Bears in the Mastigouche with Jerry Russell

[Blueridge]

Bear hunting over bait is fun! I recently returned from a hunt with Russell Outdoor Guides and let me say it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had. Hunted with some fellow tradgangers and met some new guys as well.

 The Mastigouche is a beautiful place and contains a variety of wildlife and more importantly a healthy population of Black bears. My hunt was a short one and I have never been known for patience.

 Jerry dropped me off at around 4:30pm ,made sure I was in the stand ok and left,I would not see him again until after 11pm. About 10 minutes later I hear what could be described as a deep throated hiss , I slowly turned my head and saw a bear standing up glaring at me from about 4 steps away.  The bear then dropped and came to bait, I started breathing again about a minute later.  The bear looked fat, rich black coat and ears kind of out to side, not ever hunting over bait I spent 2 plus hours trying decide if this was a boar or sow and how big it might be.

 Every now and then the bear would look at me as if to say "are you behaving yourself ?" The bear would leave and come back and squirrels and hares would sneak in to grab a quick mouthful.all of a sudden the bushes and small trees started shaking,teeth were popping ,there was snarling and hissing. Another bear exploded out of the brush on my right and glanced off the rungs of the ladder stand I was in.

 I had my Widow PLX hung on a massive spruce tree and I heard claws lock on to the this tree, I said to myself "this is not good!" Then here comes this bear up the tree and I reached for the first weapon I saw which was my orange vest. Every thing seemed to be in slow motion as I towel whipped the bear in the face 3 times.

 I can still see the first shot hit the bear right between the eyes like a well placed center punch in the bullseye. The bear then just let go , like a skydiver falling out of a plane. I have no idea where that bear went as it disappeared into the brush below. I am really keyed up at this point and was proud of myself for not yelling out loud.

 About 8:30 the bear charged up a little rise and there were sounds of a serious bear fight that went on for almost 10 minutes. I had had a full 2-3 days of excitement in the few hours I had been on stand and had decided that the bear that comes back to the bait is the winner and dominant bear.

 The same bear I had watched all afternoon appeared and when it was 7 yards from me broadside the trigger in my head got pulled. Widow in hand I reach full draw, concentrate on the spot, release! I promptly shot right over the bear's back by less than an inch.The bear spun around ,went by the barrel between 2 trees, I don't remember getting another arrow on the string nor do I remember hitting anchor, all I saw was my white nock disappear right where it should in the slightly quartering away bear.

 There was a mad dash , limbs breaking and then deathly silence followed by the mournful sounding death moan which I have heard once before in the North Ga. Mountains. I smiled knowing that the shot was a good one and the track would be short.

 The Boar showed up right then , the one she had kept from the bait. A larger bear but I was well pleased with how my hunt had turned out ,my main goals being the experience of bears over bait and making the shot.

 My bear turned out to be a mature sow with a nice noggin, Jerry estimated her to be well over 10 years old, she had scars and had broken bone sticking out of her foreleg a very old injury.

 Jerry runs a great camp, the bait sites are well thought out and clean of junk and trash. The cabins are rustic ,dry and warm. The scenery is beautiful and trad bow guys are the best. It was quite an adventure for me and I plan on going back next year for Bears in Mastigouche.



view from our cabin


Evan rebaiting



My go-to Widow PLX



The bear I would eventually take.



Jerry , Evan and Bear the blood trailing dog, he was a lot of fun.







Jerry skinning my bear.

I would spend the rest of the hunt helping Jerry run baits which was a blast in itself and listening the exciting stories from my new found friends. Bear camp is a great time.

[Hermon]

Congratulations,  nice bear!

[wapiti792]

Attaboy!!! Congrats once again. Beautiful bear and outstanding story telling. See you next year!

[Blueridge]

I plan on being there Mike!!

[Mudd]

[Bernie B.]

That's great!  Congratulations!  Sounds like a very well run outfit.    

Bernie

I had my first bear in my tree episode this year too. It is intense, to say the least!

Congrats on your bear!

Bisch

[Cmane07]

Way to go man! I don't know if I could have kept from yelling with a bear that close ha way to go!

[Blueridge]

A few more pic's.


Chow time and camp was getting full with new hunters arriving




Jerry herding grouse and chicks out of the road. He would be bluff- charged 3 times by Grouse.


little buddy


Jerry beating a hasty retreat.


Our cabin Pekan.

[Bobby Urban]

Bear hunting is fun and you got your moneys worth for sure!!  Congrats on the excitement and getting your bear.

[AR RidgeRunner]

Congrats, nice bear and an exciting hunt!
No that's the way to tell a hunting story. Plenty of detail, great pics and you didn't make all us poor guys that couldn't bear hunt this spring read through 2 days worth of tidbits to get to the details.
Jerry's camp is definitely on my list!

[NBK]

Very cool!  Thanks for sharing, especially the camp pics which often times is some of the best parts of a hunt.

[T-Bowhunter]

Congrats!

[cmh]

Congrats on a fine black bear  

[Mud_Slide_Slim]

Congrats on an excellent hunt!  Need to add to my bucket list...

[Caughtandhobble]

Awesome!!!

[knobby]

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your hunt with us.

[RIVERWOLF]

.........Congratulations on a fine animal !

Looks and sounds like you had a great time .

Now ,,,, did ya test that lake for fish ?  

[Blueridge]

Brought my tackle but was having such a good time running baits etc I didn't take the time. The reserve rents the lakes and limit the number of people , max 4 I think. We had 2 1/2 days of rain , so maybe next time.  Jerry did see some guys with a long string of Brookies though. Lakes were booked most of the time and I did cast a few in the river.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Thats pretty neat. Nice bear , cool hunt!