It’s the First Week of Bear Camp…and what could be better than that?
Reader Note: More stories, guide input, and photos will be posted next week under “Bear Hunting”
Mike Hart made a perfect shot on his first bear after 10 hours on stand.
What can be better than a life-long friend and first time bear hunter who has been writing an ongoing diary for On Wisconsin Outdoors scoring with a bow in the Lake Superior Camp of Northern Wisconsin Outfitters? But that is not all Mike Hart of Dousman did. After heeding a warning that bad winds might blow his ambush and send bears running forever, Mike sat out opening day before dropping an approximate 200 pound boar after 10 hours on stand with a perfect hit from the muzzy head. The bear, beautifully marked with a white “V” on its chest, was basically dead on its feet with the hit and never made it 40 yards.
“It was awesome,” Mike said after coming up to help Guide’s assistant Mike Foss bait and become acclimated to his stand early in the summer, and again the day before the opener. “I let a smaller bear pass on the bait pile early in the day and didn’t see another bear until I took the shot. I thought he was down, but it was a little tense coming out. I had a couple more bears around.”
Read the full Hart story in the November-December issue of On Wisconsin Outdoors.
Bryan Bergmann makes quick work of a big sow on his first hunt.
So what could be better than that? Well, how about helping Bryan Bergmann, by coincidence also a graduate of my alma mater of New Berlin West, recover his first bear on his first hunt? The 215 pound sow was also hit perfectly with Bergmann’s Forge Ventilator bow. The most impressive aspect to Bryan’s hunt was finding him far back near his stand, tracking back to the stand, and listening as he told Guide assistant Mike Foss where he thought he had hit the bear, where it went, what he heard, and even where he believed it would be found dead. The scenario played out exactly as Bryan thought, with Hawk-eye Hart helping to spot the blood trail along the way. The bear went 100 yards, and as Foss said, “She was dead 30 seconds after the hit.”
So what could be better than that? Well, how about listening to first time bear hunter Ross Phillips of Cambria retell his story after dropping a 250 pound boar? Like Hart and several other hunters in camp, Phillips listened to the guides’ advice against taking a stand on day one due to that unexpected wind direction and a too real chance of that breeze literally blowing the hunter’s cover to a bear’s uncanny sense of smell. Instead, Ross was on stand with his 300 mag bought just for his hunt at 9:00 am, with the nice bear coming in as quiet as a ghost at 11:45 am. The hit was in the vitals and the bear traveled just 25 yards. Ross didn’t see the bear fall due to the terrain but was confident he knew the end of the story. Northern Wisconsin Outfitters Owner Robert Haas made quick work of the recovery.
First time bear hunter Ross Phillips scores with Northern Wisconsin Outfitters.
“I thought camp was great,” Ross said. “Rob wanted me to be successful, you could tell that. I’m glad he came out to help recover the bear. He knew this was a big deal, and he was thrilled for me.”
So what could be better than that? Well, how about shooting the bull in camp with first time bear hunter Kevin Zwiers of Little Chute after he shot his bear at 7:10 p.m. with a 300 ultra-mag after an all-day sit? Zwiers came up two weeks prior to the season to bait all day over much of this beautiful Bayfield County back country, and felt the awesome nature of what the bear hunt with this camp was all about. Kevin saw the bear coming out of a ravine behind him after noting from his stand the padded path to the bait leading right below his tree.
After going eye to eye with his bear beautifully marked, Kevin Zwiers makes the opportunity count.
“I saw the bear coming out of the ravine,” he said. “It came right to the base of the tree sniffing and stood on its hind legs looking up the ladder. I thought ‘Don’t come up here.’ I wasn’t scared, but he was smelling right where I had touched when I had to repair the ladder. He looked back at the bait and nonchalantly turned to walk off toward it. At 12 yards he turned, I shot him and he went 40 yards.”
“I wish I would have started bear hunting 40 years ago. I’m locked in for life. Just from this atmosphere in camp. I felt locked in and ready to go next time even before I got into a tree.”
And what I ask, could be better than that? Well, just maybe…if you read this blog enough…three or four Kwik Trip rollers during the long ride from Superior country home again to New Berlin.
As soon as I can get to it, look for the full stories from bear camp. Right now though, there are deer to chase in Marinette County. Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors. Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis