Trad bow guys.. let’s hear your bear stories

[SingleBevel]

I am aware “trad bow” maybe offensive to some but it saved space in the title.

I’ve been strictly longbow for 3 years now and I aspire to kill a bear with it. Did you get 10 yards from a tree he was in and wait till he came down? Did you see him stuffing his face from 50 yards and make a stalk? Let’s hear it!

 

[splatek]

I’m certainly no expert; I’ve only killed three bears, two of them with a struggle stick. I’ve drawn on three others.

First bear I ever drew on I had on camera for ten days leading up to the season. There were acorns all over the ridge. I got in a tree, and waited. At approximately 1pm he popped over the hill stripping blueberry seemingly about to stroll the path he had for the previous ten days, right in front of my camera (and my arrow). But on this day he decided to take a turn forcing me to adjust my position and then the wind got me.

Second bear I drew on was more of a stalk up. Was walking into a hunting spot and I heard something. Then I thought I was “hearing things” so I stopped to have a snack and a sip of water. Out of my periphery I caught some movement. Good sized bear going up and down a big chestnut oak about 40 yards down the hill. I creeped to within 15 yards. She was on the side of the tree, which was perfect because it was too thick on the ground to make a shot. Then after seeing nothing else during the twenty minute stalk I see two tiny cubs, maybe the size of large puppies, come skittering down the tree. She never made me and all three continued to climb up and down the tree as I backed away as slowly as I approached.

Third draw, first kill: hiking in to a buck spot and a small, but legal bear popped out of a creek bottom and started vacuuming up acorns that were along the creek bank. 11 yards, thwack with an arrow from my long bow. That same day I killed another larger bear with my rifle.

Fourth draw, third kill: opening day this past season. Creeped up a ridge in the dark toward an area I felt was going to be good. I bumped something about fifteen minutes before legal light. Then a few minutes after legal shooting I heard something in nearby tree. Look up and it’s a bear staring back at me. Shortly after being shined by my light, which I failed to turn off in the excitement, he came down the tree quickly and came toward me, not a charge. At about 8 yards he turned broadside and I stuck him right through the vitals with an arrow from my recurve. He bent to lick the sting from the arrow entry and took about ten to fifteen steps toward a nearby ivy cluster and piled up. I could see his eyes / face as he released 6 death moans about 15 yards away.

Fifth draw, no kill: hunted all afternoon but got the itch to move. Took a walk to a different area I had deer on cam days before. As I’m walking I look up and sure enough there’s the biggest bear I’ve ever seen coming out of a tree. He stopped to scratch and groom himself for a second before turning and walking straight at me. I actually have video of him coming out of the tree somewhere because I thought he’ll never come this way and the crunchy leaves of autumn will preclude a stalk. Anyhow, I was standing behind a softball sized tree and he was literally coming right at me. At about 3-4 yards I decided to take a big step out from behind the tree knowing the game trail he was on veered in the opposite direction. I thought this would give me a decent quartering to shot. The arrow penetrated about halfway before breaking off. A buddy and I tracked blood for nearly 500 yards, some on hands and knees, across a creek. Specks of blood, then brushed blood on pine needles, etc. He never bedded down and after consultation with each other and several seasoned bear hunters we decided the blood was not vitals and the hit was not lethal.

Maybe he was just close to me at the time, but I’m certain he was the biggest bear I’ve ever seen in the wild. Sad day.

That’s all I got. Chalking anything I kill up to dumb luck and sharp broadheads. But mostly luck

 

[trad bow]

I don’t see how trad bow can be offensive to anyone

 

[splatek]

I don’t see how trad bow can be offensive to anyone

I agree. Shoot if anything the trad guys are more likely to “offend “ non trad guys by mentioning things like “training wheels.” Not that anybody cares how you hunt as long as it’s legal and not and airbow

 

[SingleBevel]

I’m certainly no expert; I’ve only killed three bears, two of them with a struggle stick. I’ve drawn on three others.

First bear I ever drew on I had on camera for ten days leading up to the season. There were acorns all over the ridge. I got in a tree, and waited. At approximately 1pm he popped over the hill stripping blueberry seemingly about to stroll the path he had for the previous ten days, right in front of my camera (and my arrow). But on this day he decided to take a turn forcing me to adjust my position and then the wind got me.

Second bear I drew on was more of a stalk up. Was walking into a hunting spot and I heard something. Then I thought I was “hearing things” so I stopped to have a snack and a sip of water. Out of my periphery I caught some movement. Good sized bear going up and down a big chestnut oak about 40 yards down the hill. I creeped to within 15 yards. She was on the side of the tree, which was perfect because it was too thick on the ground to make a shot. Then after seeing nothing else during the twenty minute stalk I see two tiny cubs, maybe the size of large puppies, come skittering down the tree. She never made me and all three continued to climb up and down the tree as I backed away as slowly as I approached.

Third draw, first kill: hiking in to a buck spot and a small, but legal bear popped out of a creek bottom and started vacuuming up acorns that were along the creek bank. 11 yards, thwack with an arrow from my long bow. That same day I killed another larger bear with my rifle.

Fourth draw, third kill: opening day this past season. Creeped up a ridge in the dark toward an area I felt was going to be good. I bumped something about fifteen minutes before legal light. Then a few minutes after legal shooting I heard something in nearby tree. Look up and it’s a bear staring back at me. Shortly after being shined by my light, which I failed to turn off in the excitement, he came down the tree quickly and came toward me, not a charge. At about 8 yards he turned broadside and I stuck him right through the vitals with an arrow from my recurve. He bent to lick the sting from the arrow entry and took about ten to fifteen steps toward a nearby ivy cluster and piled up. I could see his eyes / face as he released 6 death moans about 15 yards away.

Fifth draw, no kill: hunted all afternoon but got the itch to move. Took a walk to a different area I had deer on cam days before. As I’m walking I look up and sure enough there’s the biggest bear I’ve ever seen coming out of a tree. He stopped to scratch and groom himself for a second before turning and walking straight at me. I actually have video of him coming out of the tree somewhere because I thought he’ll never come this way and the crunchy leaves of autumn will preclude a stalk. Anyhow, I was standing behind a softball sized tree and he was literally coming right at me. At about 3-4 yards I decided to take a big step out from behind the tree knowing the game trail he was on veered in the opposite direction. I thought this would give me a decent quartering to shot. The arrow penetrated about halfway before breaking off. A buddy and I tracked blood for nearly 500 yards, some on hands and knees, across a creek. Specks of blood, then brushed blood on pine needles, etc. He never bedded down and after consultation with each other and several seasoned bear hunters we decided the blood was not vitals and the hit was not lethal.

Maybe he was just close to me at the time, but I’m certain he was the biggest bear I’ve ever seen in the wild. Sad day.

That’s all I got. Chalking anything I kill up to dumb luck and sharp broadheads. But mostly luck

2 in 1 day! That’s awesome. And being so close to the death moan is pretty intense.

Do you do most your bear hunting from a stand? Or is it more deer hunting and a bear shows up?

 

[SingleBevel]

I don’t see how trad bow can be offensive to anyone

I had an old timer get cranky on me about it. Something along the lines of “ people always look for shortcuts blah blah blah”

 

[trad bow]

I had an old timer get cranky on me about it. Something along the lines of “ people always look for shortcuts blah blah blah”

I don’t care what anyone else shoots or hunts with. I use longbows and flintlocks because they suit me. Not to impress anyone.

 

[jbogg]

I’ve hunted with a crossbow the last few years, but this will be the first fall that I will be trying to take a bear with a Trad Bow. Thinking back over the past few years most of the Bears I have seen have been within Trad Bow range. The vegetation is so thick in early bow season that any further than that and they can walk right by unseen.

 

[trad bow]

Anyways back to hunting stories. Like a lot of people I have my share of opportunities but getting longbow close to a bear or any animal is a feat in itself for me because of my choice of hunting techniques. I prefer still hunting for bears and hogs. My most memorable hunt was about twenty years ago on Cohutta WMA. I came over a saddle and saw a bear feeding on hickory nuts on the opposite side of the creek bottom. The area was open and didn’t have much stalking cover. The bear was laying on it’s belly feeding on those hickory nuts. At seventy-five yards I could hear the bear cracking the nuts as he ate. The bear would sweep his front legs out
and pull a big pile of leafs, limbs and nuts in front of him. After he finished that pile he would crawl forward a few yards and start his technique over again. Being the area in front of me was open, it took me over and hour to get within a killing position. By the time for me to get a shot, my legs felt like jello. My arms and shoulders were starting to get stiff on me but no way for me to stretch them to loosen them up. Finally the bear gets into range. I slowly draw my bow and shot high just shaving the hair off its spine. To add insult to injury, the bear moved off to about thirty five yards and laid down and commenced to feeding again. I tried to ease a few yards closer but he had me in his sight the whole time. After thirty minutes of me trying to get closer to him for a killing shot , the bear stood up and ambled off up the ridge away from me. I was totally exhausted from the hunt. From the time I saw the bear till he walked away was two and a half hours.

 

[splatek]

2 in 1 day! That’s awesome. And being so close to the death moan is pretty intense.

Do you do most your bear hunting from a stand? Or is it more deer hunting and a bear shows up?

I’ma ground guy almost exclusively

 

[SingleBevel]

Anyways back to hunting stories. Like a lot of people I have my share of opportunities but getting longbow close to a bear or any animal is a feat in itself for me because of my choice of hunting techniques. I prefer still hunting for bears and hogs. My most memorable hunt was about twenty years ago on Cohutta WMA. I came over a saddle and saw a bear feeding on hickory nuts on the opposite side of the creek bottom. The area was open and didn’t have much stalking cover. The bear was laying on it’s belly feeding on those hickory nuts. At seventy-five yards I could hear the bear cracking the nuts as he ate. The bear would sweep his front legs out
and pull a big pile of leafs, limbs and nuts in front of him. After he finished that pile he would crawl forward a few yards and start his technique over again. Being the area in front of me was open, it took me over and hour to get within a killing position. By the time for me to get a shot, my legs felt like jello. My arms and shoulders were starting to get stiff on me but no way for me to stretch them to loosen them up. Finally the bear gets into range. I slowly draw my bow and shot high just shaving the hair off its spine. To add insult to injury, the bear moved off to about thirty five yards and laid down and commenced to feeding again. I tried to ease a few yards closer but he had me in his sight the whole time. After thirty minutes of me trying to get closer to him for a killing shot , the bear stood up and ambled off up the ridge away from me. I was totally exhausted from the hunt. From the time I saw the bear till he walked away was two and a half hours.

That’s rough! Keeps you coming back though

 

[SingleBevel]

I’ve hunted with a crossbow the last few years, but this will be the first fall that I will be trying to take a bear with a Trad Bow. Thinking back over the past few years most of the Bears I have seen have been within Trad Bow range. The vegetation is so thick in early bow season that any further than that and they can walk right by unseen.

I’ve spent considerable time in the mountains but I live in south Alabama now and there are 2 different types of thick lol.

 

[splatek]

I’ve spent considerable time in the mountains but I live in south Alabama now and there are 2 different types of thick lol.

I thought we were talking about women when we mentioned “thick “

Disappointed to reread we were talking about vegetation lol

 

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

The thick ones are further north!

 

[chrislibby88]

I don’t see how trad bow can be offensive to anyone

I’m feeling rather marginalized as an AOC (archer of compound). You privileged “trad bow” elitist really should come up with a better, more inclusive term.

 

[trad bow]

I’m feeling rather marginalized as an AOC (archer of compound). You privileged “trad bow” elitist really should come up with a better, more inclusive term.

Actually I was referring to my log in name. It was supposed to be funny.

 

[Thetrooper]

I wouldn't go so far as calling it offensive but saying "trad bow" definitely sound like something you'd hear a hipster uttering down at the local micro brewery with the glasses and overalls and all that lol maybe that just me

 

[splatek]

I wouldn't go so far as calling it offensive but saying "trad bow" definitely sound like something you'd hear a hipster uttering down at the local micro brewery with the glasses and overalls and all that lol maybe that just me

But it can’t be called archery alone if you’re trying to differentiate, because that note includes crossbow.

I like struggle stick, stick bow, the hard way and also don’t mind trad or traditional archery. At the end of the day it’s all just slinging arrows at critters

 

[splatek]

PS every granola muncher I know (n=2) use 450 fps crossbows

 

[ddd-shooter]

I couldn’t imagine trad bow being offensive. It’s definitely the hardest method of archery.
That said, most of my compound bear kills are in a tree. I love a stand. But I did shoot one on the ground at 6 steps. It’s definitely doable.