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Alban, Ontario Weather

Shadow Stocker

    The vibrant colors, lush greens and subtle browns of the sunlight filtered boreal forest fades into a thousand shades of grey. As day moves into night the black and white world of shadows and contrasts takes over. As the twilight of evening approaches our primitive psyche and emotions take control, evolving, changing our heightened sense of awareness. We become in tune with the rhythm of the forest, with predator and prey alike.

     What’s so mysterious about this time of shadows? Well quite simply the Un-known! That which is beyond the realm of reason! This rings especially true when pursuing or confronting the ultimate masters of the shadows our legendary shield country black bear (Ursus americanus). Yes we humans wandering around our beautiful northern shield country are both hunter and sometimes hunted, predator and prey.

    Let me regress for a moment to my first vivid memories of rabbit hunting as a toddler in the mid 1960’s, with my older brothers Bob and John. After a couple of hours we still had not put anything up so Bob (see the fall issue for Bob’s son Shane Good’s story on Elgin County Compound Record) and I started tracking an old bunny trail across the field. Low and behold the tracks ended abruptly with only a finger size hole in the snow. Bob explained the bunny probably weathered out last night’s blizzard in a nice warm den. I remember hearing “stick your hands down in there and scare that bunny up”. Well as any good little brother would do I bent over and stuck my hands into the snow and grabbed the little bugger, well he wasn’t impressed and proceeded to let me know it. Bob was yelling “Drop him, Drop him” so off he went across the field towards John…well we had rabbit stew that night.

     I’ve never looked back and have had the privilege to spend a lifetime hunting, fishing, and exploring our grand province. From the farmlands of southern and central Ontario, to the magnificent and sublimely beautiful Canadian Shield country of the north, I have had the opportunity to hunt, fish and trap most of Ontario’s game species. I love the camaraderie of the far north Moose camp, the reverence and solitude of the Whitetail stand but my true love, my Passion is bow hunting our Shield Country Black Bear.

     After years of guiding friends and family bear hunting I took the next logical step and became a commercial outfitter and bear guide. Outfitting and guiding are not only my profession; bear hunting is still my passion! Every fall bear season you will not only find me out teaching others the art of bear hunting and helping them fulfill their dreams but you will also find me out there bear hunting too.

    The black bear is one of Ontario's most sought after big game species. Hunters across the United States and Canada have long recognized the fact that bear hunting adds adventure far beyond that offered by whitetail, mule deer and moose. Facing a big ole black bear at extremely close range with a bow is a true test of a hunter’s mettle.    

    Ontario, especially mid-northern Ontario has one of the largest concentrations of bear available. This area lies amidst the beautiful pre-Cambrian shield country of Canada, from vast rocky gorges to the wildest stretches of boreal and deciduous forests running untamed for miles. This land of over 400,000 lakes, rivers and streams plus the enumerable beaver floods, swamps and vast wilderness tracts offers one of the best black bear habitats available. This is where the stage is set for this story.

    As 2006 progressed, our scouting showed increasing sign of a blooming bear population. Every day in the bush brought heightened anticipation for the fall hunt. We were not disappointed. This was to be my son Cole’s first official bear hunt after passing his hunter safety and firearms courses. It was a beautiful thing to see a 13 year olds excitement build at each stage from planning right down to the hunt. Not only was his excitement escalating so was mine. From a proud father being able to watch and help our next generation start enjoying the beauties of nature and becoming our next wildlife stewards.

    Cole had to take a couple of days off school much to his mothers chagrin. So he only had 3 days to hunt. We planned to hunt long and hard. On the first nights hunt it drizzled, it poured, it rained all night and the wind was howling. Needless to say not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The bait had been hit hard for the past couple of days but this night the bears stayed home. The adrenaline rush of the first nights hunt was enough to sustain us and make up for the inclimate weather.

    When we got back to camp one of the guys seemed a little agitated. After a couple of cool ones the story came out. He had been hunting the same deep woods bait site for 2 nights and the bait had been hit nocturnally and hit very lightly. Not much was eaten. This bait was set deep into a large wilderness tract. After leaving the logging trail it was a 3km ATV ride over a barely discernable trappers trail and then 1 � km hike through the dense bush. That 1 � km walk back out to the ATV in the pitch black of the northern woods is definitely an experience not for the faint of heart or the in-experienced. This site was only for the highly experienced back woods hunter with exceptional woodcraft skills. This fellow was all of the above. Non-the less he was definitely spooked. The first night out he thought he had been followed on his way back to the ATV. The eerie silence and deep shadows on a walk through the deep, dark woods can be a little unnerving on the imagination for some. By the time he got back to camp on night number 2 he swore he was stalked the whole walk out.

    The black bear can be a cagey critter. It is my opinion that this animal by virtue of it’s size and inherent ability to inflict serious injury must be taken seriously and treated with a great deal of respect. For this reason it is my policy to relocate all bow hunters in the immediate area until I can further investigate the possibility of a predatory bear in the vicinity. The last thing anybody wants is a hunter injured by a rogue bear. Believe me it is in the realm of possibilities and has happened. Fortunately not to our guests or us.

    This hunter was only too glad to move to another bait site (he did harvest a very nice bear later in the week). The next morning found us up and on the road checking all the baits, scouting and replenishing those that needed it. I had decided to leave the predatory site until last as it had 2 stands and I could do some scouting on the way in and then Cole could set up there to hunt for the evening. Sure enough about 10yrds off our trail was a faint game trail. Upon further investigation other signs and bear hair stuck in some bark indicated this was indeed an active bear trail.

    As we arrived at the bait set we could see it had been hit but again very lightly. This was strange. All sign pointed towards a big dominant bear in the area. After a few moments reflection I realized this also points towards a big bear. This bait barrel was mainly full of sweets with only a little meat. Bears are like humans; they also have a dental hygiene problem. We all know what sugar does to a big cavity. As a bear matures they get cavities and broken teeth too. Older mature bears will shy away or eat very little sweets if another food source is available leaving the donuts for the younger bears to gorge upon.

    Cole climbed up to his stand approximately 12’ off the ground and got ready for the evenings hunt. He shoots an Excalibur Phoenix 175 lbs crossbow with standard sights. I’m a firm believer in acquiring proper shooting techniques and accuracy before moving on to a scope, Once he was settled in, I climbed up into my stand, 5yards behind him.

    We were entertained by an assortment of birds and critters that night, from annoying ravens to comical Whiskey Jacks. About 3 hours into our sit we both picked up on movement behind us. Cole was ready with bow in hand, and then out waddles a family of 3 raccoons that proceeded to attack the bait looking for some juicy morsels. Talk about a circus. It was hilarious watching all 3 coons jostling about pushing each other in and out of the barrel. Then suddenly their heads came up and off they scurried post haste. Cole looked to me and I gave him the lock and load sign. Something was coming in from the opposite direction. As the suspense was rising, out stalked the biggest Ole coon I have ever laid eyes on. This coon was so big he had no problem rolling some logs over to get at some tasty morsels. The walk out was anti-climatic in comparison to the night’s activities.

    The following night Cole chooses to return to the same stand. Bears are cyclical like deer and seem to go on about a 3-day schedule, so I like to spend at least the same amount of time on any active bait before moving on. We had the usual gray jays and red squirrels entertaining us. One again out came the same big ole coon but no bear. This was Cole’s last night so we stayed until complete darkness. About � km into the hike out my senses went on high alert. I picked up on some slight sound coming out of the shadowy vicinity. Even on a star filled night little light filters through the dense forest canopy leaving almost complete darkness. There most definitely was a bear there and he continued to aggressively stalk us all the way out. Having nothing but stick and string and a can of bear pepper spray leads to a very cautious extraction from this dangerous scenario. It was time to use the utmost caution and rely on our knowledge of bear behavior and our woodcraft skills.

    Cole was ecstatic even though he didn’t see the bear. He loves the northern bush just like his dad and reveres every moment he is blessed to spend there. The next 2 days were very busy at camp and I did not get out hunting until the second night. As time was of the essence I choose to visit an active bait close to camp.

    This site also had sign of a very large bear. There was scat as big around as a soft drink can. I entered the site, replenished the bait and climbed up into the stand. I shoot a Darton Fury 60 lbs compound bow. I only carry 2 arrows in my quiver; if I can’t take it down with 2 arrows 3 certainly isn’t going to help. I rely on a program of no scent instead of using cover scent. No matter what you use a bear with still pick up the human scent so no or little sent is the best option in my view.

    Only 20 minutes later you could here bears all around moving closer. In came 3 cubs and momma. Beautiful, mesmerizing and comical. Ya gota love it. They moved off after about 20 minutes and in came a shooter close to the 300 lbs mark. I am a meat hunter first and trophy hunter last so there was no question. The bear headed straight for the barrel at a lope but almost did a summersault upon crossing my entrance tail. After a few sniffs it continued on. As it approached the barrel broadside on 4 feet my carbon arrow made an 18-yard pass through shot taking out both lungs. With a roar it was off but not for long, it was down within 15 yards. It turned out to be a nice mature dry sow.

    The next day proved to be another busy one with 2 bears harvested the previous night. After processing the bears it was time to run the bait line, it was getting late in the day by the time I was ready to service the predatory bait site. I had already decided to remove this bear for the safety of other hunters. I only had one arrow left in my quiver so I opted to take Cole’s crossbow instead. When I arrived at the site it was destroyed, food scattered everywhere, the barrel was chewed and logs scattered. I didn’t have to replenish any bait as little was eaten I just had to clean up and reset the barrel.

    The same menagerie of wildlife performed this night. That same big ole coon was back eating scraps off the ground and trying his best to get at the tasty morsels in the barrel with no luck. 1 hour before dark I heard what appeared to be a big dead tree falling down about 200 yards away across a beaver dam, but it was dead still and there was no breeze large enough to blow one down. It might just have been its time and down it came. 20 minutes later another loud crack and crash could be heard about 100 yards away only this time on this side of the beaver flood.

    Definitely a bear was slowly moving closer, and from my experience and all the sign I had accumulated over the last few days pointed towards a large aggressive black bear. The biggest clue that this was the same shadow stalking predatory bear we had been scouting was the fact he was announcing his arrival to scar off any rivals before he got to the bait, A large dominant bear would be extremely fast and strong (to put it mildly) but only for a short distance and time. They really would rather scare and push off any rivals than confront them and have to expend and waste vital energy, possibly sustaining injury.

    Another 15 minutes passed and I heard a small twig snap behind the bait,” “ah there he is” I thought as I stood and readied myself. Then I spied movement in the deep shadows about 40 yards away. “Ah here he comes,” I thought, and then I saw the white flash of a skunk. I let out a soft chuckle and sat back down to be amused by that big ole coon who was still hanging around. “Hang on, there are no skunks up here”! As I turned my attention back on the deep shadows I glimpsed a shadow ghost from tree to rock to tree. This shadow grew and grew until morphing into a bear the size of a house. Well maybe not as big as house but it was still one damn big bear. As he came through the trees and stepped out from behind the bait I almost fell out of the tree, he was as big as a house! I had never seen a bear this large in over 31 years of hunting. The adrenaline was building; rushing though my blood, I was starting to hyperventilate.

    Let me just say that after all this that big ole coon was still at the bait and not in the least put off by the arrival of a big ole black bear. As soon as the monster caught sight of Mr. Coon he roared, slapped the ground and charged him. Off ran the coon but only for about 12 yards and then he sat down and watched the bear. The bruin sniffed around the barrel and the spilled food on the ground then did the same and sat down on his butt watching the coon and looking around without a care in the world. “Breath deep and slow…in…out…in…out” “deep breath in, deep breath out” “slow it down Rick” “I told myself” “Just focus on the bait barrel Rick keeping him in your peripheral vision” “in and out”. I was only 12’ up the tree; he could reach up and pull me down without even climbing. Then unbelievably that big ole coon started nonchalantly back to the barrel, unconcerned that the biggest nemesis of his life was sitting 5’ from the bait.

    He sauntered back like they were life long friends. Well big ole Mr. Bear might very have been acquainted with big ole Mr. Coon but he wasn’t in a very sharing mood. The next moment a spine tingling, muscle-paralyzing roar erupted from the leviathon and up he leaped with such a mind numbing show of speed and aggression! The air was charged with electricity!  That big black monster was in such a state of uncontrolled rage, he proceeded to destroy all around him; Snapping trees, scattering bait, spitting, spewing, slapping and charging. Every muscle in his body rippling from head to toe, roar after roar escaping and his enormous jaws snapping! And what about ole Mr. Coon? He sat down to watch about 15 yards away.

    This bear was definitely the Alfa male of the area. He had no fear, he was in his prime, his pelt glistened, the dominance he exuded just dripped off him like the drool he was spewing everywhere. He slowly started to calm down, his movement slowed, my perception of time slowed, my breathing slowed. Everything seemed to be in slow mode. I was at a heightened sense of awareness, every breath, site, and smell so poignantly in time with my surroundings. He was turned broadside on all four feet directly in front of the bait barrel in the process of letting out another spine tingling roar.

    Everything was perfect and surreal. Everything just felt right! I calmly raised my sons crossbow, took site (not an easy thing to do with black sights, black bears and the contrast of evenings black shadows). Still in slow mode I watch as the fletching disappeared directly behind his shoulder. This all happened with-in the eternity of but a few seconds.

    That big ole house or I should say bear exploded with a leap and a roar back towards the beaver dam from where he came. He was crashing and bellowing through the dense brush and then with a large crash everything went quiet and still, then with another roar he was off again but not for long. With a series of blood gurgling moans and roars he went down again. Then came the death moan and last roar of a King.

    After taking a few moments to let some adrenaline ebb away I climbed down and approached the barrel, the bolt was buried into its side covered in frothy pink blood. Excellent, a perfect pass through lung shot. With complete darkness fast approaching, with help miles away and the shadow-stalking monster down for good I immediately and cautiously started tracking.

    There was very little blood for the first 15 yards. At that point I found the location he went down for the first time with a very good blood tail leading from that point.15 yards further brought me to a small clearing where he must have spun around spraying blood in a 20’ diameter circle as he was going down again. I found him on the outer edge of this circle of death facing his back trail laying in the deepest of shadows as if…waiting?

    The last roar of this King of the forest, and all with-in his domain brought a moment of utter silence to the forest. What seemed to me to be nature’s way of paying fitting tribute to the passing of such a master of this primeval forest and land of shadows!

 The Shadow Stalker Bear Squared out at 8’5” square!!! By scull size alone, the 20”scull of the Shadow Stocker places him in 5^th place all time with a crossbow for the Ontario record book (F.R.O.W.), but by shear body size he could possibly rank as one of Canada’s largest black bears harvested to date. This is one World Class Black Bear! Only time and input will tell as all records only go on scull size and the scull size on this bear obviously does not relate to his body size. He ran 8’7” from nose to tail, front paw across chest to front paw 8’3” and his belly girth measured in at a whopping 5’8”. This is one enormous trophy black bear and is being done as a life size full body mount. This monsters hide was draped over Kodiak Brown Bear form and completely dwarfed the form!!!

 Richard Good is a licensed Canadian bear guide and the owner of French River Bear Outfitters. They control 5 separate BMA’S (bear management area’s) totaling over 300,000 exclusive acres for their non-resident bear hunters. FRBO have been dedicated BOW HUNTERS paradise for over 21 years. In 2008 FRBO will be opening a new BMA for the firearms enthusiast.

 Richard can be reached at French River Bear (519)-831-3989, or e-mail at frenchriverbear@yahoo.ca