Trad Gang

Thanks KEVIN and the same to you, BAHRZOO I shot this Boar from the Black Label stand on the 20th.
BOWDOC, I miss you already brother..slap me 3..??HUH??????

Hey BIG BILL, Did ya paak the caa by da groupa!!!Missing all the Bearquest week 2 boys also..Bobby
Tom,Kevin,Bill,Larry,Kip,Jay,Simon,Lloyd,Allen, and Tom P.

slap me three....that's what she said....   :bigsmyl:  

Tom's reference to video reminds me of one thing about this camp;  there was a lot of fun times spent around the cabin viewing trailcam pics and videos.  There were a number of guys with video cameras mounted close to their stands, and also some guys who took a lot of really outstanding still shots of bears while on stand.  I usually forget to take the camera out of my pocket, but these guys inspired me to do better.  Bears are fascinating creatures, and the added benefits of sharing their antics back at the cabin was great....   :wavey:

It doesn't sound like you guys had much fun   :bigsmyl:  Keep it coming plus I hear my Cajun friend has a story too...Doc

Who hunted the Hillbilly stand week II and what did you see?

Hillbilly went unhunted, Jonathan....all was quiet over there....  :(

There was no more Bears arrowed on the Hillbilly,it was active for a short time and then went cold.I will be moving it to a different location next year closer to top and near a beaver pond,might be even better then.

Closer to the top  :scared:  You'll need some young Sherpas then!  Doc

How I went this long and not joined in on this hunt is beyond me.  :knothead:  This sounds like an amazing hunt with a bunch of amazing people. Unless something happens job wise, count me in for 2010! I'm having a heck of a good time just reading the posts. Imagine what kind of time a man would have actually hunting. Not to mention I love bear hunting!
Great story Kevin, I'ts better than a good book.

Mike

My story is about using a bow arrow quiver and broadhead built 50 years ago by some of my hero's but turned into way more then that.It was a very special hunt for me and made even more special by some new good friends like Bill Langer and family joining use this year on BQ-3 they made my dream hunt even better when Bill Dick John and other BQ members joined me on the recovery of my bear and I will never be able to thank you guy's enough for that.
Harvesting shooting or killing critters whatever you like to call it is a time when I'am sometimes humbled a bit.I'am not sure why myself and may never know the true answer but you guy's brought out that humbled old softy in me and it felt damn good guy's let me tell ya.Thanks dudes you rock and made BQ-3 the best hunt ever for me.bd

Awsome story Kevin, Glad you guys made it back safe and sound and by the way you have said "Nod off" several times already, I can see how you guys were riding on two wheels on the way to the Airport  :thumbsup:  

Tracy

So did anyone hunt the Grouper or Roller Coaster this year?

Oh yeah Rob took a nice bear off the coaster on week one.bd

yeah, Tracy, some days a good nap is my biggest thrill.....  :bigsmyl:

I believe Bill took a nice one off the Grouper first week.

Still working on getting video of Mr Big to post.  Thought I'd show you what it took to do the job on him though.  Hand forged left bevel tanto tip 260 grain tippit broad head.  The tang just slides down the shaft of a Beman ICS Hunter shaft and the aluminum collar keeps the shaft from splitting. I just hot melt glue the head in place making it easy to change to a new shaft.  Sorry that it's not all polished up but it is stained from spending the night in a dark chest cavity.  Went through both lungs, heart, and hit the off shoulder.  Tempered high carbon steel won't bend but it could break...except not this time!  No damage to the head...can't say the same for Mr Big    Doc

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Quebec%20Quest%2009/BearQuestIII2.jpg)

This is Tues. already, where's the rest of the week 2 guys. Kip, Black Dog ????????

Sunday morning dawned with an overcast sky and definite humidity in the air.  After some coffee to clear the head and a muffin to fill the belly, we crawled in to our bait clothes and headed off to check the last night's activity...

Gatekeeper, Kip, and myself piled in to Allen's truck, with sweets and meats strapped in to the bed and a couple of bottles of Miracle Spray.  Tom and I were in the back seat as Allen sped over gravel roads, down snowmobile trails, and up two-tracks.  You could tell that Allen's years of coming to La Tuque meant that he knew the area like the back of his hand, and he drives like he means it.  If you held a gun to my head, I couldn't tell you how to get where we went.....

Beaver Dam, Cardiac, Moose Path, Bird, and the Point....these were some of the stands that we tended as the rain began to fall.  One stand that really caught my eye was the Bowl.  The Bowl is built on a sidehill, which brings the bait barrels up rather close to treestand level.  In addition, the woods around the Bowl are fairly open, and there is a large hillside to the left which would reveal a bear on his approach.  I filed this information, and the Bowl would figure in to my hunt later.

After baiting, we went back to camp, peeled off damp clothes, and tore into another of Bowdoc's meals....I believe this morning was the first of the 60-egg omelets, complete with baby asparagus chopped on the top.  After brunch, it was time to shoot a few arrows, trade a few stories, look at some gamecam pics, and finally prepare for the afternoon hunt.

The water baits had not been tended that morning, so after gearing up I grabbed a bucket of sweets and a bucket of meat and loaded everything into the boat for the ride out.  Things went smoothly, and within a half hour I had baited and climbed into the treestand overlooking the Cove.

The next few hours were spent pleasantly viewing the red squirrels and chipmunks around the bait.  There was also a buzzard soaring overhead, an interesting hawk of some kind, and a black jay.  Along about 7:00, I noticed that my right butt cheek was going numb, and I shifted slightly to restart the circulation.  There was an immediate and harried reaction behind as a startled bear went crashing off to my left;  I mumbled a curse at my inattention and misfortune.  However, I presently could hear the bear working through woods in a wide loop.  After a short while,I spied the smallish bear from the previous day moving slowly toward me down the same trail that he had retreated on last night.  The bear moved right up to the edge of the bait area, still partially obscured by spruce branches and downed logs.  He gently tasted the air and cast sidelong glances up the tree where I perched, bow in hand.

When he had decided it was worth the risk, he shuffled quickly over to the meat bucket, grabbed a chunk, then slunk back to his hiding place behind the spruce, where he laid down and started to munch on the pork.  When he finished that piece, he again moved to the bait, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.  Another pork chop was carried to the safe zone and devoured.  In all, the bear remained for about 20 minutes, eating from the pork barrel and keeping an eye on the intruder at his diner.  When he finished, he slowly walked off from whence he came, without a sound.

I sat back and spent the next hour or so watching as the squirrels renewed their game of tag, and the light slowly drained from the woods.  The boat ride back to camp was refreshing and invigorating, and my mind was anticipating the news that the other hunters might bring to camp.....

Anybody have a pic of Rob's (BlueMonday's)bear?

Kevin's doing a great job of telling you about our trip and some of this will be a repeat but I'll post it anyway.

While I am not able to claim the success as many of the other hunters have I'm proud to say I met and shared a camp with some really great guys and look forward to doing it again next year.

The beginning of my adventure started at 03:30 on Friday and we as a group arrived in LaTuque sometime within the 07:00 hour on Saturday. I traveled with Allen and found him to be a great traveling companion. The trip from KC to the Phillip's residence and then to LaTuque is a blur to me now. All I know is Allen doesn't require sleep or food...he just keeps moving forward.

After meeting up with the week one hunters and hearing their stories we headed to our new home for the next week. The camp had everything a hunter requires... shelter, a place to lay my head, food and a Bow Doc.

Bow Doc (I luv ya man) is the camp entertainer, cook, neck breaker and vocabulary enhancer.  One on one conversations with Bow Doc revealed a person that has a true love for traditional archery, a wealth of historical information stored within in him and a deep respect for those that have come to share the camp with him. But...there are two Bow Docs and the side that is mostly revealed is the camp entertainer! He is non stop! As I said one on one conversation reveal his gentle and deeper side but as soon as three or more people have entered the room, look out because everyone and everything is fair game to be made fun of! Doc kept us laughing the whole time we were awake. Thanks brother for keeping things fun.

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BowDoc.jpg)
BowDoc

Saturday 6/20/09

After arriving in camp and unpacking we headed out for our first bait trip. We headed to a few of the many stands scattered throughout the wilderness. Stands with names like Black Label, The Bowl, Moose Path, Beaver Dam, The Long Trail, The Point and Bird to name a few.

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/JayattheLongTrail.jpg)
Jay at The Long Trail

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BobattheBlackLabel.jpg)
Bob at the Black Label

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/AllenatthePoint.jpg)
Allen in The Point stand

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BeaverDam.jpg)
Beaver Dam

As described in past threads about this hunt, the stands were LOW and CLOSE! Sweets went into the 55 gal drum and rotting meat went into a 5 gal bucket and a guy can't forget to disturb the bucket of rancid, rotting fish that was hanging in a near by tree. A warning from Allen was "whatever you do don't get any of this stuff on you, not even a drop because it doesn't come off." I was told that these buckets had been sitting behind Tom's shed at home fermenting with the lid on in the sun for a month before being hung in the tree. There are no words to describe this smell it is awful and it is a concoction that is to be respected. After baiting we headed back to camp to gear up to hunt.

At 4:30 on Saturday I was settled in my stand. The stand that I drew from the hat is called Beaver Dam and as it turns out it is the favorite stand of Lloyd (Bushy). Bushy is one of the crew that helps to keep things flowing smoothly in camp. Bushy tales me there is a big bear coming to the Beaver Dam and he proceeds to tell me where the bear will approach.

I set facing north in the treestand that was hanging 6' above the crib and 10' from the bait barrel waiting to see my first bear. 2 hours and 45 minutes later a bear came to a pile of bait that was place a little ways out of the crib to offer me a left handed shot. This bear was beautiful and using hindsight I should have shot but I had been hunting for less then 3 hours and I had six more days to go so I elected to let the bear pass. I estimated this bear to be 120/130# and I was hoping for a 150+ pound bear. I have video to share but I am having trouble getting it to load in Photobucket. Videos will be added later if things work out. Here is a picture from the video.

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/FirstBear.jpg)

The bear was nervous. Every bear that I saw knew I was in the tree (they would look directly at my face) and they were very wary about approaching the crib area. The way this bear was looking around and his sudden departure made me think that someone bigger was in the area and on its way to the crib. Unfortunately the first day ended with no other sightings but I was on a high and excited for the next day to begin. At 12:00 AM I laid down to get my first real sleep after 44 hours of nonstop action and within seconds I was in dreamland!

Sunday 6/21/09

The second day started at 06:00 and I was greeted by my buddy BowDoc. The day was spent shooting in camp preparing baits and waiting for the evening hunt. While on stand that night I decided I was going to spend as much time as I could handle sitting in a treestand, because you can't kill a bear sitting on the couch. The hunting time for this day, 4:00 until dark, was filled by only one bear sighting that lasted about 10 seconds. The bear only briefly revealed itself through the thick forest to my north however, the game camera was telling me a different story. It held pictures of a bear that would fill my expectations and then some.

To help put things in perspective, a 5 gallon bucket is 12" in diameter and a 55 gallon drum is 23" in diameter. Also, the bottom lip of the barrel in this picture is raised about 6"above the ground. This would put the top of the barrel somewhere in the range or 29" and the bear's back is well past the 29" mark. This is a big bear and the motivation I needed to keep me in the bush!

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BeaverDamBear6.jpg)

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BeaverDamBear2.jpg)

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BeaverDamBear1.jpg)

sweet treats rotting meat bears and more biting buggs then one man could ever count in his life time.Good friends and bows is there something else ? bd

Congrats doc,Felix

Monday 6/22/09

Treestand sitting time started at 07:00 first light was at 04:00. With fresh bait I sat for 3 hours and had no action. At 10:00 I climbed down and returned to camp, ate, helped bait other stands and at 2:00 BowDoc, Tom, Kevin and I went back to the Beaver Dam to perform a four men in three men out baiting setup. I climb into the tree and the guys perform the duties of baiting banging the bait bucket spraying scents into the trees, starting a honey burn and making noise as they receded from the forest leaving me quietly seated on my perch awaiting the allusive bruin.


There I sat from 2:00 until 7:15 letting the Red Squirrels and Chipmunks entertain me and pass the time. An interesting observation about the two is the Red Squirrels will not run over an area that has maggots squirming about. The Red Squirrels will go around these areas but a Chipmunk could careless and they will run through the middle of the mess of maggots.

At 7:15 a 100/110# bear came into view approaching from the north. Right off I knew I wasn't going to shoot but I was glad to have a bear in the vicinity. I needed him there to help me acclimate to having this type of creature in such close proximity and to allow me to observe a bears body language and how they react to things.

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/100pound1.jpg)


(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc168/Gatekeeper100/Bear%20Quest%203/BearwithBlaze.jpg)

I also thought that having a subordinate bear in the area may make a dominate bear feel comfortable enough to reveal itself or make it mad enough to defend its food supply. Whether this is accurate or not I can't argue but it made sense to me at the time.

This bear was very nervous about being in the area and never did become comfortable enough to relax and feed for any length of time at the bait site. This bear spent about 20 minutes moving around the area and it would leave and then return again but not settle into the crib area. My hunt ended around 9:15 that night.

Kip Jay Start talking.

QuoteOriginally posted by the real bowdoc:
sweet treats rotting meat bears and more biting buggs then one man could ever count in his life time.Good friends and bows is there something else ? bd

You forgot to mention Farrah....Remember?   :thumbsup:  Look at the little guys thumb for reference.

Oh yeah I did not forget about Farrah she's been in my heart ever since that day you told me.bd

Saturday night had seen Bobby's bear brought in to the skinning shed, and Sunday had produced two shots and high anticipation...after the early search crews had gone out, there was plenty of activity around camp Monday morning.  I chose to stick around and help out in the skinning shed, which was a great education and a nice diversion from baiting.

I was coming to the conclusion that it may be time to mix my choice of stands up a little.  After the previous two nights, I felt relatively confident (I hoped not cocky) that the small bear would be at the Cove if the hunt came down to the wire.  However, I was ready to spend some time looking for a bigger bear (like a couple that had already come in to camp).  I was going to sit on the Bowl.

Now, the Bowl is Bowdoc's home turf, and a number of other Trad Gangers have taken their first bears from this stand.  Bowdoc gave me some good advice on where to anticipate action.  Allen and Lloyd were both encouraging as well, and I felt pretty good about my decision to try something different.

Allen was hunting the Point, and later that afternoon he and I loaded our gear into his truck and headed out.  He dropped me off, and with "good luck's" all around we agreed to meet back at the road around 9:30.  I slipped up the trail, climbed up the sticky spruce, and settled in to observe from the stand

the bait
     (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest014.jpg)

to the right
    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest016.jpg)

to the left
    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest015.jpg)

Again, it was time to drift in to that primal state of the raptor, sitting on my perch, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce.  Patience does not come easily for me, but I find that as I age I am learning to enjoy my time on stand more, taking in the wonders of God's creation.  Never forgetting that I'm a hunter, and I have business that needs tending.

A thumping across the ground below snapped me to attention, and my neck tensed, resisting the urge to swivel around like a bobble-headed idiot.  My eyes turned downward in their sockets, trying to catch a glimpse of what I knew would be my first bear from this new stand.  Presently, my latest guest appeared:

    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest023.jpg)

I've got to admit to a bit of plagiarism here;  Jay (BlkDog) related a very similiar incident in last year's BQII thread.  But the reported story happened to yours truly as well.  I tell you, after listening to the tiny pitter patter of squirrels and chipmunks, the thunderous footfalls of a northern hare sounds like they must weigh well over a hundred pounds      :D      

So, back to the waiting.  After a time, a motion to my right caused me to look that direction, and I spied a black form moving through the understory.  At about 40 yards, I identified it as a small cub, striding up the hill with a definite purpose.  As he stepped behind a small hill, I began to scan the hillside for the sow which I knew would be accompanying the youngster.
However, I could not locate Mamma Bear, and for some reason that made me nervous.  As the cub topped the hill and made his way down to the bait, I froze in my stand, not wanting to do ANYTHING to cause him to alarm.

The little guy moved with determination, down the hill and directly to the doughnut barrel, where he stood up on his hind legs, hooked his front claws, and hoisted himself up into the candy store.  He sifted through the pile of sweets, found the largely-intact remains of a Honey Bun, and hopped out of the barrel to eat it.  When he was finished, he climbed back in, this time pulling out a whole cupcake.  The show was comical and entertaining, but my thoughts were still on the sow that I knew was lurking in the shadows, waiting to unleash her wrath to protect her cub.  Suddenly, the cub's head shot up, and in an instant he dropped the cupcake and was ten feet up a nearby tree.  No sounds of alarm, but he scanned his surroundings, and I froze like a statue.  Presently, the cub relaxed and slid down the tree, picked up the cupcake, and resumed eating.  Again, his head shot up, and he scrambled up the tree, just a little higher.  After a short scan, he slid back down and proceeded to eat the remainder of the cake.  At this point, the cub left the bait area, and walked up the hill to the base of a 40 foot spruce tree.  He then began to climb, on up, higher and higher, until he was nestled in the thinnest branches at the top of the tree.  As I sat and watched him climb, I noticed a grunting sound coming from the woods behind me...

Now I had spent the last year in anticipation of Bear Quest.  I had read the stories, seen the pictures, and watched the videos.  I had tried to prepare myself for being in the presence of wild bears, and the only situation that really had me nervous was getting between a sow and her cubs.  It was now 8:00, an hour and a half before dark, and I had a cub in the top of the tree, and what I was convinced was a sow calling to him down by the road.  Intellectually, I knew that the sound of Allen's truck would probably drive the sow away and save my life;  however, I checked my Thermacell for extra cartridge and pads in case I needed to spend the night in my tree.  Death by mosquito just might be worse than death by bear....      :scared:      

For an hour, I sat in the stand, waiting for the grunting sound behind me to move in closer.  Suddenly, I heard a noise from the cub's spruce tree, and then the scraping sound of claws descending.  Presently, the cub was on the ground, and headed back down the hill towards me.  He headed straight to the barrel, climbed up, and grabbed a doughnut, which he carried to the base of a tree and devoured.  He then looked around, hitched up his britches, and strolled off down the hill....

The grunting sound behind me continued, but suddenly I knew that it was something other than a bear.  Shooting light had left, so I gathered my belongings, shinnied down the tree, and hiked down the trail to the road.  I followed the noise down to the edge of a beaver pond, and realized that the grunting that had me on edge the last 90 minutes were frogs.  Hmmm.  Didn't know they had bullfrogs this far north.  Finally, the lights of Allen's truck topped the hill, and I climbed in to the security of the cab....

This was to be the scariest day of the whole trip, and it was brought about by the smallest bear I would see.......

look at these smiles now those are for real right there...bd (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest059.jpg)

if the shooter of this bear don't start talking pretty soon I'am going to tell it myself.This is one heck of great tail to be told along with many others.Kip Jay boy's better start talking....bd  (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest090.jpg)

QuoteOriginally posted by the real bowdoc:
Oh yeah I did not forget about Farrah she's been in my heart ever since that day you told me.bd

:eek:    :biglaugh:

Tuesday 6/23/09

This day started at 7:00 after breakfast I practiced shooting in camp and then Bill, Kevin, Larry and I went out to fill bait sights. After the bait run we returned to gear up and head out to hunt.

From this point on I was hunting at the stand that Tom shot his 245# bear from. The stand is called The Bird and it has a reputation of providing shots at large bears.

At 4:00 the hunt was on. The bait was full and my anticipations were high. As I set a new group of Red Squirrels and Chipmunk's entertained me with their antics  and to add to the mix there was grouse that would walk into the crib every now and then for a quick bite.

In the 7:00 o'clock hour a 180#+ sow became visible. She first became visible to the south of me (my left) at about 30 yards. Many times throughout this trip I would think that a bear was standing or sitting motionless in the distant forest but these items always turned out to be a stump, or shadow. When a black bear is visible in the forest it becomes apparent immediately. Their coats are so dark that they seem to absorb every bit of light around them...it is a sight to be seen and one that I am unable to describe.

The sow kept her distance for some time and out of my sight for about a half hour but I knew she was in the area because I could hear her moving through the forest, breaking stick and making a low ummfff noise.

A short time later two yearling cubs appeared to my left less then 10 yards away. Wow! What a sight! They looked like they might have weighed 10# each. Short little leg, wiry hair that stuck straight out and big Mickey Mouse ears.

The sow paced to my left going east to west and back again while the cubs meandered around exploring their environment. Of course this sow is safe from my desire to shoot and I cherish the time I had watching the trio.

The cubs on three occasion scrabbled up the two trees to my left. In a flash they were 20' over my head and then after some time they would slowly decent to the pine needle forest floor to continue their exploration. At one point one of the cubs made its way into the crib area and eventually into the barrel for a snack. It was fun to see how clumsy they can be while they move about.

This show lasted for about 30 minutes and then the sow lead her cubs to the west where they quickly were swallowed up by the forest. I remained in the stand until dark with only one other brief sighting of a bear 40 yards away.

hell yeah...bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/chaseandbq-3010.jpg)

Sorry For My delay on Photos Guys Just tryin' to catch up on reality.. Just got back sunday Back to work YADDA YADDA YADDA.,... Got some nice ones I just downloaded to my computer.. I'll get them posted soon I promise...Cant wait to read all this news too...

I got my kill on video and would post it iffn some of you computer guru's would coach me a little. I don't even know how to put it on my computer, let alone do the rest.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/BearQuest2009Pauls060.jpg)

Likely story........

Yes Paul-good one! I told you we should have used the permanent marker, just think of how funny it would be now.

Jon, I think you should post the pic of sleeping beauty!!!!!!!

Fatman,Gatekeeper great story telling but, I wouldn't have expected anything less.Great pictures as usual. Sounds like you guys had a hell of a trip.Well come on and keep it coming.  Ben

Sure would be Bill!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/BearQuest2009Pauls060.jpg)

Blue Monday did stay awake long enough to make a great shot on a bear and Rob would also wake up for meals but...........

Wrong pic. Thought I had the photobucket thing fixed.

Sorry Matty


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/BearQuest2009Pauls067.jpg)


Blue Monday aka Rob Shultz

Looks like it's time to go to sleep. I'm going out of town thur. night until Mon. so I need some more of the "crack" (story telling) to hold me over. Where"s this young lad who shot his first bear out of uncle Barrys stand? I'm awaiting his story.

Doc, I absoultely love that hat!!!!!!

O.K. guys  finally got here.I will post some misc. pics first.I have to spill the beans on one of the funniest things to happen.A few of us were knocking around camp after the floating target and shooting across the lake was over.Some of the crew were hunting but 4-5 were sitting outside talking.Earlier Tom had got bowdoc to shoot a carbon arrow at the floating target(First time a mortal sin to him/Fred Bear will strike him down)We were looking at Bobs Trad Tec metal riser with longbow limbs and Tom said that he could not hit a 5-gallon bucket in front of the trailer with it.Bowdoc again commiting a sin shot the bucket and slid off one side.We all heard a strange sound thinking he hit the trailer but not to be. (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt038.jpg)Allens tacklebox got in the way.When the hunters came in bowdoc ran to Allen and apoligized to him and said I shot your tackle box.Allen just looked at him kinda leaning back and a funny look and said "Why did you shoot my tackle box"but Allen being the easy going guy he is laughed about it. (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt052.jpg)Six bear killers including picture taker lounging around midday telling lies.I have a few more pics but need to go for now.Kip

By Tuesday, we had settled into the routine of Bear Camp; coffee and a quick bite, off to freshen baits and check out the previous night's activity, then back to the cabin for a lunch that would founder a mule.  Then a little lounging, storytelling, and grab-assin' before suiting up and headin' to the woods.

Today's bait run is worth mentioning because Diablo Tom decided to send four of us campers out on our own, without a map, just some sketchy instructions hastily scribbled on a scrap of paper.  Big Bill Moran is at the wheel, with Larry "Caddo" Dix ridin' shotgun, while Gatekeeper and myself are tucked in to the jump seat.

Now, if Allen drives the backroads like an Indy racer, Big Bill is pure NASCAR.  His Chevy bounced down the road, touching down only occassionally.  Remember, we are navigating largely from memory.  Gatekeeper and I learned most of this course from the backseat of Allen's truck, in the rain.  We also are responsible for finding our own stands; again, mine was accessed via Allen's driving the previous night.  Anyhow, we finally found most of them...Bill had a unique way of marking the turnoffs, leaving a sweeping cat's arse in the gravel that we were sure to find the next trip.  When we finished (with only one bait left un-found) we bounced back to the cabin for lunch.  Lloyd and Allen had traveled out to check the Moose Tower and the Cove, and reported that both had been hit hard over the last 24 hours.  This gave me the confidence to again choose the Bowl for my evening sit.

Big Bill was to hunt the Group-a stand Tuesday evening, so he would be my ride to the Bowl.  Bill and I were both pretty pumped up about the evening hunt, and Bill said he'd be back to pick me up around 9:15...unless he shot a bear.

Bill dropped me off at the trailhead leading to the Bowl around 3:30,and rambled on up the hill and out of sight.  I took my time walking up the hill, climbed up into the stand hanging in the spruce, and settled in with my bow across my lap, with an arrow nocked.

Around 4:30, I noticed a dark form coming down the ridge to my left.  Upon further inspection, it was a big black bear, lunch pailin' it on down the hill to the bait.  When he noticed a figure in the treestand, you could almost hear a cartoon "screech" as he planted his heels and came to a stop.  His nose came up, and his head swung from side to side as he tried to gain a clue as to the intruder at the bait.  This was a different bear than what I had been seeing up to this point; his head seemed small in comparison to the body, but looked wider.  His ears rode lower on the side of his head.  And he walked with a sway and a swagger that was not possessed by the smaller bear at the Cove.  Slowly, he lumbered down toward the bait.  At a fork in the trail that would have brought him down to the entrance to the bait crib, he instead veered left, and skirted around behind the bait. He would occassionally look directly at me, swinging his head side to side, up and down, trying to get a whiff.  He came down close, first on the left, then around and down on the right.  You could tell that he WANTED to come in to the bait, but could just not bring himself to commit.  At last, he came further down the hill, right to where the trail branched, and began to turn in to the crib. "HERE WE GO!," I thought, and began to bring my bow up...but the bear hung up behind a small spruce, a mere two yards from the base of my tree, within view, but not presenting any kind of shot.  I could hear him snuffing, huffing, trying to gain the confidence to step on up to the barrel.  Finally, he pivoted on his heel and lumbered up the hill, right next to the same tree the cub had climbed the night before.  From behind the spruce, he started a spying dance, standing up with his paws on the tree to look around the right side, then down on all fours to peek around on the left.  He repeated this move a number of times before taking off across my field of view with a purpose, around to the back side of a small hill to the right.  Suddenly, his head popped up on a stretched neck above the hill, trying to catch me making a sudden move.  Again, he swung across to my left, and came down to the fork in the trail at the crib's entrance, within feet of the steps screwed in to my tree.  And again, he held up behind the spruce, not able to commit to those last few steps which would allow me to shoot.  Finally, he began to shuffle slowly back up the ridge, and when he reached the spruce that had served as his dancing pole, he broke into a trot, up the hill and out of sight...

Wednesday 6/24/09

Counting this day there were three more days to hunt. My standards for the quality of bear that I was willing to shoot was starting to drop. A small bear with a bad coat is better than no bear.

The day started at 04:00 and I was in the treestand by 05:00. The Bird stand is ten miles from camp and Tom had graciously loaned me his truck for transportation. The night before my departure form the Bird Stand I hung my socks, a glove and my orange hunting vest from the trees surrounding the crib and I also left two used Thermocell pads in the crib area. I did this to keep my scent and the Thermocell scent in and around the crib area throughout the night when the bears were most active. If the bears were going to come in and feed they would have to tolerate these scents and hopefully become use to the smells in the area. I'm not sure if this tactic has merit but the game camera showed that that the bears readily fed in the crib with these items in the area.

At sometime during the mornings 8 o'clock hour I heard a bear blow behind me (to my east) and I could hear the bear moving through the forest to the northeast. This went on for about ten minutes and then the bear noises ended. I remained in the stand until 09:00 and then head back to camp.

Back at camp, and after a 30 minute nap, Kevin tells me that everyone is going out to shoot at a blue foam block that will be floating in the water. Well this is a fun game if your arrows float or if you know you can hit the block every time. For me the fun ended after four arrows. Tom, Bow Doc and I found out that our arrows sink. Game over!

At 4:00 I was back in the treestand and found that none of the bait was hit during my time away. This turned out to be a very slow night. My entertainment was a Nuthatch and her two chicks that would come in to feed. The mother would fly down into the crib pick up a few crumbs and fly back up to feed the fledglings. Every time the mother gave one of them food the fledgling with the food would shake its little butt. A couple of times they landed on a branch to my left at eye level. This gave me a great view into a small portion of their lives. Another bird that would come in was some type of sparrow. She would fill her beak with as many maggots as she could hold and the carry them back to her nest. One of the times when she was gathering I counted how many she could hold. The count was 16 of those squirming maggots. When she flew out of the crib she looked as if her beak was stuffed with a bunch of little french fries. Also throughout the evening hunt, I listened to a grouse to the north of me drumming. He moved from east to west and continued to drum until I left at 9:30.

opps

opps

Bowdoc you shot a c c c carbon arrow.  Its all downhill from there.

...as I struggled to catch my breath, I began to play the last half hour over in my mind.  I had done nothing to scare the bear away, but his wariness had prevented him from giving me that little window of opportunity...or had it?  As I rewound and replayed the tape, I realized that I had had the big bear broadside at about ten yards on a couple of occassions.  DAMMIT!  I had been so focused on letting the bear come in to the bait, that I had blocked out the possibility of shooting at a comfortable distance outside its boundary.  I mentally flogged myself for blowing what could be my only chance at a truly big bruin, which I guessed would have broken the 200# mark.  But then I remembered Tom's advice to us all as we headed out to our stands: "Let them settle down and get comfortable at the barrel".  I had heard the stories about unrecovered bears, bad hits, and shots that looked perfect but ended in disappointment.  I decided that prudence was the better part of valor, that it was better to take the perfect shot than try to manufacture one.  I would wrestle with this dilema on and off for the next 24 hours...

However, I wouldn't have long to stew over my misfortune, as another bear moved across a clearing 40 yards in front of me, and passed behind the same hill as the big'un.  She too popped up over the top and looked at me, then pivoted and went about her business straight away to my right.  Now I was beginning to think that my orange vest was really becoming a liability...but after Bowdoc's run-in with the Forest Lords last year, I was not eager to chance hunting without it.  Suddenly, I spied ANOTHER bear passing left to right, hot on the trail of the last one....AHAA!  A boar following a sow in heat!  As he passed out of sight, I spied the sow going up a distant hill, looking back on her trail.  After staring back in my direction for a couple of minutes, she suddenly turned uphill and broke into a lumbering run...I'm assuming she was playing hard to get...

After awhile, I looked at my watch and found that it was close to 9:00.  Since Bill was coming around 9:15, I decided to stand and let the circulation get to my nether regions.  As I stretched my frame, I looked up on the hillside and saw a very black, stationary spot through the trees.  I stood still, and presently the form began to float down the ridge.  It zigged and zagged all the way down to the ridge on the left, and I suddenly realized that the big'un had returned.  Could it be that I'd get another chance?  By now, darkness was pouring in to the Bowl;  there was no chancing anything other than a perfect shot at the barrel - but was there time?  Big'un had held up at the base of the spruce, still 25 yards out. He took a few tentative steps forward, then shuffled back.  After a bit, he again started slinking toward the fork in the trail, and my bow came up as he passed behind a tree...then back up the hill he went.  As he was making another motion down the hill, we could hear Bill's truck bouncing down the trail toward my pickup point.  The bear wheeled and sprinted up the hill, the darkness swallowing his form before he passed over the crest.  Too dark to shoot anyway.  Time to meet up with Bill and head back to camp for supper....

Some good stories flowing here!
Keep 'em coming!

Funny SOB's.. Thanks Paul.. LOL
Pictures flow tomorrow.  I think I have 300...LOL

Hey Matty, Looks like someone was trying to give you a Wet Willy as you dreamed of those bears   :D

Bob and I trying to catch some walleye.We had more luck with the bears. (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt028.jpg) (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt026.jpg)When I left La. we had 100 degree temps.no difference when I got back.It was very relaxing to fish with the sun overhead and not really too hot and no bugs.

A few more camp pics.A bad storm came up while hunters were on their stands and Tom getting the fire going.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt047.jpg)
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt039.jpg)
Shooting the floating target.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt033.jpg)

holy smokes it looks like we had a good time.Man Matty and Rob could not help but grim or pass out when the bowdoc was finished with them two.I guess to make light of the whole thing Rob and Matty said to me later that night hey Ward you were a little hard on the Beaver last night.
As for the tackle box deal(kip I just knew you were going to roll over on me) ie carbutt arrow that metal riser made in Korea whatever bow was all staged for you guy's bennefit.Tom offered to pay me extra that week to do that stuff to intertane you guy's.That was all a staged big joke.Heck one year I wrecked Jr.s truck just for laughs.What the hell were only going to go around once and whats a few thousand bucks in damages to me to make you guy laugh ??? You guy's all made me laugh too and it was all worth it in the end.I just showed my family the pics of Bq-3 and my son Troy also said hey dad who's the dumb ass that shot that guy's tackle box.I told him it was some more-on..bd

Kevin, you got me on my tiptoes trying to see the end. Thanks for a great read.

Tom- Your story is playing well with me too.

And of course Doc's chiming in tells me about the camp sarcasm(sp?) you all talked about. but yet the soft side too.

Thanks guys and keep em coming.

Man I guess I'm gonna have to quit buying so many bows and save my pennies for next years Bear Quest.Looks like a blast!!

Great stuff guys. Glad you made it back safely. Keep it coming.  :thumbsup:  

Bill

yeah I'am gonna let the cat or really bear out of the bag here and make Tommy start talking...check this out you red meat eaters ? no joke thats 309 pound of Doc Sprigers bear of a like time.
Please note the next time someone says to you I don't want to shoot a big ones because I can't carry it ??? then your good friend and master guide say not to worry.I'll carry it for you buddy.... well as the you can see from the somewhat fuzzy pic the bowdoc took...make it a big one......bd whoops wrong pic

first off my good friend of many years who I love like my brother or maybe even a bit more then my brother.My good friend who when we first hunted together kind of reminded me of the show Doc Tari the good doctor helps out some crosseyed lion.Doc I love ya man...bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest018.jpg)

Here doc puts a whoopass on this Canadian slammer with his single bevel glued to a fishing rod whatever team whipped broadhead.Then the man put a real whoopass on no neck Tommy.You can maybe understand why I'am so shakey.First off if you ai'nt excided for you buddy when he just arrowed the slammer bear of his life then you better stay home.Because you missed some of the best part of the hunt.You can ask doc I gave him the biggest huge he ever got from another man because I was so happy for him.Then we lost our balance and I kneed him in the you know where.He thought I lost my balnce....bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/20090628_10.jpg)

and because Tom emailed these to me and I want to hear his story again I got the OK to post these pics.Now if you ai'nt hunted bear before or to often.Feast your eyes on what you should be looking for.Now thats a head on both them boy's.Congrats on one heck of a fine fine bear Tom.bd    (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/20090628_41.jpg)

Thats BQ at its finest for Tommy.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest064.jpg)

Wednesday morning, and the tension around camp could be cut with a knife.  Not bad tension - just a realization that it was Day 5, three bears down, seven unfilled tags. As my ol' grandad used to say, "It's nut-cuttin' time..."

I truly cannot convey to the reader how much the four guys in this camp CARE.  And Tom, as the leader of the pack, cares ALOT.  While the crew makes sure that everyone is well-fed, happy, and entertained, this is still a BEAR HUNT, not a nature walk.  Tom is an intense guy anyway, and his enthusiasm for the hunt absolutely never waivered, right down until the last vehicle arrived in camp Friday night.  Everyone in camp had seen bears, but it was time to make some decisions and start shooting.  Game on....

After loading up with bait, Lloyd and I jumped in the truck with Allen to go look at some active baits that had yet to be hunted.  Beaver Dam, Mile Marker 41, Black Label...Allen pulled his stand from the Point, determined to find action elsewhere.  The Bowl has been cleaned out, bringing back visions of ol' Big'un from the previous night.  By the time we arrived back in camp, all three of us were scratchin our heads with indecision.

The three of us then grabbed a couple of bait buckets and headed over to the boat dock.  It had been a couple of days since I had visited the Cove, and I was still counting on the smallish bear from the first day as my "ace-in-the-hole".  Still, nothing in hunting is (or should be) a guarantee, so my curiousity was piqued as Lloyd pointed the Mariner outboard up the lake.

Once in the cove, Lloyd nosed the boat in to the bank, and Allen and I grabbed bait and a spray bottle and headed off down the trail.  As we approached the bait, we noticed that considerable activity had taken place over the last 24 hours.  The plastic 55-gallon sweets barrel had been completely pulled out of it's crib, and the meat bucket laid off to the side, licked clean.  But the most compelling evidence was a pile of fresh, green bear turds right at the base of the tree where the stand hung.  Had a new bear moved in to the area?  Was the small bear still coming in?  Still, the vision of Big'un at the bowl played in my mind's eye.  I had some real soul-searching to do before the afternoon hunt.

We motored on over to the Moose Tower, which had again been hammered.  Lloyd pulled the card from his gamecam while Allen and I rebaited and sprayed the area down with Miracle Spray.  Back at the boat, we all began to quiz each other about where we would hunt, and kidding each other that we all had some tough decisions.

When we arrived back at the dock, Tom was right there to greet us, asking us how all of the baits had looked.  After listening to the reports, he asked where everyone would be hunting.  I told him that I was riding the fence between the Bowl and the Cove.  I knew that the Bowl had a big bear close by...but would he EVER present a shot to a hunter in the stand?  We talked about the possibility of hanging another stand close by, hoping to fool the big'un to coming to the bait.  Still, I had sat on the Bowl with no sighting other than a cub two days prior.  The Cove had the possiblility of a new bear in the area, and the probability of the smaller bear still using.  Throughout lunch, I struggled with this dilema, running various scenarios past Allen and Tom.  Ultimately, the decison was mine to make;  time to fish or cut bait.  I was taking a boat ride to the Cove.....

"The cove it is then"


Got a question; if the bears were always seeing the hunters, then why not put the stands a little higher or in another tree? Just curious. A bear hunt I was on a few years back had permanent stands at them. We hung our stands in other trees and noticed the bears would walk in and look up at the permanent stands. Unless they smelled us in our stands, they never knew we were there. I'm an amateur to say the least when it comes to bear hunting is the reason I ask. So educate me please.

Not to mention that a bear licking my toes from my stand might be enough to make this salty Marines hair on the back of his neck stand up. Not that I would say that publicly or anything.

Thursday 6/25/09

The feeling of desperation was starting to set in. This day and the next was all that was left to bring a bear home. Once again the 05:00 hour finds me perched in the Bird Stand. The bait was cleaned out from the night before and the game camera's SD card held pictures of plenty of bear activity. With the bait barrel refilled with sweets and me settled in the morning hunt/wait began.

There I sat for five hours trying to block out the pain in my neck, shoulders, back and butt. I was looking for anything that would divert my attention from my aching body. I would make my self remain in a position for a minimum of 15 minutes and then look around and change to a different position hold and then repeat. I had been following this regiment for the past 4.5 days. Again, I looked to the smaller wildlife in the area for entertainment and to use as a diversion from my aches and pains. Enough time had been spent in this stand that I could identify the Red Squirrel that owned the bait barrel. I could pick him out by the patch of winter coat that still clung to his hind quarters. If he wasn't eating, he was chasing the other squirrels and chipmunks away from the steel palace that he had staked-out as his own. Of course when he abandoned his post to defend the booty another rodent would slip in and pack their cheeks with the irresistible sugar or skedaddle with a chunk of the pastry gold. At 10:00 I abandoned my roost and headed back to camp for food and a nap.

The four o'clock hour sucked me back into the crib area where I find the bait had not been touched. For this evening's hunt there were plans to have a honey burn cooking in the crib and a bottle of sow in heat scent was opened in hopes of sending out the smell of love potion #9 to any near by boars.

Shortly after arriving to the crib a storm started rumbling to the northwest. I watched the clouds boiling in the sky and listened to deep clashes and felt the concussion of the storm's thunder as the storm rolled in the direction where I set cradled in the wilderness that concealed me. As the storm grew closer lighting began to increase and the wind started to howl at the lip of the ridge to my west and northwest. With all the electricity in the air, I reevaluated my position of being in a tree sitting on a metal platform and made the decision to retreat to the forest floor. At 4:20 the front line of the storm had reached me and with the wind, lighting and thunder came the rain. Luckily I left our camp prepare and weathered the rain under the protection of a raincoat and the fletch of the arrows covered by a Ziplock bag. At one point there was a bright flash from a lighting strike followed instantaneously by a blast of thunder that rocked the area I was in and caused me to flinch....that was close! After 45 minutes the storm had passed and the sun was out. The forest glistened and the smell of the spruce needle floor filled the air. The thought that went through my mind was "look out here they come!" This storm should get the bear moving.

At 7:00 o'clock, or close to seven, I was caught flat footed. Out of the wall of vegetation that surrounded the crib a bruins head appears. DAMNIT! It came in silent and now I can't move. The first thing the bear does is look directly at me. After a pause it paced back and forth to the back right of the bait barrel. This is not a great looking bear but the decision was made way before its appearance that any bear in the crib was targeted for shooting. The bear was 150/160#, had a light tan scared up muzzle and a long lean body with two rub marks on its left side. After pacing back and forth behind the crib the bear worked up the courage, or gave into its desire to eat, and approached the crib area. My breathing and heart rate was starting to increased. The main problem at that moment was my bow was still hanging on the bow holder. The bear approached the crib from the northwest, my front right. During the approach the bear kept one eye on me and one on the bait. Licking its lips while slinking in, it was obvious that hunger was taking precedence over fear. The bear's body language reminded me of a dog doing something it didn't want to do or knew to be wrong. Its head was low and its ears were back, wary and ready to bold at any moment the bear continued to ease forward. All the body pains that had fatigue me for the past 4.5 days had vanished and adrenaline was pumping through my veins. My only focus was the bear.

The bear's approach was very slow, a few steps forward...pause and reverse the steps that were taken. When reversing its steps the bear did something that I had never witness an animal do before, it would back its way out rather than turn around. Turning around would require it to take its eyes off of me and that wasn't going to happen in such close quarters.

The bear attempted to enter the crib on three occasions with the first two attempts ending in a hasty retreat sending the bear to its pacing area behind the crib. On its third attempt the bear, again approached from the northwest in the same manner as described above but this time it had committed itself to the interior of the crib. Now standing, and having one hand on my bow, I was confident that I was going to be able to free the bow from the hanger and have a chance at shooting the bear. The bear approached the barrel, still tense and ready to bolt at any second, it inched forward continuing to glance at me but determined to bury its muzzle in the pile of sweets. All I needed was it to stick its head in the barrel deep enough to cover its eyes with the lip of the barrel and I could remove the bow from the hook...

With its nose a mere three feet from the barrel all hell breaks loose...that little ****er that had spend every second of every day guarding the bait barrel sprung out from around the outside left of the barrel chasing another squirrel through the crib. This of course made the bear turn inside out and it bolted to the northwest behind the crib. Using this commotion to my advantage I removed the bow from the hook and hooked my fingers on the string. The bear stood broadside to me less than 10 yards away looking directly at me. The only thing between us was a large birch tree, a tree big enough to cover everything except its head and rump. Meanwhile, the little buggards that spooked him decided to climb up the tree I was in and chase each other around the trunk at neck level to me! I could feel the air current that they created and hear their claws raking across the bark as they ran around the tree's trunk. Naturally the bear's attention was drawn to this ruckus and I'm sure, equated this disturbance to me. That was it the bear had had enough and decided enough of this crap I'm leaving.

Moments later as I watch the bear disappear in the thick green foliage, I found myself occupying the now quiet crib with one content greedy Red Squirrel until 9:30.

QuoteOriginally posted by leatherneck:
"The cove it is then"


Got a question; if the bears were always seeing the hunters, then why not put the stands a little higher or in another tree? Just curious. A bear hunt I was on a few years back had permanent stands at them. We hung our stands in other trees and noticed the bears would walk in and look up at the permanent stands. Unless they smelled us in our stands, they never knew we were there. I'm an amateur to say the least when it comes to bear hunting is the reason I ask. So educate me please.

Yep...I was starting to think the same thing but never did it. I'm new to bear hunting too. So listening to the guys that have hunted bear before was the best thing I could. Form a bear's point of view they may see the person in the tree as a subordinate bear and not a threat because they have treed themselves.

Next year, and yes I am going next year, I am going to take my gillie suit and try setting up  in the outer parameters of the crib to see what happens.

Man Tom, I thought the shot was on this time. My adrenaline was pumping with yours.

I think that Tom could sense that the mood needed to be lightened a little at this juncture;  after all, even though the hunt was getting serious, there were still a couple of days left, and this is SUPPOSED to be fun.  He started getting everyone fired up and assembled for the traditional Water Shoot out in the bay.  Everyone strung up their bows, and proceeded to the bank of the river.  Some tested their arrows for sea-worthiness, and soon a big blue block of foam was launched to fire at.  After a time, the foam was carried to a distant beach for some long-range launching.  Here's some pics of the festivities:

Gatekeeper launching an arrow (his didn't float)    :knothead:    
   (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest051.jpg)

Kip shootin'
    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest052.jpg)

Buschie airing out his Hickory Selfbow
   (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest054.jpg)

Fred Bear is rolling in his grave;  Bowdoc shootin' carbon
   (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest053.jpg)

floating target
   (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest048.jpg)

Lloyd at the helm while Allen and Bobby retrieve
   (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest049.jpg)

I've had many bears spot me on stand and many have tried a bit of intemadating by woofing and pooping thier teeth at me but thats kind of the up close and personal and I love it.That adds an element to the hunt like no other.They seem to know when we're there mostly I believe because when the baiting is being done and we lieve the sight.There is little if any smell of the thermacell's buring and stinking up the area.When a bear goes around and around your bait sight 10-20 times you can bet his nose is keeping him away rather then actually sighting us.bd

Nice bear Tom.  Fill us in on the details.

Hey Bowdoc, Looks like you smoked em like a nickle cigar! Bill was there a plan to give Matty and I some new tattoos on our faces? I will have to no doze next year. Sleepy

Friday 6/26/09

This is the last day to hunt. I was a little discouraged and kicking myself for not shooting at the bear I saw on the first night...but that's hind sight. We could all make perfect decisions if we knew what the future held.

I slept in this day and hunted in the afternoon. I didn't see any point in going out because I had not had any bear sighting in the A.M. throughout the whole week so my hunt started at 3:30. I hitched a ride with Allen for my last sit on the Bird Stand and as Kevin has described Allen drives his truck like he stole it. As we bounce our way down camp road, road 10 and the bait road Allen and I discuss the possibility that bears that don't commit to his site (Moose Path) may turn and come to mine and vice versa, because the baits are fairly close together.

At 3:30 my final night of bear hunting began. Before climbing into the stand I retrieve the SD card from the game camera and guess what.... There was bear activity from 05:00 until 08:00 that morning. I came close to falling on an arrow at that point. These bears had me figured out!

From 3:30 until 9:00 there was no activity and then a little after nine I heard sticks breaking and things being turned over to the north (right) of me. This really perked me up! There was still time for something to happen. There was 30 minutes of shooting light left. I thought how cool would it be to arrow a last minute bear but unfortunately my hopes were snuffed-out with the fading light and so began the final retreat from The Bird Stand with the stand in my hands.

6.5 days of bear hunting, 52 hours spent in a treestand, eight sightings of bear, six very close encounters, two cute first year cubs under my stand, three opportunities to shoot, a camp full of traditional bow hunters and new friends made across this country. I would be hard pressed to say this hunt was a failure. I have never considered any of my hunts failures or a waste of time. If I was guaranteed a kill when I go out the thrill of the hunt would be lost and the experience of a guaranteed kill would make me a poser.   I may have come home empty handed but I am richer from the entire experience and I'm looking forward to the challenge of next year.


Congratulation to all of my fellow Bear Questers and many, many thanks to Tom Phillips and his crew for providing such a great hunt to any Trad Gang member that signs up. The amount of work that goes into this hunt is daunting but Tom and his crew go at it head first and make it look easy. Thanks Tom this was one of the best experiences that I have ever had and I look forward to seeing you next year at Bear Quest IV!


Oh...for anyone that thinks hunting over bait is easy...    :biglaugh:    spend 52 hours in a treestand and then tell me what you think. I must confess I use to think that way but Quebec University enlightened me on this subject.

Kevin...you have done an excellent job at telling your story! What the hell is going on! Bowdoc is shooting carbon arrows out of foreign made bows and Kevin is using a camera and writing stories...the world must be coming to an end!

Yea bowdoc I sang like a canary b/c I knew you could take it and also b/c we all saw you were really concerned about damanging Allen's property (by accident) and quickly talking to him about it.With all that wiry leather exterior we all know you are a pussycat at heart.You have my utmost respect.Kip

Great story telling! Having a context in which to put them in (having hunted the Point, Bowl, Long Trail etc.) it really does give me even more of a feeing of actually being there for the two weeks instead of the one! What a bonus!

I should mention that ye olde bowdoc who I love dearly, stated that if I could hit the foam (that was now on the beach diagonally on the other side of the river), he would strip down and swim across and get it for me! Well I sent my arrow in a nice arc only to hit the tree it was resting by. The arrow came down in a straight arc heading for the bullseye only to hit a branch and fall flat on the target! Tom said it was good enough to have bd take a swim anyway but bd was clearly already shriveling up like a spider on a frypan so I didn't have the heart to send him!      :biglaugh:

Lloyd had decided to sit the Moose Tower again, but was planning on going out later.  After the water shoot, I had spent some time at the range practicing my 5-10 yard shot, then changed to my hunting clothes.  I was gnawing on the woodwork, ready to go, so I talked Tom and Bobby in to running me out to the Cove.  Tom grabbed a small bait bucket, we'd do the two-in, one-out trick at the stand...

Barnacle Bob got the boat headed up the lake, into the cooling breeze, and we soon turned the bow of the boat into the mouth of the Cove.  At the back of the bay, Tom and I hopped out of the boat and slipped up the trail to the bait.  Tom waited until I got settled in to the seat, then tossed a few sweets into the barrel and sprinkled some on the ground.  He spritzed a little Miracle Spray on the surrounding trees, gave me the "thumbs-up", and headed back to the boat, banging the bucket on random trees along the way.  Presently, I heard the outboard fire up and motor on back to the main lake, where it revved up on plane and back to camp.  I was left with the song of the birds, the chatter of the squirrels, and the constant hum of the mosquitoes and flies...

Settled in, bow across my lap, arrow on the string.  Five hours 'til dark.  Breeze in my face.  Rain predicted for tomorrow.  This was the night, the green light was on.....

Oh yeah did I forget to mention Uncle Barry left a huge tip for the bowdoc this year ? I been smiling from ear to ear ever since I got home..Thanks U.B. you made this hunt the best trip ever.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bw001.jpg)

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

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  :biglaugh:  the other Doc

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

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:

    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest059.jpg)

then evidence of a fatal hit:

    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest061.jpg)

Speaking of tips bowdoc,thanks for the tip on black glass. You da man!!!!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/IMG_0600.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/IMG_0602.jpg)

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

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"
 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest062.jpg)

and my pose with him
 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest064.jpg)

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

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

  (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest075.jpg)



    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest074.jpg)

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

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.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt012.jpg) (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt009.jpg)

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

Then I stretched him out for a couple more poses:

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest066.jpg)

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest069.jpg)

"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!  :readit:    :thumbsup:    :D

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

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

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

Cool Bow Paul.   Nice job !!

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.

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest084.jpg)

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest091.jpg)

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest117.jpg)

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest122.jpg)

Kevin,

 :clapper:  

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

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

Nice bow Paul. you gonna have that along at Denton this year?

I spent some time playing around with my camera, fartin' around in the woods, and generally enjoying life back in the Cove...amazing how time flies like an arrow.  As the sunlight began to slowly drain out of the sky, I heard the sound of an outboard heading down the lake.  Presently, Lloyd turned in to the mouth of the cove and headed to the back.  Here's his reaction when he saw the bear on the bank:

    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest102.jpg)

The grin on Buschy's face told me how pleased he was for me...and I felt like Tom, Allen, Bowdoc, and Lloyd had all played a big part in helping me.  His right hand squeezed mine, and his left hand slapped me on the back.  He was truly happy for me, even though he could pick my bear up like a bale of hay and toss it in the boat.

He cranked up the motor, and we jockeyed the boat around for the trip home.  As we cruised smoothly across the slick surface of the lake, I couldn't help snapping another shot:

    (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest104.jpg)

As we pulled in to the camp, Lloyd nosed the boat in to the bank, and we dropped off the bear and my gear.  Soon, Tom and Bowdoc came trotting down the lane to the scale area, followed by a few of my Bear Quest Brothers.  Everyone wore big grins, and the handshakes and backslaps were plentiful and genuine.  Bowdoc gave me a big ol' hug.  The small size of my bear didn't put anyone off, and fellow campers pulled out cameras and snapped me in another pose.  We carried the bear to the camp scale, and soon he was hanging - 78 pounds.  And a thick, flawless coat three inches deep.

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/WeighinMyBear.jpg)

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/Bearatstump.jpg)

A small bear.  But maybe that's as it should be.  A "first" of anything should not be a pinnacle, it should be a beginning.  If I'd shot a Pope and Young bear, what reason would I have to return?  And I do want to return....

     :campfire:

Great job Kevin. I'm happy for ya bud!   :clapper:

Congrats Kevin! Wish I'd been there to see it unfold in person. Your story was great and kept me interested the whole time.  Thanks,   Ben

thanks, guys, wish y'all had been there to share it  :archer:

I sent my money in today for this hunt. I have never even seen a bear but man it looks like the place to go.

Great story tellin guys... loved it!!!
 :thumbsup:

Nice job on the bow Paul thats a good looker...and some great story telling boy's.What a good trip had by all.I'am packing for next year already.bd

Congrats all around...simply an awesome hunt, stories and photos     :clapper:  

Bowdoc...you rock brutha!

Kevin, Great story and a wonderful bear!

Kip, I couldn't be happier if it was my bear  :scared:  Doc

Thanks everyone for the kind words.I wanted to relax and have fun got both in a great trip.A few more pics.Who wouldn't want a cabin on a lake with no road access.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt020.jpg)
Lloyd in a serious pose
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt018.jpg)
Tom and bowdoc planning something.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt023.jpg)
Still waiting for Larry and I got a few good ones of him when he is ready.Kip

oh yeah bowdoc planning something else...bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq-3003.jpg)

BD, did you ever get that perfume smell out of your T-shirt?  :saywhat:    :bigsmyl:

here's another pic I thought was jsut outstanding.From boy's to young men...bd  (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest039.jpg)

Hey Kevin I told you guy's that was not perfume...however I did burn the shirt and a couple other garments before lieveing camp...yeehaw what a trip bd

suzy the wonder dog getting ready to kick some butt.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest035.jpg)

I think she's wondering just what the heck Shaun is planning to do to that bear!  :scared:  

The stories and pictures here have been nothing short of outstanding!  Great job everyone, and thanks for making it seem like I was almost there!

let me see if I can get this cleared up a bit better.My man Tommy hard at work..   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/20090628_12.jpg)
Hey Joe I think your right.If you look you'll see that Thomas is looking away and the rest of thegang laughing...weird huh ? bd

I look forward to TIPPIT carrying out 309# Hog Bear for me someday :-)

Tom, No Problem, that's why I make them Big Tippit Blades...to quarter or perhaps eighth out your (308#) bear   :biglaugh:  
Many Trips Tippit

Tom, you are one strong dude.   :eek:   That bear was humongous. I wish I had been along on that retrieval to witness it in person. When they said you carried that bear out on your shoulders, I couldn't believe it! We shoulda put it on Matty's back. If it didn't just mash him in the ground he mighta carried it too.

That darn Dick Langer suggested to maybe skin the bear place the hide over bowdoc it would have been about half the load for Tom.as you can see from the pics no need for that.bd

Awesome job Tom!

He'd sure come in handy in elk camp eh Bill?. No more  boning out and all those trips packing meat.Just get Tom over there  problem solved  :)  

Did Dick get some footage of the recovery?

Hi Paul  Did Jay go buy to see you Sunday? I left him sleeping when I left for the airport and have not seen him post or respond to my P.M.By the way with Tippit not in camp I was the oldest but them young guys gave me a hand.Kip

Hi Kip
Jay got here around noon on Sunday. We had some catching up to do and called it a night around 2 am Monday.He headed home Monday morning around 10. Mighty good of him to stop by.

PV,
Dick & Bowdoc caught the entire carry out of Mr Big.  I traded Bill some steel for his DVDs and that footage.  If I now can only figure out how to get it on here along with Mr Big the night before I shot him, I will.  That is if Bill doesn't mind as it is his commercial footage of Tom carrying Mr Big...Doc

Tom, your carrying that bear IS impressive!! That's all dead weight that has a tendency to roll aound on ya a bit, unlike a barbell though that would be difficult enough!   :notworthy:

All Questers who want pics, send me a PM with your mailing address

Kevin

 :campfire:

I wasn't able to make it Kevin but I'd sure like a pic. Of You and Your first Bear if You get some stills printed up. Can't have enough pics. of friends and their kills in the old photo album!!!

you got 'er buddy....wish you'da been there...  :thumbsup:

Matty would it be possible for you to burn one for me ? no a CD silly !!!!!!!!! bd

no quess work on BQ's we use a scale to weigh every bear.bd    (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest032.jpg)

Did anyone mention that it took three men  to get the big beast on Tom's shoulders. Yes PV the vidio footage was captured.

Yeah Paul, Tom would be a welcome addition to any elk camp and certainly mine.    :campfire:

Bow Doc, are you camp cook next year? First week, second week or both weeks?

BOWDOC is head Bottle Washer,Cook & Social Director he will be there for sure BQ4 for BOTH weeks.Hopefully I can get him to arrive ahead of time for 2nd bait trip and stay in camp to check & recheck baits before hunt starts !!

Hey Doc, If you can post the vid, please share it with all of us.
Great bear, great hunt and great people!!!!

Hey Kip et all,
I made it home safe and sound late Monday.  Holy cow, I have a lot of reading to do!!! I need to go back 20 pages and catch up on all the stories.  

First things first .....  A special thank you is order to Tom Phillips, Lloyd, Allen, and Bowdoc.  What an incredible week! You always make this a week I will long remember.  I had a fantastic time and I hope to see you all again next year!!  Thank you to all the gentlemen I was fortunate enough to share the week with.  It was always a pleasure and if you ever make it to VA, let me know an we will find a place to shoot and maybe do some hunting.  It was great to see some familiar faces in La Tuque as well!

A big thank you to Kip my navigator and caffiene administrator for the long drives.  Thank you Paul for welcoming me in and sharing some stories after the hunt.  It was great to see you again.  

More to come..

oh yeah as Tom mentioned pending all goes well I will be there for bq-4 both weeks.I'am also tring to work my vacation out so I'll be there for a total of 3 weeks actaully.I'll stay the week before bq-4 starts to put up tree stands bait and get things ready.bd

OK, this is what came out of my R&D QBQ III Research Team.  This design was the best (for me anyway) of the knives that I forged up for '09.  Just Finished up my version of the 2009 QBQ III Skinner.  Each year ya'll (that's for Kip) have helped me make Tippit Knives one of the fastest growing Non-Profit Knife Makers in the Province of La Tuque  :)   Thanks and we'll start all over for next year...Doc

QBQ III Skinner: Seven inches OAL, hand forged 5160 high carbon steel, finger length blade with slight hollow grind, and spalted oak handle (Thanks Kenny)

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Quebec%20Quest%2009/QBQIIISkinner001.jpg)

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Quebec%20Quest%2009/QBQIIISkinner004.jpg)

Thats a good looker there Doc...bd

That is a beauty.

Think your getting the hang of this bladesmithing thing doc!  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  
Beautiful work!

Hey, Jay, good to see you made it home same

Here's a few more random pics from around camp:

Big Bill gettin' his morning workout.  His Silvertip is 90#@31".  AD Hammerheads weigh 940gr.  Bowdoc is trying to figure out how to fletch up a garden spade for Bill to use next year...

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest031.jpg)

Kip Manuel "the Ragin' Cajun"...I'll never look at a Hamburger flipper or a Moose the same again

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest011.jpg)

Kip and Bobby...."Gone Fishin'"

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest034.jpg)

Allen and Lloyd....."Master Baiters"

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest044.jpg)

Weighin' a Bear

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest008.jpg)

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest009.jpg)

LLoyd and Larry "Caddo" Dix

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest107.jpg)

I really hope Larry posts soon, as he has some truly great stories to tell.  He hunted the Resurrection all week, and the bears were NOT the big news.....  :readit:

This story started sometime ago for me.This is my 5th trip to Que'bec and my 3rd BQ.I truly have enjoied the time I've spent in the Canadian bush with my good friend Tom Phillips chasing bears.We've had some great hunts together and many more to come.
This year I wanted to use all 50 year old archery tackle from bow to broadhead.
So I was planning to use my 1959 Bear Kodiak on its 50th birthday 1959 quiver 1957-1959 Bear Razorhead and a 1950's Bill Sweetland forgewood arrow.
My restored 1959 Kodiak is 64" 51# with a bit of custom grip shelf and arrow rest.The broadhead would be a 1957-1959 Bear Razorhead with bleeder blade installed and mounted with a head shriker.
The arrow was a Bill Sweetland forgewood tapperd 9/32 X 5/16 weighing 625 grains.bd

I too have been anxiously awaiting to hear Larry's stories since he sat "my" Resurrection stand. Larry.. if you come back next year... I call dibs! :^) BW

come on Larry I know you don't want to do it but its all part of BQ.You gotta come clean here.
This is the 50 year old Bear Kodiak that would join me in Que'bec for BQ-3.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq001-1.jpg)

actually Larry has quite a tail to tell of the action on the resurrection stand U.B.Larry where the hell are ya ????? bd

1957-1959 file sharpend and then serrated towards the tip with the file Bear Razorhead and whats left of my forgewood.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq002.jpg)

.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq005.jpg)

Down in a blaze of glory.  The best way to end a good arrow.

Very nice bowdoc.Deadly and not carbon or Alum.I killed mine also with a bear razorhead from the 70's when I first started bowhunting.Kip

BowDoc

Did you modify the bleeder blade?

Simon

No Simon I did not.They were designed to snap off.bd

Doc (Tippit) that knife is plum gorgeous!!


Bowdoc, you da MAN!!

Great looking knife Doc!!
AWESOME PICS AND STORIES, KEEP THEM COMING GUYS..

Hey,  I just want to thank you guys from the first week of Bear Quest III.  Paul V for picking us up and dropping us off in Boston.  Steve for the ride up and back.  Jeff, Lloyd, Tom, Matt, Bill L., Bill S. , Kevin, Jon, Dick, Rob, Nate,  Myron Grant and The REAL Bow Doc for making us feel like family.  Thanks'  Barry for so generously insisting that Thomas and I (my 13 yr old son)  hunt your stand Thursday evening where he was successful in killing his first bear.
 The entire camp was great.  A sincere, intense, talented, diverse group of  traditional bowhunters who shared a memorable week of hunting, fishing, relaxing and a bunch of story telling.  What a great hunt.  What a great "first real hunt" for Thomas.

Randy, It was great seeing Thomas get his bear. I am sure he will remember this hunt for the rest of his life. You have an exceptional son as you probably already know. It is a pleasure to see a kid that is molded in a "traditional" way rather than the way some are growing up running the streets. Congratulations to you and him!

Ya know some of us had to go back to a"real Job", and I'm still trying to get my head above water!
As already stated, I drew the Ressurection stand. After Uncle Barry had it the week before, I knew it had quite a reputation already. It surely did live up to it. I saw 2-3 bears every night, up until wednesday night the 5th day of hunting, they were all different bears. Since Doc Springer went and set the bar so high, then Bobby and Tom followed with really good bears, I knew I had my work cut out for me just to hang with those guys. All total I saw 11 different bears, with all of the real big ones being rubbed real bad.
Simon, from Montreal, had joined us for the first 3 days, and had mentioned that it was supposed to rain pretty good thursday. Combine that with the way my luck usually runs, I knew I was pushing it by not taking a bear yet. So Wednesday night, the third bear of the night came in and was a pretty good looking boar. I guessed about 130-140 lbs and not rubbed too bad. There was a 4 wheeler running up and down the road all night and had happened to go by once already while he was on the bait. Every time a wheeler or vehicle went down the road, every bear that was on the bait at the time would stop and watch until it had passed. This guy did the same the second time it went by and gave me my opportunity, broadside at 7 yards. Just as I released, the bear didn't like something with the wheeler and took a lunge forward. I knew I'd hit him back a little further than I would have liked, but he only ran a short distance and started walking, up over the ridge directly in front of me. I could tell by the way he walked, that he was a pretty sick boy. I waited about 30 min without hearing anything. Since I knew the shot was back more than I intended, I grabbed my stuff and eased out as quiet as I could, figuring to go back the next morning and track him.
 When we went back the next morning we found him pretty easily. He'd only gone about 60 yards and layed down. That's were he stayed.
As soon as I can get my Photobucket password figured out I'll post some pictures.
 But the night that made the whole hunt was Tuesday night. I'd had a small bear come in about 5:00 that night. He was a pretty bear, but smaller than what I was looking for at the time. He fiddled around for a little while, and as unobtrusively as possible, I convinced him he may want to come back someother time. I'd just looked at my watch, it was 6:55. As I was scanning the brush around me, I heard something walking through the brush, in front and to the right of the tree stand. I've never heard a bear make that much noise, and it was larger than the squirrels. I looked up the trail that was directly in front of me, that ran up the little ridge on that side, and saw something that looked kind of grey. Now I'd already seen the biggest ground hog I've ever seen in my life on this bait, but this was much bigger. As the forms materialized, the little patch of grey turned into grey, white and tan. Two wolves came down the trail and stopped on the edge of the bait site! Oh my goodness, were they magnificent! One of them stayed back in the brush while the other walked out to the crib around the bait. I've seen wolves before, in Alaska, but they were always at a distance of 200-300 yards. This guy was 15 yards away, and without a doubt, the biggest canine I've ever seen. He was huge! He grabbed a bone, that was laying on the ground and headed back to his partner.
I saw this as a chance to get my camera up. All of a sudden he came back out of the brush. Then his partner came out, right on his heels. They were both facing me and I'm slowly trying to get my camera up for a shot. One of them caught just the slightest of movement. We locked eyes, both of them starring at me. They had me cold. Like a flash, they were back in the brush and gone. I heard them circling around to the left of me and heading out towards the road. All of a sudden the brush, behind me aways, just erupted. I heard a bawl and here comes this little black bear, just as fast as he can. He races across the bait site and goes behind the crib, where he stops. He crawls up on the crib and looks back, in the direction that he just came. He, obviously, didn't appreciate the wolves as much as I did. He turns and wanders off into the brush and everything goes quiet again. About 15 minutes later I can hear water being lapped up, like a dog drinking. It dawns on me that I have to cross a little bit of water on my trail back out and start thinking that the walk out tonight could get real interesting. 9:15 rolled around and I made my walk back to the road. Arrow on the string, a little quicker than usual, but without incident.
  This was, without a doubt, one of the best hunts I've ever been on. A great big thanks to Tom, Lloyd, Allen and Bowdoc for all of their hard work. There's no doubt in my mind, I'll be back next year. With or without a bear, this was one for the books.

LD

Man, that's a great tale, Larry.  That had to be just a real exciting night  :clapper:

wow thats some great stuff there Larry.What a sight that must have been.
Randy I wanted to thank you and Thomas for joining us on BQ-3 that was an outstanding hunt and made even better by seeing a young man come of age.One of the best hunts I've ever been on.Thank you for sharing your time with us in camp.bd

Pic of a little modifacation to the 1959 Bear Kodiak.The shelf has been lowerd and little and I cut the strike plate closer to being center shot to allow the use of a stiffer spined arrow.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq001-2.jpg)

That's cool Doc

Larry that's incredible!

Really enjoying this fellas      :notworthy:    :

Should have had Thomas proof my post he would not l have omitted Shawn.  Thanks for the fish for the fish dinner on Friday night and the entertaining story about "obtaining your dual citizenship" on the trip..  NIce bow you built and donated for shortest blood trail too.  rr

Larry I woke up to your story I heard it first hand and still intresting,Hope you don't mind I will post a couple pics.
Larry on the blood trail.
 (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt040.jpg)
Success
 (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt043.jpg)
Congrats
 (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt044.jpg)
Haul out crew inc. me.Bill and Bob
 (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt045.jpg)
Longhorn fan no doubt
 (http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt046.jpg)

Randy it's a proud moment when a father can share camp with his son.You've done a great job teaching Thomas the ways with the stick and string. Thomas I hope you went easy on your sisters in the details of your story.

what a great trip had by all the smiles tell the true story.bd

Here's a few more of Caddo with his bear:

  (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest110.jpg)

  (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest108.jpg)

  (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest111.jpg)

Congrats, Larry, great bear   :thumbsup:

yeah yeah I know I drifted off the topic about my bow story but I wanted to share another item from BQ-3 with you.This is super cool...bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bq001-3.jpg)

Larry... congrats on the bear bud!!
  :wavey:    :thumbsup:

Great story Larry! We heard wolves howl once in a while but none were spotted.

I was checking on a moose hunt in Alberta and the outfitter said everyone who hunted got a complementary wolf tag. I realize things are different in Quebec but is there a wolf season and when does it come in? A wolf would be a more prized trophy than a bear!

In Quebec you can hunt wolf from october 18th until march 31st in most zones. There are very few wolfs left actually and most are high north. Wolfs are considered regular small game by the law and require no special permit. You don't even need to register the kill like with bears.

Simon

I hope I did not post this pic to many times already.Finally the coup de grace by the 50 year old recurve bow arrow and broadhead.
Once again thanks Tom for taking me along it was the best yet.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest027-1.jpg)

It's a great shot by a great guy on a great bear with a great bow bd and I never tire of seeing it!    :D  

Just curious, what were all the weights of the week II bears? I have a friend who insists he wouldn't take a bear under 200lbs. I don't think we had more than 2 of more than that weight, no?

Mine was 149:
 (http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2/stevet_01/MySusieBear.jpg)

Good picture Doc...I see you were wearing orange.   :bigsmyl:

Adding all the weights of the 20 Bear's harvested brings us to Average of 141+ # for BQ3.Steve has your friend harvested many Bears ? I have met quite a few guys over the years that have stated things like "Thats a small bear" or "Why did you shoot that Bear".Alot of those folks are the ones that only see HUGE Bears or who do not know that the average Spring Bear In Quebec weighs close to 135#s.

Mine was 152#, If I remeber right, Bobby's was 185# and Tom's was 245#. I forgot what Kip and Kevin's were. That was a Great bear Tom!

LD

Mine was 78#, I believe Kip's was 100#

  :readit:      :saywhat:

Thanks Tom. I believe he's shot two that I know of.  5-6 years ago he thought he'd shot a huge bear (his first) with a compound only to have the guide bring it out of the brush to him holding it up with one hand-we've all suffered from "ground shrinkage" I think!         :bigsmyl:

It sure sounds like everyone had a great time on BQIII, but I think it would be hard not to.  I've been following this thread and really enjoying all the stories tales and pics.   :campfire:    Another BQ trip is definitely on my list.  What was the action on the Raptor stand?  It sure was good to me.   :archer:

Steve, Does your friend hunt Spring or Fall Bear.  Next time you see him let him know your bear was over 200# if you shoot him this fall  :)   Then ask him how many bears he has seen on stand...Doc

I was completely pleased with my 68# first bear. Had some loin on the grill last night and now am even happier with this bear. Doc, next year how about a knife for the smallest bear too? Maybe a very small knife.

Spring, Jeff. His email said: "saw 19 bear 7 moose 4 from stand really close, could have been bow shots, i hunted
with rifle but passed b/c i was looking for a bear 200 plus and only saw 150s."

Hard to believe given he's only shot a couple but who am I to say? His dad's shot a bunch and came home with a 185 pounder this year. It's a "Great Santini" kind of thing in that household if anyone get's the movie reference, so maybe he wants to outdo his dad,who knows? I don't work weekends!     :D   When I hunted with them years ago I was the only one who saw a bear all week. Tom's the best!     :thumbsup:

I was happy with my bear weighing in at a whooping 130# plus as an added bonus this year it actually had hair.That was really cool.bd

:biglaugh:

Fletcher, I hunted what use to be called the raptor stand the first week and now it is called the "Hillbilly" stand. They had to move it about 3 or 4 hundred yards because there was a local there that said it was in his area. I had good action when I was there. I saw as many as 5 bear in one evening of sitting. I ended up shooting a dry sow that weighed 160 lbs.

Thanks Bahrzoo, and congrats on your bear.  That stand seems to get moved a lot.  When I hunted it last year, it had been moved from the year before.  Seemed like a good spot as both Grant Young and I shot our bears there, altho the landing spot was kinda rough.  I did see some interesting areas to the south of the stand while running the lake.  Maybe in a year or two I'll get the chance to sit it again.   :pray:    After three days of driving to get there, I liked hunting from the lake.   :D

Here's a few more random shots:

Bear track

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest035.jpg)

In the Cove Stand

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/KevininStand-1.jpg)

Hangin' at the Cabin

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest115-1.jpg)

Bowdoc Holdin' Court

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest128.jpg)

Buschie performs some repairs

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest131.jpg)

Three "BROAD" heads....punkin head bear, Woody Blackwell stone point, and of course TP aka "Diablo"...

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest010.jpg)

The REAL Bowdoc......"Ghost Ridin'....."

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest033.jpg)

My fun was not over Saturday morning, as I was fortunate to ride with Tom and Bowdoc back to the Phillips estate.  Over the next 500 miles, I laughed so hard that my cheeks were tear-stained and my sides hurt.  These two have a special relationship that goes beyond their shared love of hunting and archery.  Truly a pleasure, guys   :thumbsup:  

Along the way, Bowdoc discovered a pay phone for tall people:

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest135.jpg)

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest136.jpg)

Big Bill gives Bowdoc a boost...."ET phone home"

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest137.jpg)

Guys, I wish I could make this thread last until the next time I head for Quebec.  Truly one of the best experiences of my hunting career.
(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuestIII/BearQuest141.jpg)

 (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj8/fatman60/BearQuest141.jpg)

fatman, You might want to try to seal those shoulders as the oil leaching out will eventually dissolve the writing...Doc

Wish I had known-that's what happened to mine. What to preserve them with?

great, NOW you tell me.....  :knothead:    :banghead:

Regarding the photo of the crew replacing the tail pipe, I have to fess up to the fact that was due to me. Randy, Thomas Reeves and I were using LLoyd's truck off and on most of the week since our stands were like fifteen miles from camp. Since my stand was the farthest in I'd drop off Randy and Thomas and drive past my stand, then turn around at a fork in the road and coast back down to my parking spot. We were hunting both mornings and evenings. One afternoon Randy dropped me off and kept the truck near his stand. As we approached my turn-around, there in the middle of the road was the tailpipe. The first thing I thought was someone had placed a log across the middle of the road. Then everything came into focus and I thought "Ha.. some idiot lost his tailpipe." I was right.. I was the idiot! Apparently when I turned around that morning the C-clamp slipped loose. I never heard or felt a thing. Luckily it was a weekday and no one had been on the road that day other than us. LLoyd.. let me know what I owe you for the new C-clamp. :^) BW

Uncle B,
No new clamp was needed,just a little monkey piss (lubricant) and a few extra hands.Got it back in place and she was good as new !!

I would also like to say thanks to Ted Fry for the books he gave out.   :thumbsup:    :clapper:

yes, Bill, that book is a good read...

Thanks, Ted!  :wavey:

Ok how many bowhunters does it take to replace a tail pipe ? bd

I just have to tell you guys thanks for sharing your stories and laughs. That really looks like a lot of fun. I'm planing to go next year and this just spurs me on.

Congratulations to all of you.

Hey Kevin, Got your message. Thank you, the package headed your way today!

P.S. Great story telling, wish I had that gift.

thanks, Bill, that means a lot

Kevin

 :campfire:

Mr. kissner, How about posting the pic of Matty licking his eyebrows...

Did you ever see anything like it?!! Theres no way that this could be considered bow or hunting related!    ;)      :rolleyes:  

I really don't know in what context to post it and if I really said what I want, I know it would be deleted!

Aw what the heck, y'all draw your own inferences! I ain't touchin it with a ten foot pole. You gotta get a load of Jon in the background.    :p    


 (http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/BillrK/IMG_0199.jpg)

So many things happened that week of the hunt.  The photo of the guys working on Lloyds truck made me laugh.  Barry, Thomas and I were pulling up to the turn around, a fork in the road,  just past the resurrection stand when we saw something blocking the road.  The conversation was like, wonder what that is?  A log or something, looks like a tailpipe.  Wonder whose truck that came  off of.  About that time Barry looks over, the same time the thought went across my mind, wonder if its off this truck?  Barry stopped the truck, I checked under the truck, uh oh!  it didn't look like anything broke, just came off the hangers. The conversation reminded me of something off the Andy Griffith show or the Three Stooges.  Lloyd was a great sport when we got back to camp..

Sorry guys as I am a little late finding time to post.  

Upon arriving in camp we drew stands and quickly set out on baiting runs and later the first hunt.  I drew the LongTrail.  A stand with a great history and one I was familiar with.  This was same stand I had drawn at the beginning of last year's Bear Quest.  

My first evening hunt was filled only with red squirrels and hares.  I entertained myself by quickly learning the pecking order of the local red squirrel clan.  I think I even began giving a few of the buggers names after the first 3 or 4 hours on stand.  There was Guido, the Thief, and the Diaper squirrel (who shed all his winter coat except for the part covering his rear end).  What can I say, after being awake for over 36 hours, I needed to be pretty inventive in ways to stay entertained and awake. No bears were sighted the first evening.  In reality, the ocassional head nods and jerks from dozing off could have easily spooked any bears that silently crept in.

As every night, I anxiously awaited returning to camp to hear the encounters experienced by others.  This was a highlight every night.  Many had thier first encounters that first evening and to start us off right, Bob connected with a nice bear on the Black Label.  

We may have seen this photo before but I don't think Bob will mind....congrats again Bob!

(http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/14790/2654103150049059966S600x600Q85.jpg)

With Bob taking his bear the first night, I  contemplated changing locations and hunting the Black Label the following day.  The Black Label was the hot stand the prior year with four bears taken between the two weeks, including Matt's Stubby. Although I had hunted the LongTrail on multiple occasions, I had never seen a bear from the stand.  The next day, we checked the Long Trail and there at the crib I discovered a clearly defined and very large front paw print.  The width of the pad, not the entire print, was 5 1/2".  I am no expert, but I knew this was a big bear and probably in the 250 - 300 lb range..maybe more.  

The decision became very easy at this point.  I would stick with the Long Trail and hope for an opportunity at the bear that left that track.  I knew this was a long shot and it also meant passing up smaller bears if opportunities were presented.  JC inspired me last year when he spent nearly the entire week passing up bears with hopes of an opportunity on a monster he had seen.  It was early in the hunt and I made up my mind to see what the week had in store.

I also decided I would take my digital camera, camera arm and try capturing some video.  This was something I had never tried, but something I had always inspired to do.  With crib only 5-6 yards away and me only about 4 1/2 feet off the ground, I had doubts of how successful I would be, but I was willing to give it a go.

Great read Jay keep it coming.
As for Matts tounge we were using it to core apples that day....bowdoc

Jay, good to hear from you. Was beginning to wonder what happened.

Great bear Bob! Gotta love that Long Trail with a stand only 4 1/2 feet off the ground! I took my so far favorite bear there (QBI). Let's go John-finish the story!

That shot of Matty-I was wondering why we didn't have many flies this year in the cabin! Nice job Matty!   :D

Keep it coming! I just mailed in my deposit for Bear Quest IV.   :pray:    :goldtooth:    :biglaugh:

Another pic of my bear.

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/BillrK/IMG_0166.jpg)

A zoomed in pic of the Trad Gang wraps on the arrows.

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/BillrK/IMG_0166-1.jpg)

Hey Uncle Bill, Thanks for posting Matty's tongue! Gene Simmons is jealous...
Nice bear-good to share a camp with you.

P.S. Jons tongue came up a little short...

Monday afternoon arrived and I was again off to the Long Trail.  I settled into my stand about 4 pm and quietly set up for the evening.  I strapped my camera on to a tree on my right, centered he crib in the view finder and locked everything into place.  With no zoom, I should be able capture plenty of action with minimal movement.  I settled in for the evening.

Again, the squirrels provided plenty of entertainment.  A hare raced in, but soon backed away, uncertain if he wanted to take on the bossy red squirrel that ruled the crib.  Chipmunks raced about, occasionally rustling the foliage just enough to make your heart miss a beat.

I found myself trying to gaze deeper into the dark shadows on the hillside in front of the stand.  I was hoping the bears would approach from this direction although the large paw print lead into the swampy tangles immediately behind me.  If the bears approached from behind, I would not spot them until they were about 6-8 feet away. The prior year I received an "up close and personal" initiation by a large, aggressive bear of about 250-300 lbs.  The possibility of my first glimpse of a Big bear at 6-8 feet had me a little uneasy, but this year my tag was unfilled and ready to be used.

I continued searching the shadows of the hillside.  I stood up to gain a different perspective on my surroundings.  Then, a shadow moved.  My eyes strained.  One leg emerged from the shadows and then another.  I slowly reached for my camera and pressed the shutter button and adjusted my grip on the riser as I waited to see what was to unfold.  

See for yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc3QplE6kGo)
 
Not the bear I was looking for, but you can tell by the dancing Zwickey that my ticker was working just fine.  Although the video appears much more distant, the barrel lies only seven steps away.  

His continual glances up the hill only made me wonder if a larger bear was near.  It was only 6:30pm and a good three hours of light remained.

An hour later, I turn to my left only to discover another bear barely 20 yards away.  I have always been amazed how quiet bears can be.  At times, they seemingly appear out of thin air.  Still not "the bear" but a welcome encounter.  After 10 minutes, he departs.

Number 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4bvD21b8w)

Light began to fade around 8:30 or 9.  Close to 9pm, I am startled by a sound.  Uff-Uff-Uff-Uff. At that moment, I also spot movement to my right 15 yards away. A quick glance reveals a bear approaching fast.  He wasn't the bear that left the huge paw print, but he was well into the mid 200's (lbs), with big head and good enough to spend the rest of the week fishing.  One problem.. he seemed to be on a mission and was not slowing down.  I believe he was trying to catch up to a hot sow.  He was quickly approaching on the same trail that I walk in on. If he stayed on course he would pass by at 2-3 yards.  Murphy's Law prevailed and he soon veered up hill at the worst location for a shot opportunity.  He paused once broadside at about 12-15 yards, but a single branch centered the lower two thirds of his chest.  "He'll turn and come to the bait" I thought to myself.  Nope, soon he was off again.  He angled up the hill at a brisk pace, huffing with every step.  As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.  A small tree shook 50-60 yards off in the distance which told me his course did not vary.  He was gone.  

Later that evening, I heard limbs breaking in the alders behind me.  First, 50 yards to my left in the direction the big bear was last seen, and later much closer behind me and to the right.  He may have circled back to the bait using a different approach..?  Unfortunately, it was now dark and it was time to head back to camp.  

I wish I had video of this bear but it all happened very quickly.

great stuff Jay I love those video's they made me feel like I was right there with you nice work.bd

Jay

I remember you saying that the moment you decided that you would not shoot the bear in the first video, the dancing Zwickey stopped dancing. Would that be at around 1:40? Great footage. Keep it up!

Simon

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  Jay!
Thanks for sharing. Looks much better on a bigger screen.
Paul

Come on Jay keep it coming.  Nice video.  Nate

Cool stuff Jay!  :thumbsup:

Come on Jay lets hear some more.

Awesome recap everyone! I look forward to this thread every year. Hopefully I can add my own story one of these years.

Hi Jay,

Thanks for posting my pic and Thanks to all for the congrats again. Your videos are AWESOME, I wish I would have done that. A BIG HEY THERE to all the week 2 Bearquesters you were Great....Bobby

This keeps getting better and better. Keep it coming, I can't get enough.

GREAT stuff BlkDog!  Congrats on your restraint!  Looking forward to some more.  I can relate to the "Dancing Zwickey".

I was seeing bears and managing to capturing some video.  Life was good!  I had some encounters, seen a really nice bear, and I knew a Huge bear had recently visited the bait.

Would I ever see the Big One and give Doc Tippet some competition in the big bear contest?  Heck, would I even see another bear during the week?   Maybe – maybe not.  Neither really mattered in the grand scheme of things.  This is a special hunt with a lot of special folks.  The hunt is a success as soon as soon as you arrive in camp.  Bears are a bonus, especially if you take one home.  

I had one stop to make on the drive back to camp that night.  Kip was waiting for me to pick him up from the Cardiac stand.   I had a little trouble remembering exactly where the stand was and turned around twice thinking that I may have driven past.  Back on target, I rounded a turn and saw the mangiest looking house cat I had even seen ...damn that was an ugly cat sitting in the road.  As it waddled off, I discovered it wasn't a cat, but a porcupine.  (What can I say, we don't have those in Virginia!)  Soon I spotted Kip up ahead.  He was grinning ear to ear as he told me his news.  Kip had a bear down.  Kip and I hunted together on last year's Bear Quest and it was a joy to hear he the news.   On the way back to camp, Kip joked that Tom wanted asked him to cook lunch tomorrow so he thought he better take care of the bear thing right away.  "I didn't want to be rushing around you know."  

Congratulations Kip!  

(http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43580/2964352440049059966S600x600Q85.jpg)

Upon our arrival back in camp, we learned that Tom had some big news of his own.  The next morning we would lay our eyes on the whopper Tom arrowed.  Congrats to our Bear Quest extraordinaire who makes this hunt possible. Thank you Tom!

(http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/37696/2763194890049059966S600x600Q85.jpg)

More to come tomorrow night.  I have an early meeting in the morning and it's probably best that I have have both eyes open at the time.

great read Jay I wanted to add one more pic of our guide.bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest102.jpg)

Blkdog thanks for the tale of your time in the Quebec Bear woods.Did you take many still pics like Kip ?

I'am still working on getting a few CD's burned with all my pics.Will keep ya posted asap.bowdoc

Matty's promised CD's as well. Where are you bud?!    :D    

Tom, congratulations on a great bear and for once again demonstrating that you are the best bear guide going-your whole crew does an exceptional job!!!    :thumbsup:        :thumbsup:        :thumbsup:

I got about 100 + pics from the first week that did not turn out.Seems I had my camera in my pocket and turned the dial changing the setting.Once I figured it out and changed it back I did not check the pics.That really sucks but I'am going try and get some cd's burned this weekend of what I do have of the first and second week.
Health food dude you and set em'up Rob need to get your Cd's burned and we can swap.
I was looking for a couple pics of Barry and Grant but the only one I have and it looks kind of weird...bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest001.jpg)

And then their eyes met, and they knew they would forever be together.Hey Kevin with your talent you could write a love novel with this pic.Kip

Yeah...What happens in Bear camp stays in Bear camp..Rules are Rules...LOL

Oh my!!! That is a little more than I wanted to see.  :scared:

....a shudder just went up my spine  :help:

Not sure if already posted of second week group but here is mine.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2009bearhunt057.jpg)

look at those guns on the Bowdoc....  :eek:

holy smokes if you guy's think that pic's funny check out the one that was taken just before or after that one.
Now please note I lieve my sun glasses reading glasses and camera in the main cabin.
We were sleeping in the tent the first week and it was way easier for me to lieve said items in the main cabin OK ? No one has ever swiped anything from me that I ever knew about and so I will continue to lieve said items in the main cabin as long as I'am on BQ.
Please check out the other pic some jerk wad took with my camera.This may have happend while I was slaving away in the kitchen or even when I was asleep and someone used my camera and then put it back where i had it.I have no idea who took those pics.I bet it was the granola eating Matty dicken around with my camera and glasses because he thought I snaped a pic of him after he drunk this 82 oz. can of 10 percent beer and passed out.Man Matty your so lucky I did not find those pics until now or that wet willy you were about to get in the passed out pic would have been nothing..bd   (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/bearquest-lll/bearquest134.jpg)

thats a great group pic right there Kip.Kevin Mrs bowdoc washed and dried that shirt and it was all over with for that one now it fits the 7 year old grandson.I have no idea what went wrong there but I guess I should have purchased the one size fits all mesh back hat instead of that girls shirt.Check out the farmer tan on the bowdoc or I needed to wash my arms ??? bd

Hey that picture is of busiest stand of the hunt !!!

I found this pic on my camera too! I don't know who took it, musta been the same camera thief that used yours Bowdoc! Wonder who's pullin all this crap?! We gotta have better security on Bear Quest IV!


(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/BillrK/IMG_0218.jpg)

oh, the humanity.....  :scared:

Hey thats my blanket !!! Better security next year for sure.

This is going in the wrong direction. Please stop..Think of the kids..LOL

Don't You mean humility Fatman!!

Sorry for the delay in these fellas.. the next post will have a few more
The delay well you know I had 100's of pics I wanted to pick the really good ones to post I had to go through many.  I didnt get to go through the other camera either. I have lots of cool pictures of everyone.  I am sorry however aparently I wasnt there for all of the bear photography. I must have been defending my self in some other part of camp keeping someone from shoving granola in my face!
Miss you guys..
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Great pictures, looks like you guys had a great time together.
 Glenn

 (http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/45792/2998000630085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2998000630085968352VDWrDl)

It was seriously one of the greatest times of my life.I cant believer how cool everyone was. and how well we all got along.  I would have predicted some disaster somewhere along the way with all that testosterone floating around but not even close.

yap Bill I think your right we need a 24 hour guard to keep an eye on things like those camera's.Poor Barry got caught with Tom's blanket ????
Nice job Matty great pics as for the testosawhatever you called it.Us old guy's don't got any left and you young bucks have enough to go around so it all kind of washes.I must say thats about the best bear quest I've been on up to this point.Really looking forward to next year already.bd

hey one other thing I would love to see.I tried to get Bill Langer to record as much as possible but would it be possible for you guy's to list your type bow bow draw weight and broadhead used ???? That would sure help me out.Thanks dudes you rock bd

Great pics Matty!

Bowdoc, I was shooting a Grumley brushbow reproduction selfbow 59# @ 28" with Sweetland Forgewood arrow and some ol greenish thing with a bleeder blade on the tip, a '56 me thinks.

Thanks Shaun I will make note of it.Well actually you did just make note of it.Our daughter is going to print the BQ-3 for me like she's done on BQ-1 & BQ-2.She's going to print it at work next week as they have a nice printer and it does really good job on the pics.Thats why I kind of like everyone to list their bow and broadhead.Thanks again Shaun....bd

Bowdoc I was shooting Bob Lee takedown 58" 54@28" mid 70's Bear razorheadw/bleeder 2016 arrow.Kip

Hi THere Bowdoc,
I was shooting my 55# homemade longbow and 550 gr. Cabelas Carbon arrows fletched with wild turkey feathers and a Magnus 4blade to make em bleed.....Bobby

Thank you Kip note made.Matty would you be so kind as to list the spects on your BP too ? Hey guy's it does not matter to me if you arrowed a bear or not.I just like to keep track of the equitment used.Thank again Kip bd

Great Pic's Matt.  

Bowdoc I was shooting a Silvertip with doug. fir shafts and STOS broadheads.  It pulls 69# at 27". Nate

Bowdoc, I was shooting a Black Widow SA-X (Kingwood) with a carbon express 250 arrow and a steelforce broadhead.

Thanks guy pretty cool different bows and broadheads.Hey what draw weight was the bows ??? bd

A&H ACS CX longbow, 14" riser 62" limbs, 61#@28 (58@27)
Arrow Dynamics Trad Lite Woodgrain, 150gr Magnus I 4-blade w/ 75gr steel adapter...Total arrow weight 585gr.

 :archer:

bd I was shooting a blackwidow SA V ironwood 62" 60lb @ 28 with a magnus stinger 125gr up front of a 2215 gamegetter ll

Bowdoc:I was shooting that old personal bow of Paul Schafer's that I "inherited" after his death. I've left it exactly as it was in it's beat-up condition so as to retain all the character developed through the high mileage over the years. It's a 60 inch T/D, built by Paul for himself and his friends as a back-up bow on any hunts. It's marked at 70 lbs. at 28" but most who shoot it think it's likely a little more than seventy. I was shooting Cabela's SST carbon shafts and field-testing the new Woodsman Elite 150 gr. screw-in one piece broadhead on this trip. BW

I was shooting a McCullough Griffin 58" 53#@28 all black glass, 28 1/2 inch Beman ICS Hunter carbons arrows painted all white, and a 250 grain Team Tippit forged two blade broadhead that just slips into a Beman shaft.  

As a side note:

I have a short 56" all black bow bolt Griffin called the "Gnat"

Now I have a 58" all black Griffin called "Mr Big"  :)   Doc

Hey Bowdoc, I was shooting a Black Widow PTFX Osage, 59@29 and 58" long. Arrows were Carbon Express 350's, 30" long with 100 grain brass inserts and Razorcaps 150's up front.

Great pictures Matty!

Bowdoc, I was shooting a Border Griffon GL, longbow, 64" and 62#@27.5. 28 1/2 inch GT arrows, 55/75, 545gr with Wensel Woodmen's-all the weight up front. It worked!  :)

Thanks guy's thats great I hope everyone who wants to can respond before next weekend.Its really no big deal I just like to keep track myself.Again thanks dudes you rock.bd

Without a doubt one of the best threads every year since it started!!     :notworthy:      :clapper:      :clapper:

I always thought it was kind of cool to see how many different bows and broadheads are used on BQ's.Thanks guy's bd

YO YO Bowdidley- Blackwidow SA III 60# @ 28"-60" recurve/ 3Rivers Trad. only carbon darts and was field testing the new Woodsman Elite 150's. Test was successful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MATTY, Great pics, keep them coming...

Hey BD I was using a 58"  "Nor'Easter" 47@28 and a team tippet 2nd generation  broadhead on a beman 500 carbon arrow

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Shortbldtr/bearQuestIII136.jpg)

Matty great job on the pic's!!!!!!!!!!!

Bowdoc, I was shooting a 62" Chastain Wapiti TD Recurve, 63# @ 28" with a 630gr. Ash shaft tipped with a 4 blade Zwickey Delta.

Already lookin' forward to next year.

LD

Hey  Bow-doc-ster.
I was shooting a BP-H52 (circa 1965) 50#@28" GT3555 Loaded up and a 150gr WW (686gr)

nice work guy's thanks again..Matty you da man this week..bd

Matt was that your fathers old bow you used ??? There are still a couple guy's holding out on their story and info for whatever reason ??? and maybe some pics too.
One other thing I'd better tell ya all up front.I do not and have not and will not use this info for my personal gain in any way.Its just some info I wanted and I thank you guy's who've or is it hoove added this info about BQ-3.Me and Larry are already set for next year.Yahoooooooo.bd

Bowdoc- I was shooting the same thing I always shoot- StyleI B riser Bear takedown and first edition white tipped #1 limbs for a 60" bow, 66#@28. Right now its one for two on Quebec bears, LOL.                      Grant

Bowdoc I had a Schafer 66"long bow about 64#@ my 31" draw with AD hammer heads and zwickey deltas
and my Schafer 62" recurve 90# @ 31" with AD big games and zwickey deltas

wow we covered about every bow make and model huh ? where's no neck Phillips ?????????????????????????? bd

Hi Bowdoc

I'm not holding out on you, I was away from the computer for awhile. Here are the stats on my setup.

56" Centaur one piece longbow, 55# @ 29"
Carbon Express, Heritage 250 arrows cut to 31.5" with (3) 5" shield cut feathers and 50 grain brass insert, 125 grain Woodsman broadhead with a 75 grain steel screw-in adapter

Total arrow weight 650 gains

Hey bowdoc, How bout you remind us what that bow was you used on the tackle box hunt or the arrows for the the river shoot. What's next "wheels"?

Jr.

Bowdaddy,
The tackle I used for BQ3 was as follows:Bow made by TRAD-GANG member MATT SIMPSON...
*Custom Nel's Grumley repro laminated static tip Self-Bow of Osage/Walnut/Hickory 56#@27" w/ Banded water Snake skin (caught by Little Feather aka CURTIS KELLAR ).
* Arrow Shaft was supplied by TED FRY of Raptor Archery Doug Fir w/ Osage Footing & reinfornced Self-Nock,SHAFT was SKINNED,FINISHED & FLETCHED by Curt Cabrera (aka GURU) and Knapped STONE Head of PEDERNALES Chert from S.Texas by WOODY BLACKWELL (aka Knife River).
***  Thank You gents listed above for the works of Art that helped in harvest of my Bear ***

TP, that's an impressive crew right there to say nothing of the fine equipment! I'm glad you took such a nice bear with it! It must have been all that collective mojo!  :)

wow Tom thats pretty neat were all the items hand crafted by tradgang members ???? thats cool.
Jr the bow I used on the tackle box was some made in korea rice grinder thing wanttabe bow that did not know if it was a recurve or long bow with the korean built clear fiberglass limbs mounted to a metal handle and was like 88#'s at 26"..
Jr no joke all kidding aside if that tackle box had been shot at that distance with a Bear recurve the damage would have been way worse then it was.You can trust me on this one too it would have been a pass thru for sure and no tracking dog needed sorry Bill.The arrow I used that fatel day was made of a section of a fishing rod it sure looked like to me.Although I did hit the pickle bucket first and then the tackle box with one shot.Not bad shooting huh ? I went to hell fast that day from  shooting carbon arrows out of my 1959 kodiak to shooting tackle boxes with some rice grinder.
Fred was pissed at me that day for sure.Bill Sweetland was so pissed at me too he drowned himself in the river on the first shot.
Had those guy's have not egged me on I would not be typing this right now.I know your always pee'd at me when we lieve bear camp but look at that nice bow you been shooting.If I put one more dent in you bumper smash one more tackle box or wreck the quad one more time I will be sending you another E.B.Holcomb or better this time of course that would mean I get to drive on the roller coaster road.Plus you got the life time refinishes.My wife don't even get life time free-be's.I love ya like a brother thats why I wreck your stuff man.bd

Bowdoc, I'm just messin with ya. No hard feelings at all. You could take my truck for a spin in the river if you wanted. Love you too buddy. Some day I will be joining you in the Washington wilderness to see how you do things in your neck of the woods. May even have to borrow that 59 while I'm there. Can't wait to see ya next year

Call it superstition but, ttt to get off of that number.   :thumbsup:

Bow Doc,
Thomas and I were shooting Grey Wolf bows.  Thomas was shooting a 60 " two  piece recurve he helped me build.  His bow is 48# @ 28"   Thomas is shooting gold tip traditional arrows with two blade Phantom broadheads.  I was shooting a 61" two piece longbow.   The bow is 61# at 28", arrow was a gold tip traditional shaft tipped with a 4 blade Zwickey eskimo.  The 61" bow length is correct.  I built three 61" bows all 61#  to take to Africa in July of 1998.  The bow I took to BQ-3 is a favorite, it has quite a few character marks on it.  Both of our arrows were complete pass through shots.

OMG Bowdoc,

The TradTech bow in Question was 53# you might wanna check your Depends Undergarment, because it's full of something that doesn't smell very good. And the ARROW was a USA Easton Aluminum with a BIG Rubber Blunt(not the kind you smoke).And you said at the shot that this bow was WICKED FAST...I think this ACTION needs to be referred to the ALZHEIMER POLICE..AML...Bobby

LOL I didnt think anyone would care about my story so I just didnt take the time to put tit together, BUT. I will tomorrow and I'll throw some more pics  in there too.. Night yall

LOoking forward to it Matty !!

Thanks RR I sure hope we have a chance to hunt together again real soon I truly enjoied you guy's company.
Matt I would love to hear the story and also really love to see a few more pics of your bow.I know shooting a critter with a 45 year old bow is no big deal to some but to me thats pretty darn cool and a great story.
Bobby actually that bow was a great shooting bow.Anytime I can pick up a bow I've never shot before in m life and hit the label on a pickle bucket at 25 yards thats a great shooting bow.However the nut on the handle may have been loss that day.....thanks dudes you all rock bd

yep, Matty, we're waitin' with baited breath....  :D  

Or maybe it's just that cheese that Simon brought...  :eek:

hey no neck are we waiting on your story too ?? I gotta get this printed over the weekend.I believe most guy's listed thier bows and arrows used and thats kind of what I really like to read.
Simon where are you ? I would love for you to list a couple of the bows you were shooting around camp if you have time.
Once more thanks guy's bd

Matty, having enjoyed so much of your first bear story with you, I'd say yours was a great story! I love hearing about anyone's first hunt of_____stories and I am sure most of us here do as well. Steve

crap matt I don't got all day whats shaken bud ? bd

Hey, since I was not actually part of the hunt as per say, I kept a low profile on this thread. Add to that my poor quality English...

I PMed Tom for the first time in October 2008 offering my help or assistance if needed since I live 3 hours away from LaTuque. I explained that I was not an experienced hunter and that I could not sign up on QBQIII. Tom said I was welcomed at camp for a few days if I wished it. I accepted the invitation gladly and the thought of assisting in this special hunt made the winter feel a little longer than usual.

Tom then asked me if I had any access to pastries like Twinkies or baked goods as well as chicken carcasses and or beef scraps. Now, I know Americans can have a different diet than us French speaking Québécois, but I can tell you I was a little surprised about the meat scraps demand. I thought it might be for preparing soup or something like that. As for the Twinkies, we dont have those up here. I searched the internet to get a better idea on what Twinkies were and looked like and every time I went to the supermarket, I looked for a similar type of pastries to make all of you neighbours to the south feel a little bit more like home.

Where am I going with all this you ask?

Well, it's not before late February that I finally realized that the pastries and meat scraps were in fact for BEAR BAIT! Just to tell you how clueless I am sometimes.

Some in the second week might remember the «May West» pastries I brought. I specifically brought them as a joke to myself.

Simon Dupuis
Montréal, Québec

I am a self employed graphic artist by trade. Just for fun, I started a QBQ III poster project that I would eventually submit to Tom for this years edition. I thought that since I had no meat scraps connection I could contribute in the only way I new how to the Quest. After a few drafts, the poster was finished and I sent the file to Toms printer. They also made the QBQ III T-shirt. (Thanks Tom). here is the finished image :

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/novaln1975/TradGang/Picture5.png)

I left Montreal at 4:30 AM the morning of June 20th. This was the day of the change over from the 1st week to the 2nd week. Once I found the sport shop where the meet was set, It was pretty easy to find the group. English speaking and eating. Can´t be wrong. I had to eat too so I presented myself and ordered. To my surprise, Kip introduced himself to me in French. Kip is from Louisiane for those who don't know him. We got to speak more in the few days I spent at camp, great guy for sure. After a while, the first week group arrived and I met Tom. I got to shake hands with many TradGangers in a short time span and standing on a pick-up truck got to use many many cameras for the numerous group photos.  Then, after a stop at the supermarket, we were off to camp.

The road was dry and dusty. Not to bad for the first stretch, a regular logging road. Well maintained. To get to camp from that road on the other hand... You see, I drive a 1984 SAAB 900. Not exactly the off road type of vehicle. Every one else were driving a truck or a 4X4. Anyways, I got to camp with all the others and the Swedish steal held up fine none the less.

Oh man thats a great poster and shirt both I love them.I never did wear my shirt home.Simon would you list the bows and the bows length and draw weight you were using around camp too please.Thanks bud and looking forward to the cheese next year.bd

While on TradGang, I mostly hang out on the collectors forum. I have been gathering old bows as a hobby for the last few years, mostly Bears. As you may know, one of the collectors forums finest is BowDoc. Master refinisher, his posts got me into refinishing projects of my own. So, with this virtual help, I refinished a 1959 Grizzly. In the process, I lost the original silkscreen decals as they were beyond salvation. Alan Harford Jr took over Al's decals and is now the TradGang unofficial Bear decal guy. I PMed him asking for a Grizzly decal and said he was back order and that he had to recreate the file in order to get some more. He also needed to create Alaskan Decals. I offered him my help to recreate the files. In the whole process, I refreshed the whole line of Al's decals as some minute details were retouched, getting them as close to the originals as possible.

Now, I knew BowDoc would be at camp. From all the descriptions I read about him and the sometimes foul language he uses in his posts, I was naturally a little scared. But Al Jr and I thought it would be a good idea to submit the final proofs to the Real BD and beg for his blessing. I gathered my courage and to my surprise, the decals passed the test. While everybody was out hunting (except Bobby that allready connected), and despite his inhumane schedule as cook, he took the time to match the colors of the original decals with the correct PANTONE colors from my chart I brought along.  

That being done, Bobby, BowDoc and I had a great discussion, about everything. We should of recorded ourselfs or at least take some notes because now I cant remember half of it and we found the solution to the worlds problems. Next year, for sure.

Simon,  You are a true sport to venture into this group of English speaking traditional bowhunters.  I'm glad I at least got to meet you at the turn over from 1st to 2nd week.  Hope to get to know you as a bear hunter next year.

Your design is magnifique!  Doc

BowDoc

In camp, I brought :

• Bear, Grizzly, 1959, 62", 45#, RH, (refinished by me)
• Bear, Grizzly, 1960, 62", 51#, RH, (refinished by me)
• Bear, Alaskan, 1959-60, 62", 45#, RH/LH (refinished by me)
• Bear, Kodiak Special Deluxe, 1960, 66", 40#, RH
• Bear, Kodiak Special, 1956, 64", 50#, RH
• Bear, Kodiak, 1966, 60", 53#, RH
• Bear, Kodiak, 1958, 64", 52#, LH (Sold to Tom Phillips)
• Bear, Super Kodiak, 1972, 60", 55#, RH
• Bear, Kodiak Hunter, 1967 1/2, 58", 56#, RH


Doc (Tippit)

Glad to have meat you too. We might meet again next year.

My tale ends with a swim in the lake the evening before my departure. I wonder if anybody took a dive while they were at QBQIII? As I dove in, I knew that I would not hit any fish since all my attempts in catching one with my fishing pole resulted in nothing. The water was nice and warm, for the first 6 inches. Deeper than that... well you know, you heard about ground shrinkage while bear hunting? Lets just say I had less problem than usual to zip up my jeans after that swim.

Kip prepared crawfish à l'étoufé that night. Mmmmm good! I would eat some right here and now! Thanks Kip and I wont forget that invitation at Ville Plate. One day...

I left in the morning of the 23rd and the trip back to Montreal was uneventful. It's always weird after a few days in the woods to find myself surrounded by concrete and cars.

I will always remember these few days at Bear Quest and I plan in making this trip next year for sure as a hunter on not. The contact with great people will always be far more important than the kill. A nice bear rug would be nice though...

Thanks all for the welcome and a special thanks to Tom for all the hard work he put in this event for witch I am grateful.

Over and out

Simon Dupuis
Montreal, Quebec

It was nice meeting you at the sporting goods store Simon! Great design for the poster and shirts! You are undoubtedly hooked for next year.

Simon  I also enjoyed meeting you.Your thirst for knowledge about bows and bowhunting is refreshing.Hope we cross paths again soon.Kip

Hey Kip  

Did they remember to have you take an extra tree climber to the Cardiac or did you have to stretch to to the bottom step? Nate

Heck no Nate  No one told me and with my short legs I had to jump to reach it,not enough stretch in me.I hadn't thought about that excuse for shooting a small bear on the second evening but that is excuse number 9.Kip

I put the stand up and I didn't have enough stretch either.  I had to jump to the first step.  We were in a hurry.

Simon my friend,

It was great fun to have you and all those BEAR bows in camp.I will always remember our time spent pesting Bowdoc and our discussion of what is GAME....Keep shooting those great BEAR bows and know that a red squirrel can become GAME in the eyes of the HUNTER.....Thanks for the pics....BOBBY

Simon, you're clearly an interesting guy with a fine sense of humor. I'm sorry you weren't in our camp. Then again, I wish all of the week 2 guys could have been in our camp. Sounds like a great group as well! Thanks for taking all those pictures on Saturday!

The second week was great.I came away with a welth of info from Simon and I thank you for that.Looking forward to next year already.bd

So far 4 skulls are being cleaned I delivered all hides left with me to taxidermist,am waiting on call to pick up other skulls so I can get them cleaned up.

great, my wife can't wait to have that skull sittin' on top of the TV      :rolleyes:    :D

Thats great diablo.Hey Kevin my wife can't wait for another bear skull to set on top of our TV.Well actually there setting on a cooler in my shop and not on the TV at all.She ai'nt going for no more skulls on the TV.bd

Simon, Nice to meet you and great job on the poster design!!!

where the hell is Matty?   :readit:      :saywhat:      :thumbsup:  

 :campfire:

Tom & I went down to the Cape Cod to enjoy a day with Rob Schultz. Rob's bow building shop is really slick and I got to shoot his new HH like bow that has No Hand Shock!  After bear burgers we headed back to my place for ribs, corn on the cob, ice cream, and a little liquid refreshment before viewing video of Mr Big (the night before his undoing) & Tom carrying him out of the bush.  Great day...Doc

where the heck is the video Doc ??? and what the hell happend to Matty.bd

Bowdoc,
Both videos are really cool especially the one with Tom carrying out Mr Big with you as the new production camera man for Langer International Film Studio   :eek:   I still have to get my son-in-law to get them on a DVD...Doc

Sounds like a great day!!!

oh yea doc I would love to see it.Can you load the video on here ?? bd

What a great time I had with Tippit & Rob Schultze yesterday.We talked bows,bears,knifes & hunting.

I had a great time with you guys as well. I am excited  to start digging into the wood you brought down.I would like you guys to come back when you can stay over, so we can fish or stump shoot. Thanks for the pictures Tom, it's nice to relive the week in Quebec,or at least see what I missed while asleep on the couch. Rob

Forgot to mention that Tippit let me watch the footage of the recovery of his HOG Bear along with Bear Carrying escapade !!! Unforgettable stuff.

Bowdoc, If you think Tom "No Neck" didn't have any neck before, just wait til you see him carry that 309# Mr Big!  Plus the poor guy is now six inches shorter.  I had to get a boat cushion to put on the driver's seat so he could see the road   :eek:  Doc

Here's Tom now at Jeff's place next to Molly's horses:
(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2/stevet_01/tatoo.jpg)

That is a good one Steven.   :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:  
Jack

holy smokes Steve that is Tom I spoke with him on the phone yesterday and he said they were doing a little horse back riding too.Damn it Doc Swinger where the heck it that video of the recovery team ???
I'am going to have to say as cameraman the retrivel video taken of Mr.Big the footage I shot could not have been to good.You know I was a little pumped right then too doc.I like to say this years hunt gave me one hell of a headrush.Just being there that morning with you guy's was worth it all.That really ment alot to me doc.You arrow the bear of a life time.Dick trust me with his camera but also being there in person and seeing no neck Phillips getting his spine crushed again and he will be an inch shorter next year was worth the trip brother I love it all and that together made this years BQ the best BQ ever.
This year was the worst film footage ever taken of the recovery of the best bear ever shot and one man who's good for his word when he says you shoot a big'en I'll carry it out for you.Now thats a man...what a hunt ahh ? I can't hardly wait to see the video myself.Video schmideo chit I can't hardly wait until next years quest for Canadian monsters.bd

QuoteOriginally posted by fatman:
where the hell is Matty?    :readit:        :saywhat:        :thumbsup:  

  :campfire:  

Trailmix, where are ya buddy?

Steve-o Matty had to go out and get his deal pierced or is it peirced at anyrate I'am sure he's been busy doing whatevr guy's with foot long tungs do when their not hunting.Maybe doing movie stunt doubles for ant eaters ? I wanted to hear his story about the use of the 1965 Ben Pearson recurve bow.I thought that was super cool....Matty where in the F*&k are you dude.bd

whats up ya'all ??? I held off printing until this saturday.Whats shaken you know you know who you are.Everyone listed there bows info which was really cool thank you...bd

I heard from Matty this morning. He's promised to write his story. He's hooked on phonics right now but he should have a few sentences up by the end of the day!    :D  

Did Llyod post?

yehaw just cut a deal and bought 2 dozen more Bill Sweetland forgewood arrows.1 dozen goes to my son in law nope not that one the good one.The other dozen means I'll have 12 arrows to shoot myself and will be able to make 12 more trip to Que'bec yehaw....well I do'nt mean like 12 new arrows to shoot myself with.Oh yeah and if I ai'nt conned into partaking in the river shoot.Sweetlands sink like a stone.bd

I lost 3 in that river. I still couldn't resist though-too much fun!    :biglaugh:

Hey Kids... I'm NOT DEAD!!  I swear...
I have been Crankin' busy you havnt a clue..
Plus a recent break up doesnt help either...
Now trust me when I say my story will be well worth the wait, I'm putting it all together for ya with some Funny pics..
I will get it up ASAP...
Miss you clowns, no lie this is the longest I have ever been away from this website I'm typically GLUED to it...
Catch you fellas' soon, Keep checking back...
 (http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/43675/2966765170085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2966765170085968352XdLIJY)

Let me see here maybe I can help clear up a few things.Busy yeah right.
My Father said to me once son when your up to your ass in aligators its diffecult to remind yourself your main objective was to drain the swamp.Whatever the heck that ment.Had something to do with doing nothing I believe.
OK a recent break up too ? wow sorry to hear about that but again I may be able to help make you feel better.
I told you when you were getting ready to go home after a week of hunting and you do not return home to your sweetie looking like you had been hunting for a week this can raise a few eye brows.
You see you arrived home after a week of hunting smelling like fuu fuu juice clean shaved and a bit more tanned even with the great weather we had in camp.
You still with me here ? Oh honey I shot a bear you say.You don't got any proof of that and that means nothing to your mate even if you did.They think you purchased the bear hide in a second hand store or even worse you picked up a road kill.
You get home after a week of hunting looking like you had been to Vegas for cripes sake I'd of dumped your ass too.
The bowdoc shows up on the door step sunday noon time looking like a dog that had been beat to much.Limpping along like the bird with the fake broken wing I was(not faking this year).You can see where this one's headed right ? buck up and start writing....bd

Daaaang Bowdoc; I could feel the love from here. Your capacity for sympathy never ceases to amaze me. You're all heart, Bowdaddy,LOL....GY

QuoteOriginally posted by Matty:

I will get it up ASAP...

I'm not sure this is the story we're waiting for but do what you have to do, then wash you hands and start typing.   :bigsmyl:

We gotta start screening these guy's a little better.NO MORE WACK JOBS.bd

In case guys are wondering, that's NOT an altered photo of Matty. He came out a warp speed turbo shot from the womb and well, that's the way he looks!  :D   Not a bad look, but I don't think my other roomates slept a wink all week either!   :D

OK you rat food eating 5 hour energy drinking no typeing BSing little fart you.I hope you ai'nt signed up for next years BQ-4.
You thinken we're gonna live for 1,000 years or something.Start typeing or your gonna have to stay home next year.
I think I better call Tom about you today.bd

That's the ticket BD- sweet talk him,LOL....GY

bd, I got to get a tape of you or something for the long year between BQs! It's impossible to be in a bad mood around you!   :biglaugh:

whoops I'am truly sorry Matty I forgot about the break up your going through.I spoke with Grant on the phone yesterday and he said I should take it a little easier on you and be nicer.
Yeah right Grants full of it too.I ai'nt being nicer to ya laa dee daa...What did she do on her way out the door stomp on your fingers while you were on your hands and knee's begging ? good griff man I'am half a day older already again...bd

:biglaugh:      :biglaugh:      :biglaugh:   BD, I swear, I could lose my family in a fire and you could still make me laugh-and I love my family! You are a tonic for this sick mind!   :jumper:

Hey Matty, its been a month since the hunt.    :confused:   Time to get the story out for every body to read   :readit: .

QuoteOriginally posted by the real bowdoc:
We gotta start screening these guy's a little better.NO MORE WACK JOBS.bd

Now thats a good one bd  :bigsmyl:

QuoteOriginally posted by the real bowdoc:
whoops I'am truly sorry Matty I forgot about the break up your going through.What did she do on her way out the door stomp on your fingers while you were on your hands and knee's begging ?

Are we sure the breakup was with a girl? I'm not trying to insinuate anything...I only what to have the facts straight.

No pun intended when using the word straight.

Judging from the face he posted and that tongue, it could be a different species!    :biglaugh:   Seriously Matty, you ok?

Seriously Matty you OK thats funny Steve.Holy carp I'am going to start driving to Co.in the AM I bet he needs my help.Hang tight Matty I'll be there in a few days.Or better yet I'll tell your story for you buddy.
OK once apone a time there was this healthy young buck from Co.that went to Que'bec bear hunting with a group of big dog's.He was so tromatized by what he saw he never spoke again.End of story.I love ya man but where are you,your really scaring my now.bd

HOOOOLLYYY $#!T!! Never in my life have people ever cared to hear me talk, I pretty much ramble at people for a living Most of the time they want me to shut my trap!! See heres the problem.  I have been up since 4:15 went to work till 2 sat in meetings from 2-5. had my fighting group from 5 till 8 get home eat shower now I'm spent.  this goes on for days. the days i'm not fighting I'm wrestling and Juggling women.  You have no Idea what it's like.. LOL

OK I'll get this ball rolling then get back to it tomorrow as it's :50 min PAST my bed time..
#1. I'm fine thanks for all the concerning emails and funny posts on my behalf, I love you guys I really do.

So My hunt started on Jan 18, 2009 at 8:27 pm (I remember cause I saved the PM I sent to Tom) All excited I decided not to hesitate with fear of missing out.  So of course I committed sent him a check and hit him with a barrage of questions.
Now let me give you a little history of me and bear hunting........There isn't one. I have never bear hunted, MUCH LESS seen a bear in the wild, aside from the Staten Island Freakin' ZOO!!  and that was probably when I was 7.  Now for some reason I have a fear of bears, Why I have no Idea.  The only thing I can come up with is the stories I read and hear from others are Nightmare-ish.  From reading past BQ Posts about Uncle barry wondering if he was gonna have to shoot his way out of his tree stand to my buddy Randy (FerretWYO currently featured on the top banner) telling me he once had to punch a bear in the chest to keep it from standing on his tree stand with him in it.  Now I may be small in stature But I'm no Puss. However when it comes to bears I cant deal.  I am known to sleep upright with my gun in my hand staring out of my tent waiting for a bear to come get me and try to eat me like a burrito.
SO the main factor for me going to Canada was to get over this fear, secondly was to do something pretty bold Like go out of the country with a bunch of Strangers (and I mean STRANGers) to do something I really have a passion for. Plus I figure I'm not likely going to elk hunt here in Colorado, I might as well go somewhere different and have a good chance.
So my questions to tom were more like...UuuUh is there gonna be someone with me in the stand?   has anyone been attacked by a bear?  Will I sleep in a house because bears can tear through vinyl tents.  You get the picture.... More Concern for my safety, than what the potential was that I was going to shoot a nice bear. Tom assured me that I would be in more danger of falling out of the tree than getting attacked By Boo Boo..
So the research began, I started Looking at google earth, trying to figure out where we would be (which I STILL cant figure out) and planning my travel arrangements.
(end)

Hey! Not only can he type, he's good at it!!!!! Keep it coming Matty.

gee's take it easy kidd were all here with you for support......bd

Hey Matty, If you don't contact me soon I'm going to choke you out with that slab of meat you call a tongue!

Actually I'am glad he's OK.I was kind of feeling bad about giving him so much crap.....yeah right.
Wait until BQ-4 I'll let Rob take all your money on the river shoot before I stop him next year.He smoked you like a nickle cigar bud so you better get ahold of him.bd

Hey Rob, thanks again for the great bows you made for my kids-they love them and want to shoot them all day long.

Yo Bowdoc miss you man, can't wait till next year-hell I miss all you fellas!

Tom where the F is my lonewolf...

Sorry Dad -forgot I was on your computer

Jr Lngr you need to say off Sr's pc b4 you get yourself in trouble.Where the heck you guy's been ? and as long as your here now.Whats it going to cost me to get you to burn the footage of the bowdoc doing the face plant beside the lake shore during the photo shoot ? I know you had that cam corder running then.I saw it,I was actually looking at the darn thing smiling when I triped running to get in the pics.
I know you caught the bd's belly roll on tape you slay dog you.So what's it going to cost me to get that burned ?
Oh you thought I ment like burn it onto a CD and send it to me for my grandkidd's to laugh their butt's off seeing that happen to their poor old grandpa ? not quite my brother.I ment burn it like you did you carhearts that day.Just let me know when your ready and I'll cut you a check for the master.....bd

Hey Bill, It was my pleasure. Just remember that feeling of your first real bow, glad I still have mine. I got it for my 8th birthday. Bowdoc ,I miss your humor, your cooking and your counseling.I wish you lived closer. Matty, I hope you are doing well. Give me a call when you can. No texting for me as I don't own a cell phone. Rob

I've been checking this periodically to buffer the long wait until opening day again. Rob.. anyone been poking you in the ribs recently while you're driving your new truck? Matty: bears are just like a big dog.. a really big dog like maybe a giant Rottweiler with claws. He'll likely lick your face and you can compare tongues. If he gets upset you just put him in a rear naked (optional) choke until he taps out. Uncle Barry

OK Barry,

I take it that, as the polar bear says "your not there for the hunting"?   :biglaugh:

Hi Barry, I thought my truck tenant went to Iowa with you. I haven"t forgotten about the dvd.I am having a hard time doing dvd to dvd. I have only done copies from tapes. I am very challenged when it comes to electronic stuff. I will talk to you soon. Rob

Where's those pic's ? I ai'nt giving up any pics until I get some first.I got a CD or dvd or vdb or whatever they are from Kevin yesterday.Now all I gotta do is figure out how to view the darn thing.And you think your challenged ????????? bd

This is JR. on Dads pc again

Bowdoc all our sh.. is in a pod right now!
We sold our house, so Katie the 4 kids and I are sleeping on mom and dads playroom floor for the next 2 mnths until I finish building our new home.

I will not have any footage ready for you till winter, so hunt hard, eat well and stay alive my good friend!

I won't be around much boys, but git ready for fall and keep shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(contd.)
So From here out it was time to get Shootin, I wasnt sure which bow I was going to bring on the trip, I had been shooting My A&H ACS for a few months and was having good results with it.
 (http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/42609/2789675810085968352S425x425Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2789675810085968352EiXYgm)
HOWEVER I had been Shooting My Bob Lee, and had been doing very well and winning lots of 3D shoots with it, SO I decided that that was going to be the bow to bring.  After this decision was made I was doing a bit more reading on the past BQ posts that the shots were VERY CLOSE which admittedly was making me more nervous. So I decided it was time  to Break out the 3D target and get shooting from my Tree stand at close range. (10yds) and 7' high tree stand makes for an extreme angle.  SO I took My trusty Longbows up in the tree and began to shoot. the results. were awful.  I was having a hard time manuvering a 62" longbow from a stand at that angle PLUS the arrow was simply not getting enough time to correct it's self with that same situation.  So on to something new.  After reading Alot of the boys were bringing their old bear bows for this was an anniversary year.  But I didnt have one of those BUT I have my dads Old Ben Pearson BP-H52 50#@28"  Bow doc aged it somewhere near 1965. It still has the original string, and I know for a fact nothing was ever harvested with it.  I thought this would be a good opportunity.  
SO I practiced with it a bunch because it's NOT my regular "go to" bow. I thought the arrow set up was a bit light. So I made up some 700gr 3555 arrows tipped with 150gr Wensel Woodsman broadheads, So yes the Bow was shooting slow but at 10 yds the weight should keep the bow real quiet and plow on through.  the short bow performed well from the tree and could manuver it around really well.
Now I'm not the best shot in the world and I had to think of an alternate plan for attacking bears or BEING ATTACKED by bears!  Knowing that I have this fear.. IT WAS TIME TO BREAK OUT THE MCKENZIE.
So...IF I MISS!!! Heres the back up plan!!
GROUND AND POUND!!
 (http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/43184/2247404660085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2247404660085968352CMFblk)  
TO AN ARM BAR!
 (http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/43745/2906410360085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2906410360085968352bBtczt)
CHOKE FROM THE MOUNT
 (http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/6650/2515329960085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2515329960085968352oLquNp)
TO REAR NAKED CHOKE!
 (http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/3931/2391481610085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2391481610085968352LmcHkz)
ON TO THE HIGH TRIANGLE!
 (http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/44304/2391355920085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2391355920085968352uHgbnp)
WHERE INEVITABLY I BROKE HIM IN HALF WITH MY POWERFUL INNER THIGHS!
 (http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/44262/2901881600085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2901881600085968352ikSvZJ)
I figured this would be my best game plan, JUST IN CASE "Uncle Barry" and his broadhead .turned out to be FUGAZZI (look it up).
(end)

Matty- for future warmups you might want to avoid the "between the legs" hold. Of course, it could save you lots of money and heartache down the road. Dedication is evident though; Matty Balboa for sure.    Grant

Doc, your thread has morphed into WWW!!!

Man oh man!!   :rolleyes:  I"ve seen everything now!! Come on Matty, show us the pics where the bear won!   :D

Oh yeah I knew my man Matty would come through.Keep up the good work kid.bd

This thread is growing darker by the second.  :)  Nice grappling form Matt!

good start, Matty, keep it coming....  :thumbsup:

I can't quite tell from the photos who is winning but I already know the bear is smarter!  :biglaugh:

I'm fairly certain that "choke from the mount" is illegal in most states.  It might be ok in states where the bango is the official state instrument.  Other than that, the technique is spot on.

elknutz,

I heard anything is legal in Canada.

don't let em rattle ya kid keep typing.Hay Matty by the way one other thing when we were talking about mounting your bear ? thats not at all what we were talking about dude. bd

Too late bd. Look at that third picture again-that's not wrestling. That's "spooning!"    :D

Matty I think this is what you get for being last in the story telling dept.

So is it the "Rear Naked Choke" or the "Near Naked Choke"? bw

Wheeewww, I believe I'll stay with the second week group, some of you first weeker's are a tad "odd" for my taste!  :biglaugh:  

LD

Hey Larry I told you.They were all a tad odd to say the least.bd

I think most of us were normal 'til we hooked up with Bowdoc!   ;)   At least I am claiming I was!!   :D

I agree-bd's gravitational pull will make all yer dogs bark at the moon! The man's a FORCE!     :scared:    :biglaugh:

and I thought I was the only normal one.bd

Maybe Abbey Normal.

I thought bd was fine, the rest of the crew had me a little worried. Matty is young, he could turn out OK with enough better living through chemistry and EST to calm down the violent tendencies.

Granola Boy, you gotta stop watching the Cobert Report threat count down - bears are not that scary.

Slight continuation then I gotta hit the hay. I know you guys think I'm nuts But I told you some of the pics would be worth it.  
Anyway, I got the short Bow shooting pretty well with the Heavy arrow at short distances and the time was creeping near.  with all my arrangments in place. I decided I would Fly into Newark Hang out with my family on Staten Island for a day then Drive up to toms house on Friday, leave by noon get there for 5, Hunt for the week then return to the Island for another week then Back to Colorado.  SO I spent ALL of tuesday night packing (I mean ALL) decided to put My ACS into my suitcase (for backup??) and put my Pearson in a Hard GUN CASE for protection.wed at the airport I told the people at check in that It's Just a bow and arrows NOT a gun and I wanted it checked LIKE A GUN x-rayed the whole shebang, it went Smooth.  All I had to do was hope it was in 1 pc. on the other side. well needless to say it arrived as planned but the case was a wreck lIke some Schmuck tried to pry it open to see what was inside...Theres a suprise...
SO I had a day to kill in NY so I figured I would do Some Practicing, BUt My Parents Have No trees to speak of where I could hang a stand, and of course what the hell am I going to Shoot at???  Well as a shooting addict we make things happen in a pinch.  OK so I found in the garage A Large Box that once housed some Lawn furniture or something like tat Filled it with other  boxxes and BAM! target Now How the hell am I going to Simulate Shooting at aproximately 10 yards from a tree??
WELL....Turns out that My parents have a bathroom where the door is adjacent to the basement where the target will sit.... AND THIS IS THE RESULT...
 (http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/10395/2112854040085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2112854040085968352fYhqlI)
 (http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/34645/2072172410085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2072172410085968352aLhbqN)
 (http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/34894/2118874970085968352S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2118874970085968352WURrOA)
EST. YARDAGE 10.... EST.TOILET HEIGHT 9FT
  :knothead:

good start kid keep it up your doing great.bd

Perfect!....necessity is a Mother  :knothead:

You're a brave man Matty...we've all done stuff like this but almost never talk about it...and Pictures? Your candor is indeed impressive, LOL.  Grant

Matty, I think a toilet seat treestand may be the perfect set up for you on BQ! If your fear of bears gets the best of you and you "lose it"-no dry cleaning! If you, "hold it together" you'll have space for spare gloves, etc.-maybe you can even rig up some sort of camelpak system to the tank and stay well hydrated!    :biglaugh:

I am glad he didn't show us pic's of him practicing his shot from the shi I mean sitting position.

Man, I've been away from this post for a while and look what has happened. Is this what this hunt does to a man? Shooting from the pot?    :scared:  
Thats what I like about you all.    :thumbsup:

Curve:   :biglaugh:  Thats all I have to say.

I had to come back and look at Matty on the crapper one more time.bd

Bowdoc, How is that weather in the great northwest? 70 degrees and no humidity?

QuoteMatty, I think a toilet seat treestand may be the perfect set up for you on BQ! If your fear of bears gets the best of you and you "lose it"-no dry cleaning! If you, "hold it together" you'll have space for spare gloves, etc.-maybe you can even rig up some sort of camelpak system to the tank and stay well hydrated!

Good one Steve!!

Doesn't everyone have a bathroom archery range?

Matty, Perfect!!  Now come back next year with the toilet and sit with PV in his blind.  As he shot his bear at 6 feet from the blind, that toilet might just come in handy to help cure you of your Bear Fever  :scared:  Doc

See, I told you Matty was a keeper like the bow Dr. That is the closest approximation of a tree stand shot I've ever seen for indoors.

whats up Matty you fall asleep on us ? bd

Matty, did you fall in?! You're worse than JC in the "keep 'em hanging" style of reporting!  :)

Matty,
You must supply your own toilet & seat for Bear Quest.
 You might want to look into a Take-Down model !

Steve I think your right Matty took a nose dive in the crapper.Gee's Tom what a great idea.I can read the add now saying something like.Be the first one on your block to own one of Diablo's pop up poopers.Great for hunting or at the beach anytime try Diablo Tom's pop up poopers.We sell in bulk...bd

At this rate we'll still be waiting on Matty's hunt story when Bear Quest IV rolls around in 2010!   :rolleyes:  This is slower than watching paint dry!