Trad Gang

Well after finally getting home to my great wife and children, I think I am ready to begin my tale. I hope that my camp mates will chime in and help me, as I am still spinning after this adventure.

I had the pleasure of traveling with a fellow Tradganger, and got to celebrate a bit with him as well...but before I get to that I want to tell a little about Ryan's operation there in Manitoba.

I have never had a guide. I have done trespass hunts and DIY, but after going to Stickflingers I could get used to it. It is a family-run business. From Ryan (the operator), to his Mom Bee (chief cook/charmer), and Dad Ron (comedian/bear guru), the camp is as warm a place as a fella could have 1500 miles from home. David, Ryan's young but very capable guide, rounds out the crew. He knows bears, too, and if you are lucky enough to spend time with that young man, you will find he is wise beyond his years and knows how to work. I gained much there from those fine folks: girth from Ms Bee's cooking, friendship from the guys, and knowledge about bears. Ryan told me the day I arrived I would know 10 more times about bears than I did before. He was right and I am so greatful...oh yea, bears. I saw some of those, too.

 (http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1594.jpg)
Like this young sow that came to check out David, myself and another camp-mate when we were tracking James' (campmate) bear. Oh that's another story...

The camp is a lake-based operation with a comfortable cabin, good food, and enough baits to rotate depending on wind direction. Ryan only hunts the baits with the right wind and is more than ready to hang a stand or move a hunter if need be due to a bad wind. That little sentence right there should be remembered. It comes up again later...

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Gateway to bear territory

I didn't have this belly when I got there. Thanks to the cook I am hugging, I will need to do some treadmill work before I head to elk country in September.

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After seeing the success the previous hunters have had the last few weeks, you know Ryan's concession has a ton of bears. You take that fact and a guide that knows his biddness, and you can guess what will happen if a hunter is put in the right place, at the right time, with the right bears....

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Painted arras are so nice.

My first night on the stand was preceded by going with Ryan and two other hunters to check some baits and put out a couple of trail cameras. I got my first look as a rookie bear hunter of a bait that had been hit. Barrel turned over, scat and tracks everywhere. I also got a look at a ground blind near the bait. My first thought was "Man, that's close". It made my heart race a bit and I won't lie, some self doubt crept in, but quickly was buried in the moment.

Finally it was time for me to be dropped off. In true Ryan fashion, he brought along an extra lone wolf hang-on because the forcast wind direction was a little off. He wanted the best wind to hunt the bait, and his current stand was a bit too west for his liking. After hanging the stand, and a quick practice shot by me, Ryan went to attend to his other hunters. My first bear hunt was underway.

Not long after he left I noticed movement to the right in the thick birch and maple maze that engulfed me.

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My first bear of the night slipped right to the base of my tree and made it's way to the bait. I got great video of the little guy and managed to keep my heart-rate under 200 most of the time he was around. It was not a bear I would shoot with my bow, but I got lots of video for my kids. This was my maiden voyage as a videographer and frankly I stink at it. More than you will ever know...

(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1505.jpg)

After awhile the young bear wandered off, came back and was joined by another bear his/her size. After enjoying the show the bears attitude changed. Both bolted from the bait and each climbed seperate trees. I knew something was about to happen, but I didn't know what. I had initially thought they had my wind, but a quick check revealed the wind to be right for this stand.

I then noticed a black blob floating though the bush and realized it was a bear, a much larger bear than the ones I had been watching. Slowly he made his way to the little opening in front of my stand.

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Gonna leave ya hangin till morning...Long day on the road and I got so much more to tell that I can't do tonight. First thing in the am...

:campfire:

COME ON MIKE!!!!! You are KILLING ME!! I need more!

WE NEED MORE!

Oh Yea!!  :campfire:

Can't wait for the rest of this great adventure!! Good job on the story telling Mike   :clapper:

:thumbsup:  Sounding great so far...

Great start and great photos so far..............now hurry up and give us some more.

I can't wait to hear more !!!


Bill

:campfire:

Knock Knock come on please get up and finish the story.  LOL

OK, 4 hours is enough sleep for anyone.....

  :saywhat:

I'll be back, This is starting to get good.

QuoteOriginally posted by Ric O'Shay:
OK, 4 hours is enough sleep for anyone.....

   :saywhat:  

:biglaugh:

Ok it's morning already!  We're all waiting,

Ok Mike! That isn't nice at all!

Great story and photos so far. Can't wait to see the rest.

Come on dude!

Mike,this is not the way to make or  keep friends

Calm down guys!! He just got in from a 24 hour plus drive last night. I'm sure he's wore out and don't worry it will be worth the wait.

Congrats again buddy, Great story and picks I'm enjoying it a bunch    :bigsmyl:      :wavey:  

Tracy

still waitin for ya mike, get up, awsome so far buddy

Hey Mike great start, looks like time to change your avatar too. That young, slim guy looks like he has aged and "grown" since that pic was taken, but he is still a killing machine. Looking forward to "the rest of the story".

No more sleeping until you finish this story!!   We've waited long enough!  :p  

Congratulations on painting your arrow red.  Let's see what slowed it down.

I'll hold my comments 'til we hear, "The Rest of the Story".   :D

Thanks for your patience guys. Got a few hours sleep and made breakfast for the family. Good to be home but there is a void I can't explain. I should be checking the wind, thinking about my campmates going to their baits, and building for the anticipation of the hunt...but when your camp goes 100% on bears in 3 days, you come home early, and you dream of hunts to come  :)  

Now where was I...oh, the big bear came to the bait and chased the yound bears to the tip-top of the two birches within 30 yards of my tree. I grabbed my bow and started sizing him up...definetly a boar, he'd have a hard time fitting in the barrel (my yardstick), and I have NEVER killed a bear. He gave me several shot angles, went to run off/up one of the smaller bears and came back.
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I kept some video going, hung up my bow and sat on my hands so that I wouldn't shoot that bear. I told myself it was the first day, early, and that I would have more chances. When he walked away I grabbed my bow again and used language to myself that would make most blush. The family version went something like "Idiot, you have never killed a bear before and you just let a good one walk." After showing Ryan the video later he agreed that it was a potential P&Y critter. Sometimes I am not too smart...but sometimes I am lucky  :)

:saywhat:    :campfire:

So the night kept plodding along. The boar I passed left and the two young bears hung around awhile. At 9pm (last shooting light there is 10:30 pm) a nice young, fat sow came in to the bait. From the time I got to the bait until after shooting light I had bears either on the bait or near it. Total of 10 different bears came to that bait, and many of them several times. I had the pleasure of watching the sow and again video her. I noticed my battery running low, but I figured the show was getting close to being over. Boy was I wrong...

At 9:30 the sow suddenly barked and bolted as fast as she could out of sight. I immediately grabbed my Talltines Longbow. Ryan was right, I had learned something. When another bear spooks and you have the wind, something is coming.

I had no sooner stood when the biggest bear I had ever seen stopped just before the shooting lane. I'll never forget how huge it's black body was and how it's brown muzzle stood out. I right away thought "boar". The bad thing was that I was pegged...the stare down began because I shuffled my feet and made the slightest of noise. I also had hit record on my little video camera and perhaps the extra movement caught the bear's attention. I cussed myself, put my head down, and felt 2 inches tall when it turned and slowly walked away.

That low feeling lasted about 10 seconds because another LARGER bear was coming on the same path as the blackie popping it's jaws. It then dawned on me what I had...a huge sow that was obviously "in season", and her big chocolate suitor. I can't tell you what I felt. I don't have the adjectives, but I was in awe. Just like the sow he stopped short of the lane and turned to go. The two bears staged just into the thick brush and I caught a glimpse of him mounting her. As my thermacell ran out of juice and the black flies starting to naw on my flesh like the tiny carnivores that they are, the sow turned to come back in...to me, at the bait, with a longbow and a sharp arrow waiting.

THAT is exactly why I don't think I am good enough to video!    :D  

Sure am glad you were  NOW ready!!!

OH Boy.. This is gonna be good.    :bigsmyl:  

Ok, yes, I have heard it before, but it never gets old !

Brian! Can't wait for you to share your hunt. Folks you may not know this, but Brian Lance is a funny dude. Some of the things he says makes you spit soda out your nose. He's a great campmate and travel buddy...can't wait until 2012 pal   :thumbsup:  

Ok here's where it gets good...The sow gives me the perfect shot. I mean she is by far the largest animal I have ever had inside of 15 yards. She's as fat as the boar just 10 yds behind her and I have a shot. No way...not with that beast behind her with a chance of coming in.

Slowly she eases into position and starts to feed. The big boar is popping his jaws and glunking the whole time. He's got one thing on his mind and it's not oats. We walks past the sow at about 17 yards and his back end is framed by the sows large noggin and his head is behind the tree as I draw.

Sometimes I don't remember drawing down on an animal. It just happens. This time I remember everything. I picked a spot, came to anchor as the sows head popped up. The big boar stopped broadside, and I remember seeing my arrow hit just a couple of inches higher than where I wanted. I remember the growl, the dash away from what bit him, and I remember a roar, 3 short roars, telling me that my shot was where it needed to be. I was left with this. Oh yea we've seen this....
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1520.jpg)

Now I feel like i'm there with you the old pulse is just a pounding!   Awesome story and pics!!!!

I now know how this rainy day will be spent.

Checking back here feverishly.

....we are waiting.


X2 on the pulse pounding. Great read thus far!

:campfire:  

Great story.  Can't wait for the rest....

Some people yell and scream when they kill an animal and that is their way. I just remember raising my hands to the heavens, bow clutched tightly in my right hands, and feeling the wetness roll down my face. A feeling of gratitude, of fufillment, of awe...I had my moment there. I will never be ashamed of that moment, and I will hold it to me for many years to come   :campfire:

Soon after the moans and with an hour before pick-up time, I started to pack my gear. The bears weren't done with me yet. First it was the big black sow walking back from where the chocolate giant had died, then it was the smaller sow from before. As I gathered my gear and examined my arrow from the tree with my binocs a funny thing happened:

The big sow came back to the bait with ANOTHER large boar. She was very popular right now it seemed. I watched the mating ritual just into the brush and wondered if this boar now knew he was the new king?

After awhile the big boar came to the bait, spotted me, and immediately charged my tree. I remember not being prepared and bumbling with the camera and bear mace at the same time. The camera won and although he put his paws on my tree and whoofed, I never REALLY got scared...ok maybe a little. He strutted back to the bait, growling, and popping. He had a big scar down his left cheek, and I wondered if a chocolate giant had not handed down some punishment recently. I took some pics in the fading light of the would-be monarch. They are not good, but he was a large boar. Not as fat as the one I had shot, but his frame told the tale of what he is going to be.

"Scar" hung around until dark, not letting the sow come to the bait and occasionaly popping his jaws in my direction.

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At one point I wanted to get down, get out of there in the darkness to meet Ryan at the road so that he didn't walk into a mad boar on a bait. Everytime I tried to put a foot on the first step the big boar would come closer. I didn't want to ruin the bait for someone else so I waited and hoped Ryan would be ready.

Like a guy that knows his business (which he does), he showed up at 11pm with a large flashlight and got me. We pulled the stand and slipped out. When he found out I had heard the moan, he shook my hand and told me congrats. We would get the bear in the morning, away from "Scar" and the others in broad daylight. That my friends, sounded good to me  :)

Michael, whaat, whatcha all doing? Comeon baack and finish this thing...Please  :biglaugh:

I told ya'll the story was a great one.  The next batch of pictures from Mike should really get you going.

I, however, am no story teller.  At least not in writing.  I have to tell stories in person, with lots of hand gestures and exaggerated posturing.

So if you will excuse me from trying to keep up with Mike and his extraordinary tale, I will just post up a few pictures, add a few descriptions, and keep scrolling back to look at Mike's photos again and again.

Here is our cabin.  Our camp mates from Alabama, in the background (l to r) Paul, James, and Doug (the cowboy).  In the foreground, our capable guides Ryan and David.  Ryan is scratching his head wondering just-what-in-the heck he had gotten himself into with this week's crew.

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Our view from the cabin of the lake promising Northern Pike and Walleye for anyone finishing their bear hunt early or willing to invest a morning instead of sleeping in.
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Back at camp it was crazy...it seemed that 3 hunters had shot, and there were three bears most dead. One of the hunters had watched his go down in sight, and the other hunter (using a wheelie bow due to a new wrist injury and pending shoulder surgery) like me felt good about the shot. Some handshakes were made, some drinks shared, and then it was time for bed...except I never slept. Not a wink...I could hear my roomate performing his nightly ritual of chainsaw and lumberjack impersonation but that wasn't it. I NEVER sleep when an animal is left out. Call me a worry wart. Even David, the wise yound lad told me relax...with a painted arrow, a good shot and a death moan I should have  :)  

The next day, Doug, a fella from Alambama who makes some great one-piece bows got his animal back to camp, as did Paul the "other" weapon guy. Here's Doug's great looking sow:

(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1573.jpg)

While David was helping the other hunters with their bears, Ryan, Brian, and myself started at the arrow and worked a sparse but steady blood trail for about 30 yards. Along the way, in this maze-like terrain choked with large birches and head-high maples, there was plenty of bear sign.

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(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1604.jpg)

This place was loaded with bears!!! After a short while on the trail it went cold. I am a nervous nelly on a cold trail, and many bad thoughts raced through my mind. Just before I totally lost it, calmly Ryan said "I think I see him."

The motley crew already sitting around and telling tall tales about hunts of days gone by.
(l to r) James, Doug, Paul, Mike (Wapiti792)

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I can't tell you what those words meant to me. Nor can I tell you what awe there was to be near this beautiful creature. Being the guide he is, Ryan let me have my moment with the bear, as did my new friend Brian. Although "our" moment happened last night, I still became the first human to touch this bear. I stroked his mane and thanked him. This alone brings me to my emotions as I type this   :campfire:

This is the sight we walked up on:
 (http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1548.jpg)

All Ryan said was "What a bear"...coming from a guy who has killed some giants, I remember thinking what a compliment. I finally composed myself enough to have Brian snap some pics as we waited for Ryan to try and get a quad near us for loading.
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1546.jpg)
I always take a picture of the animal and my bow, to burn that memory into my soul so that when I am an old man, and can't hunt, I will scan through those photos of the real purpose of what we do...the bear and the bow.
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1543.jpg)

We managed to move the bear and clean him up for some better pics. I will just say that Brian and I are some big boys...Ryan well he's wiry  :)  It took everything we had to get this bear moved anywhere. Mission accomplished. The pics will speak for themselves...

(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1550.jpg)
*Myself and the big chocolate


(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1559.jpg)
*Bear guide and client

(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1564.jpg)
*"Big Sexy" Brian Lance and his travel pal

that is awesome. thanks for your story and pics. don

Awesome bear Mike!

Congratulations!

that is just awsome mike. That is a perdy bear for sure. I cant wait for bear meat now!   :thumbsup:

After loading the bear and returning to camp to celebrate with the other two hunters, we skinned and measured the hide. It squares 7'2" and the skull measured 20 1/4 for those that are interested. I am new to bears, but I didn't need those measurments to know he was a mature animal. I am happy beyond words, and the meat and hide are in my freezer. He will be forever a full-body mount for me to see everyday and his meat will be turned to lean protein for my family   :)  

That night I slept well, chainsaw Brian in the room or not...but not before hearing the stories of bear hunts past from Ron and the days recoveries of the two other bears. Some "elixers" were consumed and many thanks given to Ryan, David, Bee, and Ron. I will never be able to re-play this rich experience, but I am going to try next year   ;)    (http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1551.jpg)
*One last pic


Oh wait...there's more to come. We are only 50% done here. Somebody has some 'splaining to do...

Told ya...them are some awsome pics !!! Congrats again Mike.

Wapiti,that is one amazingly beautiful bear.About as pretty as one can get.Congratulations.

Great story great pics great bear Thanks and attaboy for you!

Great story and pics, thanks for taking the time to share it with us. bb

Way to go Mike!! What a great bear! Man I really need to get up there. Congrats on a fine animal!  :thumbsup:

So, after his bear killing was done, Mike enjoyed some fishing

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(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Manitoba%206_11/IMG_0839-1.jpg)


** so does Mike's gait look familiar to anyone else ??  **

(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Manitoba%206_11/patterson_bigfoot-248x300.jpg)

My first night in the woods was nothing short of amazing.   Ryan asked each hunter what they were looking for out of there hunt.  He and David then tried their best to match up each hunter with a location that would likely produce the type of shot at the type of bear the hunter was hoping for.

As Mike explained earlier, Ryan firmly believes in hunting the wind for bear.  While he admits it is not always necessary, it could mean the difference b/w success and failure when that big ol' boar comes calling.

My first night was at the stand they call "The Ladder" and latter dubbed Tall Tines after Brian Wessel took his fine bear there two weeks earlier.  This bait was being hit regularly and hard.  Ryan explained there was still lots of bear here and at least one more big one.

I told Ryan my only hope was for a nice bear, a "confidence bear", my first bear.  Ryan knew this stand would offer what I was looking for, a shot 10 yards or less and a low stand location for a flatter trajectory shot.  With the abundant pines surrounding the "Ladder" we were able to hang a Lone Wolf stand at 5 feet high and down wind of the bait.  

He told me bears typically come into the stand from the east or west paralleling the creek that ran by south of the stand.  A nice ridge north of the stand put the entire bait area on a shelf.  The wind was blowing from the north west over the bait barrel and into my nose.  Five bears visited that barrel that night.  Four approaching from the east, walking past my stand from over my right shoulder down a trail 5 yards away.  Out of my right eye my peripheral vision caught the black silhouettes and followed their sluggish approach to the barrel.  As they passed my stand their heads frequently swung my way to check out that blob in the tree that was not there before.

Being bears, I guess their hunger outweighed their skeptical memory about blobs in trees, because as long as I remained still, they kept marching on toward the barrel.  None were bad bears, none were great bears.  I knew I needed a day or two more to look around before I ended my hunt, so none of these bears were subject to my arrow flying through (or past) them.  Besides, I left my camera in the cabin that first night and who would want to shoot a bear and not have a camera with him.  That would be like taking a video camera and forgetting to press "record".  Very dissapointing.

Around 6:30pm up on the ridge I heard a good bit of rustling trees and snapping branches.  As I slowly turned my head to find any movement which might indicate a source for the sound, I saw a horse.  A real fat horse, with incredibly long and lanky legs.  Then the horse moved along the ridge to eating leaves and walking with a 6 foot stride.  When I saw a waddle hanging below the unusually long head of the horse a light bulb finally went off.  I was watching the first  wild moose I have ever seen.  Actually, I think it was the first live moose I had ever seen.  Funny how long it takes my brain to click over from what it thinks it sees to realize what it is really looking at.

The highlight of my hunt that evening was when one of the bears, with an unusually dark snout decided he had eaten enough oats and corn and he needed to find out once and for all what was hanging onto that tree over there.  As he skulked over to my stand in no hurry, I thought about the bear repellant in my right cargo pocket and my Ka-Bar hanging on my hip.  This was my first trip into the woods with the repellant but that Ka-Bar has been on my side since '87.

The bear weaved his way tree to tree smelling the sow in heat gel I dipped branch twigs in surrounding the bait barrel.  I was giving that some second thoughts at this point.  When he passed the last of the scent I could tell his full attention was fixed on the blob in the tree (me).  Closer he came.  Snout out front testing the air.  When he was directly under my stand he placed his left paw on the tree and propped his nose up under my stand to sniff my boot.  

Well I figured these were his woods and I was the visitor.  He had a right to give me a sniff or two so I let ot pass without offense.  When he appeared satisfied with his sniff, he must have thought that rubber boot smells good enough to eat so he swung his right paw up onto the platform of my stand.  Not wanting to see how much further this "scratch-and-sniff" was going to go I decided to tap the stand with my boot like someone had earlier suggested, but I guess my hackles were up a bit too and the tap turned into a stomp... on top of his paw.  When he withdrew his paw, as would any one who got a finger stepped on by a mysterious rubber smelling blob, I realized I had just tapped a bear, a wild bear, a big-enough-to-kick-my-a$$ bear.

As darkness fell on the evening three bears, I think one or two I had seen earlier, and one real small nasty little she-witch all converged on the barrel.  When three bear meet at one food source, I witnessed, $hit happens.  The two bigger bears woofed the smaller bear up a tree on the other side of the barrel (ding ding) and after a tiny spat b/w the bigger two one stayed at the barrel and one circle the area.  The little she-witch stayed up in the tree woofing and popping jaws, trying to sneak back down.  One woof from the bigger bear and up she went again.

I didn't remember a lot of what Ryan said to me before the hunt, but I remembered him saying I should stay in the stand after dark and let him come down with a light to scare off any critters and get me out.  Well after toe stomping one bear, having one circle the baits, one hanging in a tree waiting to pounce on something just out of spite, and one protecting it's food... I was happy to let Ryan feel needed and come get me.

What a beautiful beast!  I think every bear hunter has dreams of someday taking two bears.  A huge old boar, and a color phase bear.  You did both on one animal, and your first at that!  Amazing!  
Congratulations Mike, that was well done, and well told.  
Now Brian, you're up!  We need more from you.  :readit:

Mike, great story and bear. nice shooting. by the way, I like your quiver. congrats again. Don Batten

Thanks fellas!!! I am spoiled rotten with this bear  :)

Brian, that Bigfoot pic is funny. We were in his territory you know...and about that video camera, well lets face it. I suck.

Can't wait for the rest...

All I can say is:


  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    


And I am looking forward to TallTines week next year and the year after, and so on, and so on!


I am glad you guys found it to your liking    :D

Day two started off early with joining Ryan and Mike for a bear recovery adventure.  Once we got that bear  out of the woods and loaded into the truck ( a real group effort - work smarter not harder guys!) it was time to return to camp, join in some back slapping and celebrating for 3 of our 6 and then focusing on the upcoming hunt for the other half of the camp.

Ryan and Mike knew there was still big bear activity on the stand Mike just hunted but tree planters had moved into the area and we wanted to let the spot settle down before going back in there.

Ryan offered up "Elk Rub" to me.  A stand in pretty deep where some HUGE bears were known to be lurking as well as some more reasonable sized bruins including some nice colored bears.  Now I am still a novice bear hunter and was not looking for a monster to test my mettle, but the set up looked grand and Ryan said there were several bears in the area to choose from.

We set up a Lone Wolf below the existing stand which was 15 feet up the tree.  I had a nice surround of pine bough on either side of me and a nice open shot to the bait.  Again I was standing 4 ½ feet off the ground so my eye level was at about 10 feet.  The stand was about 10-11 yards off the barrel.  The set-up felt solid.  There was a solid pod of low pines to the front right, a cleared out channel of 2-3 foot brush directly behind the barrel and loose pines, aspen and poplar to the left.

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At about 6:30 I had my first visitor.  At first all I saw were dark paws and legs moving through the brush.  Again my mind was not immediately able to interpret what my eyes saw.  Then it registered that the "bear" was golden yellow, like a mailing envelope, on it's back and sides, with legs, neck and head that were dark reddish brown.  Not only was it a color phase bear, but it was a two-tone color phase.  And it was no small bear.

:thumbsup:  Nice story so far.....looks like a great time!

Congrats Mike on an awesome bear! Great story and pics!!   Next!!!  :thumbsup:

Mike, awesome bear and great story! Congrats.   :thumbsup:    :clapper:

Brian, looking good so far and great pics!

A great story and an Outstanding bear

Guys, this is awesome.  Keep the story going.

Based on the few bears I had seen on my first bear hunt last fall, and the bears the other guys had brought in that morning, I figured this bear was at least a 6 ½ footer with an 18-19 inch skull, longer than wide but in no way narrow if that makes any sense.  Ryan described the genetic of the bear up there as having more length than normal.  Our fellow camp mate who just hunted Saskatchewan for a week agreed with Ryan, describing those bears as wider rather than longer. It's coat was long and thick.  I was reminded of pictures I had seen of Musk ox.  That golden cloak hung on it like a giant fur on a fashion model.  My heart was pumping.  I will henceforth refer to the bear as "Her".

She came toward the bait exiting from the pines to the right, heading down the center channel.  About 4 yards on the other side of the barrel she stopped and starred at whatever was lurking in the tree up ahead.  My camouflage served no purpose,  she saw right through to the blushing man inside.  Her beauty and majesty  left me only wanting to look at her longer.

I am not sure of the kinetics involved but some how bears just pick up their entire front half and turn it in a new direction and head off.  That is exactly what she did, bearing 90 degrees to her left and heading back into the woods from which she came.

That same scene repeated itself two more times that evening by that same two-tone beauty.  Never coming fully into my range, never offering up a broadside, and always  leaving me wanting more.

Keep it going Brian! You are bringing back some great memories of two tone bears. "Elk Rub" is where Tyler shot his beautiful chocolate and cinnamon bear.

WOW!! Can't wait for the rest. Great bear Mike! I decided to go to the Super Bowl this year instead of hunting with Ryan, you guys are making me regret that choice   :knothead:      :banghead:

Mike congratulations that is a great bear.  To Brian you're killing with anticipation.

Congratulations Mike, that is one heck of a bear. Good story too!

Brian, for not being a "story" teller you are doing a great job. Don't stop now.

Congrats on that giant of a bear.And lets keep this story rolling im hooked.  :clapper:

As the sun began its journey to the other side of darkness, a new bear arrived on scene.  Black as midnight, and big.  Very BIG!  This bear approached from the left side of the channel and headed down that opening right to the barrel like it owned the entire world.  He re-defined the term BRUIN.

Again, stopping just short of the barrel, he too saw something he did not like, something that just did not belong in his woods.  A quick about-face and back into the cover  he went.  But unlike his counterpart he was not going to give up on getting his evening snack.  He approached closer using the trees along the corridor as a shield between him and the intruder.  Just to the left of the barrel was a small pine which he used for cover, like a jaguar hiding from it's prey.  He was hiding a measly 3 feet from the barrel, sticking his nose out under the tree, sampling the wind and licking the air for telltale signs of whatever was squatting over his repast.

Finding little scent other than the Sow-in Heat gel and Bruin Buster's tainted beaver meat aroma, he was urged forward.  With a defiant stride he entered the dining area, the killing zone, the place I was willing him to move into.

Unabashed teaser photo

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This is one heck of a hunt.

The goliath stood there, behind the barrel taking in his surroundings.  He dwarfed that 55 gallon barrel like it was a puppy's chew toy next to a English Mastiff.  His coat was a magnificent midnight black, shimmering in the twilight, glistening.  His head was perched on his massive shoulders like a boulder atop mountain.  There was no neck, just muscle, bone, sinew, and size that only comes with maturity.

Unease set in again and he bounded back into the woods, flanking the open lane and staying well protected.  Then he stopped.  It was as if he suddenly remembered He was the biggest bear in the woods.  He was not going to cower.  He was going to eat "something".

Back down the lane he came, in the open but near the protection the trees offered.  He stopped five yards behind the barrel and raised up.  On his hind legs he could now peer  into that dark pine up ahead.  He would look eye to eye at his contender.  His head was now at my chest level, his snout and horrible jaws at the level of my heart, which was beating out of my chest.  He took a long gaze, turning his head from side to side to get a different angle and better size up the Other.  The markings on the tree next to his ear were nine and ½ feet off the ground.

I told you this boy was BIG!

Sure that he held the advantage, he once again approached the barrel.  He pawed it.  He shook it with ease like a Globetrotter rolling a basketball.  Moving in front of the barrel he knelt down on all fours and nosed the opening.   I tensed the string.

This is a heck of a good story from a guy who claims he can't tell one!!
 :eek:  
I'm on the edge of my seat!

Great so far!!!

Holy cow, this sounds like a great hunt!!!

Congrats on an awesome bear Mike!!!!!


Brian, I cant wait to see yours as well. I hope my hunt in August is half as good as this one.

Congrats Mike and Brian,both stories are really good.I am glad you had a so grat hunt,keep it coming.

Don't know what your talking about Brian, you tell a great story. Keep it coming!

what a great story. congrats!!!!!   :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

The arrow released itself from the Kwik-Lok arrow holder.  The Arrow Dynamics Hammer Head which I crested and fletched begged to be thrust into flight.  It was tipped with a 200gr 1-¼ inch VPA Terminator.  The 685 grain missile had been trained to fly straight and true out of my 60" Black Widow PAX drawing 52# at 28 inches.   Now I had to do two things.  Wait for the prime shot and pick a spot.

Sensing impending doom the bruin came back up to his feet.  A glance back at it's quivering foe still watching from the tree caused alarm.  With feet firmly under him, his stance located his front foot and back foot  spaced nearly far enough apart to completely conceal the two trees adjacent to the barrel  He turned right, facing away then turned left again walking behind the barrel.  His chest stood open, vulnerable, ready for piercing.  

My arrow was lined up just behind his shoulder.  As it always does, my PAX drew by itself, without thought or focused effort and found anchor.  The projectile was off.

Don't let the big fella fool ya...he's crazy like a fox. Says he can't write then puts out a gem. Says he only shoots so-so and you don't want him shooting at your nocks. Says he can't fish and well, 2 outa 3 ain't bad   :biglaugh:  

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Speaking of shooting...this cat knows how to sling 'em. He picked up every bow and shot it like he owned it. He even picked up one of Doug's one piece bows called "Heartbreaker" and shot it well. It should have been called armbreaker....was like 80# or something.

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Did I mention that I needed to do two things.  Well the prime shot was right there in front of me.  That
monster was begging to be arrowed.  But as for picking a spot...

My bow and my arrow can deliver nothing miraculous without me doing my part.  And ladies and gentlemen, I failed to complete the arrow, bow, archer circle.  I shot at the bear.  The whole DARN bear!  And with a bear that big that leaves lot of room for error.  I only missed my target by an inch.  But missing a whole bear by one inch is vastly different from missing a single hair on the chest of beast by one inch.  

The arrow harmlessly buried itself into the dirt behind the bear.  He erupted into a frenzy of moving his bulk outta there but quick.  I cursed.  Then I was immediately glad for what I was pretty sure was a clean miss rather than a bad hit resulting from MY bad shot.  I laughed at myself.  I really did.  I screw stuff up a lot.  Enough that if I took myself too seriously I would never be able to accomplish anything. My mentor 6feathers keeps reminding me that I am on a learning curve that lasts my entire life. Those last few minutes were worth the entire price of admission.

Then... the bear decided he wasn't hurt and  wanted some payback...     :eek:  

He charged back into the bait with hair standing straight up and grunting and huffing all the way.  Picture Refrigerator Perry barreling down on you with an attitude and fire in his eyes.

The hour was late.  Darkness was eminent.  And I had a pissed off bear that knew my face.    :readit:    

He hit the brakes at the barrel.  Starring me down with mayhem in  his mind and malice in his heart, I quickly realized the memory of this experience could be the last one I ever had.  It got serious for me.  Right serious, right quick.

Ryan had another hunter to pick up at last legal light before he would come to pick up me.  Then he had a twenty minute ride back to his truck, had to load the 4 wheeler, drive twenty minutes in the truck to the trail I was on, unload the 4 wheeler, then ride almost 30 minutes to my stand.  I knew I was going to be there a while.

I decided to tell that big bear to "get the  heck  outta here" in the most authoritative voice I could muster.  He backed down a little.  I gripped my bear spray in one hand and my high powered lightning beam in the other.  A flash of light and another command sent him back peddling.  My vocabulary was fairly limited at the moment, but I could tell he understood.  He went back up the clear-cut and entered the woods on the right.  He smashed some brush, shook some trees and made some terrible grunting sounds.  Then he encountered another bear and they did not like each other very much.  I am not sure how it happened, but I think he got it handed to him and he bolted out of that pine stand, shot across the clearing and re-entered "his side" of the bait stand.

After a few more minutes another bear was coming out of the pines and standing at the barrel.  I hit it with my lightning beam and there She stood.  Her golden fleece radiating in my flash light beam.  She had reclaimed the bait barrel.  She gazed at me for a moment.  I almost sensed her giving me a wink and eyeing me a "you're welcome" and then skipped back into her woods.

The two continued working up and down their respective tree lines for the next 90minutes, closing in on each other, and me, then backing off when the lightning bolt flashed at them.

The tension was broken by the sound of a 4 wheeler approaching through the black night.  I think I hugged Ryan for a few long minutes before I could tell him my tale.  We located my arrow, right in the spot where I drove it into the Manitoba soil.  I showed him the tree the bear stood next to.  Even Ryan, the slayer of many huge bears, was impressed.  

Some might call him the bear that got away.  I will always think of him as the one that did not eat me, thanks to Her.    :notworthy:

But wait !

There is still more.  ( yah... I know, I know, get on with it)

Remember this?

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Tuesday evening the fourth hunter in camp, James, arrowed a wonderful blond bear but was unsure of his hit.  The next morning guide David, Mike, Doug and James headed off to find his prize.  After an extensive search and nearly giving up, thanks to the experience David has (well beyond his 27 years) in bear behavior and recovering wounded animals, the bear was recovered and brought back to camp for more celebration, hand shakes, and pictures.

And now there were two hunters left.

Tim, from Colorado, was a bear hunter to the bone and was slicing off dandelion heads from his perch atop the wood crib behind the cabin.  There was not a worry about him arrowing a bear when he found the one he wanted.

I, on the other hand, was still shaken up a bit from the previous night.  Doubt crept in.  My tackle was sound.  My practice shots delivered the accuracy I have been working hard at all year.  I joined Tim on top of the wood crib for some elevated shot practice.  Satisfied with the results, we headed off once more into the bear hunters nirvana that is Stickflingers' backyard.

Well, it seems the Illinois boys have struck the Canadian bear game a heavy blow....

Great going guys....  super bears.

Brian.. the widow did you proud (on the second shot)

Hey Bruce !  Good to hear from ya.  We're gonna have to stick some 3D targets soon.

Mike that was a beautiful bear.  How about we have a raffle on tradgang to send someone to Ryan's place every year so we get to read and see the great pictures from his place.  Both stories have been great.

Tracker, between the Talltines guys and Brian and I, we have it covered  :)

Here is James' bear. He made a high shot on the blondie and it took a grid search the next day to find it...but we got 'er done. James is on the right and the guide David is on the left. Hope that James chimes in with his own story.
 (http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/IMG_1611.jpg)

We kidded James and told him since we found the bear he had to carry it out. That's exactly what he did...what a beast!!!
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OK Brian...let's hear it. I know the story and want to hear it again  :)

Brian:

Yep..  I have been at Sparta all day yesterday and today with my trap team shooters.  I need to shoot some arrows....

Just finished some Woodford Res.  Was thinking of you....

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  Great bears and fine stories .... congrats all

My back hurts looking at that, great stories guys.  How much did that bear weigh?

We figure she weighed 175 or so. By-the-by, we never touched James' bear. He was the first to touch that blonde coat...he also gave me a greenlight for pics here as he doesn't post much. Hope that changes because he has a wealth of knowledge and experiences...way to go James    :thumbsup:

C'mon guys, post the specs on your equipment too! Sounds like a lot of TallTines bows up there. Will Ryan take a guy shooting a Stalker or a Zipper or a Longwalker?  :bigsmyl:  Great looking bears. So nice to have a choice.

Ok boys and girls, where was I?  Oh yes.  I'll finish her up on this post.

Ryan and I discussed possible locations.  Finding a stand with bear activity was not a problem...  they all had multiple bears hitting them and hitting them hard.  Finding one with the right set up for an east wind, with cover for my fidgety body to hide behind and still be close enough for a confident shot led us back to "The Ladder".

Ryan and I dropped Tim off at a stand we had set a trail camera on the first day.  It showed good sign.  Tim walked into the stand on the road and stopped in his tracks.  A fresh bear print in the mud was large enough to raise his experienced eyebrow.  He pointed to it and gave Ryan the "all is good" signal that he was happy with the stand choice.  He went deeper into the woods to meet his quest head on.  Ryan and I drove off to set up mine.

Once back at "the Ladder" we rechecked the wind.  It was still coming from the east, opposite of it's direction two nights previous.  A blowdown laying 5 feet in the air west of the barrel would make a nice frame to hide behind and brush up a bit.

Ryan hung the stand, once more to my desired height .  After I climbed up, we checked for and removed branches that could interfere with my bow limbs.  Ryan knocked down a small tree that was potentially in the line of fire and added heaps of brush against the blowdown to create a wall of wood that hid the hunter inside.

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Feeling confident I was ready, he coached me just enough to boost my confidence.  He reminded me of my practice that day and how I was flinging arrows right on the SPOT I was picking.  He told me once I picked a bear and determined I was going to arrow it to pick a spot, to focus on it with all of my energy, to get mad at that spot and only think of piercing that spot with my newly re-sharpened broadhead that wanted revenge for the previous night.  He checked if I needed anything else.  I wanted a practice shot.  He grabbed a chuck of wood and set it out in the spot he figured was THE spot.  My shot was good but missed by an inch to the left.   "One more" I declared.  He grabbed the arrow and handed her back.  The second shot was closer still, almost knocking the wood chip over.  He gave me the "thumbs-up", returned my arrow to me and said "ok, you're ready, this is the night Brian Lance will kill a bear".  I told him I was not going to wait around for another bruiser but going to take the first good target of opportunity that was not a cub.  I knew Ryan's camp and concession had huge bears.  Great Bears!  I did not want to kill anything so small that he would be embarrassed but he looked me square in the eye and said "this is your bear hunt, you kill the bear you want to kill and think only about that spot".  And he was off.

And there I sat, waiting for my destiny to play itself out one more time.

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I focused on the killing zone.  I focused on the chuck of wood Ryan left 3 feet away from the barrel.  And I sat still.  I sat without moving.  I sat and watched and waited.

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About 6:00pm a scent caught my nose.  Not a pleasant scent.  I thought it smelled like death.  Working in a hospital I know what that smelled like, unfortunately.  The wind swirled enough  that I could tell the smell was behind me, from where my wind was supposed to be going,  yet I was catching the back draft of a bear. My ThermaCell was confirming the wind shift.  Ever so slowly I began to turn my head, one millimeter at a time, to my right.  Before it moved even an inch, there was a huff behind me.  It was indeed a bear.

I heard it moving now, not sure of it's distance, or direction, I had to wait longer.  It was moving from my right to my left, up the hill to the ridge top.  Then I caught a glimpse of black out of my left eye and it rounded the top of the blowdown and headed back down hill toward the bait barrel.  It was not a particularly spectacular bear.  I knew that immediately.  But is was close enough!  It might be, could be, would be my confidence bear.  It looked at my position as it walked with an even, slow gait toward the barrel.  Toward the spot at which I had just shot practice arrows two hours earlier.  It began it's investigation of the barrel and the temptation it contained.  Then it stopped and turn directly toward me.  It  figured something was over there and it wanted to know what it was.  It bullied it's way  toward the blowdown without exercising any undue caution.  It stuck its head into the brush pile to gain a sniff.  It paused, its snout inches from my stand platform.  Again, folding himself in half he did an about-face and trotted back to the barrel.  I stood.

It grabbed a few morsels from the hole in the barrell without a care in the world.  It decided to once again approach the blowdown and the scenario played itself out once more.  This time as it returned to the barrel I raised up the bow and found THE SPOT.  I saw nothing  else.  The PAX found anchor itself just like it has done thousands of times over the last few months in preparation for this moment.  The spot was glowing.  I saw neither my bow hand nor my arrow.  I saw a patch of fur that needed to be opened for blood to rush through.  The arrow was off.  The blaze orange cresting,  fletching, and fur tracer appeared in it's right side then disappeared  only to be replaced with a crimson rush that could only be one thing.  Blood.

The bear leapt forward and dashed through the pines on his way to the creek bed below.  As he passed the crest of the shelf, noticing only open area below, he turned hard left to follow the shelf line to the east.  I saw a mass flash from his left side.  I was sure this had to be my fletchings hanging out the passthrough side.  Further east he dashed then hooked left once more up into much thicker cover.  Then he was gone.  The woods were silent.  I waited for the calling a bear makes as he passes into the other world, but it did not come.

I grabbed my compass and took a bearing on the last spot I had seen him.  85 degrees.  About 60-70 yards away. Up that rise.  In those thick saplings.  Remember.  Got it.  Still silence.

I had asked Ryan earlier in the week if I should track a bear if I hit it.  We agreed that I would only do that if it was still light and I heard a death moan.  Light it was, but it was silent too.   I would leave the woods, leave my bear and blood trail, and go back to Ryan's truck which was waiting a couple miles up the trail while he and his crew tried to recover a broken 4 wheeler from earlier in the week.

Before I left, I had to at least review the area of impact for any sign.  A bloody arrow, bright with arterial blood remained stuck in the dirt where once a bear had stood.  A patch of blood sprayed 5 inches wide decorating the ladder  that the bear fled past.  It was good sign to my eyes.

The walk helped my burn off the adrenaline that had me shaking.

I stuck my arrow into Ryan's ATV trailer.  There I sat.  I paced.  I waited for the sound of ATVs which came well before dark.  As Ryan pulled up, a cry escaped him.  "Brian Lance... did you kill a bear?"  I simply looked back at the arrow stuck in his trailer and said "I think so".

More adventures followed in the trailing and tracking, more bears had arrived on the scene, blood trails we figured we would walk next to forced us to crawl.  The sign disappeared.  We four, Ryan, David, Ron (Ryan's father) and I moved further along the path of the fleeing bear spread wide to find even one more speck of blood but would never see another.

As we worked our way to the spot I had last seen my bear, Ryan hollered "BEAR".  I spun around asking "where, where?"  David said "we found your bear".  Again I asked "where" and moved closer to the pair.  "Turn around" they said.  Well darn it, I had just come from there, but did as the commanded.  Not five yards from where I was looking for blood lay my bear.  Dead.  Bled out.  The VPA had struck high and left of my SPOT but still entered the boiler room, barely.  The exit hole on the left side was plugged by a 4 inch chunk of fat protruding like a giant white tick on a black coat.

I touched him.  My Bear.  My first Bear!  My confidence Bear!

Handshakes and pictures followed.


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He measured 6 feet wide and 5-½ feet long.  A 5-¾ bear.  His face was scarred from scrapping with whatever got in his way and his coat was rubbed clean of it's fur.  Probably the smallest bear taken at Stickflingers this year, and certainly the ugliest.  He was killed at 6:12pm on 6-08-11 in the Porcupine Mountains of Manitoba by Big Sexy aka Brian Lance (Bel007).

Ryan Derlago with Stickflingers, Manitoba Bowhunts delivered just what I had asked for.  He catered to what I wanted out of a bow hunt.  I will continue to be a client of his as long as he lets me come back.  See you next year Ryan, and we'll go chase that BIG son-o-gun together.

Great story telling.Congrats on your first bear  :clapper:

Congrats Brian! Great bear!  :thumbsup:

Outstanding and congratulations!!   :thumbsup:    :clapper:

Outstanding Brother!!! That story gave me chills and I was in camp with you. Right on Big Sexy, right on...

Sounds like you two had a great time. Thanks for the stories and pics.   :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

That well chosen yew and the wait for the Widow boys magic proved effective....  Congrats.

This fall I'll try and put you in a stand a bit closer to the ground.. And I thought I liked my stands low...  LOL

Congrats for sure buddy....

I've enjoyed these stories so much that I'm gonna read all this again right now!

Thanks Mike and "Big Sexy" (Brian) for supporting me as a new outfitter and trusting in me. This year has been full of making new friends and not just clients. Thanks as well for helping Stickflingers finish so strong. I've already started preparing for next year. How many sleeps till you leave??...Ryan

Brian, that's one trophy for sure. Great job  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

I have to go do this with Ryan before my heart quits or the COPD gets me...

Ryan, having been involved deeply in the commercial hunting business for a long, long time...  the comments from your clients from this years hunts bode well for your continued success in the industry...  Keep it up kid, ya got a winner.... You are doing it right !

Thanks guys.

Bruce:  Thanks again my friend.  W.R. is going down very well right now.  That yew/bubinga PAX is a fine bow for sure.

I should also mention, Tim arrowed a fine big ole boar Wed night, a P&Y blackie for sure, completing a 6 for 6 at camp.

Ryan and crew had a shorter week than they were prepared for.  And before we left camp they were back in the woods making even more preparation for next year.  These guys are making a Bear Hunting mecca up there in them woods.  Ryan will have nothing but further success  based on the business he is building and the plans he is forging.

Awesome, just awesome!

Congrats fellas!

Holy cow!  I totally forgot to send adulations to our camp mom, Bea.  She was a gem amongst a camp full of dirty old coal bear hunters.  If I thought Ryan and Ron would have let me, I would have packed her up in my duffle bag and wisked her off across the border.     :D  

Bea, bless your heart for all you did to make sure I was well taken care of at camp.  I certainly hope your cooking and care taking remains a part of Stickflingers.  

BTW, I still gained 2 pounds eating your great cooking even though we both tried hard not to let that happen.  Can you imagine what the result would be had I not shown a bit of restraint?  Right Mike?   :p

Great Bears..!!... Great Stories..!!

  Congrats all around, thanks for sharing your adventure.

great story guys!

Wonderful stories and pics.  Congrats to all.

Thanks for sharing and congrats on the fine bears.  I plan on being back in camp, sitting in a tree approximately 365 days from now.

You know, after reading all these great stories, I feel shortchanged on my Stickflingers bear hunt.

We got no Bee!  

Now Ron was a fine camp cook and all around great guy, but I have a feeling he will be dusting off his guide's license to be the head trail camera guru    ;) .  Sign that gal up for the FULL season next year Reehahn!

I think it is only about 358 days before we are pointing Northwest    :thumbsup:   I have been looking forward to it since I climbed out of that last cold wet stand.

Beautiful bears guys.  Ol' Chimaster is going to need therapy when he sees that blondie.  That is gorgeous!

Brian Lance, when you're on vacation and Ms Bee cooks like that, restraint goes out the window. On my mountain hunts my wife tells me I am skinny when I come home. This time she noticed the opposite  :)

Talltines, I got you by 6 days. 358 and a wake-up  ;)

Steve you missed out for sure!!! Ron is a great guy and a world of bear knowledge, but he doesn't make dumplins' like Ms Bee  :)  I think us clients need to make sure Ms Bee is included all 3 weeks next year, or at least the second week  ;)

fantastic simply fantastic can't wait till its my turn in 2012.

Congratulations to you fine bear hunters! It is plain to see this was an exceptional camp and great quality animals.

Amazing hunt guys. thanks for sharing!

Bea's on board for all the weeks next year!!!!

Congratulations to you guys! Great stories and pictures!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Big Sexy?  Good storyteller?  You make that bear look like Halle Berry reading me Goodnight Moon.  

Nice job guys.
homebru

I really enjoyed this one guys, congrats on the bears.

Outstanding hunt guys!!!!!  Congrats to everyone!!

Fantastic hunt, and some great bears, but the story telling is what makes this one shine!  That is some of the finest writing I've seen around here in awhile.  I know that writing and photos like that take a lot of work.  Great job to both of you, and thanks for the time and effort you put into taking us all along for the ride!  What a treat it was!

Great stories fellas, you really came through with a pair of winners...congrats on the fine trophies.

Thanks for sharing the great stories and congrats on some really nice bears.

Congrats to everyone who got their bear this week, Thanks for the great story telling you used to share your hunt. Sounds like everyone had an awesome hunt. These stories and pictures were exactly what I was expecting from Ryan's camp. Good job everyone.

THANKS MEN for shareing your Hunt,and takeing the time to process it all for us to enjoy,these are the things that make Trad Gang special.

The whole crew told a great story and shared great pics. Congrats guys.......Scott

Thanks Guys for taking us along! Great storys and pics and congrats on some fine bears!  :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

Nothing short of

AWESOME!

truly in awe of the stories, hunts, and operation.

" . . . I saw a patch of fur that needed to be opened for blood to rush through."  Love that line!

Awesome hunts!

Congrats to everyone involved!!

Great story telling all around.....makes a guy want to start bear hunting.

 :clapper:

Great tales and Congrats to all involved.  A grand hunt for sure!

Brian, you are my new hero!  Great story telling and even better integrity.  We all know that mmmm.. mmm... missing is part of traditional bowhunting but some choose to leave that part out of the story. It is a disservice to the young and new traditional bowhunters to only hear about the successful hunts. We are so used to seeing the sterilized hunting shows that it appears bowhunting or even traditional bowhunting is easy. It is NOT easy.  It takes tons of practice and commitment and even then things sometimes don't go right. Your story actually helped my daughter a bit with her struggles in overcoming her loss of a bear that was hit nearly perfectly. She worked very hard, held herself together amazingly, and even placed her arrow in the spot she was looking, but the end result was not how most videos or TV shows portray it. She lost the bear and was devestated. It is good for her and other young hunters to see that experienced and great hunters don't always have a perfect ending.

Thank you so much for your integrity and self-confidence in sharing your miss AND your success. Congratulations.

Great bear Brian!! Congrats!!

Great stories and pics  :)
Congrats and thanks for sharing!

Margly

GREAT stuff guys !!!

Outstanding all around!  Congrats on a great hunt fellas!!!!     :notworthy:

congrats!  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

That's great story telling on both counts.Congrats to both of you.

:clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

Great adventures and stories. Congrats.

Awesome stories and bears!!!

Congrats to all hunters! Wish I had been there with you! Sounds like a great experience.

Wow, what a fantastic adventure. Congrats guys and thanks.

TJ

Thank you for the stories and sharing your hunt... took me back to my first and only Bear  :)  

Congratulations Mike and Brian, fantastic hunt!!!!

Great work Ryan, Wow, I love this stuff  :)

Well done guys!

What a ride gentlemen!  Great stories, and even better photos.  Thanks for sharing.  I just gotta do a bear hunt someday!

The stories and the pictures were great! I've never really given a bear hunt serious consideration but after reading this it's going on my list for sure!

Great stories and great bears!  Love that chocolate one.  Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

Congrats again Mike, and congrats to you as well Brian. What great stories and animals alike!!

Simply fantastic stories and some equally fantastic pictures.

Sincere congrats to everyone, and thanks so much for sharing the whole thing!

WOW!!!  :campfire:

Now that's how you tell huntin stories!! Congratulations on the fine bears guys!

  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Charlie, learned from the best   :campfire:  Thanks for reading our little tale   :archer2:

Nice new avatar Mike!

Very cool stories and pictures!!! Congrats to all of the hunters and to Ryan for running such an awesome bear camp!  :thumbsup:

Just starting to get settled in from Compton and got to read this Brian...awesome story and great bear!  

If your ears were burning it's because John and I were sitting by a Compton fire about Thursday night wondering how you were doing!

Hey Ryan, can you get your guys to compile a list of the bows/arrows and broadheads they used this year. Would be neat to see what these veteran bear hunters were using and compare it with the other bear hunters. A guy contemplating a hunt in the future might have some good info to help make choices. Just an idea. Great seeing the size and color phase available in your area. How big is your concession and how long do you expect it to be this good?

Tyler's Bear Setup
57# Monte Dunaway 3-Piece Recurve
2117 Easton With 125 Gr Wensel Woodsman

Thanks Terry  :thumbsup:

Mine was Talltines longbow 52 at 28 drawing to 29.5 w a Trad Only 300, 50 gr insert, 160 gr Ace Standard w a 75 gr insert, 650 gr total and a 31 inch arrow.Wew, that's a mouthfull  :)

Wow what a bear, Congratulations!!!

QuoteOriginally posted by wapiti792:
I still became the first human to touch this bear. I stroked his mane and thanked him. This alone brings me to my emotions as I type this   .

I know this feeling, Mike.    :notworthy:  Great story   :campfire:

Anyone who knows Mike knows he doesn't just type this stuff...he is this stuff!!! Can't wait to have him in camp again!!

Another look at the Sponsor of the Week.

Rookies...yeah right!     :thumbsup:

Yup It's Talltines Sponsor week and there was a bear harmed in the making of this thread with a Talltines  :)

great bears and great stories guys!  I shot a nice one in alberta this spring,  cant wait to get the full body mount back from the taxidermist the end of feb.  You guys both missed your calling, you could tag team as outdoor writers!  thanks for the hunt a long!

119 more days and I am back in STICKFLINGERS paradise.

Tic Toc.. tic toc..

Color me JEALOUS   :rolleyes:

This is driving me crazy!! I am going to hunt with Ryan in 2013 and reading this again is making the wait even harder.  Whoever goes this year needs to tell us all about it.  474 days (I think)and counting.......

excellent storys great job.

Tic, tock...gonna miss my hunt this year with Ryan to chase Osceola turkies and take my kids to see a rip-off of a giant mouse. I gotta wait 15 months to go back but I still got memories and a bear mount I still gotta pay for. Thanks Ry  :)

Yeah Mike....sorry about putting you on that big chocolate and costing you all that taxidermy dollars! 4 footer rubbed blackie for next year?? Wish you were coming up buddy....Ry

Don't be sorry Ryan, you just ruined Mike for life  :thumbsup:  Mike I know that mouse will go B&C  :)

You got that right Steadman! He done ruined me...when the taxidermy feller had to get into the grizzly forms for my bears noggin I knew I needed a reverse morgage or a 3rd job  :)  

That dang Manitoba Stickflinger and his 7 foot punkin' headed bears   :goldtooth:  Ry I am going for a Steve O polar grizz, 7 footer, on camera, with a wood arra I made myself. How's that for a goal? My wife would love another bear for her living room...honest   :p

QuoteOriginally posted by steadman:
. . . . Mike I know that mouse will go B&C     :)    

I just imagined the looks on my kids' faces at the sight of a hero pic with the giant mouse.  That would no doubt scar them for life.     :laughing:

Mike...you forgot "from ground level"!

If Mike falls out of a tree and no-one is around to hear....does it make a noise???

I forgot about that Ry. You better keep him on the ground   :)  I am really looking forward to the pics and stories this year as no one I know drew a tag this year. Man I miss baiting and hunting bear. You need any help Ry?  :)

Gonna hang my Lone Wolf 7 foot off the ground. Any bear not eye-level with my little piggies will get a pass...and if I fall it wouldn't be so bad. Been there, done that, got the T shirt  :)  

I too can't wait for the stories from Ry's camp. All kidding aside, he is the hardest working hunter/guide I know. You can't bottle his energy or it'd be illegal. Just got my next big idea for millions...Stickflinger's energy drink. A booner bear in every bottle   :archer2:

QuoteOriginally posted by Manitoba Stickflinger:
Mike...you forgot "from ground level"!

If Mike falls out of a tree and no-one is around to hear....does it make a noise???

:laughing:  

Oh you went there, eh?  Im proud of ya Ryan.  Never let someone's injury stop ya from poking a little fun.  Laughter  IS  the best medicine.

At least when Mike gets injured and decides to go lefty and sell all his pretty bows... he calls me first.   :D  

BTW, when he switches back to righty... he calls me even quicker.  

Sad but true BS, sad but true...I am just glad you felt enough pity to keep my favorite bow for me to buy back. Having a friend with deep pockets is a good thing, eh?

It is gonna kill me knowing you're making the drive to Ryanland without me this spring. Try to kill a bear that is not the ugliest in camp this time will you   :p

And Mike strikes back to Big Sexy...who's dishing it out next!

You're right Mike about deep pockets, but more than that it's BS's insane Trad bow addiction that makes him even more love-able. He's bringing up a truckload for me to shoot this year. Sorry you won't be there to test drive them all and watch BS put one to good use.

We have to talk more about marketing that energy drink! LOL...Ry

The first time I met BS his wife was there and got asked "How many bows do YOU own?" by Mrs. BS. When I told her 3 she rolled her eyes and said "Is that all?" I kinda figured she was married to a bow addict, then I got a tour of the "bow room" by BS. It dawned on me that the Fred Bear museum ain't got nothin' on Big Sexy  :)

I am just thankful to have him as a friend...otherwise I'd be bow-less right now! I made up for it last week by feeding him my last piece of elk backstrap   :archer:

That was the first elk I have ever eaten and I must say Mike did a fine job cooking that backstrap.  But Mike has a sheep hunt on the horizon and I have not yet tried wild sheep either.  :readit:  

Ryan, we'll have to talk and figure out what I am gonna bring up to play with.  I started thinking that if I bring up too many, your ever vigilant border folks may climb further up my alimentary canal   :eek:  figuring I was going into the bow selling business.

I can tell you, the finest meal you will ever eat is sheep ribs cooked over an alder fire at the base of the mountain.  You have worked so hard, you literally lick your fingers to get all the fat and juices off, every last drip!

Make sure to take a packet of dry Terriaki marinade along in your pack for good luck (now I know why I did not get my Bighorn    :knothead: ). The second best meal I have ever eaten was the tenderloins I was able to cut up and put in the baggie before I collapsed in the tent.  GREAT with a side of mac&cheese in fly camp!

Congrats Mike! What a bear! Awesome story,too.

Jim, thanks! In less than 10 days I will be on Florida time hunting Osceolas with you. Simply can't wait my friend   :readit:  

BS, you're welcome at my table for any ungulate (or fowl for that matter) whose flesh I am preparing   :archer: