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2001 Fall Black Bear Bowhunt With Fred Lutger
by Robert Hoague

| Getting Ready | 1st Day's Hunt | 2nd Day's Hunt | 3rd Day's Hunt | 4th Days Hunt |
| 5th Day's Hunt | 6th Day's Hunt | 7th Day's Hunt | 8th Day's Hunt |

2nd Day Of The Bearhunt
I dropped Kim Sutterfield off at the trail leading to his stand. He slipped down the trail and climbed into his treestand and pulled up all his equipment: video camera, bow, backpack, and camera arm. Kim set the video camera up, turned it on, and videotaped himself as he rebaited the bear bait. He was back in his treestand at 6:00. As he fastened his safety belt he noticed motion below him, a bear was at the base of his tree, looking up at him. Kim stopped moving and watched the bear, wondering what it would do. 

In a couple minutes the bear retreated, circled the area, and went directly to the bait. Kim framed up the bear in his video display, zoomed in, and videoed the bear for 20 minutes. Kim decided to shoot the bear and drew his bow. He aimed at the vitals and the arrow went right to them. The bear ran 25 yards and expired. Kim heard the death moan and ran his camera back to see if he could hear it on the video, he could. He gathered his equipment and videoed his own recovery. (I had a camera malfunction and the digital pictures we took of Kim's bear were ruined, but, by the time we discovered the goof up it was too late to do anything about it.)

I settled in at stand #5. I heard a bear on two occasions but could not find them in the dense foliage. At 7:45 I picked up black basket ball sized object through the leaves and limbs 20 yards to my right. It moved, just a bit. It definitely was a bear.

The black object moved and I saw it's back and sides taking shape. I moved my bow into position to draw, although I was not sure I would take a shot at this particular bear. I needed to see it clearly first. It took several minutes to walk into the clear.

I took one look at it's short legs and pot belly and made my decision to harvest this bear if I got the chance. When it was broadside and I drew slowly. The bear stood still, surveying the area, looking all about.

I aimed for the vital lung shot, my green fiber optic pin was extremely bright against the bear's thick black fur. My arrow hit a little right of my aiming reference but it was in the rib cage. The bear spun into it's back trail and ran about 20 yards and stopped abruptly.

I waited for the death moan. It did not come, the bear never uttered a sound. A few seconds later it moved and went out of my view.

At 8:20 daylight was fading fast so I got down and went to the spot where I had shot the bear. As I was able to tell from the treestand, my arrow was sticking in the ground. Blood was on the arrow shaft and vanes.

I took several steps in the direction the bear had gone. The ground was mushy and pools of water were everywhere. Suddenly the mossy ground caved in when I stepped across a puddle and before I could prevent it I was up to my crotch in water.

It was not that easy a job to get out of the water, either, but when I did I walked to the truck. I'd have to take up this search in the morning when it is daylight.

When I arrived at the path to Kim's stand he was waiting with his bear. We loaded it in the pickup and drove to camp.

Today 6 hunters went to their stands and a total of 4 bears were seen.

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