Here is my report on my hunt up in Maine. My first day of hunting started on Monday the 31st. I got to stand about 1:45 PM I was given details about some of the bear coming to the sight and was all set up and ready to go.
Very quit and nice day, around 65 degrees. As the day went on nothing happened at all, at 5:07 PM I see a set of black ears moving from way behind the bait site. I turn my video camera on and push the record button. I am looking through the 8 inch hole in the blind cloth, I watch the bear moving around very cautiously behind the bait site. After about 5 minutes, I look at the video camera and notice it was in the standby mode, I had not recorded anything, I must not of pushed the record button hard enough.
I now push the record button once again, and this time make sure it is recording. The bear is still behind the bait reluctant to come in. I pick up my bow and get ready for the bear. After about 2 minutes the bear comes around the bait and sneaks in as takes a meat scrap, and walks back in the woods on the left side of the bait sight.
A few moments later he returns to the bait and I come to full draw. As the bear is standing there slightly quartering away I decide to release the arrow, at the time I released the arrow the bear turns and the arrow hits the bear far back. I thought it was a good shot, and I waited in the blind and listened to here the direction the bear went. I did not hear a death moan. I sat back and replayed the video and I watched it in slow motion, that is when I discovered the bear was hit far back. It takes only one second on the video to hear the release of the arrow until the bear is off the screen. It happened so fast.That bear was well over 300 lb.
I called in the outfitter and we did a search of the area for blood, none was found, we search the area and trails for any sign and nothing was found. We searched for over 2 hours and decided to move back and come back the next day to check it out in the daylight. We searched for another 3 hours the next day with 5 people in a grid search and came up empty handed. I was sick to my stomach, I had made a bad shot on the bear and felt terrible. I did not hunt that night. As a matter of fact, I was contemplating not hunting any more on this trip. I was disappointed in the shot I had made.
On Wednesday Pete the guide and one of his helpers came to my cabin, and we had a discussion and they convinced me to hunt that night. I was put into a different area. I sat in the blind and the thought of that shot haunted me all day. At 6:15 PM I seen a bear coming into the bait. I turned on the video and started recording. The bear once again came in very cautious, and came around the bait from the right side. The bear knew something was not right and only offered me a straight on shot, I did not even think about shooing this bear with such a shot. I thought the bear would settle down and start eating, but the bear just turned away and walked off, never to return that night. It was a very large 400 lb plus sow. I had the whole thing on video. I showed Pete and the others in camp and they all said that was a huge bear.
Well I spoke with Pete and told him I had lost all confidence in my bow, and I doubted I would hunt with a bow again. Not because I am a bad shot, but more I did not have the patient to wait for the perfect shot. Once again the next day Pete showed up and we talked about the first day hunt and to try to get it out of my head. So that night the Marlin 45-70 went with me to the blind and I decided I needed to get my head back into the game.
At 6:16 PM I see movement from the same direction I had seen the night before. I turn on the video camera and start filming, I get the gun on the shooting stick and wait for the bear to come into the sight. As the bear steps out, I am thinking it is the same big bear that came out the night before and I hold the sights on an open area and wait for the bear to clear the log pile. As soon as I see the bear clear the log pile, I find the shoulder and I pull the trigger, the bear rolls up and flaps around and lands lest than 5 years form the bait sight. I wait and watch the bear and he lets out the death moan 5 times. I wait about 2 minutes and start to walked over to the downed bear. When I get to it, it was not the big bear I had seen the night before, it was a smaller bear. I called Pete on the radio and told him I had a bear down. We took some pictures and loaded up the bear and went to get the other hunters out of the woods. We checked in the bear and weighted the bear, a whopping 130 Lb.
Am I disappointed in the size of the bear, sure I am. But I had 2 opportunities at a 300 plus and a 400 plus.
But I learned a big lesson on this bear hunt. If you are going to bear hunt with a bow, you better be able to wait for the perfect shot, don't try to force a shot on make a shot happen.
Once again I am very happy with the work Pete Koch of Wild country outfitters did. I have booked once again with him for next year.
I also met Steve AKA six_gunz and his son little Steve, great guys.
I am waiting for the Outfitter to send me Pictures, I only have the video of my hunt.
