2008 Hunts are brought to you by: Click on a logo to visit the sponsor's website                                                 2008 Black Bear With a Bow   -- By Keith Beasley --   It was well into September when Paul and Keith made the drive to Burk's Falls, ON to hunt with good friend Lee Nilsen. The bear hunt was everything you could imagine as Keith arrowed this beautiful black bear at 17 yards with his bow. The bear appeared silently from the thick timber and presented a perfect broadside shot after which it ran 75 yards before expiring.         Having talked for years with Lee Nilsen, it was our pleasure to finally share the woods with him early this fall. As Paul and I pulled into his driveway we caught a small glimpse of what paradise may really be like. His beautiful country home was surrounded by some of the nicest hunting timber I have seen. After a short tour, it was very evident that the reason things were looking so perfect for hunting was because Lee and his wife spend hours making it that way. Add that to a neighbouring QDM partnership and this was truly a hunters dream.     It sounds like we were there chasing whitetails, but this was early September and we were after the elusive black ghosts of the fall. Lee would terrorize his whitetails a few months later, needing no help from us.     After the tour and small chat, it was time to strap the bow to the bike and head for the tree. Lee walked with me the final 500 yards as we crept down the narrow trail to my stand. The feeling of bear country was really beginning to sink in. We were in the Parry Sound District and I was more than anxious to see how my Hoyt Katera XL would perform with a big black bear.     When we left the main trail and mazed through the leafy timber, I was thrilled to be following a meandering stream. The mental note for finding my way out in the dark was comforting but even better was that my tree ended up being directly over a waterfall. Talk about a beautiful spot to sit. This was bad news for hearing bears approach, but perfect for drawing a bow undetected.     Lee left me alone and I settled in for a 4 hour evening sit. The sun was still high, bugs energetic and the bait pile a perfect 17 yards away. I set my bow up with an Easton Full Metal Jacket arrow tipped with a brand new G5 Striker Magnum boasting an amazing 1 ½" fixed blade cutting diameter. There was no broadhead like it on the market and I was more than excited to let it fly at an unsuspecting bear.     The setting was perfect, I was about 15 feet up the tree, and the creek ran behind me and flowed down to my left. A large ridge circled around each side of me and I was overlooking the bait which lay in a small clearing 30 yards wide. My longest shot opportunity would be exactly 30 yards, with the bait being tucked against the base of the ridge to my right. The foliage was heavy so my line of sight was limited to directly around me.     The big boar in the two pictures above was often visiting the bait site first thing in the morning. Keith's hunt was over the first evening so he never did get a chance to do a morning sit there.         It was a perfect night for bow hunting; a calm steady breeze in my face, warm weather and sun late into the evening. I sat envisioning all the trail camera pictures Lee had shown me from this bait site. Knowing there were a few good bears using the area regularly I was very optimistic about my chances of seeing something this evening.     As night approached I began to wonder if it would happen. I was getting anxious knowing that the sun had set and the thick canopy above me was choking out any remaining light. With 15 minutes of shooting light remaining a black blob appeared out of nowhere. As if walking on air, the big sow drifted across the creek and was standing under a large pine branch a mere 24 yards away. She scanned the area cautiously and then fixed her gaze on the bait only 10 yards in front of her. She moved one step at a time towards the bait and as she reached the 18 yard mark her head turned away. I quickly drew the bow and held on her. The G5 Optix XR sight with the light package did not need to be turned on as the 20 yard red fiber optic pin glowed on her black hide. As I held on her she slowly walked towards the bait slightly quartering towards me. I was worried she was not going to turn when no sooner had that thought been processed and the big sow stepped to her left to circle around the back side of the bait. As she turned to take this route she moved slightly quartering away then paused and I sent the arrow on its way. Time stood still as I watched the white and orange fletching disappear behind her front shoulder. That 1 ½" broadhead hit so hard and made such a loud "smack" that I was shocked she did not tip over right there. As she sprinted up the ridge she was facing I could hear branches breaking with every step. As she ran up the hill she then circled back towards me and past my stand location but out of sight. Though fatally wounded she ran past the main trail we walked in on and began to let out the famous "death moans". As her last loud growl ended, I got excited knowing I had just anchored a beautiful Ontario trophy.     I waited until night fell, headed back to the house and met Paul and Lee. Paul had harvested one as well, so after some easy tracking jobs we celebrated. I was amazed at the damage the new broadhead had done; smashing through ribs on both sides and leaving an amazing hole. Even after hitting all the bone and flesh, the arrow still buried deep into the ground.     By the time we got back, we were all starved and Lee's generous wife welcomed us with a wonderful home-cooked meal. The rest of the night was spent on stories of which I know many more are still to come.     Pictured above from left to right: Keith Beasley, Lee Nilsen, Paul Beasley     Return to 2008 Hunts Page