Bear Quest III >>---> Start Your Engines

[hill boy]

 lets see!!!What were those reasons for not going?    Have you ever seen a grown man cry?  :confused:  Ya'll keep it coming I'm listening.  

[bretto]

I'm with You hill boy, I'm supposed to be there this week!!!!

[Shaun]

The Hunt day 2

BW had guessed two bears harvested the first night out. He was spot on and bear fever was getting a serious hold on us all after Kevin and Nature Valley had tagged out on day one. They will surely come along and tell us a short story soon. Till then, here's a pic to whet your appetite.

 

I helped bait a couple spots including my draw spot "The Point" where I set up a stand. That evening I took the one and only Real Bow Doc out and dropped him at the "Bowl" then proceeded to my new bait. It was another beautiful evening. The weather was close to perfect all week. I watched the birds and squirrels and after a couple hours had convinced myself that this was going to be an evening without bears but still a joy to be in woods meditation mode.

At about 7PM a nice 130# class boar came loping down the same trail I'd come in on. I thought he'd run right to the barrel, but instead he swerved around behind the brush pile and then circled the bait area. When he cut my scent he started the woofing, tooth popping and other antics just like the bears the night before. This went on for some time and at one point he crept up directly behind my stand tree and stood ten feet from me huffing and snapping. He stayed behind me for about twenty minutes then finally came around to the bait. The first couple passes he had a bite and ran back out. Finally he settled down and my bow came to hand. The bear sat and reached into the barrel for some jelly doughnuts. I was only waiting for a broadside shot from ten feet away and eight feet up.

Just as I was starting to draw, another bear made some noise about fifty yards away. The bear in front of my tore off and his noise scared the second bear. I think they are both still running having scared the heck out of each other. That was it for the evening two, so close.

[Shaun]

There were some more bears taken on the second day. Nate put a shaft through this nice one and he was on the bench now. Tell us a story Nate

 

Fair warning if you attend this hunt, the camp cook, mascot, clown, counselor and chief Doctor d'Arc - The Real Bowdoc - lays in wait for early finishers. "You are mine now!" crows the slave driver.

 

Some of the more experience hunters have learned not to fill their tags so they can continue spending time in the woods.

[tippit]

Sunday arrived early as I was anxious to see what the bears on Moose Tower were up to over night.  Upon re-bating, the barrel had been torn out and the crib with logs holding it in place were scattered all over.  Looks like the two lovebirds had quite a time of it     I rebuilt the crib but this time I set the barrel opening 90 degrees to my stand.  Hoping the Mr Big would come into the barrel like the night before and give me a broadside shot.

As Shaun said the weather was beautiful...quite unlike normal La Tuque weather of rain & drizzle.  This had me a little concerned cause dark cloudy skies seem to get the bears moving earlier...but it was sure nice for sitting a stand.

I decided to get in my stand early around 3 pm with dark coming around 9:30.  Before climbing up I place 5 marshmallows in a line right in front of the barrel...an offering to the bear gods.

The afternoon seemed to be in slow motion except for the squirrel & bird show.  I had a couple of Canadian robber jays come in and pick up a marshmallow or two.  No problem as I had more in my pack.  Only being 5 yards from the marshmallow conga line, my old pitching arm was still good enough to toss more to the plate.

It was starting to get into fading light and still no bears..not even little ones.  Had the couple decided to find greener pastures?  Finally at 8:30 I saw black shapes running behind the crib area.  They were breaking branches, wolfing, and popping teeth.  I only hear out of one ear and limited at that even with my hearing aid but with the woods being so quiet and the bait site being so covered in the trees, they seemed to be right on top of me even though I couldn't see them.  At the base of my tree was a blow down spruce that we had to cut out to set the stand.  It was about a foot in diameter and 15 feet long.  I was concentrating on looking behind the crib to pick up any action when all of a sudden that tree was bouncing up & down with some intense wolfing at the far end.  Mr Big was close by and I actually flinched when I saw a tree that I couldn't budge moving like a tooth pick!  

Now I was getting a little worried that they wouldn't show before dark. I wasn't relishing the idea of having to figure a way out of there with two very large aggressive bears and me in their bedroom    

Finally the sow came in from my right and started to eat the marshmallows with a perfect broadside at 5 yards.  Now if only Mr Big would hurry up and get in before she finished them.  Right on clue he came in from the left and as he was right in front of me reaching for a marshmallow with his right front leg...his chest opened up like a garage door  

Did I mention I had switched arrows around 8 pm to my all white arrow with another tippit head.  I do this all the time deer hunting the last hour.  It is amazing how that arrow shows up in low light when a regular shaft seems to fade away.  It's even more amazing how white shows up on a black garage door...Doc

[4runr]

You can't stop now Sir!!!      

[PV]

First night in camp I showed Rob,Kevin and Shaun to their stands. The smiles on their faces said it all. The long wait was over and the hunt was beginning. It was too late for me to hunt so I set a camera on the bait I was to hunt the next day and returned to camp to await the stories..........

[leatherneck]

DOC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    You just ain't right! I was ready to come out of my chair in excitement until you stopped.

[hunt it]

That Charlie fella is rubbing off on all you story tellers!  

[xroadshunter]

Doc,  I can't handle the loooong climax any more please let us see the outcome.

[Raineman]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

           

[Whip]

Come on with the stories fellas!  Here it is Wednesday already.  At this rate the guys on week 2 are going to beat you to the punch line!  

[Tim Fishell]

Doc must be busy at the clinic this morning!!  

[hill boy]

 Today would be good  

[Ted Fry]

OK Jeff , I like the "oh did I mention" part but now its time to get on to it, your fans are waiting.

[Tique]

OK Doc, we're waiting!!!!!  

[Curveman]

Yeah, I know what happened and I'm on pins and needles!  

[leatherneck]

Terry needs to put a story time limit on stories before someone else will be aloud to tell it.LOL

[tippit]

Quick break from surgery, I've been patchin' up all the animals since comin' home rather than puttin' holes in 'em.

Well the black garage door opened up as MR Big reached for a marshmellow.  I remember being at half draw and my white arrow & eyes burning a spot behind his elbow.  I don't remember anything else about the shot except the arrow was on it's way as soon as his leg moved forward.  I hit the spot I was looking at...But it looked like my white arrow didn't get much penetration     Now the sow ran to the left passing the Mr Big and Mr Big ran the opposite way. I couldn't believe my eyes...had I blowen the shot of a life time     With the confusion of the two bears passing each other I wasn't sure where Mr Big went but assumed he ran back up the hill from where he came from.  As I was starting to kick myself I heard the most wonderful sound...four long loud death moans       Got more surgery...I'll try to finish up tonight pending my MRI...Doc

[tippit]

Now I was feeling much better after hearing the death moan.  Since I can't determine sound direction with only hearing in my left ear, night closing in, and one aggressive sow still breaking branches...I decided to slip out and come back in the morning.  On the boat ride back back I picked up Myron.  He a had great night seeing several bears so I keep my mouth closed as not to interrupt his first night dancing with bears!

Back at camp several guys asked if I had any action and I said not much!  My reasons for not wanting to tell just anybody goes back four years earlier.  Tom, Brian, and I were looking for Brian's bear that he shot the night before.  We found it down a steep hillside cause it was dragged off by another bear.  Well Tom proceeds to put this 130# sow on his shoulders and carry it out.  I was following & trying to keep up but my offers of help fell on deaf ears.  He was the man to retrieve this bear.  When we got to the top he said >>---->

"Someday I'd love to carry out a 300# bear you shoot"

So when things settled down from all the hunters coming in, I put my hand on Tom's shoulder and asked "if the deal was still on"    

The next morning Tom, Bowdoc, Dick Langer, John Beahr, and I headed out in two boats.  My hearing had failed me again.  I thought Mr Big went up the hill but searching turn up nothing.  Tom circled back and found him 25 yards straight out from the crib.  Now for pictures and believe it or not Tom did carry Mr Big him out.  It took 4 guys to lift him on Tom's shoulders and he was dropped several time...But Tom made it back to the boat     Dick & Bowdoc took video of the entire carry out.

Once back in camp we tried to weigh him but the wire broke holding a pole between two tree.  He finally weighed in at 309#    Tom said in his 19 years of hunting around La Tuque only Three bears went over 300#...one a rifle kill, a compound kill, and now a stickbow kill with a Team Tippit broadhead full circle!  Needless to say I am still on a cloud...Doc

PS: With week 2 still hunting, I'm on pins & needles waiting to see if I won the tippit knife for the biggest bear