kidso Report post Posted June 17, 2014 A Trick of Fate A week before my hunt, Lonnie was up checking my game cams in unit 23 and excitedly reported that a solitary bear had posed for a picture a few weeks earlier. He asked me what I thought about its size and I commented that it was pretty small and that I wouldnt shoot it if it came in while I was sitting water. He pushed me a bit more on this issue and I prophetically added that the only way I would ever shoot a bear that size would be if it came in during one of my predator calling stands. Little did I know that fate was listening to our conversation that day and marking my words for future reference. The next week passed as slowly as molasses drizzling off a stack of sweetcakes, but eventually Sunday afternoon arrived and I prepared to leave on my bear hunt. I was just about finished packing my Jeep when my wife said she had a bad feeling about me leaving on the Sabbath, so I told her I would wait until Monday in order to keep the Lords Day holy. Monday, at 1:00 AM my alarm clock screamed directly into my ear, and thirty minutes later, I was rolling down the highway towards my date with destiny. At 4:00 AM, I was stalking quietly into my naturally-built ground blind 50 yards away from one of my favorite bear spots. Not that I had ever tagged a bear over this or any other water source, it simply was a great spot based on the accumulation of trail cam evidence it produced. While sitting water, my patience usually runs short after an hour or two, and the caller in me reluctantly slunks away to start blaring away into nearby canyons. By 5:30 AM, my internal nemesis achieved his victory and I optimistically left the blind to begin my bear calling spree. Ten long, hot, grueling stands later, I found myself plodding back to re-enter my blind to sit water once again for the final two hours of daylight. At 7:47 PM, I heard a branch break out in the distance. My heart began pounding like a herd of stampeding buffalo as I soon heard a second stick crack in half. I reached down and picked my bow up and accidentally bumped one of its limbs against a rock. This greenhorn move produced a loud scraping sound that shattered the silence and halted the movement of whatever creature was lurking just beyond my eyesight. I shed a tear. At 8:05 PM, the dry oak leaves littering the forest floor around my blind began to crunch under the weight of a moving beast. Redemption? Was I being given a second chance for my foolish error? A few moments later my eyes spotted the moving limbs of a whitetail deer approaching the tank to water. After that, the surrounding area once again become quiet and then menacingly dark. Very dark. I returned to my Jeep somewhat dejected and hoped that the morrow would provide me with better luck. Tuesday morning found me once again sitting my favorite water hole from 4:00 to 6:00 AM. Other than the fact that I was able to observe a few turkeys drinking it up, the sitting-water-hunt-mode was pretty much uneventful. I soon made my predictable escape and began calling some nearby areas. The first 60 minute stand I called proved to be fruitless, as was the second. I was becoming increasingly fearful of repeating the same long, drawn out calling sequence I had experienced the day before and decided to go and check on a broken trick tank in the area to see if it had been fixed. On the hike over, I cut through a canyon I had called four or five times in the past three years without success, and decided to make stand number three for the day in that yet unproven location. I planted myself on the forest floor and began calling into this small canyon with high pitched squeaks and squeals on one of my no name open-reed calls. I had been shrilling away for some 15 minutes when a chocolate colored creature emerged out of a wrinkle in the canyon topography with deliberate and targeted pacing in my direction. It was coming directly at me from a slightly higher elevation, so all I could make out in that instant was a head with a pair of ears, which I knew belonged to a hungry bear! As fast as a lightning strike during a monsoon storm, I raised my rangefinder and clicked the disappearing brownish head at a distance of 50 yards. Scanning in front of the creature, I spotted a clearing in the trees at 22 yards where I figured I could make a clean shot. I quickly moved my single pin slider sight to just above 20 yards and let out another pitiful squeal. The bear immediately took off with a trot and closed to that anticipated distance in just a matter of seconds! My adrenalin was now operating in overdrive as I lifted my bow from off of my lap. The bear saw the movement and stopped in his tracks. I looked down at my right hand so I could attach my wrist release to the D-loop on my string and saw that my release was still folded back on itself in the unoperable position! (If anyone shoots with a Tru-Fire Hardcore Release, you know exactly what I am talking about.) It was then that time seemed to move in microseconds that lasted for an eternity. First, I lowered my bow back down on my lap. Next, I used my left hand to fold open my wrist release. Then, I attached the release to my D-loop. After that, I lifted my bow up. Finally, I drew back to my anchor point, which I am not even sure if I found in all the excitement, and prayed that I would still be able to see the bear through my peep sight and that he had not spooked and exited stage left already! As I pressed on my arrow release lever, the bear was turning to flee and my Easton Axis 400 skimmed across his face before pounding its way through a shoulder and lung. The bear turned his head and snapped off the half of the arrow that was protruding from its body and thundered away into the canyon. I stood there shaking in amazement and drinking up the incredible series of events that has just unfolded before me. What an incredible experience!! After waiting a painstakingly long hour-and-a half, I began tracking the bear from the sight of impact. It left a difficult trail to decipher, as any blood sign was nearly nonexistent and comprised of little more than a few scattered scarlet dots the size of pin heads. Fortunately, I had carefully observed the bears trajectory after his impaling and methodically stalked through the woods in that general direction while scrutinizing the terrain before me. After migrating 150 yards, over a 30 minute time frame as Sherlock Holmes, I let out a sigh of relief as I finally spotted the chocolate treasure that would soon be marrying my 2014 archery bear tag! Fate had definitely interacted with me, for the brown boar was definitely a young juvenile and smaller than I had judged it to be in the few seconds that I was able to view it, but I was assuredly grateful to now categorize him as MINE! We were now coming home together, my newest trophy and I. Postscript Note: This bear measured 4'-4" which was 2 inches longer than my cinnamon bear I shot three years ago, making it my second smallest bear harvested and second juvenile overall. However, I also have three adult bears under my belt, so its not just the small ones that respond to calling, the big boys do too. I chose NOT to cuddle up to this bear since it was a male; I save that maneuver for the females! 16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Congratulations Keith! Great write up. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Another one bites the dust!!!! Let's see those pics kidso, I am beyond jealous Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critter Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Great job Keith! Obviously we are awaiting the pics. Persistence pays off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky Draw Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Congrats! Thanks for sharing the story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
out2hunt Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Awesome write up! I felt like I was there with you!! Kudos on your new trophy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SWDesertRat Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Excellent read Keith! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Curiously wondering what bear cuddling selfie you'll be posting this year.. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
5guyshunting Report post Posted June 17, 2014 I think you should be an author and a hunter. Maybe you are? Great story! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Yes!!!!! So excited for you! Fantastic write up, as usual! Let's see some pics! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Great story thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Congrats Keith you are a machine! I like others am looking forward to seeing a well posed couples photo. . . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lonne Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Awesome Keith !!! Way to go...I echo you are also a bear hunting machine, there is no doubt. You deserved that bear and worked harder for it than almost anyone. You really do make it sound easy, but I also know you took it easy the day we went out b/c of my surgery and you still put in darn near easy 10 miles of boots and ground pounding. Any careful study will see you didn't sleep much. That bear has a nice pretty coat! I'm amazed you found it with almost no blood trail, although you definitely gave it good reason to bleed. You've definitely got great calling ability having been lucky enough to hear your despaired screeching first hand. Oh, and yes, I was hoping for a Bear Hunting Magazine cover photo spread of you laying next to that bear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camoremi Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Wow that was an amazing right up. That is a huge accomplishment because I can barely read anything without getting bored, I felt as if I was their with you. I also shoot the tru fire hardcore, I use my belt to fold it out one handed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Excellent write up and congrats on another successful bear hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camoremi Report post Posted June 17, 2014 Sweet beard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
