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Day #1 -  "I Got One," said Bruce Lowell

"I got one," Bruce said as Fred and I drove up to him after our hunts.

We drove to our prearranged meeting place and met the rest of Kirby's group. After a short discussion eight of us went to recover Bruce's bear.

Bruce stayed at the bait site. Eight of us returned to Bruce's stand. We found a decent blood trail The woods was incredibly dense. Fred stopped in 80 yards so we he could steer us in the right direction once we located the bear. Rain began to fall. In 150 yards we lost the trail.

We mushroomed out slowly and found blood where the bear had turned left. It was a short distance away, a big boar.

"Fred," I yelled. He answered and we queued up on the sound. I tied my pull rope around the bear's neck. Kirby and Larry took all the flash lights and the other four grabbed a leg apiece. We lifted the bear up waist high and headed toward Fred. Kirby & Larry kept the flashlight shining where we could see where we were stepping.

The woods was dense. Limbs were all over the ground. It was a tough go. Just the way I like it.

When we were 100 yards from the road Fred went to the truck and shined the head lights into the woods. We were getting tired and appreciated the help. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and it's doubly true in these thick Canadian forests.

Here is Bruce's story:
Bruce selected the Goodyear site and put up his treestand and brushed it up behind him and at his feet. When he returned at 4:00 Monday the bait was destroyed and 54 events were recorded on the trailtimer (between 5:15 to 8:30pm on the day before. The bear had seen the TrailTimer and had "messed with it" an -- it was cockeyed.

At 7:30 Bruce saw a bear  It approached the bait and circled ... and then walked off.

At 8:10 Bruce heard loud cracks of limbs breaking 80 yards away. The sound got closer and the bear came in behind Bruce and stopped at 20 yards. The bear hung up but turned broadside. Bruce "took a shot and killed it."

The bear ran off and disappeared in 75 yards.

In ten minutes Bruce got down and found his arrow and put flagging tape where it lay. It was covered with blood. He returned to the road and waited to be picked up.

This is Bruce's second bear and both were with Fred. He says, "I love it. I be hooked." And he added, "Fred makes it easy to come back."

Bruce hunts whitetails near Troy, Illinois." It is a very good area, a lot of deer and we're getting more and more."

"This is a different experience because I'm not used to seeing black bear. The first time is a different experience. Bears are cautious but you wouldn't think they have anything to be afraid of."

Bruce Lowell and the first bear of the hunt.

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