Group 2 Arrives

Kirby Knackstedt and his buddies packed their trucks and began their drive back to Illinois. Fred, Don, Chef Klaus ran baits and then got the the camp in order for the second group. 

Making updates to the web site was becoming a real struggle. I was already a few days behind on the hunt reporting. If it rained I was out of luck because the satellite phone wouldn't connect, and we had rain regularly the first week. Clear days were better but disconnects were still a nagging problem. I had pictures to upload and that always takes time, but the phone kept loosing the satellite signal, so transmitting was a very slow go.

I had set up headquarters on the picnic table in the yard and made uploads from my laptop. By moving the phone around and pointing its antenna in different directions I discovered that it helped if I could get the phone up higher. I fastened it to my camera tripod and raised it as far as its data cord would let me. That improved my connection a bit. Still it was very slow. I did the best I could with the situation. 

The second group began arriving. Here is everyone's picture. 

BACK ROW:  Azeem Ahasan "Doc", Jim Misiukiewicz, John Askew, Don Beckwith (the Duck), Roy Keefer.
FRONT ROW: Fred Lutger, Bryant Askew and Mike Ditchler (Chef Klaus).

Doc was on his first bear hunt and Jim Misiukiewicz had been on other hunts with other outfitters but hadn't taken a bear.

John and Bryant Askew have been my hunting buddies for years and they were anxious for their first bear hunt. They arrived with Roy Keefer, whom I first hunted with on the 2004 Bowhunting.net Deerhunt and then again at McCrea Ranches turkey hunt. It was good to share a camp with them again.

They unpacked their bows and checked their sights. 

AMERICAN Whitetail Targets generously sent the camp two different CUBE targets for the bear hunters to use. They were much appreciated and used daily. They took a pounding without showing wear.

We eat our big meal at 3:00 every afternoon and then hunt. The first afternoon I went with Roy Keefer to video his hunt. Here is Roy about to climb the Traveling Starr ladderstand (from North Starr Treestands) that we had set up for him earlier. 

 I sat in a Steel Starr hanging stand (again from North Starr Treestands) above Roy, in the same tree. Here's how things looked from my perspective.

Roy Keefer with his BowTech Liberty, Carbon Express Maxima arrows fletched with NAP Quick Spin vanes.

At 7:45 we heard twigs break behind us and to our left. Fifteen minutes later we heard the bear walking in the direction of the bait. The woods were so dense we could not see the bear but the sound passed us, probably 40 yards away, and stopped behind the bait. We waited to see it. I had the video camera ready and Roy was on the ready with an arrow nocked. But the bear didn't show itself.

John and Bryant picked us up. They had not seen any bears. Back at camp Doc and Jim told us they had zipped.