Spring bear hunt with ‘ Uncle ’ Ted in Northern Ontario
The Ontario rugsteak boogie throttles on
Spring bear hunt with ‘ Uncle ’ Ted in Northern Ontario
The spirit of the woods is like an old , good friend . It makes me feel warm and good inside . And that spirit is at its most powerful and titillating when on stand in the bear woods of North America , especially God ’ s country Ontario , Canada , where his majesty the mighty black bear lives , thrives , wanders and tantalizes the hunter ’ s soul .
Settled in my ladderstand , Mathews Halon in hand , cocked , locked and ready to rock doc , celebrating the long awaited re-opening of the Ontario spring bear season after a long and embarrassing closure 17 years ago , I had to remind myself every few minutes to relax , breathe , calm down and prepare for one of life ’ s most stimulating natural encounters with one of nature ’ s most phenomenal beasts .
In the wilds of beautiful Wawa , Ontario , I am once again at the High Falls cabins hunting with my bear hunting gurus Rick Dickson and Joe Arbic . Rick is famous for running a most respected hunting operation up here for more than 40 years , and my old Michiganiac BloodBrother Joe Arbic lives to set up perfect bow and arrow ambushes for ultra-wary bears .
After more than 60 years of gungho bowhunting , it continues to amaze me how nerve wracking exciting it is to be in the bear woods with my bow and arrow . My reasoning predator radar is on full alert overdrive every second on stand , and a sense of omniscience comes over those of us dedicated to be super-tuned in to our surroundings in life , most emphatically when bear hunting with short-range sharp sticks .
I hear the black flies and dive-bomber mosquitoes buzzing my head . I hear every distant raven call and the far away song of the loon .
The hammering wingbeat of a nearby drumming grouse is music to my ears . Sitting as still as humanly possible , I swivel ever so slightly to pick up the jittery , dashing red squirrels and occasional fisher and pine martin and even a cruising moose now and then .
I say it often but it is always worth repeating to all who read and hear my words ; nature is healer and there is no better source of battery recharging high available to mankind than the spiritual solace of the woods .
I am at home here and loving every special moment . I am so alive I can hardly stand myself !
You know you are in the bear woods . You are here to ambush a bear . You have a bear licence and a bear tag . You have been practising diligently on your Morrell bear target at home daily . You came here for bear . Your mind is consumed and alive with thoughts and images of bears .
But when all of a sudden the quiet bear-less woods produces that gorgeous , surreal black blob where a moment ago there was nothing , it produces a surprising flinch every time regardless .
And now the discipline game begins . I ever so slowly lift my Mathews
bow as my eyes are riveted on the big black pumpkin head with the beady eyes before me . I only move when he moves . Finally the bow is at ready and as calmly as can be I repeat my shot sequence mantra like I have so many millions of times before .
Ignore the bear-ness of it all . Only look at the exact hair leading to the vitals where I must will my arrow when the moment of truth arrives .
The beast is ultra-cautious . He pauses and sweeps his surroundings with that amazing nose and those all-consuming eyeballs . He takes cautious step after cautious step and I don ’ t move a muscle .
He slowly pads straight for my stand , VidCamDude Joe Jordon zeroed in with the SpiritWild camera like it was his bow and arrow .
The big mature boar sniffs the DUI Cherry-Vanilla scent I sprayed at 15 yards , then he swaps ends and heads back toward the ravine from whence he arrived . He pauses to sniff the metal box of old donuts and exposes his ribcage , inviting my mystical flight of the arrow , and away it goes !
Aim small miss small is my archery battlecry as the glowing orange Lumenok vanished into his black hulk of a chest .
With a ferocious growl-woof the majestic black bear explodes in a flurry and is gone in a flash .
Three seconds later he crashes and lets out his final death moan and the bear woods are quiet once again .
I fall back against the tree and let out a sigh of relief , happiness , humility , reverence , exaltation and sheer joy , for the beast is dead , long live the mighty beast !
As Northern Ontario residents who live in bear country cry out for more bear kills to make their regions safer and better balanced , everybody celebrates whenever a hunter bags one of these incredible animals .
Wildlife can only be one of two things , either an asset or a liability , and when unnecessarily over-regulated , these renewable resources immediately become a liability instead of the assured asset they are when properly and adequately utilized and harvested .
Nuisance bear complaints are simply unnecessary . When honestly managed based on simple sustain-yield , habitat carrying capacity and proven population dynamics , hunters will always be more than happy to balance the populations while we bring massive revenues to the regions for licences , tags , guides , outfitters , food , lodging , supplies , sporting goods , butchers , ice , taxidermy and a lengthy list of expenditures that go with every bear hunt .
That ’ s how you keep wildlife in the asset column for the betterment of society , the environment , commerce , economics , the land and the wildlife overall .
A sincere thank you and salute to the concerned Ontario activist sporters and the Northern Ontario Tourist Organization for fighting the good fight and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for doing the right thing . Maybe some dope-smoking hippie in Toronto doesn ’ t admit to nature ’ s tooth , fang and claw reality , but the good citizens of Canada who actually live in bear and wolf country have finally had their voices heard on the spring bear season issue . It may not be perfect yet , but hands-on conservationists will never give up demanding honest science to drive beneficial wildlife policy .
Black bear rugsteaks ! Just what the good conservation doctor ordered . Wawa , I love ya baby !
CREDIT : COURTESY OF TED NUGENT & TEDNUGENT . COM
TED NUGENT
Hunter and regular columnist for Fish , Hunt & Ride Magazine
04 | FISH , HUNT RIDE www . fishhuntandride . ca