to see that he was wanting to do that and I figured it would be an important and lasting lesson about the power of the bow.

"Go ahead and do it", I'd said. Pulling the little 40 pound bow to full draw he took quick aim at a nearby oak and let slip.

I wasn't surprised by the result (I'd shot my share of trees at that point), but it was apparent that the lesson had sunk in almost as deeply as that steel blade had.

I'm not sure it took an entire hour to remove the precious broadhead from that oak, but I remember smiling inwardly for quite a while as Gary carved away at the hardwood.
I knew he'd not do that again on purpose and he'd learned a valuable lesson about the power of the bow and broadhead arrow.    :D

[Charlie Lamb]

Russ Ecklund and I had also met in college. Gary knew him first and my only meeting had been when Russ, a couple years our senior, had consented to buying a six pack for Gary and I. ( we consumed our share of beer in those days of academia).

I guess Russ' first impression of me wasn't favorable as I remember Gary saying something about staying away from him....which I did.

It was to my surprise when in my sophomore year, after Gary's transfer to an out of state college, Russ had showed up one day at my dorm room. He'd developed an interest in bows and arrows and decided to give me a chance. Not to mention learning what he could from me.

[Charlie Lamb]

It was the beginning of a long friendship and ultimately led to me moving to the Rocky Mountains.

Russ also proved to be an apt pupil. Strong as a bull and very athletic, Russ was challenged in most physical activities by a slight birth defect.
He'd been born with only a thumb and remnants of the four fingers on his left hand.

He was shooting left handed, when we met,by wrapping his thumb around the string in a kind of strange pinch grip on the string. It did nasty things to arrow flight, but he made do with it none the less.

We spent many hours hunting rabbits on the farms near school and were constant companions.

[Charlie Lamb]

As with most of my good friends, Russ had a well developed sense of humor.... with a devilish bent.

I'd learned that on one of our first rabbit hunts as we made a short cut across a well grazed pasture.

Maybe it was the rumbling bellow behind me, or the thunder of heavy hooves on hard packed soil that got my attention first... more than likely it was the fact that Russ had let out a laugh and broke into an all out sprint for the fence.

One thing became apparent very quickly. There were 3 warm bodies in that pasture and I was the slowest of the trio... Russ was fast as lightening in a foot race.

Russ was already standing on the other side of the fence laughing uncontrollably as I made my approach at near light speed, a very large and very angry bull just a few steps off my heels.

I flung my bow toward the brush on the other side of the fence even as I became airborne. The fence was a good one. High and tight! I cleared it with room to spare.

Jerk!!!

[Charlie Lamb]

If Russ was the brawn of the group then Tim Taylor was the brains.
 

Tim came along much later in life but soon became an integral part of many outdoor adventures. A consumate hunter and bowman of no mean ability, Tim could organize a hunt while the rest of us sat drooling with our fingers up our collective noses.

We often gave Tim (and still do) grief about his somewhat unorthodox shooting style. Seems he has no qualms about trusting his instincts and will let the arrow go when he knows it's pointed where it needs to be... and it doesn't matter at what point in the draw that happens.

We give him guff, but Tim brings home the bacon. If he shoots at something, it's about to have  real bad day.
 

[JC]

Great story so far guys...lovin every minute of it.  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

:coffee:great story... please tell more

[just_a_hunter]

It ought to be a rule that you "more experienced" fellows tell a story or have a thread like this at least once a week.

Thanks so much,

Todd

[Missouri CK]

I'm going to help this story from a technical stand point only since the photo's are stored on my photobucket account.

Here are some pictures of the individuals listed previously.

Russ.

   
 

I'm sure you all can figure this one.

Lamb you look like you were checking the digits out to make sure you hadn't given yourself a Norbert Schulz manicure.....
   


Chris

[Charlie Lamb]

Thanks Chris. Kinda felt like I was the only one writing and to tell the truth, my memories on this hunt are a little hazy.

[Missouri CK]

Hey all I know is that their were a lot of picture of you guys gutting and cleaning up hides.

That always makes for a good story.

Chris

[Charlie Lamb]

Had a few computer glitches tonight, but will get the ball rolling on this story in the morning for sure.