By: Daniel James Hendricks
When I think of spring, my mind automatically conjures up visions of big black bears easing silently through the scrubby jack pines of Northern Canada. For almost a decade, an assortment of my most unique friends and I have made the annual trip deep into Canada in pursuit of big bruins with our bows. The people that we have met and the adventures we have spawned, provide me with some of the finest memories of my life.
The reason for our annual trek is the excitement created by the black bear, itself; an interesting animal when it is being discussed by its only predators. Hunters view this unique creature in a variety of ways. Some consider bear hunting to be little or no sport because it is most often done over bait. Oddly enough, I have found that when asked directly, the majority of those negative commentators have never actually hunted bear. They are merely expressing their opinion based on their emotions and zero experience.
Others have actually tried it once and only once. At a spring hunt in Manitoba, one of our party members went into the bush on the very first night of the hunt and returned without a bear.
When asked about his evening in the stand, we learned that he had watched three different bears visit his bait. He confessed that he did not shoot because he didn't want to. The next night he refused to return to his stand and spent the rest of the week on the lake fishing. We can only speculate what his reasoning was, but I know that he never again entered the Canadian bush in pursuit of big black bears (or little ones either).
My hunting companions and I are what I consider hardcore bear hunters. Pursuing this beast with a bow and arrow ranks at the very top of our hunting preferences. We have learned, from sharing countless experiences, that baiting is a necessary advantage. When hunting the vast jack pine wilderness of Northern Canada, one needs something to bring the bears into bow range. The baiting process necessary to make the bear appear in the thick cover. It is also necessary to allow proper population control.
Baiting, however, is not a sure thing. On more than one hunt, I have sat on a bait and not seen bear the entire week. Oh, the bears were there, but getting them to come into the bait when the threat of a hunter was present was not as simple as many portray it to be. It was eerie how the bait would disappear on a daily basis, but I never saw the animals that were consuming it.
The black bear is a wise and cunning creature, especially the larger trophy animals. It is aware of the bait, but it is also aware of the hunter and the treestand. One would be surprised how often the bear hunter's "hidden" treestand has been sat in and closely examined by the hunted.
The element of danger (although with the black bear it is less than with other bear species) involved with bear hunting is the wildcard, which makes hunting this beast such a thrill to my associates and me. I question any hunter who states that the hair on the back of their neck does not stand up when he or she hears a limb snap while walking out of the darkening bush at day's end. Most hunters admit to leaving the stand early enough to allow a lighted return-trip to their vehicle. No one wants to become the subject of a sad tale about the hunter becoming the hunted. It is that element of danger that makes bear hunting so exciting!
There are reports every year about black bear attacks. Regardless of what the reasons are for the attacks, they happen. Logically, those attacks seem to occur more in areas where the bears have had little or no contact with the man, like northern Canada. The fact is that many of the bruins in the dense wilderness have never seen a hunter and therefore have no natural fear; especially to a bigger bear, one that is absolute "Lord of the jungle" and an aggressive protector of its territory.
I remember an Ontario outfitter we were hunting with telling Moose and me how black bears were harmless. Oh, there was that big boar the summer before that hunted down and killed the three young men who were trout fishing, deep in the bush. Yes, it was a freak incident, but still, game and fish authorities destroyed the bear as it defended its kill from atop the bodies of the three dead teenagers. "Rarely happens", they say. However, it does and that is what makes bowhunting for black bears so exciting for my comrades and me.
If you are a bowhunter that has not yet tried the sport of bagging bears with a bow. I strongly recommend that you give a shot. As with any new experience, you will learn a lot about the species and the sport. You will also learn a lot about yourself. The black bear offers great trophies, great eating and great adventures to those who pursue it in a serious fashion.
When I think of spring, my mind automatically conjures up visions of big black bears easing silently through the scrubby jack pines of Northern Canada. For almost a decade, an assortment of my most unique friends and I have made the annual trip deep into Canada in pursuit of big bruins with our bows. The people that we have met and the adventures we have spawned, provide me with some of the finest memories of my life.
The reason for our annual trek is the excitement created by the black bear, itself; an interesting animal when it is being discussed by its only predators. Hunters view this unique creature in a variety of ways. Some consider bear hunting to be little or no sport because it is most often done over bait. Oddly enough, I have found that when asked directly, the majority of those negative commentators have never actually hunted bear. They are merely expressing their opinion based on their emotions and zero experience.
Others have actually tried it once and only once. At a spring hunt in Manitoba, one of our party members went into the bush on the very first night of the hunt and returned without a bear.
When asked about his evening in the stand, we learned that he had watched three different bears visit his bait. He confessed that he did not shoot because he didn't want to. The next night he refused to return to his stand and spent the rest of the week on the lake fishing. We can only speculate what his reasoning was, but I know that he never again entered the Canadian bush in pursuit of big black bears (or little ones either).
My hunting companions and I are what I consider hardcore bear hunters. Pursuing this beast with a bow and arrow ranks at the very top of our hunting preferences. We have learned, from sharing countless experiences, that baiting is a necessary advantage. When hunting the vast jack pine wilderness of Northern Canada, one needs something to bring the bears into bow range. The baiting process necessary to make the bear appear in the thick cover. It is also necessary to allow proper population control.
Baiting, however, is not a sure thing. On more than one hunt, I have sat on a bait and not seen bear the entire week. Oh, the bears were there, but getting them to come into the bait when the threat of a hunter was present was not as simple as many portray it to be. It was eerie how the bait would disappear on a daily basis, but I never saw the animals that were consuming it.
The black bear is a wise and cunning creature, especially the larger trophy animals. It is aware of the bait, but it is also aware of the hunter and the treestand. One would be surprised how often the bear hunter's "hidden" treestand has been sat in and closely examined by the hunted.
The element of danger (although with the black bear it is less than with other bear species) involved with bear hunting is the wildcard, which makes hunting this beast such a thrill to my associates and me. I question any hunter who states that the hair on the back of their neck does not stand up when he or she hears a limb snap while walking out of the darkening bush at day's end. Most hunters admit to leaving the stand early enough to allow a lighted return-trip to their vehicle. No one wants to become the subject of a sad tale about the hunter becoming the hunted. It is that element of danger that makes bear hunting so exciting!
There are reports every year about black bear attacks. Regardless of what the reasons are for the attacks, they happen. Logically, those attacks seem to occur more in areas where the bears have had little or no contact with the man, like northern Canada. The fact is that many of the bruins in the dense wilderness have never seen a hunter and therefore have no natural fear; especially to a bigger bear, one that is absolute "Lord of the jungle" and an aggressive protector of its territory.
I remember an Ontario outfitter we were hunting with telling Moose and me how black bears were harmless. Oh, there was that big boar the summer before that hunted down and killed the three young men who were trout fishing, deep in the bush. Yes, it was a freak incident, but still, game and fish authorities destroyed the bear as it defended its kill from atop the bodies of the three dead teenagers. "Rarely happens", they say. However, it does and that is what makes bowhunting for black bears so exciting for my comrades and me.
If you are a bowhunter that has not yet tried the sport of bagging bears with a bow. I strongly recommend that you give a shot. As with any new experience, you will learn a lot about the species and the sport. You will also learn a lot about yourself. The black bear offers great trophies, great eating and great adventures to those who pursue it in a serious fashion.