I 'll go ! You stay !

By: cariboucreek Mood: Excited Date: 08/09/2007 05:04:37 Music: None

This story is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent bow hunter .

I had my archery shop open for a number of years and diffrent bowyers were building bows for me to sell .One of my bowyers in michigan .Told me of his freind Bill wanting to move to alaska to work till he became a resident {one year}He had gotten a job in anchorage and lived here in the valley .

Every day off we would fish ,hike ,target shoot ,snow moblie .Bill builds a very nice recurve bow and had build one for me .I still have this bow .It is very well build .

Over the years i have used and sold Wayne Carltons game calls. One call i really like to use is the bear call .{ I warn you that to use this .Remember you are not on the top of the food chain any more } If you do try this .Carry a side arm or have some one back you up with rifle .The call----IT WORKS!!!

Early spring morning Bill and i drove out to a place were i had seen many black bears over the years ,I knew that there were a few nice bears here .To get one was another story ,Mostly mountain area. Very steep climbing .Only real way to get bear is to call them or bait them from stand .

Bill and i walked for about an hour . I set up the spotting scope .I had seen a nice bear in the scope ,Laying on rock outcropping sunning himself .I set Bill up with a good place to stand with his bow .I hoped that this bear would follow a game trail straight to us .{Now i carry a 458 win mag . It will stop Anything shot in the shoulder /neck area} 

I started to call this bear ,The bear was up and moveing down the mountain side to us ,Weaving side to side ,Smelling the wind stopping only to hear the sound and location .Bill was ready .Arrow nocked ,Years of hunting had tempered this moment .

Or did it ? The bear was about 50 yds coming in fast .You could see the red in his eyes ,slobber from his mouth.This guy was hungry and my noise from this call was his lunch .

I told bill to stand his ground .Do not move till i stopped calling .This bear would stick around and stop for just a few seconds for Bill to get a good shot .

This is where things get very scary ! Bill seen the size of this bear , How fast he was running in to my call .Bill threw down his bow and run .To keep bear from chaseing after him. I moved out for bear to see me .My sights were set .Only the bear seen Bill run first .My only recourse was to shot the bear with my rifle

The bear was down .I thought that bill would come back and help me skin this bear .NO! He ran all the way to the truck and locked the doors . On my first trip to truck with meat and hide is when i found him .No words were said .To save embarrasment .I kept my mouth shut .I took Bill home unloaded his gear. He said good bye . I left for home thinking about what had happened today .I was also thinking about Bills side of the story .

I didnt see Bill for  number of days ,I called his work ,They had not heard from him .Iam worried now ! Drove over to his house. Bill was gone .Gave up his lease of his apartment .Packed his things and left .I called my freind in michigan .Bill was driveing home to michigan .

Bill never came back to alaska .Never explained to me why he ran off  .I just thought it was a moment that he was not comfortable with. Black bears can and will scare most any one up close . Hungry ones can leave you with mess to clean out of your pants or worse.

I would be lying if i told you ive never been scared ! Oh i have many times .What you learn from this is respect .For animals  that will eat you .You try to never lose that fear .If you do your in trouble .Dont ever lose respect !

What scared me the most about Bills black bear hunt --it wasnt the bear or Bill running off .My freind in michigan called me to tell me that Bill came home. He married his childhood sweetheart --Now ! that is scary!

I had the black hide made it to a rug that hangs in my room .Very nice spring bear full hide ,Thick hair ,7 1/2 ft squared .Very nice trophy .Even better if it was shot with bow .

Maybe Bill will read this after all these years .Maybe  tell us all the rest of the story ?