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
Topic: Heartbreak in Manitoba (Read 3297 times)
