posted on October 23, 2009 00:48
Greetings Daniel – It’s been a while since my last e-mail, but I just returned from my first ever black bear hunt in Canada and what a blast it was! I started working on this trip after meeting Jeff and Annette Smith of Kutawagan Outfitters at the Richmond, Virginia hunting show last August. You know, we all talk about maybe getting our wives involved in the sport we love....well, let me tell you, when I mentioned to my bride about going bear hunting with me she turned her nose up. But when I mentioned a casino close by....ha,ha.....it was a done deal! We booked with Jeff and Annette and planned all year for this hunt. Once we got there we found the temperatures were lower the 2nd week of May than we thought and even got snow showers one evening. Now, that may sound bad but there were no bugs! I had planned for a multitude of conditions so I was prepared as I started my hunt. Two days of sitting baits and seeing nothing was the result of weather I think so when it changed I was wrapped up in bears! Sat one entire evening and just ran the video camera. My dream for this first hunt was a respectable boar and honestly had real problems figuring out the males from the females. Jeff could tell at a glance, so doing the video and reviewing it at night was a real plus. I had my eye on this light brown color phase bear from the previous nights filming and Jeff verified that he thought it was a boar. With that assurance, I went back to the same stand the next evening with the hopes that he would show up again. Sure enough, after a couple hours of sit ting he materialized from nowhere at the baits. After I got through with the shakes and settled the crosshairs of the Phantom CLS, he gave me the shot and the rest is in the picture! Not a giant, just over 17 inches, but he is my first and I am so excited and proud to take him. The shot was 21 yards, 100 grain Slick Trick, Pro-Elite carbon arrow equipped with Tracer nocks. I studied long and hard at the anatomy of bears to ensure I knew the exact spot to place the arrow and it proved the right thing to do as the bear was down within 25 yards of the stand when it was all over! Thanks to Randy Wood and the TenPoint crew for excellent equipment as I upgraded to a Phantom CLS prior to this trip, it exceeded my expectations (as TenPoint normally does). Jeff and Annette Smith were exceptional hosts for this hunt. They made us feel just like we were one of the family, great lodging at Bear Paw Lodge, Jeff worked hard to get me on bears, wonderful meals prepared by Annette and just an all around great time was had by all. If you want to contact them about a hunt, you should check out their website. Good Luck, Shoot Straight. Howard (Skip) Halfacre - VA