Lost Bears: What did you shoot it with?

[barko]

I was just wondering how many bears have been lost with a bow verse a bow. I know the one shot kills with a bow are a lot higher percentage than with a rifle. There are some people in this forum that have a problem with ethics and bows or something. I hope this doesn't bring up some bad feelings. I am just Curious.

[Daveinthebush]

Of the eleven bow kills that I have witnessed, only one has gotten away. Most die within 30 yards and within 10-20 seconds. The one that got away was mine last year. Eighteen yards, quartering shot, 70-pound BowTech, Magnus 2 blade and I waited about 3-4 minutes before shooting. As the arrow was loosed, I knew immediately that the shot was not going right. In retrospect, I have been on the ocean for a month of hunting and the salt had built up in my release aid, cable slide and arrow shafts.

Well the arrow hit about 5 inches left of the intended mark and the maddened bear took off in a circular path. The sound of the shaft stricking was not right, it was a loud thwack. Not the dull thud of an arrow finding its mark and penetrating the chest cavity. Total penetration looked like six inches, enough if the arrow was in the vitals, doing its job as he ran through the bushes. The arrow should have passed completely through. As he came back past the tree stand at only 10 yards, the arrow came out. I could not believe it. He went 30 yards, stopped and stood in the blueberries. Then he disappeared. I figured he dropped right there in the unevenness of the terrain. We gave him half an hour and went to look. Nothing....... my worst fear realized.

My son, having never tracked a wounded bear (his first bear hunt) wanted to return to the boat to retrieve the .35 Whelen from the boat. New Yorkers! Me, I had my Smith and Wesson with me. Blood was soon found but not in the quantity I liked. Having tracked over 40 whitetails of my own, the sign was as sparse as any I have seen. Thank God for youthful eyes as my son picked up drop after drop of crimson red. Sometimes on the ferns up high and leaves up high, sometimes on the ground. The process was slow and un-nerving. It was an extremely slow process of finding blood, loosing it and finding it again. Through alpine meadows, up ridges and through the bushes we progressed. After about a total of seven man-hours and only one drop on a spruce needle, it was almost time to give up. Continuing the search of every possible trail and circling the area produced nothing.

If the injury were fatal, he would not be heading up hill. If the hit were fatal, we would have found a lot more blood. If the hit was fatal, he should have laid down. If, if, if....... But we did everything we could in an effort to harvest a mighty creature. It should have been my third P&Y bear in three years.

I have the entire shot sequence on film. It was a bad shot. There are a few on this forum that know how much I practice and how dedicated I am to archery hunting. I shoot all winter and almost every day in the summer. But sometimes failure happens to the best of us no matter how hard we try.

Sorry for the long-winded answer.

[AK145]

I was just wondering how many bears have been lost with a bow verse a bow. I know the one shot kills with a bow are a lot higher percentage than with a rifle. There are some people in this forum that have a problem with ethics and bows or something. I hope this doesn't bring up some bad feelings. I am just Curious.

you're right to an extent, and I think it has to do with the fact that some people just are not educated about how lethal modern archery equipment is. No one wants to hear about all the one shot kills, they just focus on the one that got away because of a poor placed shot. But I tell ya, people better get educated quick because of how popular bowhunting and archery in general has become in this country. We all need to stick together other wise we will end up voting ourselves out at the ballot box.

Dave....I think that was very classy and repsonsible of you to post your story. Most people wouldn't own up on a public forum to a description of how they lost an animal. I think there is a lot vaulable educational information gained from other's experiences such as that.

And if it ever warms up...we can all start bear hunting this year!!!!