John's Journal...
Entry
127, Day 1
CANADIAN BLACK BEARS
The First Bear
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Ryan Hack of Stony Mountain, Manitoba,
Canada, guides for white-tailed deer and black bear for both archers and
gun hunters each season.
QUESTION: How long have you been guiding bear hunters?
ANSWER: I've been guiding for bears since 1995.
QUESTION: What areas do you guide?
ANSWER: I guide throughout the entire province of Manitoba.
QUESTION: And where were you on this particular bear
hunt?
ANSWER: I was hunting in northern Manitoba, a little south of a town called
Gimli.
QUESTION: What outfit were you guiding for on this hunt?
ANSWER: I was working with Big Antler Outfitters at that time. I perform
a contract service for a number of different outfitters. This service
enables me to travel around and see a little bit more of the province
without becoming tied down to one area for too long.
QUESTION: Why do you like to guide bowhunters?
ANSWER: Bow hunting is the most challenging and the most enjoyable way
to hunt -- especially when you're hunting over bait for black bears.
QUESTION:
Who were you guiding on this trip?
ANSWER: I was hunting with Ken Broman, Doug Otte and their two sons.
QUESTION: Which one of the hunters brought along his
son?
ANSWER: Both men brought their sons, and the boys were about 11-years
old at that time. Doug's son's name was Adam, and Ken's son was Matthew.
QUESTION: What kind of bear bait did you use?
ANSWER: We used oats and fish. That evening, Adam had wounded a bear,
but we were unable to track it down before dark. We got on the bear's
trail early the next morning, hoping to recover the animal. The wounded
bear took us on a chase for about 600 yards. However, we finally recovered
the bear, which was, of course dead when we got to it. We went ahead and
began skinning the bear, taking pictures -- the whole bit.
QUESTION: How big was the bear?
ANSWER: The bear was about 350 pounds. He turned out to be 14 years old
and a boar. But what happened next was really a twist to the story; a
second bear suddenly appeared at the site and attempted to move us off
the first bear.
For
more information about hunting deer or bear in Manitoba, call Ryan Hack
at (204)-467-2164.
TOMORROW: THE SECOND BEAR ATTACKS
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