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

[d. ward]

that ai'nt no carbon arrow.I had Lloyd paint those to look like carbon.That was a wood arrow.bd

[tippit]

Bowdoc, You're tainted now!  Besides once you saw how far & straight that Burnt Cedar flew, I can see an entire quiver full of Beman or Easton carbons next year arriving on the silver bird from Seattle    the other Doc

[Dick Langer]

Bowdoc you going to wear that hat next yr and use a woodsman? I don't think Fred will mind

[fatman]

I didn't have to wait too long;  after what seemed like a relatively short time, I spied a black form moving through the woods toward the bait.  As he came to a log that laid across the trail, he stopped and looked up at me.  I recognized the smallish bear from the first two nights...

For a fleeting moment, the idea passed through my mind that a new bear COULD be in the area.  I had two more nights of hunting left...should I wait?

But the green light remained on, and my fingers curled around the bowstring in anticipation.  I had not come all the way to Quebec to NOT shoot a bear.  If this guy offered the shot, I would take it.

After about 20 seconds of sniffing in the air, the bear stepped right into the baited area.  With a quick glance up at me, he moved directly across the clearing to the big barrel.  As he turned to face the bait, I began to draw back on the ACS longbow that had sat silent all week...

Before moving in to the barrel, the bear looked up at me one last time, halting me at 3/4 draw;  as he turned back, I completed my draw, and when my middle finger hit the anchor, the arrow flashed downward and disappeared into the thick black hair of the bear's coat.  Immediately, he wheeled and shot directly away from me, through a tangle of low brush.  In the instant that he fled, I saw the arrow buried in the dirt, the yellow fletching now showing orange.

I followed the bear's path through the tangle with my ears, listening for breaking branches and popping brush.  About 40 yards out, I saw a tall, skinny spruce tree shake as the bear impacted, and all was quiet for a second....then the death moan started, beginning low and climbing to a crescendo of drawn out howls, finally tapering off to a couple of gurgling groans.

The emotion was overwhelming, and I spontaneously gave thanks to the creator - for the gift of the bear, and for a good, clean shot and a quick death.  Shaking slightly, I gathered my things and descended the steps to survey the scene.  Next to the barrel was the arrow:

     

then evidence of a fatal hit:

     

[PV]

Speaking of tips bowdoc,thanks for the tip on black glass. You da man!!!!!
 
 

[tippit]

Paul,  Looks like you finished up one beauty of a bow bolt bow    Doc

[fatman]

A quick glance around did not reveal an obvious bloodtrail across the moss-covered ground, and I really wasn't interested in a snarling crawl on hands and knees through the tangle before me.  So I took a bearing on the spruce tree that marked what I believed was his final rest, and looped on trails through the thick woods.

Through a short section of tangled brush, and across the small stream that gave birth to the Cove, I topped a small rise and found my prize:

"As God intended"
 

and my pose with him
 

[RRock]

Paul, Looking pretty darn good, but, did you cut the shelf on the wrong side?

[fatman]

I rolled him over to evaluate the shot;  here's the results:

   

 

     

Projectile from the Sunflower State (with a little help from our sponsors):

Arrow Dynamics Trad Lite Woodgrain (Topeka, KS)
Custom crown and crest by Badger Arrow (thanks Paul)

Magnus I 150gr 4-blade (Great Bend, KS)
Wicked-sharp edge by KME (thanks Ron)

Total arrow weight 585gr (for those that care)      :D

[Kip]

My story begins about like all the others fly to Albany meet at Tom's house except for one thing.I left my passport at the airport so back to Albany with Jay and then straight up into Canada for an all nite drive with no sleep and meet the rest in La Tuque.No sleep unless you have a Jay Addair and buy him a box of Joe at Dunkin Donuts and he can drive all nite.My hunting story will lack the turn the page suspense of Kevins and the play by play including time and dates of Toms both great stories.I drew cardiac and guess why the name,straight up a pretty steep hill.About 5:30 a bear showed himself but never came until about an hour later.He looked like about a 125/130 bear with a white V on his chest but I drew down on him but was not planning to drop the string.I watched him until dark thinking you better not give me too many chances.SHRINKAGE the word that George used on an episode of Sienfeld.In my case Ground shrinkage.The next afternoon about 6:00 I saw another bear about 130 lbs that had a diff. personalty and later I saw he didn't have the white V but at about 8:00 he came in and I used a trick Barry told us about last year scatter some chocolate chips to distract them and give good shots.Well it worked he gave me a perfect broadside and it looked a little far back and no pentration.Boy was I wrong he crashed off and a few seconds later I heard the death moan and just a few feet from where I shot a great blood trail (bloody up your pants leg good)and went straight to him.The blood trail was so good that he lost at least about 30 or 40 lbs. and was 12 to 18 inches shorter.The shot was about perfect and had pentrated a bottom hole also so he was leaking big time.I shot my first bear with my Bob Lee 54@28" 58" long recurve.
 

[RRock]

Kevin, Great story. It is something special, isn't it. Congrats!

[fatman]

Then I stretched him out for a couple more poses:

 

 

[fatman]

"The blood trail was so good that he lost at least about 30 or 40 lbs. and was 12 to 18 inches shorter."

Kip, that's funny....I know what you mean!          :D

[RRock]

Kip, You don't know how happy I am for you. You sure earned this one.

[meathead]

That is a nice little stroll up to the Cardiac isn't Kip.  Nice job on the bear.  Nate

[RRock]

Nate, High five on your bear. You earned it also.

[Tom Phillips]

Cool Bow Paul.   Nice job !!

[fatman]

After hearing of Diablo's feats of daring-do while packing out Tippit's bear, I figured my fat butt should do the same.  As I wallowed the little bear up onto my shoulders, I knew that I wouldn't exactly be challenging for the "Big Bear Pot" back at camp.  That was all immaterial now, I was happy as could be with my animal.  I grunted and stumbled through the woods, down bear trails, eventually popping out on the bank of the Cove.  Dripping in sweat and gasping for O's, I felt the satisfaction of bringing my own bear out of the woods.  I peeled off my rain jacket and Sitka shirt, and rinsed off the blood in the shallow water of the Cove;  I watched as the leeches appeared to swim through the scarlet current.  I quickly wrung the water from my shirt and pulled it back on, not wanting to give the mosquitoes any more real estate to attack than necessary.  I now had over two hours to bask in the glory of the day, before Lloyd picked me up on his way back from the Moose Tower.

 

 

 

 

[Missouri CK]

Kevin,

   

Awesome story telling!  That was great.  When did you go off and become a photographer on us!

Wonderful shots and a great looking bear.  Those are some great hero pics.

Chris

[PV]

Great stories,pictures and congratulations to all.

Kip I'm glad to see it all came together for you this year.That cardiac is a great looking place isn't it? Cardiac support is what Doc and I could have used the first time we got up there. Sure it was no problem for young man such as yourself.    

Matt I cut the shelf on the wrong side because I can't shoot a bow backwards  :D