Legendary bear hounds Bellar’s Leroy
Bear Necessities
Picking a pup The Devil of it all st 2 023
Ain’t No hunt like a bear hunt
Legendary Bear Hounds Part 45
The bear hunting authority for 23 years
Jul y/A ugu
French Canadian Black B
Guided Through Grief
Carrying Heavy Burdens Into the Wilderness
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Bear Hunting
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July/August 2023 Volume 24 - Issue 4 Cover photo by Dan Towsley
By Dan Towsley
Guided Through Grief
By Trevor Hubbs
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Fear
By Johnny Mack
Ain’t No Hunt Like a Bear Hunt
22
Use of Leashed Tracking Dogs
By Russ Murdock
Houdini
Stephen F. Fielder
28
By Dr. Jenn Ballard
The Devil of it All
Legendary Bear Hounds Part 50: Bellar’s Leroy
By Timothy D. Fowler
34
Black Bear Peppercorn Tenderloin
52
Picking a Pup
By Jana Waller
50
By TL Jones
Bear Necessities
Bear Hunting Magazine Trail Camera Contest Winner
Columns 46 Bowhunting Bears
Morning stretches before breakfast
48 Becoming a Bear Hunter
Win a Moultrie Mobile Camera!
by Bernie Barringer - Bear Guru by Douglas Boze - Bear Dude
50 Black Bear Biology
Submitted by: Robert Smith Idaho
by Dr. Jenn Ballard - Animal Doc
52 Western Bear Hunting by Jana Waller - Western Hunter
54 Bruin Desinations To enter, submit a unique trail camera photo to info@bear-hunting.com or post to our Facebook page: Bear Hunting Magazine
by Al Raychard - Bear Hunting Veteran
56 Sacred Pursuit by TL Jones - Hound Pro
58 In Hot Pursuit
by Barry ‘Bear’ Siragusa - Hound Dude
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www.bear-hunting.com
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Bear Grease
Kolby found success in getting a spring turkey.
The Editor’s Note
Kolby Morehead
@kolby_morehead
It’s been a big couple of months for milestones. Back in April, I turkey hunted for the first time in twenty-six years and got a Tom with the help of some new friends. The experience made me flash back to a time when hunting was more about tagging along with my dad. I can remember killing my first turkey with my dad better than I can remember yesterday. Life has a natural course and dynamics in relationships shift and change. Just like my dad was the gateway to the adventure of killing my first turkey, I got to give him the opportunity of hunting his first bear! (You’ll read about the hunt in a future issue of the magazine.) My dad has always been the gatekeeper in the family for excursions into wild places and it appears that the responsibility is shifting to me. My dad was giddy like a kid on this trip and shot the second bear he saw and I held out until the next to the last night of the hunt to get a once in a lifetime cinnamon bear with a huge chevron on its chest. I use to be the trigger happy one and he would hold out for a big buck! What happened? It’s simple, it’s a new season of life. What’s the point of all this? All of us younger/ middle aged folks have to realise the weight of responsibility changes and we have to get involved and take the mantle from those who have gone before us. There are battles going on in many states where bear hunting is being attacked. Some fights are new ones that the old guard never had to confront. We have to think about what it means in the context of our own lives to #guardthegate. For all of us it is accepting and supporting all methods of legal bear hunting and to be a good representation of the hunting legacy. We need to support those that are on the front lines fighting fire with fire like the Sportsmen’s Alliance or organizations in your state like the ones in this magazine. Maybe you need to be on the frontlines yourself. Take some time to think about your fit in all of it. Several articles in this issue are about what to do with your bear after you harvest it. This is an important part of being good stewards of this gift we’ve been given. I’ll leave you with this Proverbs 12:27 - Lazy people don’t
Kolby took his dad on his first bear hunt!
Kolby took a once in a lifetime cinnamon boar in Canada.
even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find. I encourage you to not be lazy, be good
stewards of the game you pursue and diligent after the success of the hunt. SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-Year (6 issues) subscription rate is $37.00 for U.S. address, $54.00* for Canadian address (in U.S. funds). 2-Year (12 issues) subscription rate is $57.00 for U.S. address, $89.00* for Canadian address (in U.S. funds). (*rate is higher to cover extra postage) For more information, call us at: 479-839-4335, write to us at: Bear Hunting Magazine, P.O. Box 168, West Fork, Arkansas or E-mail us at: info@bear-hunting.com Copyright © 2015 Bear Hunting. All rights reserved. Articles, news items, advertisements or other print media do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Bear Hunting Media, LLC is not responsible for injury/loss during the implementation of content. Bear hunting is a potentially hazardous activity and people should take extreme caution when hunting.
Bear Hunting (ISSN 1553-2488 and USPS 019-451) is published bi-monthly by Bear Tracks Media, LLC, 1506 N Cannondale Dr., Fayetteville,AR 72704. Periodicals Postage Paid at West Fork, AR and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes (form 3579) to Bear Hunting, P.O. Box 168, West Fork, AR 72774.
Bear Hunting
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Guided Through Grief
Carrying Heavy Burdens Into the Wilderness by Dan Towsley
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Bear Hunting
@dtowsley
July/August 2023
Grieving the loss of his son, Scott takes his grief into the backcountry alongside Casey Lavere & Logan Butler from Hush.
www.bear-hunting.com
“We loaded our horses with hopes of packing out heavier than when we headed in. Emotions on our sleeves, we grew closer to the adventure of a lifetime, but this hunt was about more than harvesting a spring Wyoming black bear; we carried a heavy burden up into the wilderness,” recalled Scott Knap. Bear Hunting
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Taking equine animals into the backcountry takes a lot of preparation. Ben Rogers of Stone Mountain Outfitters is a pro!
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July/August 2023
Scott’s 14 month old son Redding passed away in his sleep six months prior. The crew is hoping he can find some solace on the trip.
Just six months before this hunt, Scott, his wife, and daughter lost their 14-month-old son, Redding. That experience is a burning memory that will never ease its way from those who knew the Knaps and their precious Redding, and it was the true reason for this experience. Ben Rogers of Stone Mountain Outfitters organized this hunt for Scott in collaboration with the Hush crew, Casey Lavere and Logan Butler. Ben said, “Scott is one of the most passionate outdoorsmen I know, and he introduced me (a hunter with upland roots) to big-game archery hunting in the state of Wyoming, and he can hunt damn well.” For Scott, archery offers a freedom that eases his mind in the face of terrible tragedy, allowing him to focus on the great wild with friends, laughs, and camaraderie. But while Scott was grateful for the hunt, it was one he wished he didn’t need because that would mean his Redding would still be here. He continued, “We loaded up on a string of horses and headed into our five-day hunt. The first afternoon and evening were spent setting up wall tents, unloading gear, and getting a game plan together for the following afternoon’s first sit on bait. We cracked into a bottle of Pendleton and shared stories with the crew while getting to know each other better.”
www.bear-hunting.com
Being in the middle of the vastness of God’s creation has a way of uplifting the soul.
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Ben woke up early the next morning to stoke the fire and warm a pot of coffee. Scott and his wife lazily arose, with a slight thumping in their heads from the evening libations, and Ben headed out of camp a few hours later after preparing breakfast burritos. They had a relaxing morning while Ben was gone. They shoveled snow out of the perfect spot to pitch their Seek Outside Eolus tent for the next four nights, got a fire going, and enjoyed a meal of canned soup warmed by the embers. Ben rejoined them and they geared up for their first evening at the bear bait. Scott recalled, “It was uneventful, with nothing but pine squirrels running around our bait. We got back to camp to find that no one else had success shooting a bear, but they managed to see a few. Casey and Logan had a boar come into their site a couple times during their sit and Casey, being a seasoned bear hunter, passed on this younger boar to wait for larger bears that Ben had seen in the area over the past few months.” That night, Casey asked Scott if he wanted to switch sites and Scott agreed, especially being new to bear hunting and wanting to shoot a mature boar. With a new spot in mind, they were re-energized by the possibility of seeing their first bear on a bait site. They arose the next morning ready for an eventful, and hopefully successful, afternoon sit. Once again, they fueled up with coffee and warm breakfast burritos drowned in tabasco, and made a plan to head out on horseback. They arrived on a beautiful, sage-covered hill with the bait 146 yards away. The views alone made this spot their favorite: a massive draw in front, a canyon in the distance, and lodgepole
The hunters secure the horses and set up camp. That’s a cozy camp. Expectations are high for a great hunt in big bruin country!
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Jan/Feb 2023
Casey and Logan saw this bear on day one and Scott wanted him. He came back in range for Scott on day two.
Bear down! Scott (middle) made a great shot. Author and cameraman, Dan Towsley (left) got it all on film! Outfitter, Ben Rogers came to help get the bruin back to camp!
pine trees as far as the eye could see. A few hours in, four bull elk in velvet wandered in, eating as much greenery as they could. They watched them for an hour while they fed through the area. Ben remembered the next moments: “As the afternoon faded, I noticed a dark silhouette appear from the timber moments before shooting light. A light rain began to fall and I thought my eyes were playing a trick on me. We’d been staring at the area for hours, and it was hard to believe a bear was coming into view. But, it was no trick. I pointed out the bear to Scott, the same bear from the previous evening that Casey and Logan had seen. “The bear held up short of the bait pile, sat for a moment, and scanned the area. Scott and I had to move quickly to get into sight of the bear before we lost our evening light. We quickly and quietly moved 30 yards to our right. I was able to get set up with the camera and Scott focused on calming his breath and holding steady on the bear. I whispered to Scott, ‘Breathe.’ A second later, a shot rang out of his 6.5-300 Weatherby Vanguard. The bear ran to our left, tumbled, and continued running back into the deep timber. Scott was filled with excitement and wonder, among many other emotions, but questioned whether he’d hit the bear. We reviewed footage and knew it was dead.” The agreement was that if Ben didn’t see them come back, it meant they needed a pack-out—so they waited for him to come down the hill. Later, Ben arrived in the dark of www.bear-hunting.com
Scott is elated about the bear he took. His spirits have been lifted by the wilderness experience and the kindness Ben & the Hushin crew.
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night with his string of horses. The rain started to pick up while the three of them walked down the hill to follow the bear’s trail. After five minutes of searching, they found Scott’s bear piled up in a log jam. A wave of emotion ran over them. Scott had given Redding a black bear toy the previous Christmas, and just before Scott left for this hunt, his daughter told him to bring it along. The bear in front of them, lying against the logjam, had a strikingly similar color palate. This toy—and this moment on the hunt—carried deep meaning for Scott. It allowed him to be back in the outdoors where he thrived with his family and his faith. But, they didn’t let their emotions hold them back that evening while they were soaking wet from the rain and tears that flowed down their faces. They got the bear packed up on one of Ben’s Haflinger horses and slowly rode out of the dark, wet sagebrush canyon. Along the trail, Scott’s leather scabbard broke free, swung, and nudged his horse. The midnight rodeo began. The horse began to buck while Scott was still hanging on and all hell broke loose while Ben was yelling and Scott’s wife was doing anything she could do to help regain the scabbard. Scott rode it out like an NFR saddle bronc champ. Ben doesn’t laugh or smile too often, but he sure did have a big grin on his face after they all came out unscathed. They got back to camp at 1:00 in the morning with a little more excitement, adrenaline, and relief than they knew what to do with. Banquet beers were then cracked and stories were shared over a warm fire.
Logan Butler found gold in the mountain when he took this beautiful colored bear.
Stories were shared and bonds of friendship were made around the campfire at night.
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July/August 2023
This week on the mountain will never be forgotten. You can watch the hunt on the ‘Hushin’ Youtube channel. We highly recommend it!
In Memory of Redding Knap
www.bear-hunting.com
Ben reflected, “We awoke the next morning with an immense feeling of relief, joy, and satisfaction. Sure, we’d gotten our bear. We also got so much more. The mountains provided Scott with camaraderie to help soothe his mind after a tragic loss. It gave him the opportunity to share his story, to help him share their love for Redding, as well as others who’ve gone through a similar hardship. This trip had given all of us many gifts and we were carrying them back down the mountain—one bear packed and ready for the freezer and another clutched tightly, safe and warm.” A massive thanks to Ben Rogers of Stone Mountain Outfitters, along with Casey and Logan from Hushin. They generously offered their time and resources to provide this much-needed hunt. To fully experience the story, check out the short film on Hushin’s YouTube page and learn more about the story on the Weatherby Podcast. Bear Hunting
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Fear ALONE IN THE ONTARIO NIGHT by Trevor Hubbs
@hubbst
The author and fellow hunters stayed in an 1890s off grid trapper’s cabin.
My brother Adam, Uncle Alan, and two cousins left southern Missouri for International Falls Minnesota before heading deep into Ontario in pursuit of a Northwoods adventure. The cell signal was nonexistent, and the moose crossing signs first seen as exotic when entering Canada turned into Caribou crossing signs as we eased north on the gravel road. Minatare statues of men made from piles of rocks lined the roads. Tokens crafted from the local native population to ward off evil spirits or perhaps just to give outsiders the creeps. If the latter is to be believed, it was working. We finally arrived at the 1890s trapper shack that would serve as shelter for the week. The shack had no electricity, running water, or heat outside of a small wood stove in the corner. The building was sliding off its foundation at an aggressive angle, so you would always roll off your cot towards the north wall. It was exactly the type of dwelling you hope for on your first adventure in the north. The outfitter had dozens of bait stations established in the wilderness surrounding the camp. One gravel road running east to west served as the only access point and the only way to distinguish where you were being dropped off was by counting the mileage between you and the last hunter drop-off. The most distinguishable difference between the deciduous hardwoods of the southern oaks, and hickory, I knew and the forest surrounding the camp is the sheer density of vegetation. An unmarked, unkempt jungle rose from the 18
Bear Hunting
gravel road hundreds of feet into the air stratified by various levels of flora. Ferns and vines crept along the forest floor, succeeded by tag alders, aspens, and various blue and blackberry bush varieties tall as a man, but these layers were dwarfed by the huge cedar, pine, and fir trees that grew thick and close together with trucks coated in moss. No sign of human presence existed in these woods beyond the bait station. No trail, no marks on trees, just wilderness. The guide drove a passenger van loaded with hunters from the two groups in camp. I checked the odometer upon exiting and calculated I was 21 miles from where Adam and Alan disembarked, and 33 miles from the cabin. The guide pointed north and told me, “Go a mile until you see an old gravel mine. The bait is just past it, there’s a hill you can sit on nearby” Then he handed me a ribbon to tie to a tree when I was done hunting and his counterpart would be back after sunset to pick me up. The rock pit was about 10 yards by 15 yards across in an oval shape that sloped downward from where the bait sat. The edges of the clearing around the pit were littered with the small stone cairns some only a few inches tall, others almost waist height. I sat on the edge of the clearing above the pit. At 6:00 p.m. I saw my first bear of the day. He was small, probably a fresh cub spending his first summer alone. After a few minutes, the bear started clawing tree trunks, growling, and acting uneasy. The bear was not focused on me but on July/August 2023
The author encountered a wolf that seemed to look through him. The author describes this wolf to be the most arrogant of critters.
something in a dark grove of fir trees fifty yards past the bait. Larger bears will sometimes chase off a smaller bear for access to the bait the guide said that morning. Getting excited I scanned the tree line looking for another bigger bear only to find a pack of wolves. The center wolf sat staring while the other four paced in and out of view behind it. The wolf wasn’t staring at the bear but at me. No, not at me, through me. The wolf didn’t have hunger in its eyes or any hint of aggression. The wolf had an air of vanity, unlike any other creature in nature. Deer are cautious, squirrels dance around skittish, and even the bears looked over their shoulder while eating, but this wolf didn’t mind anything. It just sat there and stared at me, neither moving a muscle. The wolf knew exactly what belonged where in this forest, the trees, the mosquitos, the deer and it knew I didn’t belong. Eventually, the wolves decided either the bear or I wasn’t worth the fight and moved on. Shortly after the bear too abandoned the bait and I was alone again. At 7:15 p.m. a sow with two cubs came into the bait and milled around before being chased off by another bigger bear. Then that bear was itself run off by an even bigger bear. It was 7:20, shooting light expired at 7:26 p.m. and the light was fading fast. I knew if this was the bear, I wanted I would need to act now. The bear quartered away from me at 40 yards and offered me an opportunity. In the months prior to the hunt, I had been www.bear-hunting.com
The author had an eventful sit on this bait site. He had no idea what was in store for him this night.
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researching bear hunting and was expecting to hear a death moan. I listened and listened in the silence you find in a forest recently interrupted by a gunshot. There was no moan. Five minutes later I saw the small aspen trees directly across the pit start to shake where the bear disappeared. Bringing the gun to my shoulder I watched the trees shudder and quake as something moved through them towards the bait. The light was fading from the trees and the dense canopy blotted out any ambient light from the horizon. A bear emerged from the trees at the bait station. It was past the legal shooting light, and I couldn’t be sure this was the same bear I injured. The gun dropped from my shoulder as the bear fed on the bait and I waited. After thirty minutes the bear retreated along the path he came from. I crossed the pit and scanned the gravel for blood. Nothing. Thinking I had at worst wounded a bear or at best missed, my feet drug me back along the trail to the road. The stone men mocked my failure as I struggled against the blackberry brambles grabbing at my wrists and ankles. The forest was alive with sound. Every ten yards animals seemed to spring forth from the brush just out of range of my headlamp. The woods at night are not a new experience for me but in my mind, every noise was the wounded bear taunting my lack of courage and shooting ability. At 8:45 p.m. I found the road, tied my ribbon to a tree, and sat shamefully thinking of how I would explain my failure to the others. Surrounded by the sounds of the forest coming alive in the darkness I thought the van had come and gone after not seeing me on the road shortly after shooting light. Maybe the guides miscommunicated the drop-off point. By 11:00 p.m. I was certain some sort of accident had occurred as the trip back from the farthest bait station was only ninety minutes, then twenty minutes to learn of my absence, and another thirty minutes to come to get me. Everyone would be back at camp for dinner, and they would certainly notice my absence. Instead of formulating a plan, I became more and more consumed with what was walking circles around me in the trees. I had turned off my headlamp to preserve the batteries in case I needed them more later. But on this moonless Ontario night, my courage failed me, and the headlamp flipped on again. At midnight I started a fire. The vastness of this cold hard wilderness and the thick soupy darkness were so heavy they pressed the fire into an absurdly small space. It was as if this land unmolested by man saw my fire as a dastardly insult to its existence. How dare this creature bring even this smallest of technological advances into the forest realm. At 2:00 a.m. I stalked the perimeter around my fire unwilling to acknowledge that a human simply cannot look in all directions at once. Still, the night pressed in closer. Footsteps, barks, and low growls reverberated through the forest. I am used to hearing deer or other critters creep through dry leaves in the dark but the quick, rapid heavy steps galloping through the pine needles became more frequent as the night went on. At 3:00 a.m. I began talking to myself as well as the forest. I had depleted all the wood I could reach 20
Bear Hunting
The author’s brother the bear he took. They didn’t know they would double up on the same night!
The author had an long night alone in the boreal forest, the author’s hunting party found him and tracked his bear.
July/August 2023
without venturing away from the security of the fire. The flame died away into coals, and the dim red glow of the coals dissipated into ash. I alternated between shouting threats of violence upon any creature who dared show itself, and insane bargaining with the inanimate darkness offering not to do it any harm if the forest would begrudge me two minutes of security to gather more wood. Now in complete darkness, the calls of the ravens and howls of the wolves intensified. The incessant prowling of whatever stalked just beyond my vision crept closer and bargains transformed into loud open threats shouted at the highest volume possible. I dared the stalking creature to show itself. I damned the forest and its inhabitants for cowards and laughed at their failure to attack me. 4:00 a.m. found me waiting for the fight that was inevitable at this point. A glow of light on the eastern horizon interrupted the fight to be. It must be the rising sun I thought but quickly realized that was an hour away. Soon the light crested a small hill. It was a car! Adam and Alan searched for me all night. Adam shot a bear late in the day. He field dressed and marked the bear so he could get help dragging him back to the road. The guide picked them up at sunset and drove them back to camp to get more people to help drag the bear. When they arrived back at the cabin dinner was ready and they decided to eat before recovering the bear. The excitement of the success was sufficient enough that the absence of one-party member went unnoticed. After dinner, the guide went home being assured by all they could handle the bear. At 10:00 p.m. the group drove back to where my brother thought he had hung his ribbon but got lost in the dark. Eventually, they found the ribbon. It was a long drag and took them over two hours before they got back to the cabin at midnight. Now they noticed that I still had not returned. The guide having gone home for the night couldn’t be reached due to a lack of cell signal. While the rest of the guests went to sleep Adam and Alan started driving to where they thought I was dropped off. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find the right stretch of road, so they drove 10 mph scanning the trees for ribbon for the rest of the night. At 4:35 a.m. the headlights outlined a human figure at the base of a tree. With fresh headlamps, we set out to find the blood trail from the bear I shot. After a short track, we recovered the bear 50 yards from where I shot it. The shaking of the aspen trees I had seen and the other bear at the bait were just other bears in the area. Both our tags filled Adam and I spent the next few days eating bear chops and fishing for walleye. My night in the Canadian wilderness lingers in my mind as a shocking reminder of how wild the world can be, and how quickly these wild places can force a man to revert to the animalistic tendencies of those creatures who dwell in such places. www.bear-hunting.com
The author and his brother spent the rest of their trip fishing a beautiful lake near the cabin.
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Ain’t No Hunt Like a Bear Hunt @soulseekersnation
By Johnny Mack
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Bear Hunting
-Mentorship is Conservation-
July/August 2023
There are very few hunts in this life that challenge a man’s soul, grit, and determination quite like a backcountry bear hunt. With the mission of “Mentorship is Conservation” at the foundation of everything we do at Soul Seekers, it is always exciting and extremely refreshing to have adults who want to reinvent themselves and create a new legacy who reach out to us for support. It is even better when their lives are impacted enough for them to go full circle with sharing the mission themselves and passing on what they have learned, which in turn sharpens their own skills. Ultimately in the end, there is no better way to reach a level of mastery quite like teaching others what you know. In February of 2020, I received a direct message on our Instagram account from a guy that was interested in learning how to hunt. This message jumped out to me unlike other messages that we receive because a mutual friend forewarned me that this guy, who we later nicknamed “Iron Will,” would reach out at some point in time. Sure enough, he messaged at a www.bear-hunting.com
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The hunting crew were spot & stalk hunting in the Cascade mountains in the Pacific NW.
The quintessential glassing picture, you can’t write a backcountry hunting article without one!
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July/August 2023
A smile like this holding some empty brass can only mean one thing! Bear down!
great time where I could talk with him on the phone. I quickly returned his message and told him to call me right then and there. After a few minutes and what I’m sure was a gut check on Will’s part, I received the phone call from him which would set off a chain of events that drastically impacted both of our lives forever. On that call I learned that Will and his family had a desire to be self-reliant, as they were beginning their journey towards a full-on homestead lifestyle with hunting playing a big role in it. As we all know, hunting isn’t easy, however there is no better place to start learning about food procurement than getting hands on with nature and experiencing it for yourself. After a few phone calls and some social gatherings, I invited Will to be one of our mentees for the 2020 hunting season. With black bears being the origin animal for Soul Seekers and the first big game animal I ever notched a tag on, I believe that bear hunting is the perfect gateway for learning how to hunt as seasons in Washington state are long and provide a lot of cross-training for other quarries. Most people I encounter say they want to hunt deer when starting out, but I like to encourage them to pursue bruins as it will open multiple other hunting opportunities for them down the road. In August of 2020, Will loaded up early in the morning to join us as we set off into the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest in search of the www.bear-hunting.com
fabled bruin. Not only was this Will’s first hunt, but this was also his very first time backpacking as well. On the hunt, Will challenged his own fortitude as a man while deepening his resolve in a lifestyle that would create a ripple effect far beyond what he ever could have imagined. It wasn’t until a few months after the hunt that Will divulged he was having second thoughts shortly after taking off that morning—he wondered what he had gotten himself into while the elevation of the trail became more difficult and the distance increased. At the end of that hunt, I could tell that something changed inside of Will. He experienced something that revolutionized his life and now had a specific goal ahead of him. That goal was to become the ultimate provider and he then picked up the nickname “Iron Will” because his determination could not be broken. When returning from the hunt and truly understanding the transformational power that hunting holds, Will shared with me that he was hooked. Not only did he fall in love with hunting, but he also fell in love with the brotherhood and community that goes along with it. Hunting has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and the bonds that are formed in the mountains are ones that last a lifetime. And now in our case, bonds last for generations as our families and children have created a love for each other as well. Fast forward two years to August 2022 when Iron Will officially joined the Soul Seekers team because he wanted to impact the lives of others just as his life Bear Hunting
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Will shooting his bear brought a burst of emotions for the hunting crew. This was a team effort!
The crimson trail! Bears don’t bleed much. This is a good sign!
The crew with Will’s bear! Now the work begins.
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was two years prior. Only this time he had the privilege of being the mentor while he and Soul Seekers’ teammate, Tony, set off to the mountains once again with a new mentee and a goal of notching his first bear tag. It didn’t take long before they spotted a few bears on the hunt and were finally able to make a move into position that allowed Will to send his 6.5 creedmoor 143 grain ELD-X down range at a beautiful color phase bear. When he got back from the hunt and told me all about it, I was ecstatic for him as I heard the pure joy exude from his voice. He said, “Once I got set up for the shot and buried my eye into the scope with a beautiful color phase bear on the other end of the glass, I was locked in and felt like I had been training for this moment my whole life. I slowly squeezed the trigger and watched as my bullet made impact with the bear while tucking its nose and tumbling down the mountain. I was in shock and kept asking myself, ‘Did this really just happen?’ Having the opportunity to teach our mentee, Joe, how to hunt, field dress an animal, and everything else that goes along with the adventure, I felt truly blessed and grateful for the opportunity you provided me two years ago.” As I received the news of the successful hunt, I had feelings that reminded me of being a father. Watching Iron Will’s journey unfold while getting to play a role in it is something that is truly fulfilling and I want more people in this world to experience it. If we really care about hunting lasting for generations, then we as hunters need to invest into the lives of others. There are souls all over this great nation that are waiting to be impacted and set July/August 2023
This moment has been years in the making for this hunter.
on fire by something that challenges their courage, grit, and determination. At Soul Seekers, we believe any hunt can be that catalyst for an individual. We also believe that the mystique and culture surrounding “bears in the woods” provides that much more adventure when it comes to hunting and this is why we advocate for bear hunting as much as possible, especially when it comes to someone’s first hunt. It is a special moment to be able to lay hands on a primary predator and something no one ever forgets. In the end, if you want to give the greatest gift to another by introducing them to hunting or providing them with a skillset that will impact their lives and generations to come, then become a mentor. You don’t have to know everything to be a mentor. You just have to know one thing—how impactful hunting has been in your own life. There is no greater gift than to sacrifice your time and energy for the lives of others. You too can be a part of Soul Seekers Nation by living out the mission of “Mentorship is Conservation” while recruiting and mentoring others. It only takes a spark to start a fire and before you know it, there will be a blaze sweeping across this country all because you asked someone if they wanted to start hunting black bears. In the end, there ain’t no hunt like a bear hunt. You can check out Iron Will’s first bear hunt on episodes four and five in season one of Soul Seekers on CarbonTV. His mentor bear hunt will be airing in season three next summer. For more information about Soul Seekers, go to soulseekersnation.com and check out our podcast. #mentorshipisconservation www.bear-hunting.com
Skinning your first bear can be a challenge. It’s nice to have a mentor around to help guide you.
There’s not much in life more satisfying than packing out heavy!
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Houdini
By Russ Murdock
Houdini was a problem bear that had the ability to disappear into thin air it seemed.
I think it’s safe to say that every hunter has chance. I brought my Kindle with me to read, since this an itch they would love to scratch. In my case, bear helps me remain as still as possible, but put it away as hunting was at the top of my list. I live in the north- the magic hour—the hour before sunset—arrived. Seemwest corner of Connecticut and, while we are up to ingly out of nowhere, a bear appeared at the bait, and our eyeballs in bears, we will never get a season un- for the first time in my 45-odd years of hunting I expetil someone gets killed. Sadly, that’s what it’s going rienced buck fever (or in this case, bear fever). I was shaking so badly with excitement I thought there was no to take. My bear hunting consisted mainly of watch- way he couldn’t hear my teeth chattering. But he didn’t, so I let loose with the crossbow and then endured the ing hunts on our sportsman’s outdoor channel, and it was here that I first stumbled upon Dan Wagner’s agonizing wait for Dan to come pick me up. When he got there, I climbed down out of the tree full of doubt Great Northern Outfitters up in Allagash, Maine. as to how well my shot placement was, only to discover His operation was being featured and what struck my bear had traveled about thirty yards and piled up. me was the fact that Dan looked rather reserved, Prior to coming up, I told Dan somewhat apologetically almost as though he was uncomfortable finding himself the center of attention. There’s no shortage that this would be my once-in-a-lifetime hunt, but when of bombast and sky-high promises on most of these I finally put my hands on my bear I turned to Dan and told him I’d be back again someday. However, I never shows, but this guy was different. I was intrigued. would have guessed what my next hunt would consist I made a point of firing up the computer and wistfully reading his website whenever my wife of. As a teenager I had the opportunity to hunt was sitting next to me until she finally told me to raccoons with hounds, but a hound hunt for bears had just call him, see how much it cost, and ask if he never entered my mind. All of that changed when the had an opening. Our first phone call lasted nearly an hour. I really liked him and he seemed to like me. State of Maine nearly lost the option of hunting bears Information was exchanged and three months later, with hounds. 2016 was an election year and a hound I was headed 650 miles north for my first bear hunt. hunt ban was on the ballot. It was defeated, but it was a lot closer than anyone would have guessed. To say The Allagash region is one of the most this would have decimated bear hunting in Maine is an beautiful areas of Maine with hundreds of thouunderstatement, and at that moment I promised myself sands of wooded acres teeming with wildlife. I I was going back up to hunt with Dan’s Plott hounds. arrived at Great Northern on a Sunday afternoon and was soon settled into my cabin, which would be Another three years would pass, but in October 2019 I again headed north, this time with my youngest brother, home for the next six days. I shot a few bolts with my crossbow to confirm I was on target and called Mark, and a friend, Jim Gillespie. A hound hunt with Dan starts long before sunit a day. rise with breakfast, trucks loaded with dogs, and anyThe first three days were uneventful due thing else we need to spend a long day in the woods. to poor weather, but on Thursday I finally got my 28
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The author’s youngest brother, Mark (right), was the first hunter up and took this nice bear.
Dan heads out in one direction and his guide, Grant Starrett, in another. Two hunters in one truck, the other riding solo as you visit bait sites and see who showed up for a snack and what time they were there. I was the last to hunt, and Mark was up first. He fell in love with the first bear we came across on camera, and the hunt was on. After a couple hours of cat and mouse maneuvers, Mark rolled his first bear with a perfect shot as it galloped across a logging road. No other action happened that day, so we returned to the lodge. That evening, after a delicious meal, we sat around talking about the day and Dan proceeded to tell us about a bear he named Houdini. This bear was a thorn in his side, having injured several of his dogs and killing a dog owned by a friend. I guess bears have different personalities — much like humans do — and Houdini’s was anything but laid back. Dan talked about the bear’s habit of letting the dogs nip at his heels, then spinning around and scooping a careless dog up with his unusually long front legs. He got his name based on his habit of disappearing from his usual haunts whenever Dan was hoping to make a play for him, one “escape” after the other that made him difficult to pattern. The following day, Jim Gillespie harvested a beautiful bear that the hounds treed. His hunt was over and he left for Connecticut the following day.
The author’s good friend, Jim Gillespie, was the second hunter & took this big bruin!
www.bear-hunting.com
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The author (left) and Master Guide Dan Wagner were able to catch up with Houdini with the help of Allie the plott hound and the rest of the pack!
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Now it was my turn. However, several rainy days sent bears and the hunters to their rooms, leaving me with Saturday, our last day, to hunt. Dan Wagner is a great guy, a hard worker, and fairly quiet on a good day, but he was nearly mute as we set out that beautiful, chilly morning. I asked him if I had done something to irritate him, but no, it was just the fact that he tries to give everyone the hunt they expect. And that last day, the pressure was on. We made our way to the first bait, then Dan pulled the card out and popped it into his laptop and immediately stopped scrolling. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Houdini’s back. Man, I don’t like this bear. He’s so hard on my dogs,” he replied. “Let’s run him,” I said. But Dan had no response, just stared at the photos. At the beginning of the week, I told Dan I would like a bear 350 lbs or better, and at that point he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less. He said he’s not 300 and I said, “I don’t care. He’s hurting your dogs, so let’s go after him.” For half an hour, we both stood there silently until he finally relented and quietly called the name of his start dog, Alley. She patiently stood on the tailgate while he put on her collar, then she hopped down with her nose to the ground and the hunt was on. For the next four hours, we rode a rollercoaster of stops and starts, backtracks and mad dashes as Houdini made us look like morons. I watched the icons representing the dogs as they trailed and occasionally fanned backwards as Houdini spun on them to go in for the kill. Dan pointed out that the bear was being pushed out of his usual haunts and our chances were looking better and better. Finally, nearly eight incredibly exciting hours after we woke up that morning, Dan and I were dodging through the trees in a race to intersect the barking hounds. My heart was pounding as I skidded to a stop when the roaring freight train approached. Glimpses of black made its way through the brush, and I prayed I would not hit one of Dan’s dogs. I noticed a gap between two saplings and aimed at it, waiting for Houdini to fill the void. He did, and I fired. One lucky shot from my Marlin 3030 and Houdini was mine. I’m not the kind of guy who can afford to hunt in places far away. I’m very content to deer hunt close to home, and then hunt coyotes the rest of the year. I’ll bet everyone reading this has had the misfortune of spending money on a hunt and having a bad experience, or knows of someone who has. I consider myself extremely lucky that I stumbled on Dan Wagner’s episode on the Pursuit Channel back in 2016. The only time I’ve hunted with an outfitter has been a very enjoyable experience. As for my once-in-a-lifetime hunt, I’ve done it three times so far with two bears to show for it. And I am looking forward to number four, another hound hunt. For all you folks who look down your nose at this method of hunting, try it. It’s another one of our rights that could be taken away. I promise you won’t be disappointed. www.bear-hunting.com
Great Northern Outfitters has some great plott hounds for pursuing bear.
• • • •
Six day hunt. Combo hunts available. Very high success rate on large boars. 300,000 acre exclusive bear hunting area.
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Guided and self-guided packages available.
Allagash, Maine Master Guide Dan Wagner
• All method hunts available: baited, hound, spot-n-stalk, and foot snare traps.
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Visit our website for one of a kind bear hunting tees!
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A Heavy Foot & Fast Hounds Poem Submission by Kaleb Hughart
When your foot’s a little too heavy and your hounds have more gas than they do brakes, Gotta get there before they cross, no matter what it takes. Smokey’s got his ears on and that ol’ bear is on the run…them ol’ blue lights flashin’ put a hamper on my fun. “Officer, I’m in hot pursuit!” I surely try to plea. 44 in a 35, he just couldn’t let it be.
- Large and color phased bears. - Exclusive tents for each hunter with wood stove. - Spring & fall hunts available. - 24 hr hot/cold water and indoor shower. - Five day fully guided hunt.
So I politely take my scolding, put my ol’ truck in gear, lean on that gas when I know I’m in the clear!
Minitonas, Manitoba
170 dollars, really a small amount to forfeit for a day I’ll not soon forget!
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Legendary Bear Hounds: Part 50
Bellar’s Leroy Owner, Steve Fielder by Steve Fielder
@stephen.f.fielder
Owner, Brent Evitch
Evitch’s daughter, Autumn, and Leroy after a good hunt.
When I was hired to direct coonhound activities at
Ireland, and France. My task was to illustrate to those within the the world’s largest purebred dog registry, the American Kennel AKC Parent Club Committee that there were distinct differences between foxhounds and Walker Coonhounds, and I was ultiClub, I was assigned the responsibility of bringing all recogmately successful. Those obvious differences provide a gateway nized coonhound breeds—of which there were six at the time— into full recognition by the registry. Prior to my involvement only for our look this month at a legendary Walker Bear Hound and at his owner’s journey from coonhounds to foxhound crosses the American Black and Tan Coonhound, the old fashioned, with which to hunt, rather successfully as we will see, the North long-eared variety, was recognized. I faced many challenges in my seven years at AKC, but none more formidable than those American Black Bear. Brent Evitch, a 45-year-old lineman for Spectrum, the presented by the parent clubs for the Black and Tan and for tv cable and internet provider, has been at the job 27 years. the American Foxhound. The former feared a tsunami of field He’s also an avid outdoorsman that’s consumed by the hound type coonhounds overcoming the relatively few old-fashioned hunting lifestyle and has found great pleasure in leading hunts hounds in the registry’s files. The field type hounds used by in conjunction with the United Special Sportsman Alliance, hound hunters are more streamlined, shorter-eared, and more Inc. (USSA) organization. USSA specializes in sending critically fleet of foot than the AKC-type hounds. Judges in the conforill and disabled youth and disabled veterans on free outdoor mation show rings, however, have proven loyal to the original adventures of their dreams. Evitch has conducted more than type once the UKC dogs came in, dispelling the fears of the 50 such bear hunts with his hounds and prides himself in failing AKC faithful. only one time to fill the tag of his honored guest. He conducts Likewise, but for somewhat different reasons, the three or four such hunts a year. To quote from the organization’s American Foxhound group felt the Treeing Walker Coonhound to be essentially the same breed as theirs. Bringing UKC Treeing web page, “USSA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit ‘dream wish,’ granting charity that gives youths and veterans something to look forWalkers into AKC would, they believed, simply denigrate the ward to and to help sustain them in their time of need.” gene pool with non-typical dogs of the same breed. Granted, “I look at this way,” explains Evitch, “I’m not big into politics. I all coonhound breeds, other than the German Plott Hound, keep to myself. I’ve put my life into these dogs. Working with sprang from foxhound roots—dogs imported from England, 34
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them and with USSA is what I do. My fiancé knows that when the training season opens on July 1st for three months, we won’t go anywhere. If I’m not working, I’m running dogs.” Evitch began hound hunting when he was 15-years-old on coon hunts with his friends. He lives in Birchwood, about an hour north of Eau Clare, Wisconsin, and an equal distance south of Minong where I have personally hunted bears with hounds. “I went one time and I was hooked,” he recalls. “Friends from Indiana were up here hunting and they lost their dog. After they returned home, the dog was found. They drove back up to get the dog and my parents, realizing how much I had enjoyed it, leaned on them and bought the dog for me. He was a Treeing Walker named Smoke and was a silent trailer, but he was hard on coon. I killed more than 100 of them, some in the 30-pound range, when coon prices were pretty decent.” Evitch continued his coon hunting exploits for five or six years and bought dogs of other breeds, including some Blueticks from legendary Dave Dean of Michigan. “I drove all over the place getting dogs,” he said. “I sat in Dave Dean’s cabin a couple of times and I went to Del Cameron’s in Montana. One of the best dogs I have owned came from Dave. I was trying to coon hunt him and couldn’t get him off a bear.” Little did Evitch know that he was about to become a bear hunter. “I got the Leroy dog from my good friend, Kyle Small, who sold me the first hound, from Bancove, Indiana in the north central part of the state,” Evitch begins. “Kyle was
running him a little bit. I was always trying to buy something. He had a nice young dog that had potential and I ended up getting the dog from him. The Pac Man-bred dogs from renowned coon hunter, Russ Bellar, in Peru, Indiana worked well for him. I got him and he was treeing some coon but not lighting the woods on fire. I had a friend that I hunted with and I told him about Leroy. He said, ‘You should make a bear dog out of him.’ So, I started him on bears, thinking that in coon hunting I was staying up all night but I could try him on bears in the daytime. I was just going to start him on bears and sell him because I had no intention of being a bear hunter.” “I was hunting with a guy and we had become good friends,” Evitch continued. “His name was George Hrdlicka and he has since passed. He had a handful of baits set out and we went out and refreshed the baits. One of the baits was tipped over, a fresh hit. George had a few older dogs. We dumped them on it and the dogs ended up making a loop and they came across a dirt road. He put a young dog in and I put Leroy in. They raced a couple of miles. Leroy stuck with them and was in there treeing with them. It was during the July training season and that was his first tree (and mine). We were able to get within 500600 yards of the dogs on a road. It was nice to walk into the dogs without a light or stumbling through the brush.” This Leroy dog, whose registration papers bore the name Bellar’s Leroy, was a blanket back, red-headed hound with the kind of “tight feet” houndsmen want for good looks and top performance. He weighed approximately 50-60 pounds, about average for a hound of his breeding. When on the trail of a bear, Brent Evitch with Bellar’s Leroy and a large bear that was pursued from an early morning cold trail to a mid-afternoon walking fight.
www.bear-hunting.com
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Leroy and a bear Evitch harvested in eastern North Carolina.
he had what Evitch describes as a “fairly high-pitched mouth.” Leroy ran his tracks with a chop mouth and chopped when he treed. A fellow hunter once asked Evitch how he could tell when the dog was treed, seeing that his track and tree barks sounded the same. “When I put him on a bait,” Evitch said, “that dog barked every breath. It sounded so pretty. He was loosemouthed and it was a continuous roar. When I was first getting into hounds, I just loved to hear the hounds. I still like to hear a track where the dogs are just pounding, just pushing the track.” On the subject of cold trailing, an essential trait in a bear hound of the better class, Evitch said, “He was a pretty mellow dog from the get go. After the first year of hunting, he wasn’t junky so I started using him to cold trail at about four years of age. He was two and a half when I got him.” I asked Evitch for a story to illustrate Leroy’s cold trailing ability. “In one of the pics included with this article, we had a guy with a kill tag and had a bait hit that morning,” he responded. “In those days, we smoothed the sand around the bait to determine the size of the bear. The bait had been hit. We followed the track in the sand and ultimately ended up treeing the bear. My buddy, George, had a good dog named Arrow. He was a good hound and he brought out the better in my dog. We turned Arrow and Leroy on that track. Arrow was a big black and white Walker dog that was the product of George breeding two of his older dogs. He was a phenomenal hound. He could cold trail and would stick with a bad bear on the ground. We hunted him and Leroy a lot together. It was nice when you had those two on a bear. “So, they ended up trailing out of the bait and crossed the road by the trucks. They trailed through a clear cut and around by a green swamp. We ended up going down a logging road and 36
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Leroy and Evitch’s stepdaughter, Taylor’s, first bear harvested near Mellon, Wisconsin.
were able to get some other dogs in. My other hunting buddy, Mike Paul, had his pride and joy, a Plott Hound named Jackpot, and we put him in with Arrow and Leroy. They ended up walking the bear and fighting it all morning, but it wouldn’t tree. I had the shooter with me and he shot at the bear and missed. It was super swampy in there and finally the dogs got it bayed up in the roots of a fallen tree, and he was able to get in and get a shot on him. We had been on that one from daylight to about one or two o’clock in the afternoon. At one point, I had to put the shooter on my back to cross the swamp. It was a big bear weighing 294 pounds field dressed. Thankfully, no dogs were hurt.” When asked about Leroy’s strengths, Evitch said, “He was just a consistent hound. I held him to a higher standard because he was my first. He was there all the time. My birthday is in July. I once had five separate bears treed on my birthday and he was at every tree. My buddy, George, and I would pull up to a bait, drop Leroy and Arrow, and we would tree the bear.” When I asked if Leroy was often injured by treeing that many bears, his answer was somewhat surprising: “Leroy would stay there with the bear but would keep his distance. Unlike some dogs that like to worry a harvested bear, Leroy wanted nothing to do with the bear once it was dead; he didn’t want to chew on the bear. I would unclip him and he would go back to the truck. I guess you could say he wasn’t very gritty.” But the grit issue aside—which didn’t seem to hinder him at all—Leroy’s outstanding trait was that he was a very accurate tree dog. “He would sit down, look up, and never get in trouble,” Evitch said. “If booing (dogs barking at each other) started, he would just move around the tree, sit down, and continue to do his thing. It didn’t matter how long it took me to get to the tree, he July/August 2023
would be there laying them off on the wood.” Evitch’s daughter, Autumn, has followed in her father’s footsteps, now maintaining her own pack of hounds at the age of 18. “Two years ago, before she got her own dogs,” he reflected, “my dogs got hunted every single day. I told her she was going to have to take a day off now and then because the dogs were worn out. She hunts as well or better than two thirds of the guys out there hunting.” Evitch repeatedly extolled the mellow nature of Leroy. “I’m still not a dog trainer, and I’m sure I’m not a good handler, but I could raise my voice and he understood. He was not block headed or crazy. He was super easygoing and good with the kids and around the yard.” But this mellow attitude and the calmness with which Leroy went about the task of trailing bears would become a distant memory for Evitch as he made the decision to switch which types of hounds he now hunts. By his own admission, Evitch is not a breeder. “I’ve only had a handful of litters,” he said. “I’ve bought dogs here and there. I truly don’t like puppies. I like to get them when they’re hunting. I hear guys talking about breeding traits in and out, but I don’t know anything about that. I’ve bought dogs from virtually every well-known breeder.” To illustrate, he said, “My wife had to fly out to Washington for work and asked if I would like to go. While out there, I ended up buying two dogs from Mike Kemp that I named Wyatt and Flower. I rented a car, bought them from Mike, and flew them back to Wisconsin. Wyatt has been my top hound for several years. The first time I tried him on bears, he didn’t do well. The second time, he went 300 yards and treed. From that day, he leads every race and has treed hundreds of bears. He will be 12 in July and even last year, I hunted him almost every day. He’s different from Leroy; he’ll bark in the box, almost
every mile. I just pull up and turn him loose. I’m getting close to 1000 bears treed with that dog. But the point is that this type of dog is not for a weekend hunter. I miss the mellow, easy handling dogs like Leroy. I miss being able to dump into the bait, hot or cold, and go at the same pace. They were easier to keep at the house. These foxhound-crossed dogs are wired 220, but they suit my style of hunting now. I want a dog to be able to recover. Before, we were concerned with wearing the dogs down. Now I don’t worry about it. I was told the running dogs have more lung capacity. My dogs now, however, look almost identical to my original coon dogs.” Leroy’s last bear hunt was a wish hunt. “When he died, I buried him where we killed the big bear in the swamp a long time ago,” he said. Although the intensity of his pack has changed, the memories of an easygoing hound that simply got the job done remains. Evitch will forever cherish the memory of Leroy, a mellow fellow of a hound with a great voice. A hound that treed lots and lots of bears for folks that really needed an adventure to sustain them in their time of need. Brent and Leroy, the “mellow” bear hound after a successful hunt in Wisconsin.
Brent Evitch, Mike Paul, and George Hrdlicka, three bear hunting amigos in Wisconsin with their favorit hounds: Leroy, Jackpot, & Arrow.
www.bear-hunting.com
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Black Bear Peppercorn Tenderloin by Timothy Fowler
@timothydfowler
Seldom do tender and tasty intersect with fast and simple, especially when you’re talking black bear. Besides the short time needed to rehydrate dried green peppercorns in brandy and for the bear tenderloin to sit with a bit of salt and pepper, this one is quick and easy. Normally, I am a steadfast proponent of using stocks and demi glaces that came from game bones prepared in my kitchen, but this recipe skips that step. Concentrated beef stock in liquid form is a key ingredient in this recipe that saves a bunch of time and delivers nearly all the flavor required. There is no starch or flour thickener in this sauce, just cook it until it reduces to the right consistency and serve. Green peppercorns are unripe black peppercorns. Buy them dry at the market, cover them in brandy, and let them sit an hour or two before you want to use them. This recipe doesn’t produce enough sauce to be called gravy and its flavor is intense, so you just need a tablespoon or so of it on your noodles and bear meat to make it delicious. Sear the bear to a safe temperature in a sizzling hot cast iron pan and make the sauce in the same pan while the bear rests. The cooking time is less than 15 minutes, and once you and your guests taste this one, it will become a regular feature in your game meal rotation. Serves 2-4 depending on the portion size of the bear. As you pause with your fork in hand to savor the flavor, take a moment to acknowledge where you are––the intersection of tender and tasty.
Equipment • ●Boning knife and chef’s knife • ●Cutting board(s) • ●Cast iron skillet • ●Stove/oven • ●Wooden spoon • ●Instant read thermometer • ●Serving platter
Ingredients • 1-2 pounds bear tenderloin • 2 oz (60 ml) of red wine • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 2 shallots, finely diced • 1 tablespoon dried green peppercorns, reconstituted in 1 oz (30 ml) of brandy • 2 oz (60 ml) 35% cream (heavy whipping cream) • 1 tablespoon concentrated liquid beef stock • 2 tablespoons butter • Coarse salt and pepper • Canola oil • Fresh parsley for garnish
Method 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Rinse the bear loin with cold water and pat dry with paper towels Carefully remove any remaining silver skin and fat with a knife Season liberally with coarse salt and pepper and let rest for an hour to come to room temperature Brush the tenderloin with canola oil to coat it Heat a 10” cast iron skillet over high heat Sear the bear tenderloin, turning every minute until the internal temperature just hits 160 degrees F (about 6-8 minutes) 7. When the tenderloin hits temperature, remove it from the pan and set aside to rest 8. Keep that skillet on high heat and add butter and finely chopped shallots to the hot pan and stir constantly for one minute. 9. Then add red wine, beef stock, peppercorns, Dijon mustard, brandy, and whipping cream to it over high heat. Stir constantly and cook to reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. As soon as the sauce hits the right texture, slice the tenderloin into 1” diagonals and return to the pan to heat. 10. Serve over egg noodles with a side of your favorite vegetables. 38
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Gather all of your ingredients together for this culinary journey.
Sear bear tenderloin in a smoking-hot pan until the internal temperature just hits 160F.
Family-style service is perfect for tenderloin and sauce accompanied by handmade egg noodles and a combination of zucchini, red onion, yellow bell peppers and tomatoes.
www.bear-hunting.com
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2023 saw our NC General Assembly in long with the Senators beforehand and stop the legislation session and there were several pieces of legislation that before it was Drafted. We appreciated the willingness of were introduced in both the House and Senate chambers those Senators to listen and amend their plans. One of that generated considerable interest among hunters in the Bills may come back in the future, but we expect it North Carolina. will include an exemption for hunting dogs. Also, we are A number of Senators drafted Senate Bill 686, sure everyone has observed the numerous news articles on called “Regulatory Reform Act of 2023”, it seemed to television about alleged careless and disrespectful behavcarry this very unassuming name in an effort to screen at- ior by some deer hunters by and large in the central and tention away from the Bill and to minimize any backlash southeastern counties of North Carolina. There’s rumors of from hunters and fishermen. The sponsors clearly thought future legislation to amended existing statues and prohibit that that if they could move it forward to the Senate it the use of dogs for deer hunting on any parcels of land would be a sure thing thereafter. However, we should consisting of less than 500 acres of contiguous property. acknowledge that the House did not draft a companion HOUND TRAINING SEASON is largely happening House Bill, or show obvious support for the Senate Bill. statewide, as it gets warmer across North Carolina. We’ve Foremost, the Senate Bill modified the language already had plenty of bears out and walking for the past in General Statue 14-159.6, which covers trespassing two months both in the Coastal and Mountain Regions. when fishing or hunting. Quickly it became known as the Our observers are reporting seeing evidence of a large 686-Trespass Bill, and the genie was out of the bottle, as cub population this spring. This is good news, especially hunters and fishermen started asking questions, voicing given our concerns about the record high bear harvest we concern and opposition. Moreover, the new language had this past hunting season across North Carolina. As was poorly drafted, contained several key contradictions summer kicks-in we are sure everyone is keeping a hopeful and would have been an unenforceable hogwash for eye for some steady precipitation this summer to relegate law enforcement. What’s worse it was a horrible law to the fire risk and help grow mast. Also, we had several understand and comply with. members who commented on the daily articles and news In essence, 686-Trespass Bill changed everything reports about bears, bears and more bears throughout that NC sportsmen and women knew about hunting on the Piedmont Region. It’s especially entertaining because private property. The current law was established in 2011 these urban enclaves are generally unfamiliar with seeand provided that landowners who did not want to allow ing bears and respecting them as wild powerful animals. fishermen or hunters on their property could identify Fortunately, the NCWRC is working hard to educate the their property with specific signs and/or purple paint region about living with bears and staying safe. Also, the to denote the property boundaries as no trespassing Piedmont hunters will clearly gain some benefit from the for hunting and fishing. The proposed 686-Trespass Bill bear moving into the region. made every inch of private property closed to hunting There’s been considerable recent interest and and fishing, unless the hunter or fishermen had permisdiscussions about ‘black rifle’ firearms suitable for bear sion from the landowner or leasee. Despite hiding the hunting. We have spoken to several firearms manufacBill’s intent behind an unpretentious name and confusing turers and was pleasantly amazed to learn that the .308 language, a groundswell of sportsmen and women opand 450 Bushmaster are rapidly gaining popularity among posing the proposed law, gained momentum. bear hunters in North Carolina. The AR-15 platform is free Pursuant to Senate Rules, Senate Bill 686 did not of any wood stock components and they are well acmeet the legislative Crossover provisions, meaning it was cepted as durable and accurate rifles. Both the .308 and not exempt and was not read on the floor of the House 450 Bushmaster cartridges are well suited for stopping as a message from the Senate as of Thursday, May 4, power and use in dense vegetative and wet environments. 2023 in order to be eligible for later consideration by the There’s several manufacturers making them in the CaroliHouse during the remaining 2023 and 2024 Sessions. nas’ (Bear Creek Arsenal and Palmetto State Armory), so if However, the trespass language can be inserted in an- you are interested in a black rifle to bear hunt with, do a other Bill that did make it through the Crossover deadlittle investigation as this might be perfect for you. line. If Senators Sanderson; Johnson; Woodard; Krawiec; We invite you to join the only statewide associMoffitt; B. Newton Lee, remove the controversial Trespass ation dedicated to bear hunting and hunting with dogs. language from the dying Senate Bill 686, and hide it in Membership applications and renewals should be sent another Bill, it would then become much harder to track to: NCBHA Member Services, 130 Holly Mt Church Road, and could move swiftly through the Senate. Be vigilant. Mt.Gilead, NC 27306. Don’t forget we are online at Separately, there was a couple Bills regarding Facebook: NC Bear Hunters Association. Be safe! dogs and dog breeding that the NCBHA was able to talk www.bear-hunting.com
Bear Hunting 43
Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association Inc. July/August 2023
$15,000.00 cash Tickets 1 for $20.00 Drawing is being held Saturday March 23, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., Grand Prize $15,000.00 Cash Henry Goldenboy .22 Mag S&W M/P 2.0 10mm Sig Sauer P365XL 9mm Leupold VX3HD 4.5-14x40 Scope Vortex Scheels Rage 5-20x50 Scope Impulse 10 Sunset Kayak, Sunrise Fiberglass Paddle, Spectrum Lifevest Leica 2400 Rangefinder Leupold SX-2 HD 20-60x80 Spotting Scope & Vanguard Vesta Tripod StoegerM3000 12 Gauge Camo Stoeger M3020 20 Gauge Camo Savage B Mag 17 WSM T-Hole Sprigfield XDM Elite 9mm Vortex Diamondback HD 12x50 Binoculars & Diamondback Rangefinder CVA Accura MRx .50 CAL Muzzleloader Ruger American Comp 9mm Pit Boss Vertical Smoker & 40# Pellets All Guns and Prizes 8# Big Bite Grinder, 5# Sausage Stuffer Purchased from Scheels Benelli Supernova 12 Gauge Black Ruger American Ranch 450 Bushmaster Ruger American Predator .223 Winchester Longbeard 12 Gauge Benelli Nova 12 Gauge Camo Glock 21 Gen 4 .45acp Walther WMP .22 Mag Cloak XL Ground Blind, Death Grip Tripod, Stealth Hunter Chair Taurus Judge .45/.410 Stainless $525.00 Scheels Gift Card 2- St. Croix Premier Rods & 2- Scheels Guide LT 2500 Reels Remington 870 Fieldmaster 12 Gauge Mossberg Patriot 6.5 Creedmoor Lucky Duck Revolt Caller & Quiver Critter Max 500 Vac Sealer, 5 Tray Dehydrator Ken Onion Worksharp, Game Knife Pro Kit, Replacement Belts Savage Axis .30/06 Package DSD Jake Decoy, Hen Decoy & Feeding Hen Decoy Creel Bay Rain Parka & Rain Bibs Viper SD Climber & Moultrie Cell Camera 6 Gallon 2 Basket Fryer Sitka Traverse Hoodie, Pants, Gloves, Cap Blackstone 28” Griddle, Blackstone Burger Kit, Blackstone Basic Kit $450.00 Scheels Gift Card $450.00 Scheels Gift Card $450.00 Scheels Gift Card $450.00 Scheels Gift Card Benchmade Meat Crafter Knife LaCross Superbrush Waders, Darn Tough Socks & Wader Hanger Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler 2- 2# yeti Ice Packs LaCross Alphaburly Pro 1600 gram Boots & Peet Boot Dryer Gamo Swarm 10x .177 Pellet Rifle & .177 Performance pellet pack
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Bear Hunting
Central Wisconsin Convention & Expo Center, 10101 Market St., Rothschild, WI 54474
License #R0011342-A-65210
For more information and / or tickets, call the WBHA at (715)460-3033 or e-mail: jimscat1977@gmail.com Website: www.wbha.us.com
July/August 2023
A renewed effort to regulate hunting and fishing guides is moving through the Michigan legislature, despite objections from the Michigan Bear Hunters Association and others. The Michigan Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture recently held a hearing on a series of bills to impose requirements for hunting and fishing guides that were reintroduced after failing to gain approval in prior sessions. Senate Bills 103, 104, and 105 would require a $150 state license to guide clients for hunting or fishing that would be valid for three years. To qualify, applicants would need CPR and first aid certifications, a valid Michigan driver’s license and base hunting or fishing license, and no felony convictions or serious game violations in the preceding three years. The legislation would further require guides to report information about clients, harvests, excursions and other data – annually for hunting guides and monthly for inland fishing guides. The bills are backed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as well as the state’s largest conservation organization, Michigan United Conservation Clubs. Proponents contend the bills are necessary to crack down on bad actors that tarnish the profession, while providing the DNR with valuable data for wildlife management, particularly on inland waterways where information is lacking. The bills would impose civil fines of $500 for a first offense of guiding without a license or guiding on commercial forest land, and $1,000 for subsequent offenses. “What they do is provide a basic regulatory framework for commercial hunting and fishing guides,” SB 103 sponsor Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, told the committee in May. “These bills would essentially ensure that people engaged in this process or this business are individuals that we know are not poaching or engaging in bad behavior. There are basic safety requirements so that if there is an emergency the guide is able to help their customers and keep them safe. “And also there’s some basic reporting requirements that help our state to have the data necessary to monitor the health of our fishery and wildlife populations, and better set regulations and make management decisions,” he said. While the bills’ sponsors argued other states impose more restrictive regulations, MUCC Executive Director Amy Trotter noted in committee the bills are intended to be “an introductory package.” SB 105 would give the state’s Natural Resources Commission the authority to create new regulations on the use of commercial hunting and fishing guides. “We are looking for a minimum requirement for entry here, a baseline piece of information and assurance we are not allowing violators to introduce the outdoors to our novice hunters and anglers,” she said. Trotter told the committee the conservation community is aligned behind the bills, though MBHA, one of the state’s largest outdoor organizations, remains opposed to the legislation. MBHA directors believe the regulations are unnecessary, citing the DNR’s ability to implement reporting requirements without legislation, state laws that already prohibit poaching, and remedies for resolving conflicts between guides www.bear-hunting.com
and clients through the civil court system. “The only substantive elements of the bill package are the fees for a guiding license, and CPR and first aid,” MBHA President Keith Shafer said. “The DNR can implement the rest if they want. The legislation also opens the door to further restrictions on hunting and fishing in the future, at a time when the outdoor community is already struggling to recruit and retain hunters and anglers.” “We believe the bills basically create another impediment for folks who are working to bring new hunters and anglers into the field that’s unnecessary and will do little to address the few instances of poaching we have in Michigan,” he said. Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, offered a similar take during the recent committee hearing. “The existing laws that I’m aware of … will already correct those bad actors, will already give them fines and do things to stop them,” she said. “We’re going much further than stopping bad actors. We actually going to make (guides) take CPR classes, and we’re going to make them pay fees, and we’re going to make them undergo extensive reporting. “The list goes on and on, … it’s nine pages long,” Hoitenga said. “So we’re not just stopping bad actors, we’re putting additional regulations, fines, fees, permitting requirements … we’re going much further than just stopping bad actors. So I’m very concerned that we’re going down a very dangerous road of growing government.” Concerns about unnecessary regulations and government overreach was a major reason why the bills did not gain full approval in prior legislative sessions, when Republicans controlled both chambers of the Michigan legislature. Democrats flipped both the House and Senate in the most recent election, shifting the political landscape in Lansing. How that will impact the legislation this year is unclear. Several fishing and hunting groups testified in support of the bill package, while the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free market nonprofit, opposed. The bills ultimately cleared the committee without amendments and are now pending a vote on the Senate floor. They move next to the House, where they languished on the House floor after passing out of committee last session. “While we understand why our partners in the conservation community believe the bills will help natural resources management in Michigan, we respectfully disagree that the legislation will have a meaningful impact on the issues it aims to prevent,” Shafer said. “The MBHA is focused on preserving the state’s hunting and fishing traditions, while promoting ways to retain and recruit new hunters and anglers to the outdoors. “The Senate bills would impose unnecessary barriers to those efforts, and we’ll continue to lobby against them this session,” he said. Join MBHA to make our voice stronger, and receive our association’s 16-page publication, The Bear Facts, four times a year, plus Bear Hunting Magazine, with its MBHA column, six times a year. To get your membership (worth $20) and magazine (worth $25 more), send only a $20 check, made out to MBHA, to Phil Hewitt, and his address is 7796 Ainsworth Road, Lake Odessa, MI, 48849. Please include your name, address, email address and phone number.
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The Strategic Bear Hunter by Bernie Barringer
Eating Bear Meat
My Fou r Fav ori te Wa ys to Us e Be ar Me at
Over the past decade there has been quite a trend of people who want to know where their food comes from. Even urbanites with little to no experience in the outdoors have been intrigued by hunting their own meat. I suppose the main driving force behind this has been a growing distrust of the purity of what you’re buying in the grocery store. This trend is good for hunting, especially bear hunting, where we have grown accustomed to hearing people say, “You can eat bear meat?” or “I had bear meat once; it was not very good.” Well, bear meat can be very good, and, like most of you, I have tried it many different ways. But these days, I gradually migrated into just a few ways that are my favorites. I could add a couple ways to use bear meat to this list (such as stew meat, which is terrific) but I’d like to give you the four ways I most often turn my beasts into feasts.
issue with the trichinella. Put a roast in the crockpot and cover with water. Drop in about three beef bouillon cubes, some minced garlic, a chopped onion, and give it a good dose of seasoned salt (I like Lawry’s). Some people like to dump in a package of onion soup mix. Cook for about 6-8 hours until flaky and so tender it falls apart. Thicken the drippings to make gravy for the meat and a side of mashed potatoes. Man, is it good!
Summer Sausage For this, I use a commercial seasoning mix and a secret ingredient, bacon. I like the Hi Mountain Seasonings Summer Sausage mix—it is really good. If you like a little bite to your summer sausage, go with their Hunter’s Blend mix because it has a little spice to it. Get some bacon ends and pieces at the grocery store; they usually come in 3 to 5-pound packages. Slice it up and mix 75% trimmed bear meat with 25% bacon. Mix in the seasonings and grind it fairly fine. I run mine through the Pot Roast grinder once with a coarse plate and again with a fine plate. Slow cooking in a crockpot is a great way to Then, let the mix sit overnight before smoking. tenderize bear meat while making sure you have no You’ll need to use a tube on the grinder or get a 46
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sausage stuffer. Once you put it in the sausage fast sausage casings (they are included in the Hi Mountains seasonings to mix Seasonings kit), set your smoker on 180 degrees in, but I have settled and smoke for three hours. As with all bear meat, on two favorites. Hi you want to make sure the interior temperature is Mountain Seasonings at least 140-150 degrees. Everyone who tries this makes a country style seasoning will love it, guaranteed, even though many people kit that is mouth-watering. I also fry it loose and add the crumbles have a difficult time accepting that this is bear to homemade white gravy (some people call it a Roux) and put it meat. over biscuits. Hey, us northerners can love biscuits and gravy too! Cabela’s has a German breakfast sausage seasoning mix that is Grilled Backstraps really good as well. If you’re familiar with Johnsonville sausages, This is generally the only part of the bear that I grill. Because bear meat needs to be that’s what you’ll get with the German seasoning. So, these are my four favorite ways to make bear meat cooked well-done, it’s hard to fry or grill most and I’m getting hungry thinking about it. I am going to go make a parts of it without it getting tough, dry, and feast out of the beast right now! chewy. I think this is the primary reason behind all the people who have had a bad experience with bear meat and think they do not like it. Many of the cuts can get pretty tough when cooked well-done. Fortunately the loins are the exception, but the key to cooking them tender is the low and slow method. Cut the loin into steaks about an inch thick, even a little thicker is okay once you get the hang of it. First thing is to get the grill really hot and brown the steaks on both sides. You want to sizzle the grill marks into the sides of the steaks and get almost a crust on them without them getting blackened. Then, move the steaks off to the side of the heat and cook them slowly until they are brown all the way through. You want the interior to be about 150 degrees. Another option is to wrap them in foil for the remainder of the cooking, which helps hold in the moisture and can keep the steaks from drying out. This creates some nice, juicy steaks. If you’re doing this on a gas grill, you can just turn it down and leave one burner going while you put the meat on the other side of the grill away from the flames. If you’re cooking over charcoal, put all the coals off to one side and after you brown the meat, move the steaks to the other side. For seasonings, I have had marinated bear steaks that were amazing, but I have not done that myself. I usually just sprinkle some Lawry’s seasoned salt and drop them on the flames! Seasoning them is something many people like to experiment with.
ALL BITE. NO BARK.
Breakfast Sausage Patties Breakfast sausage is made very similarly to the summer sausage I described earlier. I grind the 75/25 bear meat to bacon mix, but this time I add a breakfast sausage seasoning to it. I wrap the ground meat in one-pound packages, which makes about four patties. Make the patties thin and fry until crispy on the outside. I have tried several kinds of breakwww.bear-hunting.com
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Bear Hunting
47
Becoming a Bear Hunter
Getting Involved
with Doug Boze
@bozeandbears
Shot
The Final Chapter
and have infiltrated many states’ fish and game commissions. Keep in mind that they are called “anti hunters”; they are not just against bear hunting, trapping, pheasant hunting, coyote hunting, and so on, they are against the very action of “hunting.” The idea of killing an animal seems to be the ultimate evil to many on that side, which truly blows my mind since most of them would have starved to death if it wasn’t for the death of animals. My point is, they are against all of us hunters, therefore we need to band together. Don’t look at a legislation or game commission policy and say to yourself, “Oh, this is just about duck hunters or deer hunters and it doesn’t concern me.” Rather, think to yourself, “Hey, they are attacking a hunting tactic or season. Bear hunting (or your favorite style of hunting) could easily be next and Welcome to the final article in the series will likely be, since it is a “low hanging fruit”, as the illustrious “Becoming a Bear Hunter.” I hope you have found them Clay Newcomb has said so many times. So, when anything informative, engaging, and fun. This final topic may be the like this comes up, you need to step up. The days of being left most important one in the series. While it won’t contain alone in quiet solitude while enjoying your favorite pastime is high adventure on some snow-covered mountain top, nor over. The need for you to stand up to each anti hunting piece tales of being charged by a slobbering boar on a goat of policy or legislation has now arrived. Howl for Wildlife (www. trail and getting a shot off just in time, it still might make howlforwildlife.org) has a great way to very easily and quickly the hair on your neck stand up. That’s because it is about email decision makers when issues arise. If you are unfamiliar the anti hunting community and their effort to end huntwith them, you need to get acquainted. Despite the suspect ing, even in your state or province. name, they are very pro hunting and just this year have helped I know, I get it. I am not one for politics or postop numerous anti hunting acts. You literally put in your name litical action. I mean, as I have become older I pay close and email and hit send to contact lots of decision makers. You attention to it. But in reality, I would rather just be left can even customize your response. I have used it hundreds of alone to do my own thing, like hunting in quiet solitude times this past year. along some babbling creek in the late hour of a sultry I would also encourage you to bypass arguing with anti summer eve while listening ever so closely for the sounds hunters in general, but focus on the members of the public who of bears. Truthfully speaking, I’ve always been a bit of a are on the fence about hunting. Arguing with an anti is almost loner. I developed this way—I believe—because my parents a pointless endeavor. Those who are impartial should be our split when I was young and, while I had older siblings, we target. We need to express our use of meat, the economic bendidn’t play together much. Therefore, I was left to my own efits, our traditions, our history, our love of land and conservaimagination while dad was at work. I would play army, tion, and so on. Another excellent organization to research for pretending to be Rambo or Indiana Jones or even Luke knowledge about hunting benefits and conservation is “Blood Skywalker as I spent countless hours in our woods: getting Origins” (@bloodorigins on Instagram). Robbie over there has dirty, digging holes, and just being a kid. Little did I know I daily updates on the benefits of hunting worldwide and does would be one of the last generations to have a childhood an amazing job showcasing the proof upholding his findings. without the internet and so-called smart phones. If you need talking points, take some time out of your day and Growing up in the country, friends would be explore what they have to offer. The knowledge and rock-solid miles away lots of times, and with parents at work there evidence of the benefits of hunting is simply irrefutable. was little chance to have one over for fun until we were I could write a small book on all the issues Washington a little older and could ride bikes back and forth to state has with many on our game commission. From one comeach other’s house. So, I became content and rather missioner finding the term “recreational hunting” offensive as it enjoyed time alone keeping to myself and snacking on insinuates hunters have fun during a hunt, to another commisfresh huckleberries as I skirted along some ancient, felled sioner text messaging during a closed public comment meeting cedar. As an adult, there is still much of that which has to a prominent member of Wolf Haven, which helped dictate remained in me. I do love hunting with friends and family the closure of our spring bear “recreational hunt”, and so on. (don’t get me wrong), but solitude does not bother me. It is frustrating, causes dismay, and downright makes me angry But my enjoyment of hunting tends to bother a very loud that I must see the erosion of my hunting heritage in my beloved minority of people. They are well-funded, well-organized, state. Many residents of Washington over the past few years 48
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have simply ant packed up and left for various political to let reasons, and for that I cannot blame them. Crime is out officials know of control, drugs are prevalent, and so on. If my personal that they are circumstances were different, hell, I might be right behind going to be them. But my home state is still beautiful, I still love it, and held accountable it is worth fighting for. So while I am here, I will indeed for their actions fight to the best of my ability. and PDRs are one way What does that entail? How can one man hope to do it. Filling out a PDR form is fairly simple and can be done to do anything against rampant political overreach? Well, online in most states. I would encourage you to do this often for good question. Rallying the troops, I think, is first and fore- any questionable activity you may spot in meetings. Response most. Getting hunters, outdoors men and women, fisher- times can sometimes take weeks or months, but at least you can men, tribes’ people, and so on to make their voices heard access it. during public comment periods are imperative. You know Making a post on your social media account to encourthe saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”; I intend age others to get involved is also important. We have a rough on getting very squeaky. In addition, being active in any estimate of 16.6 million hunters in the U.S. as of 2020. Imagine sort of outdoor, hunting, or political action group you find if we all became vocal with emails, phone calls, and meeting likable is crucial. From the American Bear Foundation to attendance, and made as much noise as the opposition. We Sportsman’s Alliance to the RMEF and everything in beare the silent majority on these topics, and it needs to change. tween, there are plenty of causes. My hope is, all hunting Learn to speak with your wallet. I have a saying: “support those and fishing orgs will start to unify under the “hunting” who support us.” Meaning, if a local company or group is not cause, not just the “chosen animal” or “chosen method of supportive of you getting your own food via fishing or hunting, take” cause. why support them? This can be hard to spot at times since placAlso, educate yourself on the topic you are going es will not often openly advertise this type of stuff, but if you pay to be discussing. This will help get your point across in a attention you can see signs. thoughtful and articulate manner. While I would love to go There is a little town in Washington called Twisp. In this town, up to a podium and tear into some people verbally like a there is a grocery store named “Hank’s.” Walking in, it looks wet napkin, that won’t do me—or the cause—much good. like you just walked into a taxidermist showroom. There are full And trust me, I hear you when you say, “It’s just a waste of mounted lions chasing a warthog, rows of deer, elk, and all time and they won’t listen.” To that I say that doing noth- sorts of African ungulates along the walls. Very close by there is ing will cause zero change. Worse yet, complacency will another town called Winthrop, which has another grocery store. allow free reign for anti hunting commissions and legisBut Hank’s is where I choose to always stop and shop because latures to do what they please with little to no blowback. the owner is a hunter and proud of it. He can have my business Calling these people out on their biases, affiliations, every single time I am there. actions, and words is often the only thing we can do. If you’ve become a bear hunter, you have taken on I would also encourage you to learn how to fill certain responsibilities. You want to take mature boars, avoid out FOIA or “Freedom of Information Act” requests, also shooting sows, and make ethical shots ensuring clean kills. If you known as “public disclosure requests” (PDRs). For a small want to maintain this lifestyle, you must also take on the role of fee, you can get a variety of information—even from per- spokesperson for our love of hunting. It is up to you to help keep sonal devices if they are used—from government officials, this way of life because without mentorship, our hunting dollars, including commissioners, provided it’s not classified, and your voice of support, this will all be lost. We cannot etc. Commission meetings are generally recorded and let that happen, my friends. Conservation needs published, but you can request emails and text messages you. Will you answer the call? between officials and other lobbying groups. It is import-
www.bear-hunting.com
Bear Hunting
49
Black Bear Biology
The Devil of it All
with Dr. Jenn Ballard @arwildlifevet
Black Bear Nutritional Flexibility
Despite being classified as carnivores, black bears are truly a quintessential omnivore. Even their teeth attest to the flexibility of their palates. Their front teeth consist of 12 incisors for nipping and cutting, filling the space between their four powerful canine teeth and sixteen premolars. Not your typical carnivore.
It was about five years ago that I had my first opportunity to work with denning black bears. One of the first things I was told when I started was that I needed to carry a big stick. Honestly, I thought they were joking. They weren’t. A walking stick, a painter’s extension pole, it really didn’t matter as long as I had something. I quickly learned that a walking stick is the duct tape of the bear woods. When you’re hiking rough terrain, it lends balance. When you’re crossing a creek, it tests depth and footing, sometimes serving as a mini pole vault. When you’re trying to give a dose of anesthetic, it can be anything from a distraction to a delivery device. And when everything is wrapping up and the drugs are wearing off, a long stick is a good way to check a bear’s wakefulness from a safe distance. Observers often laugh about our sticks, joking about a lack of confidence in the technique or referencing the slightly ironic ‘don’t poke a sleeping bear’ idiom. I sometimes laughingly refer to my walking stick as a high-tech anesthetic monitoring device (but to be fair, I’m a vet not a comedian). As luck would have it, the Christmas before my first bear den season I was gifted a handmade walking stick 50
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from my brother-in-law. A timely gift for sure, but I doubt he could’ve predicted the uncanny connection between his choice of material and its later use. His gift was honed from a native southeastern tree called Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa). Aptly named, this medium-sized tree tends to have a straight trunk with a relatively small diameter, thin bark, and few branches. From a distance, it looks like a perfect walking stick waiting to be plucked from the midstory, but up close, sharp thorns dot the trunk and cluster in rings around the leaf scars. I can easily imagine that only the devil himself would be ornery enough to grab hold of this tree in its natural form. The devil…or maybe a bear. Devil’s walking stick isn’t a valuable forestry commodity by any means, but the plant does have some interesting characteristics. The doubly, sometimes triply, compound leaves are among the largest of any temperate tree species in North America. Clusters of white flowers bloom from the leafy crown in the summer and give way to glossy black fruit late in the season, but the most intriguing detail I remember learning about is its selective use by bears. With its berries protected high in the crown of this thorny plant, the tree’s fruit is relativeJuly/August 2023
The author uses a devil’s walking stick gifted by her brother-in-law on den visits.
With its berries protected high in the crown of this thorny plant, the Devil’s Walking Stick’s fruit is relatively inaccessible to many species, but black bears are not so easily deterred.
ly inaccessible to many species, but black bears are not so easily deterred. They simply push the brittle trees over with their thick-padded paws to gain access to the crown and its fruit. Devil’s walking stick is a great example of how black bears flex their environments to meet their needs where others cannot. Despite being classified as carnivores, black bears are truly a quintessential omnivore. Even their teeth attest to the flexibility of their palates. Their front teeth consist of 12 incisors for nipping and cutting, filling the space between their four powerful canine teeth. Sixteen premolars follow, but are nominal at best and may be lost with age, leaving a gap between the canines and molars. This gap, known as a diastema, is something of a dietary tell. Diastemas are a prominent feature in the dentition of herbivores like deer and rabbits, but the gap is absent in obligate carnivores. The intermediate nature of the diastema in black bears hints at the intermediate nature of their diets. Bear dentition is rounded out by a set of ten molars for crushing and grinding, another notable contrast to obligate carnivores, such as bobcats and mountain lions, that sport only four molars each. With teeth meant for variety and a geographic range that covers a wide array of North American ecosystems, it’s little wonder that black bears demonstrate high levels of dietary flexibility. Overall, their diets consist of animal proteins, vegetation, nuts, fruits, grains/agricultural crops, and other assorted fare, but the specific foods and the ratios of these components vary between ecosystems, seasons, sex, and age classes. Theoretically, black bears seek an optimal balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that can maximize their ability to gain muscle mass and store fat. In reality, they rarely hit this perfect balance on any given day, instead taking advantage of whatever food items are readily available and often mixing food types. In essence, bear foraging behavior is a calculated balance between the amount of energy a bear needs, the amount of energy a food source can provide, and the amount of energy the bear will www.bear-hunting.com
have to expend to access it. Because energy needs and nutrition rates are a function of body size, these calculations change as bears get bigger. After emerging from hibernation, black bear diets progress from early spring vegetation with relatively low nutritional value to a period of high protein consumption as deer (and similar species) drop their fawns on the landscape. As fawns grow and get harder to catch, bears’ summer diet transitions to a combination of insects and fruit, sometimes supplemented with crops like corn. Throughout the summer, native plants take turns providing a smorgasbord of high-energy fruit. One study in Grand Teton National Park identified over 21 species of fruiting plants utilized between the foraging behavior and scat contents of black bears and, to a lesser degree, grizzlies. Another study identified at least ten fruit species used by Louisiana black bears in the Tensas River Basin. In some systems, research has shown that bears play an important ecological role by dispersing seeds from the fruits they consume. Late season fruits, from the likes of devil’s walking stick, may provide the last tastes of summer before bears transition again to take advantage of hard mast (i.e. acorns and other nuts). It is during this transition to autumn that many states hold their fall bear hunting seasons and observant hunters go afield looking for the telltale signs of bear activity. If you happen to be hunting in the southeastern US, bear hunting gurus will tell you that clusters of this prickly little tree are a very promising sign. References:
Benson JF, Chamberlain MJ (2006) Food Habits of Louisiana Black Bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) in Two Subpopulations of the Tensas River Basin. The American Midland Naturalist 156(1):118-127. Costello CM, Cain SL, Pils S, Frattaroli L, Haroldson MA, van Manen FT (2016) Diet and Macronutrient Optimization in Wild Ursids: A Comparison of Grizzly Bears with Sympatric and Allopatric Black Bears. PLoS ONE 11(5):e0153702. Doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0153702 Harrer LEF, Levi T (2018) The primacy of bears as seed dispersers in salmon-bearing
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Western Bear Hunting
Bear Necessities
with Jana Waller @skullboundtv
Get the Most out of Your Bear!
Western Montana is not only beautiful and soothing to the soul, but it’s a land of op- smoking and canning it, which all kill the trichinae parasite portunity—especially if you’re a bear hunter. We that can cause the trichinosis, a nasty affliction that can be avoided when the right precautions are taken. “Westies” have the option to hunt black bears I typically take the back straps and heart and cook both in the spring and the fall hunting seasons. One of my favorite hunts that I look forward to is them immediately on the grill or smoker. They are the best, when the snows start to recede and fresh green most tender cuts of meat and rival any deer or elk steak grass starts to line the logging roads. Montana when marinated, tenderized, and seasoned. I then typically is a no-bait state, so it’s strictly spot-and-stalk, take the four quarters to my local meat processing shop to but I also run my own bait sites just over the bor- get smoked. Most meat shops smoke meat in batches and der into Idaho during the spring. In other words, will have it ready to pick up within a few weeks. When bear I have bears on the brain all spring. Sometimes meat is smoked, it tastes like a delicious Easter ham and is free of trichinosis. My new favorite method for preserving I’ll even add a trip into Alberta or Saskatchewan. Bringing home three bears in a season isn’t bear meat is to can it with vegetables and spices. My friends, out of the question, so I’ve become schooled at Paul and Dee Servey, introduced me to canning or pressure how to utilize every part of the boar: fat, organs, cooking wild game meat, and it’s an easy way to preserve any meat from a hunt for ready-to-eat full meals in a jar. We hides, claws, and skulls. The biggest misconception about bears use vegetables such as carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes is that they are not edible. Bear meat is actually along with the cubed meat and some garlic and spices. one of my favorite wild game meats! They often have a very thick, dense layer of fat between the hide and meat, making processing very greasy and slippery, but if taken care of properly the meat is incredibly flavorful and delicious. It’s important to take steps to make sure your bear meat is safe, such as cooking it to 160 degrees, freezing the meat for a month, or Canning bear meat is a great way to preserve it and to be able to make some quick meals in the future. Bear fat aka ‘liquid gold’ for all you bear hunters!
For those of you new to canning, I produced a “How to Can Meat” episode on CarbonTV, which you can watch for free on Season 3 of Skull Bound Chronicles. Bear fat is also very useful and can be rendered down to a clean, easy to freeze form that is often used for baking or making skin care lotions, salves, lip balm, and other skin and hair products. I’ve hunted with the Swampy Cree Native Americans in Alberta who told me their elders would use the rendered bear fat for hair balm and skin care. It’s also considered one of the best conditioners for leather, from boots and clothing to saddles and reins. I have another friend from Missoula who makes candles and soaps from rendered bear fat. It has dozens of uses and was actually used back in the day as currency by early settlers. Two of the most famous American frontiersmen, Davy Crockett and 52
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July/August 2023
Companies like Midnite Leather Goods can create one of a kind creation for you like this vest.
Bear fur pillows are a great way to utilize a bear hide.
used their claws on other larger skull designs like buffalo and longhorn steers, and have many claw necklaces, some more rustic and others with sterling silver caps. If you’re looking to have a beautiful silver-capped necklace made, I’ve used Studio Pandora out of Missoula, Montana. Their work is beautiful, unique, and guaranteed to last a lifetime. There are endless uses for every part of a bear, from the meat and fat to the hide and claws. They are a spectacular predator that simply needs to be managed in many parts of the United States and are worthy of every hunter’s respect. When all parts of the animal are utilized, it adds more meaning to the hunt. Even though I’m moving to Utah within the coming months, I will surely be back annually to Montana and Idaho to pursue bears every chance I get. To watch a variety of archery, rifle, and pistol bear hunts as well as a “How To Can Wild Game Meat” episode, simply go to the CarbonTV app or online at www.carbontv.com and search for Skull Bound Chronicles. You can also add CarbonTV to your ROKU or Amazon Firestick menu by going into the settings, search under the ‘Find Channels’ tab, and add CarbonTV. The author does ornate beadwork on bear skulls as seen below.
The classy bear rug is a bear hunter favorite.
Daniel Boone, were both merchants of bear grease. When it comes to using the hide, there’s of course the classic bear rug that gives any house or cabin a cozy feel. They adorn my living room, guest bedrooms, and even look great on the walls of my front entryway and office. I’ve also turned tanned bear hides into clothing with the help of a small company called Midnite Leather Goods. Jessica Todd is an amazing leather worker who has made beautiful bear hide vests, collars, purses, and even pillows out of my hides. Last but not least, I’ve turned many bear skulls into beaded and painted works of art over the years. My favorite style for a black bear is a natural, wooden beaded look with arrowheads and earthy colors. I’ve www.bear-hunting.com
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ry
Great Hunts
Bruin
Destinations
New York Bruins by Al Raychard
I like New York, but not the Big Apple, mind you. I make a point of staying away from that concrete jungle. I speak of upstate New York, especially the Catskill and Adirondack regions. Visiting and especially hunting in either area makes the Big Apple and other major population centers in New York seem like a world away, and indeed there are. When it comes to bear hunting, it might seem hard to believe but the state has a great deal to offer. In fact, based on personal experience of hunting bears up and down the east coast, I have to say New York offers some of the longest hunting seasons currently available east of the Mississippi and overall some of the best hunting opportunities. But it wasn’t always that way. As it was in numerous other states, New York paid a bounty on bears from 1892 to 1895. It was not until 1903 when bears were given protection as a game species. Under that regulatory umbrella, hunting was prohibited during the months of July and August but no restrictions were set until 1923. During these early years, much of central and southern New York was open farmland and poor bear habitat. As a consequence bears retreated to remote forested areas in the Catskills and Adirondacks. In the 1940s and 1950s, abandoned farmland quickly reverted to forests, and thanks to conservative management and several regulations put in place, including prohibiting hunting bears over bait, with hounds, and the trapping of bears, the population started to increase in number and range. Today, New York’s bear population numbers are up to an estimated 8,000 animals, the largest it has been since Colonial times, and the primary and transient bear range includes nearly every county in the state north of New York City. Now there is even a bear season in Westchester County. An estimated 50 to 60-percent of that number live in and around the six million acre Adirondack Park in the northern zone, 30 to 36-percent spread across and around the 600,000 acre Catskills in the southern zone, with the remaining 10 to 15-percent in the western central, western, and eastern regions, including the Tug Hill area, Hudson River Valley, and Southern Tier along the central border with Pennsylvania, all in the southern bear range. One of the primary reasons why New York’s bear population is doing so well and is worthy of a hunting destination is the amount of available habitat. The primary and transient bear range in the northern and southern regions of the state combined cover some nearly 29,000 square miles of New York’s 54,555 square mile area, over half the state! Much of the northern range contains large tracts of wild land split between public and private land. The public lands are nearly all within the Adirondack State Forest Preserve that cannot be logged or developed. Much of the private land is owned by private timber companies, some of which is protected from development by conservation easements. Nearly the entire range is mountainous with many areas difficult to access. Much of the zone is hilly with steep ridges, and there are few
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roads and little human habitation. There are also thousands of lands and ponds, and vast wetlands and the forest offers plenty of hard and soft mast such as beechnut and oaks, blueberries, raspberries, and wild cherry. Therefore, it is prime bear territory. The southern bear range roughly extends from the southwest corner of the state easterly along the border with Pennsylvania through south central New York, into the Catskills, south into Orange and Rockingham Counties to the New Jersey border, and then north along the eastern boundary with Massachusetts. Although more developed and populated with humans, it also offers large blocks of public land interspersed with agricultural lands that provide ample cover and food supplies. Along with the Catskill Forest Preserve, the New York Department of Conservation (NYDEC) also manages 780,000 acres of state forest in the southern zone and has easements on an additional 840,000 acres. Needless to say, bears can be found over large areas of New York and there are plenty of places to hunt them. As New York’s bear numbers have increased, bears have moved into areas and have become frequently sighted where they were once uncommon. To address the issue, the NYDEC has opened areas of the state previously closed to bear hunting, expanded hunting seasons, and increased hunting opportunities several times in recent years. Many management units in eastern New York were opened to bear hunting and all of upstate New York north of New York City has been opened to bear hunting. An early bear hunting season was also established in the Catskills and western Hudson Valley. Regulations have been put in place allowing junior hunters to take bears as well as deer during the youth firearms hunt. Prior to these changes, the statewide bear harvest reached or exceeded 1,000 just eight times between 1993 and 2010, but between 2011 and 2016 the harvest has exceeded 1,000 every year, with the highest tallies occurring in 2015 (1,715), 2014 (1,628), and 2016 (1,539). In 2022, hunters killed 1,318 bears statewide, 458 in the north and 860 in the south, an increase of 14-percent and 9-percent, respectively. Also of note is while the historical average indicates the majority of bears were taken in the northern bear zone, in more recent times data shows nearly twice as many bears have been taken in the southern zone. On a statewide level, while most bears are still being taken during the regular bear season, in the southern zone the bow and early bear seasons have grown in popularity and the number of bears taken has equaled or surpassed the regular season, indicating the expanded hunting opportunities and new areas opened to bear hunting to help control numbers in the southern regions of the state are working. There are, of course, other reasons that make New York an attractive bear hunting option. Hunting licenses are affordable and available over the counter, and hunters can partake of several generous hunting seasons that start early and end late over a three-month period. There is also the opportunity to combine a bear hunt with a whitetail deer or grouse hunt, taking advantage of the best New York has to offer.
July/August 20230
Estimated Bear Population: 6,000-8,000+ Bag Limit: One bear per calendar year. Sows with cubs or cubs may not be taken in the southern zone. Areas Open to Hunting: All counties north of New York City. Spring Season: No Fall Season: Yes. Varies by zone.
New York Overview
Northern ZoneRegular-Sept.17-Dec.4*, Bowhunting-Sept. 17-Oct. 21*, Crossbow-September 12-Oct. 21*, Muzzleloader-October 15-Oct.21*, Regular-Oct.22-Dec.4* Southern Zone- Early-Sept. 10-Sept. 25*, Early Bowhunting-Oct. 1-Nov.18*, Crossbow-Nov.5-Nov.18*, Regular-Nov.19-Dec.11*, Late Howhunting-Dec.12-Dec.20*, Late Muzzleloading-Dec.12-Dec.20* Westchester County WMU 3S-Oct.1-Dec.31*** (Bowhunting Only) Baiting Allowed: No. Hunters may carry and use up to 1.5 fluid ounces of scent or lure. Check with the NYDEC or 2017 regulations summary for additional details. Hounds Allowed: No Popular Hunting Methods: Hunting over natural foods and agricultural crops or spot-and-stalk. License Availability/Cost: Over the counter, online, or via telephone. Check with NYDEC for the current price structure. There is no special bear hunting license. To hunt bears during the early and regular season, a big-game license is required. To hunt bears during archery and muzzleloader season, a big-game license and respective privilege license are required. Legal Weapons: Varies by zone and season. Check with DEC for specific details. *Check the NYDEC website for 2023 dates and details. **Crossbows may not be used in WMUs 3S, 4J and 8C. ***Bear hunting in Westchester County is limited to bowhunting only. Contacts: New York Department of Environmental Conservation | www.dec.ny.gov/ (518) 402-8920 New York State Outdoor Guides Association | www.nysoga.org/(866) 469-7642
Bear Questions/Answers With Al Raychard
Q-I am just curious, how is it that Maine does not have a statewide spring bear season, but spring hunting is allowed on tribal lands? A-My understanding is as part of the 1980 Indian Claims Settlement Act, recognized tribes were given control over what is and isn’t allowed on the lands, with some exceptions. Management of fish and wildlife is one area which the tribes control. As such two tribes, the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot, have allowed spring hunts for several years. The right to that privilege is licensed to private outfitters, who then offer spring hunts to the public. Several outfits advertised in this magazine currently offer spring hunts and may be contacted for more details. Contacts and arrangements should be made well in advance since interest and demand for the late May into June hunts are in high demand. Q-I have an opportunity to participate in a spring or fall Idaho bear hunt next year. I read that you have hunted Idaho several times. I was just wondering which season you prefer? A-Any time I can hunt Idaho, spring or fall, is a good time. Fall in Idaho is a wonderful time of year and there’s the opportunity for a combination hunt. Personally, I like the spring hunts because I generally like hunting spring bears, plus it’s an opportunity to get in the woods after a long winter. Although I’m sure this varies and is not always true, spring bears seem more www.bear-hunting.com
receptive to baits, pelts are in prime shape (especially early), and the days are increasingly long. But as I said, you’ll enjoy a fall hunt as well as a spring hunt. Good luck! Q-Should any precautions be taken when cooking bear meat? A-Black bears can be carriers of several diseases, so yes, some precautions when cooking are well advised. Like pork, the most frequent recommendation is to cook bear meat at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes per pound until there is no trace of pink or red, paying special attention to areas around joints and close to bones. Cooking the meat to an external temperature of 170 degree F and the thickest part to an internal temperature of 165 degree F for at least three minutes is also a good way to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Q-When it comes to bear meat, do you prefer spring or fall bears? A-Opinions vary on this and it depends on the region and timing of the season, but I personally prefer spring bears. Spring bears feed primarily on fresh greens, have not been into a lot of carrion or fish, and the meat is generally leaner with less fat. To be honest, I’ve had poor tasting spring and fall bears. But keep in mind that quality table fare depends on proper field care, handling, and storage. Bear Hunting
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Sacred Pursuit with TL Jones
Picking a Pup @TLJonesHVP
Ten Guidelines
Everybody loves puppies, but not everyone is happy with those puppies by the time they turn a year old. So, I’ll be blunt about the matter. There’s absolutely no fail-proof way of guaranteeing that you’ll get a pup that makes the dog for which you hope. However, there are some things that will put the odds in your favor. 1. Have a Finished Product in Mind Don’t just get a pup at random. Don’t just get a pup from the cheapest, closest litter. Have a specific standard for a finished hound either written down or in your mind, and then seek out a pup that at least has the genetic potential to become the type of dog you’re wanting. If you want a super cold-nosed hound for trailing up rough tracks, then don’t get a pup from a litter that has none of that in its bloodstream. If you want a gritty pup or a fast pup, some of that must be there in its ancestors. It’s not fair to expect a pup to be something that it’s not capable of being. 2. Don’t Settle Sometimes a person will get a pup that will never meet their standard because it falls short in a particular area, but they hope to be able to overlook it. For instance, some men are very breed-specific and hesitate to give another breed a chance. A dead in the wool Walker man may not give a Redbone pup much credit, even if it’s a great pup. Yes, I’ve seen this happen. I have a strong dislike for a hound with a curled (Huskie-type) tail. Even if the dog finished out well I would get rid of it, therefore it makes no sense to buy a pup with a curled tail. A pup deserves a fair chance and shouldn’t be subjected to a situation where it won’t succeed. 3. Pick the Breeder First Picking a pup comes down to trusting the man that’s making the breeding decisions. Does he have the kind of dogs you want? Would you want a pack of dogs just like his? Does he have a history of successful breeding? Is he catching game? Does he hunt similar terrain? Do you know anyone that bought pups from him? Does he have a reputation for honesty? Is he well-known because of a legitimate, successful hound hunting career or is he a self-promoting huckster? It may sound backwards, but in my opinion finding the right man means finding the right kind of pup.
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4. Pick the Dam as a Priority This is only a matter of opinion, and I wouldn’t spend five minutes debating it, but I consider the dam more important than the sire. Most pups are chosen based on the sire. If I’m looking for a pup, I’m going to begin by finding the right breeder with the right dam. If that female is a dog I’d love to own, then I’m willing to consider a pup out of her. Does she catch game? Does she suit my standards and preferences? Is her pedigree packed with similar females? What type of pups has she produced? If I don’t like the dam, I simply don’t want a pup out of her. 5. Pick the Cross If you’ve picked the breeder and the dam, then the next decision is about the sire. And you’re not just looking for any sire, you’re looking for one that has the potential of mating well with the dam you’ve chosen. Look at the four grandparents of any potential litter. If you owned the four grandparents, what kind of pack of bear dogs would you have? Four solid dogs? One solid dog and three culls? Four culls? Does the breeder know anything about the grandparents? 6. Pick the Pup Out of the Litter If you’ve chosen the breeder and dam, then I wouldn’t stress about which pup to pick in the litter itself. Notwithstanding some egregious defect, just pick the one you like the looks of compared to the others. At this point, your chances of getting the best one of the litter are just as good as the next guy. Have a hound topic you want covered? Email requests to: sacredpursuit@protonmail.com July/August 2023
7. Think Twice About Certain Negatives Pups will often surprise you, but don’t count on it. If a pup is excessively shy, I’d be cautious. A pup that is aggressive toward its littermates could get worse. If there is a health defect, don’t anticipate that it’ll heal. There are some people who love the runt of the litter but that wouldn’t be my pick if I were paying hard-earned cash. Unless you just really prefer a large hound, a pup that is abnormally larger than its littermates may not be the best choice. However, none of these things are absolute. Some of the pups I just said I would avoid may become the best finished hound out of the litter. I just prefer to put potential odds in my favor—sometimes you lose playing odds.
that would be the end of it. I wouldn’t blame the breeder or expect him to give me another pup. When you do your homework and the pup you pick turns into a fine bear hound, it’s a joy like no other. Even though there’s no guarantee, you can put the odds in your favor over time. Some day, you’ll look through your photo album and see puppy pictures of hounds that became your favorite memories.
8. Disregard Old Wives Tales Some of the things people believe about dogs are mind boggling. I’ve heard it said that you should look to see if a pup has a black roof inside its mouth. Some promote the idea that if a pup has a certain protrusion on the back of its skull that it’s a “tree knot” and the pup will tree better. There are Plott fanciers who say, “No white, no bite”, meaning a Plott with no white on its chest or feet will not be gritty. There are many Old Wives Tales and they continue to persist, regardless of the facts. My advice is to avoid anyone giving advice based on superstition. 9. Pay Up and Drive as Far as Necessary If you can get the exact kind of pup that you want from your next door neighbor for free, you’re extremely fortunate. That’s not the norm. Getting the exact kind of puppy most bear hunters should be looking for is not common and it’s no longer cheap. If someone is giving pups away, it may be that they’re just genuinely gregarious. Then again, it’s also possible that no one wants their pups. Not always, but often the kind of pup you’re searching for is going to be the same pup a lot of other bear hunters want too. High demand and low supply push the prices up and many must get on a waiting list, sometimes for years. Let’s be honest, bear hunting is expensive, especially hound hunting. I’ve never understood houndsmen who will drive a $50,000 truck with a $2,500 dog box to haul dogs that couldn’t catch the flu in an emergency room. They’ll pay $5,000 for Garmin electronic equipment and carry a $1,200 revolver, but won’t spend a buffalo nickel on a quality hound. If you’re going to catch a bear with hounds, the quality of the hounds is the most important aspect of the pursuit. Pay as much as it costs, and drive as far as needed to get the exact pup you want. 10. Give Your Pup a Legitimate Chance to Succeed (and Don’t Blame the Breeder if it Fails) Puppies are a gamble. Even if you choose as wisely as possible, it’s still a gamble. After making the choice, it’s now the new owner’s full responsibility to give that pup a legitimate chance at success. Starting a pup is a vast subject, but what it boils down to is hunt it, hunt it, and hunt it some more. If for some reason the pup just can’t make a bear dog, then accept that and start over. Don’t blame the breeder. Remember, you picked him—he didn’t pick you. It’s a controversial position but I don’t believe in pup guarantees for many reasons. I believe in taking responsibility for my choices and www.bear-hunting.com
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{Hounds and Bears} Column
IN Hot PUrsuit By Barry ‘Bear’ Siragusa @thehuntinghound
Hound First Aid Preparation for the serious houndsman
decent first aid kit, the knowledge of how to patch them up Hunters who make use of hounds in their purourselves, and the wisdom to know when an injury requires suit of game will hunt their hounds in every conceivable more than our skills to mend. terrain, weather, and climate. There are hound hunters The following is a quick rundown of what I have in in the deserts of Egypt, the rain forests of South Amerimy hound/kid first aid kit. Virtually everything I will describe ca, and the vast snowy expanses of northern Alaska and Canada. We hunt on rock, sand, snow, grass, even water. here can be bought at Double U Hunting Supply. All of these places and terrains offer their own challenges Vet Wrap: and hazards like frostbite, drowning, heat stroke, broken You know that thin, stretchy bandage material that bones, and lacerations, not to mention injuries they receive from pursuing and clashing with some of the world’s sticks to itself that you would put on a horse’s foreleg? I keep a bunch of that in my truck. It is perfect for holding most dangerous game. compression on a bleed, wrapping around a limb with some Most people who have spent any appreciable time in the great out-of-doors have either seen someone sticks to immobilize a broken bone, and keeping them from chewing on themselves while I get them out of the woods get injured, or have been injured themselves. Now, I am not talking about catastrophic injuries necessarily. Every- and home or to the veterinarian. However, be cautious because it is elastic enough that it will quickly cut off circulaone who has split wood for more than 10 minutes knows tion if wrapped too tightly. I like to unwrap the length that I what a blister between your forefinger and thumb looks expect to use from the roll first before applying the elastic and feels like. Bad steps can lead to a sprained ankle. to relax it before wrapping it around some part of their (or A wet sock can lead to bloody, blistered sores on your my) anatomy. feet. All these things are pretty commonplace when one is being active outdoors. When you are outside with other people, the likelihood of someone getting injured grows Gauze: Keep a roll of 2-4 inch absorbable gauze in your with each additional person. The likelihood of injuries to kit. It will create an absorbent layer between the vet wrap someone in a group of people increases exponentially if and the skin, and will add gentle pressure to bleeding you involve children. Children have an overall zest for life, wounds that will aid in coagulation and help the body stop lack of situational awareness, and a tendency to run everywhere they are going—all of which show they are often the bleeding. careless, oblivious to the consequences of their actions, and look to us to fix it when they get themselves into trou- Tourniquet: I like to keep a strip ble. of fabric or a large bandana Hounds and kids have a lot in handy in case I am faced with common. The hounds will run as fast as their a wound that I can’t stop from bleeding (which can double noses and legs as a sling in case of a human will carry them along a track—of- shoulder dislocation or arm break). Now, there is more to ten completely using a tourniquet than just oblivious to the tying it around a wound and dangers and hazards around them—as tightening. MeatEater has they attempt to catch up a great podcast about the to something that would be all proper use of a tourniquet via Episode 192 called “Bleeding too pleased to do them physical Out.” Give that a listen as Dr. harm. The dogs are bred and trained for it. It’s what they live for, and the best Alan Lazzara does a better job of explaining it than I ever that we can do is to keep them could, and the principles safe from the sidelines as much as possible, have a apply to canines as well as people. A tourniquet is one July/August 2023
of those things you will likely never need, but will be super happy good you have when things go pear-shaped. set of pliers are a must, especially if the hound has quills around their eyes. It will be unpleasant for all involved but get the most dangerous quills out of the hound on the spot, there and then, before regrouping for a quill pulling party. I recommend including alcohol, both rubbing and otherwise, when you do this. Also, do not clip the quills! You will only be making it worse. The quills will still be barbed, only now you will have less quill to grab with the pliers while you remove them. If you cut them and then end up at the vets anyway, expect the bill to be almost double. A Medical Stapler: Lastly, if you wouldn’t do something to your These are not hard to get. Your vet may be able to hook best human friend, don’t do it to your hound. Putting you up. I don’t use medical staplers so as to avoid going to the a gasoline-smoked rag over their nose until they pass veterinarian, I use them to close gaping wounds until I can get out before administering first aid is not only idiotic, to the veterinarian. Getting a dog with a big gaping wound but will likely get you bitten. out of the woods without filling that wound with detritus is next Our hounds are modern day Spartans. If to impossible, which is a shame since the risk of infection goes allowed, they will keep battling on empty stomachs way up. Using a medical stapler to close the skin long enough through injury until they have nothing left to give. to get the dog out of the woods will be crucial to preventing When the grit and adrenaline wears out for the day, infections and other long-term issues down the road. This is not it is in their best interests and yours to have a basic a permanent solution; there are many layers of muscle and skin, set of common sense first aid skills to keep them and closing just the outside layer of a multi-layer wound without alive and bring them back to fight another day. Stay first sewing the muscle and fascia back together leaves cavities safe and be prepared out there! that will almost certainly become infected over time. The hound may live, but the extensive scar tissue and the haphazard knitting of the damaged tissue will likely cause both circulation and range of motion issues once it is healed (assuming the dog lives through the infection). Staplers are worth their weight in gold, but keep in mind that it is a temporary tool until you arrive at the vet’s office. Dog Booties: I always take four or five dog booties with me. If they get a cut on a pad or a broken toenail, the bootie will help keep the worst of the dirt and grime out of the cut. Simple as that. Benadryl: Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) is an over-the-counter antihistamine. In areas with venomous insects or snakes, this is a necessity. If I even suspect one of my hounds has messed with a common viper here in Norway, I will hit them with Benadryl immediately. They may get lethargic and drowsy, but it will help to keep the systemic allergic reaction to the venom at bay until a proper anti-venom, steroidal anti-inflammatories, and IV fluids can be administered. I once stepped on a nest of yellow jackets with a hound once, and both he and I were glad I was packing Benadryl afterwards! A Pair of Pliers or a Leatherman: Porcupines are the worst. Anyone who shares territory with porcupines knows that they have something about them that hounds—and dogs in general—seem to find irresistible. A www.bear-hunting.com
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