| I just finished watching a video that was complete with action, suspense,
drama and comedy. No, it wasn't any of the Lethal Weapon Series or
Men in Black. It did however have to do with black bear. Bear
'N Down from Archers Choice features a husband and wife team that has bow
hunted just about every big game animal known in North America. Vikki
and Ralph Cianciarulo take you on an adventure that spans two seasons and
focuses not only on hunting but advice to familiarize yourself with black
bear.
I found it very informative because I consider myself a true novice
when it comes to black bear hunting. I call myself a novice because
I have never before been on a bear hunt. No matter what your skill
level this video still has a lot to offer and every bear hunter will walk
away with something. I myself am now thinking that a bear hunt is
a part of my near future.
This bow only video starts out with Ralph and Vikki doing a couple jokes
that even include the "Bear Man" Bob Irvine of Wolf-Creek Outfitters.
However the video gets serious quickly with some interesting features as
to measuring a bear called, "squaring a bear". Ralph demonstrates
as he takes the length of a bear cape from nose to tail and averages it
with the front wingspan. Early on Ralph also explains the proper
arrow placement. He explains the basics of shooting the "crease"
on a broadside bear but then goes into greater detail on those testy quartering
away shots. He uses an anatomical correct bear target to aid in explaining
this shot.
The action heats up quickly as Ralph, Vicki and the Archers Choice staff
relay many of their hunts from their 2001 and 2002 season. All of
the bears taken show the hunters patience as they wait for that every important
broadside shot. The video captures many of these bears expiring within
camera range. Another example of how a well place broadhead will
effectively bring down a big bruin. Vicki demonstrates that a high
poundage bow isn't necessary as all of her bears are taken with bows of
draw weight around 50 pounds. Several of the bruins taken by the
hunters score over the seven foot mark using the "bear square" system.
Information pertaining to the equipment used is cleverly displayed on
the screen after every harvest. The viewer can still witness what
is happening while the left edge of the screen display information like
bow weight, draw length, kinetic energy and broadhead to name a few.
Slow motion replays allow you to follow the arrow on its fatal voyage.
Some shots show instances of being out of focus but this only proves that
sometimes the action is fast and furious. The camera also doesn't
leave out a lot of detail as it follows the hunter through the recovery
stage. Hunters recap the details of their hunts while tastefully
showing off their trophies. Bears of many color phases are shown
with a couple "hogs" that include white patches on their chests.
You'll be amazed as several frames of action show what it is like when
a bear begins to climb your stand. You can actually see the hunter
start waving his hand to try and get the bruin to back down the tree.
This is evidence that you are hunting truly wild bears in the remote areas
of Alberta. One hunt even captures the hunter harvesting a bear after
a successful stalk. This bear had eluded the hunters the previous
day by showing caution on their baiting technique. They decide to
get down and stalk the bruiser, something Ralph hesitates in doing.
Ralph and Vikki conclude the video similar to how it all started.
Indeed Ralph does take the larger of the bears but Vikki has a comeback
for everything. Ralph's only bear may have been bigger but Vikki
more than makes up for it by taking a second bear.
The video does an excellent job of filming 13 hunts over a two-year
period. These hunts will give you an enjoyable evening with over
75 minutes of bear hunting excitement.
Quality: 4.5 of 5
This video does an excellent job of capturing some quality bear hunts.
As mentioned earlier the camerawork catches a number of the bears expiring
within view of the stand. The quality of the hunts offered by Wolf-Creek
Outfitters is also captured as most of these bears score well above average.
Archer's Choice videos are of the up most quality and I believe this is
a true credit to their Video/Photographer and editing.
Value: 4.0 of 5
All those who pursue bears should add this video to their collection.
At fewer than fifteen bucks for 75 minutes of action, how could you not
buy it?
For information on this or any other Archer's Choice product, contact:
www.ArchersChoice.com.
Archer's
Choice
Archer's
Choice Videos, Inc.
31570
Willow Road
Lanark,
IL 61046
Phone:
815-493-8998
Fax:
815-493-2927
Email:
ralphc@internetni.com
Web:
www.archerschoice.com |
