A Bear On The Ground - A Skunk Bear At Double Matrix - Part 2

Six of us drove to the Double Matrix site and followed me following the bright, blaze orange FireTacks to my unusual and colorful bear. The Duck took my camera and walked around, taking pictures from different angles. 

Since the early 80's I've had memorable bear hunts in Maine, Colorado and Ontario. Every hunt was special in its own way. On the hunts with Fred (Lutger) all the bears I've taken were black. But I have seen a few brown ones here and even some "skunk bear's" with their stripes, mostly narrow and much fainter than the wide and thick stripe on this bear's back.

One of the items on our Field Test list was a Big Game Cart from Eastman Outfitters. We used the Cart's adjustable straps to cinch the bear in. Fred and I wanted to see if the cart would make it easy enough for only the two of us to take the bear to the truck. 

The woods was full small and large tree trunks and we had to lift the wheels over them to get through the tangle.   


Last night we had marked the easiest trail through the woods with the FireTacks. But logs and debris were hidden in the thick ferns and undergrowth and it was tough get through them.   There were just too many obstacles on the ground and the cart constantly got hung up.  

We had to stop and everybody pitched in by grabbing the rails on the cart. This just was not a 2 man job. The cart had made the task of taking the outboard motors to the lake much easier, but truthfully it was not much better here than dragging the bear out with ropes. I'm sure the Cart would do just fine in the Whitetail woods, which actually is what it was designed for.

As you can see the bear is chocolate brown with a prominent tan strip on his back, from his neck to his butt. It was an adult boar with a thick coat and he was long but thin. (He had almost no fat on his body when he was skinned, which is highly unusual. This time of the year he should have a thick roll of fat around him.) 

EQUIPMENT COMMENTS: 
BowTech Patriot - What a great bow this is. It must have my name written inside it because it does me right. From Whitetail bucks last year, to wild turkeys in the spring, with an occasional wild hog thrown in, and now a chocolate brown "skunk" bear, my BowTech has put the arrow where I wanted it. 
Set at 62 pounds this bow is fast -- so that on the video footage the arrow is a red streak on only one frame! That's fast. And it is QUIET too. The bear never heard a thing -- and I remember thinking that my bow had been really quiet. My arrow smacked completely through the bear and stuck in a log 15 yards behind the bear. 
Power. Quiet. Accurate. They are synonymous with BowTech.

DOUBLE BULL MATRIX 360
Are bears spooked by Double Bull blinds? Hardly. We had two Matrix blinds hooked together. It looked like a camouflage 12 foot camp trailer. But it was not a problem. Of course, we were scent sprayed up and we were quiet and I'm sure that helps.
The Matrix 360 is amazing. I made a shooting window towards the bait and had smaller netting windows on the sides so I could see more area.

NAP Scorpion XP Broadhead 
This Cut Tip 3-blade Expandable broadhead did its job 100%. You don't always get complete penetration on a bear. But the Scorpion XP did and then stuck in a log 15 yards away. The arrow placement was just right, the cut width was substantial, and the blood trail was very good.
Andy Simo is a true pioneer in broadhead design, beginning with his Razorback 5,  on to the leading Thunderhead broadheads, and more recently the expandable that re-wrote the book, the Spitfire. And now the deep penetrating Scorpion XP.

CARBON EXPRESS Maxum Arrows
I believe a contributing factor for the extra penetration was the MAXUM arrow, one of the new small diameter carbon shafts. The specs say that its smaller diameter makes less friction behind the broadhead and that improves penetration. It sure did for me.

Jim Fletcher Archery Fletch Hunter Shorty
I asked for the string loop model Fletch Hunter Shorty with a buckle. To me the buckle is quieter than velcro, which can sometimes make an audible creaking noise if I don't get the velcro lined up just right. The buckle only fastens one way. The release head is easy to get on my string loop. (Some older style releases are not.) And when you pull the trigger there is no drag of hesitation, the arrow is off like a rocket.   

VENOM Peep Sight
I really enjoy shooting with this peep sight. Its slightly transparent blue color is easy to find and line up with my eye even in low light conditions. The sighting hole (aperture) is perfect; big enough for bowhunting, even in low light. And it is sized just right so it surrounds the new round bowsight guards.

Bison 6" Gore Tex Boots from WOLVERINE
Keeping good footing in woods like this is difficult. Downed limbs, trees, vines and debris make for treacherous footing. These Wolverine boots truly surprised and impressed me. Their traction is simply the best of any boots I have ever owned. They give outstanding support for your feet, too. These boots are all good.
 

PRO EARS /Ridgeline)
Pro Ears were helpful in locating the bear when we could not see it. They are comfortable to wear and they enhance your hearing, as in listening for gobbles on Spring mornings and bears in the Fall.

FireTacks from WILDTECH Corp.
To my knowledge there is no better product for marking a route through the woods. The Blaze 4D FireTacks we used were easy to put up (they tack to a tree or limb). And they were as easy to follow as a bunch of 12 inch orange flagging ribbons.

NEXT: Fred's Hunt...