BEAR QUEST II Spring BEAR HUNT 2 Openings

[hill boy]

fletcher's bear got everyone excited,it was a great kill, but then again big Ron drew first blood and sent everyone into a frenzy.Speaking of BigRonhuntalot,and meat cutting lets give credit where credit is do that boy can process some meat also, and chipped in on everyones kill to make things easier.I thought the team work was good all over.I can't say enough about this group it was good all over.

[4runr]

Rick, that is indeed a nice bear. Congrats!

[UK Bowman]

Good Job guys, sounds like you all had a blast!

[bbassi]

I have to agree with mike, Ron was a real trooper and knows what he's doing with a knife. I'd hunt with these boys any time!

One quick story I want to share about this trip;

On the way out Saturday we had to check in our bears at the local sporting goods shop. There was a younglady there in front of us checking in her first bear with her father. Well, we ran into this same couple at the border while waiting for customs to check our paperwork. We of course struck up a conversation with them. Seems they hunted with a well known outfitter from the same general area who has been guiding for years. They told us in 5 days of hunting they had each seen 1 bear! Oh, and they were'nt allwed to use thermacells cause the outfitter said it scared the bears.....          

[Talondale]

BigRon can also cook like nobody's business!  Congrats to all you guys.  Keep the stories coming.

[Grant Young]

Hello folks,  I've been trying to tell this story for three days now but I have been so busy catching up from the time away that I haven't been able to get the uninterrupted time. I'm going to give you all a condensed version of an experience that really deserves a better retelling.
   I had never hunted bear before-several of us hadn't- and I didn't have a clue as to how to hunt them. I'm not sure I do now. For those of us who are accustomed to deer and turkey, bear hunting can make a guy feel helpless. Tough to pattern, first they are everywhere and then nowhere. It really is a sort of crapshoot. Rick (Fletcher) Thomas (Hogdancer) and I elected to hunt the "water" stands located near the lake shore. There was something alluring about using a boat to get to your location that I couldn't resist. Rick selected his number one spot first and Thomas and I inspected the other two locations. The stand Hogdancer selected was very active when we arrived,but I felt my choice had real potential (like I would know)and we went back in to try to rest and get ready to hunt. I was beat-I hadn't slept a full shift for a couple of days prior to leaving, we had all driven twelve hours, and then we had set up camp and found our quarters. We were atired bunch.
   I showered and decided to sleep but Thomas showed back up after dropping Rick off and I changed my mind and said "give me five minutes." Now folks, there are some things you just don't do, like forget your Thermacell or bug repellent, safety harness, or headnet. I did all that. Greenhorn. I paid the price. Thomas dropped me off and I managed to stay awake enough not to fall out of my stand, and then he headed to the "Moose Tower."
    I saw no bears and little else besides the ubiquitous red squirrels. Thomas picked me up around 9:30 PM and reported seeing six bears from his stand. I was beat and bloody but excited about his report. Neither of us had hunted bears or had any experience judging size in the field. He wasn't that excited, explaining that none of them really impressed him and he didn't want to shoot a small bear on the first day. We headed in to supper and bed with high hopes.
   Excitement was high in camp and we stayed up a bit late in spite of our exhaustion and Bowdoc woke me around 4:30 as he began the coffee and started to get ready for the day. I think I had slept three hours or so. We spent the day running baits, doing camp chores, shooting a little, and trying to figure out what we were doing. We had lunch around 1 or 2 and headed out-this time with bug dope and Thermacells for me even though I was convinced I had been disfigured for life the evening before. I had the same result as before but at least I wasn't injured or anemic from blood loss as I had been the first night. Thomas picked me up around 9:30 again and this time he was excited. Three bears came in to his bait and two were BIG. After dinner we decided I would film the next evening's hunt, during which he would kill the bear of his choice. I would then hunt this hotspot and kill the other big bear. Great plan, huh? Meanwhile, Big Ron came in with a beautiful bear-jet black, good coat, and a striking white chevron on her chest. Rick reported a hit and had elected to wait until morning to take the trail. We had blood in camp and the overall mood was high.
   The next morning, after coffee, Rick went out and brought back his bear. Fletcher is one of these guys that just does things right. He has the right tool for any job we faced, he's thorough and precise, and can get quite a bit done without much todo about it. That's how he took the biggest bear of the week.204 lbs. of bear and he suggested I might sit that stand as he had seen others. Dang! I still hadn't seen a bear.
  Hogdancer and I went out that afternoon with bows and camera, fully prepared to take a couple of good bears and make a movie to boot. Didn't happen. A smallish bear that Thomas said had come in early every day made an appearance at 4:40 and had a snack, checked me out in the new stand, and after entertaining us a while, grabbed a chunk of pork fat to go and left the scene. Two hours later, I had dozed off. Something caused me to come to alert and I saw a BIG bear cross behind the crib and check the situation out from a vantage point high right. He melted away and things quited back down. Ya'll-this bear was really nice. He came back around after circling us and hung up about forty yards out- he teased us awhile but no go. For those who haven't hunted bears- they are ghostly quiet. Regardless of size they move more silently than seems possible. They are also quick and fast for an animal whose appearance suggests such clumsiness. Man! Were we learning stuff about bears. We just weren't killing them yet.
   Before I left Kentucky, I was told by one of the few people I knew with much bear hunting experience, " Don't pass up a bear on the first day that you would shoot on the last day." Turned out to be true. Thomas's big bears weren't seen again. There was no definitive reason for that either. Hogdancer is a hunter to the bone- he thinks well, prepares thoroughly, and is as impassive as a Sphinx on stand. I'm convinced he is a far better hunter than I, but none of that mattered- the bears just moved on.

[Grant Young]

The next day, I was faced with making a decision on where to hunt- four bears had been taken by now and many sighted and I had yet to see a bear except while filming another man's hunt. Rick had seen three bears, including the big boar he shot, from his stand and it had been left alone for two days so I decided to sit it. A thunderstorm blew in after luch and most of us waited it out. Barry Wensel headed out anyway; might say something about his success rate, donchathink? I was dropped off around 3:45 and immediately started a honey burn. The sterno can burns about an hour and I smoked the place up pretty good. Ten minutes or so after the fuel had exhausted itself, the smallish bear Rick had named Boo-Boo circled the perimeter, walked a log in,and went directly to the burn can. Rick had helped set all this up and we had placed the burn where it would position a curious bear for a thirty foot, broadside shot. I didn't take it.He then went over and checked the bait drum- I still didn't shoot. After ten minutes or so, he moved out.
   Forty-five minutes later he came back in and I left my bow on the hook. Another storm was rumbling and he didn't stay long this time. Within minutes of him taking off, I began to question my decision. He wasn't a cub. He had a good coat and a good sized head; all the things that I had decided before leaving home would make a shooter. Okay, I thought, if he comes back I'm shooting. I sat through a thirty minute thunderstorm and brooded. This location got more light from the setting sun than the other stands I had sat on had and I was surprised when I looked at my watch and saw that it was 9:05 already. The boat would be here soon. Oh well, at least I had finally had a bear come in and it was only Tuesday- I felt pretty good about things. I stood up and dropped my restraint and caught movement off to my left. He was back. I slowly took my bow off the hook and nocked an arrow by feel. He walked toward the drum as I waited for a break. He looked to his left and I began my draw in anticipation of a broadside shot- all he had to do was take one more step with his right leg to open up the sweet spot. I was at three quarte draw when my bow limb made contact with the bow hanger. I leaned left to complete my draw and the bear suddenly became interested in something in the barrel. He turned his back to me as I stood at full draw thirty feet away. After what seemed like minutes but was really only a few seconds, I sensed he was about to reposition. He backed up and turned to his left. I picked a rib about three back from his elbow and as soon as I felt I could hit his off leg with the shot angle, I guess I shot. I don't remember making a conscious decision to shoot but I remember the yellow and blue fletching and the blue speed nock disappearing through his black coat. He was gone instantly and my arrow was buried in the ground where he had just been. Before I could wonder about the hit, I heard this sound from the direction he had run. AWWWWWW, AWWWWW, AWWWWW, AWWwww...That answered the question about the quality of the hit. I'd never heard a death moan but I knew what it was. All the mixed feelings I always get with a kill came over me, but this time there was a new component-Damn, I tagged out and now I can't do this again tomorrow. We waited 'til morning to drag him out-the rain obliterated any blood trail anyway- and we walked right to him. I believe my boat buddy Thomas saw him first. He hadn't gone far. He was a little bigger than I initially thought-124lbs. Big head and feet and a good Spring coat. I'm going back next year for a big one, now that the first one is out of the way. This was easily the best hunt of my life and would have been even if I hadn't dropped the string. These guys are all serious, competent hunters but more importantly, world class human beings. I feel priviliged to have shared the time with them, one and all, and can't wait for the next trip.                   Grant

[hogdancer]

Great story Grant, Thanks ! Let's do it again !

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Reading these stories is GREAT. Almost like re-living it again. Great Stories guys!!      

[Grant Young]

The toughest part of writing about this is that so much of what made the trip so great gets left out. Tom Phillips, Loyd Busch, Eric A., Allen S., and Bowdoc Ward worked like dogs to put this thing together and keep it running. Mike Weatherton and Ron Andrews looked like Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John from M.A.S.H. in the skinning shed. I saw Allen and Loyd track a bear well over a thousand yards and no doubt they could have continued had the evidence not indicated that the bear was going to Nova Scotia-in a hurry. My son and I have beagles and the next litter we raise is going to have two named Loyd and Allen-I hope they can live up to it. Rick (Fletcher) was available to assist in any chore or to aid anybody still trying to fill a tag. Fred Gimbel hunted long and hard and kept smiling, Bob Walker was always on cue with a wisecrack or encouragement for us newbies, Brent Bassi was quick to lend a hand and along with Fletcher, supplied walleye for the whole crew. Steve Tottingham was there to help Bowdoc and me skin and bone my first bear and it would have been tough without him-I'd never skinned one and Bowdoc has at least five things to do at all times-I'm pretty sure he doesn't sleep. Steve also made a pot of the most volitile chili I've ever sampled-very tasty but loaded with methane. Dave Tice was a pleasure to be around and it was great to see him score in the final stretch.Then of course, Barry Wensel was there to entertain us with recollections of all the people and places, and game species he had encountered throughout his incredible hunting career.Thomas Burns was a pure joy to hunt with- it felt like we were partners as we took the boat across the water just about every day. Every one of these guys is a story unto themselves, like chapters in a book and I should be flogged if I ignore the chance to record it in detail for my own journal. When asked about the hunt when I returned home I found myself talking on and on about the people and the place before I remembered to add, "oh yeah, I got a bear." Thanks guys.                          Grant

[hill boy]

Well if fletcher is kind enough to post a pic of my bear then I should at least tell a story.I chose to sit saturday night out and try to catch up on some much needed rest.Sunday night coulnd't get there quick enough and on a virgin stand that was seeing a lot of action I passed up 2 bears.I don't know if they just looked small or I was so exausted that my adrenalin level hadn't replenished but whatever the case my kill switch failed to turn on.At camp Ron brought in a beautiful bear and rick had one down so the buzz had started.Monday night a cub and one of the bears from the previous evening came to visit on two seperate occasions the one had a really nice coat and because of inexperiance I was having a hard time judging him so again I let him walk.tuesday night started out a little slow I had my usual friend come in and he own the place and would hardley give me a second look.He would just walk thru my shooting lane real fast while watching me and after seeing I wasn't going to nail him he would commence to gorging himself this was quite comical.Many times the only way I knew a bear was coming in was the sound of there lips smacking and licking there nose trying to smell me.It's unbelievable how quiet these bears are.And the vegitation is so thick you can't see them until they are at the bait.But then I heard a twig snap.My friend vacated to my left immediatly and at 8:30 I hear the god awfulest noise of 2 bears fighting and one wasn't doing so well.It would bawl loudly and it sounded as if both bears were going up and down the tree.I was hoping big pa pa had shown up and since they were exactly between me and the truck not 30 yards out I wanted this fight to break up, me get a killing shot on big boy and we would all go home happy.Don't think so    As daylight dwindled I had to make a decision.I didn't really want to break a fight up but I really wanted back in the truck.Breaking a fight up of 2 bears in the dark wasn't very appealing so with about 5 minutes left of light I headed down making as much noise as possible.finally I seen one bear leave and without looking I made a bee line for the truck :scared:Dang was I glad to be in the truck I think I even lock the doors.By wednesday night and a few bears on the ground my string fingers were getting a little itchy.I went to my stand about 5pm and at 5:40 I hear the sound of lips smacking.A nice sow and a large cub made multiple circles for over an hour.She just wouldn't come in and was quite aggrevated that I ruined her dinner plans.She finally let me be.At about 7:15 I spotted movement to my right and it appeared to be a large bear slightly smaller then the one I had just seen but a shooter in my eyes.This bear cirled for at least 45min trying to wind me.Finally it came in quickly with one eye on me and took apiece of bait.No shot.20 minuts later it done the same trick offering no shot.It actually took time to run a bear off that I never seen and then returned.This bear popped it's teeth at me,woofed at me and showed of it's strenth by breaking a log in front of me but behind the crib as she tried to enter the crib from behind.Her intimidation only pissed me off and I kept hoping for a shot mumbling under my breath somthing about cramming a carbon shaft thru her chest.finally after about 40minuts it had to come around and stick its head a little farther in the barrel I began pulling on the string and was in disbelieve when I came to full draw and her front leg moved up just right.All I remember was picking a spot feeling my anchor hit and watching in slow motion as my arrow hit the very mark I had picked. The fletching sunk thru the chest and blood streamed out of the mark as my fletching disapeared.WoW!! I have never seen a shot so clearly.She ran about 20 yards crashing every step and gave the most groosom death cry you could imagine that went on and on and sounded like somebody.After the rush settled I went straight to camp.It was a great evening Erick had also nailed one and our party of 5 retrieved both bears in the dark.What an experiance!Oh and for the bear that I turned down because I second guessed his size evrey day.Dave killed him the last night.Darn thing weighed more then the one I took.Guess Dave showed a little more wisdom than I.And I got a pic of both bears.   :D

[bbassi]

Mike, the only thing better than reading that over again was remembering you tell it with the Arky draw.  :D

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Here are a few more pics of our adventure...

 

Dave Tice and his bear.
 

 Grant's Bear on the boat ride back to camp...
 

[joe skipp]

Great stories guys...keep em coming!      :eek:

[Grant Young]

Great pictures Ron. Don't forget to send me your file. I'm trying to get mine set up for sending out now. I think you got better pics of my bear than I did,lol.                    Grant

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Grant, I sent it a little while ago. Let me know if it came through O.K.  

 Ron

[Grant Young]

I got the message but the photobucket account its in is password protected Ron. I replied to your effeort at the address on the message. Thanks Pardner

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Here is a pic of me and my bud bowdoc.

 

[hill boy]

If you will take notice!Everyone took time out to take pics of others kill.Rick and Grant has better pics of my bear then I do.That's just how this camp was.I think they were as excited as I was.I'm already home sick for camp.  

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Here is one of the higher stands I saw... LOL