Try Fall Bowhunting For Northern Black Bears
by Bob Poth
It was Monday Evening, the first day of my September black bear hunt. I was comfortable and relaxed in my stand, the silence of the thick Maine forest broken only by the occasional croak of a raven drifting overhead, when at 6:00 PM splashes of black moving silently through the low cedar and fir behind my bait area signaled an approaching bear. The vivid intense blackness of a bear and the total absence of sound at its sudden appearance simply shatters the stillness. My heart was in my throat and my body tingled with excitement as the large boar moved aggressively without hesitation to the bait.
As the bear turned broadside to me, I drew and anchored for the anticipated shot, oddly calm. Before I could release, he turned and began walking up my shooting lane directly toward me. He stopped at 10 yards and looked off to my left forcing me to remain at full draw. Then after several seconds, which seemed like an eternity, the bear turned and walked back past the bait and out of sight. I let down and that's when the excitement and marvel of a close encounter with a large, wild black bear hit me. My legs and whole body began trembling uncontrollably so that I had to sit down.
But wait, is there something missing here? There sure is -- the buzzing, biting, annoying hoard of black flies and mosquitoes hovering around your head, trying to crawl into your headnet or shirtsleeves! Fall bear hunting offers all the thrills and excitement of the spring hunt without the itching, red, swollen and often infected welts you bring home from black fly and mosquito bites. While the fur on your trophy will not be as long as that on a spring bear fresh out of hibernation, it will be a luxuriant thick, glossy pelt making a beautiful mount. A typically heavier bear is another bonus for the fall bear hunter, as the bruins are feeding heavily to prepare for the long winter hibernation.
The crisp, cool nights and bright sunny days of fall are a beautiful and refreshing time of the year in the mountains of north central Maine. The maples and birch are turning, showing bright splashes of red and yellow amidst the dark green of the cedar and fir and hemlock on the mountainsides. The moose are beginning to become aggressive with the cool nights and are seen frequently along the remote logging roads. And the howling of coyotes is common as the moon rises over the ragged tree line and you quietly slip out of your stand and take the trail back out to your truck
Be prepared for both warm and cool weather hunting. Temperatures can drop into the 30's and 40's during the nights and in the 60's and even the low 70's during the day. Good quality camouflage is necessary, and don't forget your face. Tree stand hunting over bait is a waiting game requiring the hunter to remain motionless for four or five hours so a comfortable tree stand is a must. Remember, a bear may be silently circling the bait looking for any sign of danger before coming in and catch any careless movement on your part. You may encounter a few mosquitoes, particularly if your stand is on the edge of a swamp. while you won't need a headnet, it is a good idea to have some deet based repellent to spray on your cap and shirt collar.
The same archery equipment you use for whitetails is adequate for fall black bears. However, it is even more critical with bears to make a clean double lung or heart shot. Unlike whitetails, a wounded black bear will run until he dies making it almost impossible to recover a bear with a marginal hit in those thick, jumbled northern forests. So you owe it to yourself and more importantly to the bear to have your bow set up and tuned correctly and to use properly spined arrows equipped with razor sharp broadheads. And of equal importance, be proficient with your equipment and take only standing broadside or quartering away shots. Don't rush your shot; wait for the bear to focus on the bait and present that perfect standing shot opportunity. Be patient, and shoot well.
But let me finish telling you about that Monday evening. After the large boar left the bait without presenting a shot, I heard him popping his teeth and glimpsed him several times but he didn't come back to the bait. As evening approached, I resigned myself to the fact that he wasn't going to return. But this was already a great start to the hunt, seeing that this was only the first night. Finally, reluctant to disturb the silence, I began to prepare to leave. As I slowly stood to my feet, the large bear from early in the evening was suddenly there, standing not 10 yards to the right of my stand. I never heard it, the large black shape just materialized. I froze, and the bear moved quartering from my right toward my shooting lane leading to the bait. He stopped directly in front of me and stood to his hind feet and reaching high, clawed and bit a tree.
Dropping to the ground, he moved into my shooting lane. When his head went behind a cluster of small trees I drew the bow. As the fluorescent green sight pin glowed against the black bulk behind the left shoulder, the string slipped from my tab and the brightly crested arrow stood in stark contrast against the spot marked a split second before by the sight pin. A roar broke the silence as the bear went down at the impact of the arrow with fierce growling and brush breaking. I could follow his progress by the breaking of branches and movement in the thick undergrowth and downed timber. Finally the forest became silent again. The bear was down about 50 yards from the bait. As I stood waiting for a few more minutes, darkness was falling. I slipped out of the stand and found my broken arrow and confirmed the heavy blood trail. I returned with my buddy and found the bear dead where I heard it go down. After thanking the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful experience and a fine animal, we returned excitedly to camp with my bear to all the congratulations and story telling!
The 300-pound boar made a magnificent trophy. After the mandatory drying period, the skull scored 18 7/16 inches, qualifying him for the Pope and Young records. This was one of the greatest thrills of my bowhunting career.
I hunt with Wayne Bosowicz of Foggy Mountain Guide Service out of their Dover-Foxcroft, Maine operation. This is a premier operation celebrating 35 years as a full-time bear hunting guide service. Wayne can be reached at R.R. #2, Box 1140, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426, by phone at (207) 564-3404, or visit his web site at www.foggymountain.com.
About the author:
Bob Poth is a freelance outdoor writer and avid bowhunter residing in central Maryland. He pursues local whitetails with a passion and annually travels to Maine for fall bear hunting.