Finally at bear camp
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- November 2, 2017
- 1071
I’m always trying to compare our hunting lifestyle to other symbolism for a lot of reasons. For one thing many people who read these columns don’t understand what it is like to stand over a trophy buck with the pride of accomplishment and at the same time have a respect and admiration for the animal that was taken.
One came to mind a week ago as my daughter and I were at the Ohio State versus Penn State game. I talked about how important preparation is to the hunt.
Coach Urban Meyer says the winner of a game is usually determined by the team that prepares the best. It’s not always about the physical but the mental preparation, determination and endurance that produces a winning team (or hunt). As we witnessed the winning touchdown, the final defensive stand and the roar of 100,000 fans, that my friends is what it is like.
So somewhere we were talking about a bear hunt. When we arrived at camp, we were met by Steve and Brenda Cole, owners of the lodge. They showed us our cabin, which we had to ourselves, but it could have accommodated up to eight hunters.
It had a full kitchen, living room, one full bed and four bunks. They had 12 dogs to hunt bears, but that season had not opened yet. As the rest of the hunters arrived, we could tell it was going to be a fun week.
There were 19 hunters in all from all over: Louisiana, Texas, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and several from Ohio including one couple from Millersburg. Ages ran from 11 to an elderly gentleman of 84 years.
After supper Steve gave us our orientation on shot selection and camp rules. Then we drew a lottery to determine which bait sites we would hunt. This makes it fair to everyone.
Taryn drew a blind called Moss Bait, and I drew a ladder stand called Five Mile. We found out later that some of these baits were named by the owner’s granddaughter's association with something found near the site such as Mushroom Bait. They had to change some because they all had the word “poop” in it.
Finally opening day arrived. Temperatures were in the 50s mid-day, which is still a bit warm, but it cooled down come sundown. After breakfast, Trevor, Steve’s son, took us out to a target range to sight in our weapons.
Some hunters used a bow or crossbow, some had slug shotguns and the rest used rifles. Taryn had her trusty .270 Encore, and I had my 7mm Remington Mag. Of course the target was only 50 yards away, as are a lot of the baits, but a perfect shot is needed to put a bear down.
We had no problems sighting in, except Trevor wasn't a fan of my choice of caliber. He claimed the 7mm was too fast and would not have enough knockdown power at 50 yards. He made a bet (for ice cream) that my bear would not fall within 20 yards of the bait. We’ll see.
After lunch we geared up and divided up by guides as they would drop us off, check each bait and rebait if needed. The baits we used were doughnuts and frosting and other “secret” ingredients.
These were put in a dug-out hole in the woods and then covered with small logs and rocks to keep other critters from stealing the bait but also so the bear had to work to get to it, giving the hunter time to access the bear, determine if it was a shooter and wait for a clean shot.
One of the best parts of this — or any of our hunts for me — is the serenity of the woods: total peace, no phones, no computer, quiet serenity. This is where God speaks. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Connection. Restore. Listen. Listen.
God Bless!