okie archer
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Another boy and his Bear story
- Thread starter okie archer
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okie archer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 699
My goal for this fall was to get a bear for my 8 year old son Drake. He killed a whitetail last fall and a turkey this spring so I felt he was ready. I started baiting bears in Oklahoma in 2017. I also found a small lease across the state line in Arkansas which means I could get 2 tags plus hunt a few days earlier in Arkansas. Drake and I started our baits early September. It is about a 2.5 hour drive one way to our spot plus another 1.5 hours drive to Arkansas spot. Drake went to help every time except once to bait. 
As the fall mast was starting to fall the bait visits were slowing down a bit because of the white oak acorns the bears were wanting. We were still getting sime daylight pictures frim our trail cam in Arkansas so we headed there to hunt the day before the Oklahoma opener.
With just a few moments of legal daylight left to go I spotted movement. A black blob was working around downwind of the bait scent checking. We were good where we were. I told Drake get ready here comes a bear! With those words Drake began shaking and breathing hard without even seeing the bear yet. Between shaking, the bear moving, and fading light he just wasn't able to get on the bear for a shot. I asked did he want me to shoot the bear. Yes was his answer so I didn't even bother trying to reach for my compound I just took the xbow and killed the bear. We worked to hard to let one get away.
I already posted about that hunt. Now it was really time to focus in Drakes bear. We headed to one of our 2 active baits for opening day. We sat until dark but didn't see anything other the pics of 2 bears on the other bait sent to my phone. Wrong place wrong time so the next evening we swapped spots. Unfortunately same thing, we didn't have any bears come in but the bears were hitting the other bait a mile away. Wrong place wrong time again. We went to church on Sunday so we didn't hunt but started again Monday. We weren't seeing anything while we were hunting but getting pics of bears on bait when we were not there. Wednesday night was church night again so we didn't hunt and of course a bear came in at light light. During all of this my 70 year old dad had 2 stints put in his heart so I made a trip to Hot Springs to see him.
Thursday we are back at it again. We sat for hours without seeing a bear. With about 3 minutes of legal hours we heard a bear close by. The swirling winds have us away. No doubt the bear was sneaking in and caught our scent. It circled around us at about 15 yards and without a shot the bear left. We had trail cam pics 4 mornings in a tow of a bear on the bait so we decided to hunt hard through Saturday evening. We got up arou d 4:30 am friday to try and be there early.
I was struggling to stay awake. At 10:00 a bear was coming to the bait! I saw him at 30 yards or so. He went straight to the barrel and pulled it over and started eating. The problem was is he was laying down facing us on wrong side of barrel. The bear got up to move a couple times but would not be still long enough for Drake to steady for the shot. Again he was shaking badly. The bear had his fill and got up and walked away. We had to just watch. Drake was overcome with disappointment he started crying. We stayed until 11::00 and broke for lunch. We went back to the truck and ate and I laid down under the shade of a pine tree and took a nap. With a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some new Hot Wheels he brought he was getting in a better mood.
We headed back for the evening sit. We got settled into the stand around 3:30 pm. Just sitting there relaxed waiting for the long time before prime time to come I catch a glimpse of black fur! We had only been there about 15 minutes when the exact same bear appears. The bear had 2 yellow ear tags meaning he was a nuisance bear. Drake get ready I said, here comes a bear. This time the bear came in bypassed the barrel and walked ti our tree stopping at about 15 foot looks up at us. Then proceeds to walk to about 8 foot from our tree and looks up at us again. I was trying not to make eye contact but I could see him blink. The bear turns back to the bait and just picks around at the food but looks back at us 3 or 4 more times. The bear stopped several times broadside as I whisper scream to shoot him, shoot him! The bear picks up a donut on his way out but stops one more time to nibble on it. Finally Drake shoots, I see the hit is low! Bear growls and runs off. I told Drake he hit to low and didn't know if we would find the bear but we would look. Disappointed again and down on himself he begins crying again. We only wait a few minutes and get down to look for sign. Immediately a serious blood trail begins.
We found the xbow bolt with lots of blood on most of it. We continue tracking a very easy blood trail so my hopes pick up, maybe just may be he got heart. The track continues with lots of blood for about 300-400 yards which is normally to far for a fatel hit but if not fatel why so much blood? All of a sudden I hear a loud noise and up ahead about 90ish yards I see a bear quickly climbing down from way up high a pine tree. What just happened? Was that him or a different bear? Why is it up a tree? I can see through the forrest the bear stumbling around, falling down and getting back up and repeating. Rolling and stumbling but not getting anywhere really. At this point the excitement and adrenaline is intense. We stay back watching and listening not wanting to lose sight but also not wanting to push the bear away further. We wait a few moments and slowly proceed. I hear a loud sound of air but not really a death moan like I have heard in past hunts. As we approach I see the dead bear! We are now within 40 yards or so.
When Drake realized the bear was dead, well you can imagine. Finally Drake gets his hands on the beautiful black fur of his first bear! Almost 24 hours later as I type this, WOW, comes to mind. What an experience for an 8 year old soon to be 9. I dont know that either one of us know right know how special that day was. I used onx to track back to up the steep mountain (yes Oklahoma has mountains. Some call them hills but to us flatlanders that visit Southeast Oklahoma they are mountains). It was 368 yards back to the bait sight. In Oklahoma you are required to physically check in a bear for dna samples. The bear biologist dude said the molar he was going to pull had already been pulled meaning it was a nuisance bear that had been trapped and relocated. Upon skinning and guyting I found where the broadhead caught bottom of right lung and sliced side of the heart. Drake got the whole experience. The reward of hard work of gathering bait, opening bait, carrying bait. The ups and downs of hunting. Staying with it when it dont always work out.
Patience, excitement, heartbreak, adrenalin, success, etc.
Thanks for reading about a dad and his son and a boy and his bear.
As the fall mast was starting to fall the bait visits were slowing down a bit because of the white oak acorns the bears were wanting. We were still getting sime daylight pictures frim our trail cam in Arkansas so we headed there to hunt the day before the Oklahoma opener.
With just a few moments of legal daylight left to go I spotted movement. A black blob was working around downwind of the bait scent checking. We were good where we were. I told Drake get ready here comes a bear! With those words Drake began shaking and breathing hard without even seeing the bear yet. Between shaking, the bear moving, and fading light he just wasn't able to get on the bear for a shot. I asked did he want me to shoot the bear. Yes was his answer so I didn't even bother trying to reach for my compound I just took the xbow and killed the bear. We worked to hard to let one get away.
I already posted about that hunt. Now it was really time to focus in Drakes bear. We headed to one of our 2 active baits for opening day. We sat until dark but didn't see anything other the pics of 2 bears on the other bait sent to my phone. Wrong place wrong time so the next evening we swapped spots. Unfortunately same thing, we didn't have any bears come in but the bears were hitting the other bait a mile away. Wrong place wrong time again. We went to church on Sunday so we didn't hunt but started again Monday. We weren't seeing anything while we were hunting but getting pics of bears on bait when we were not there. Wednesday night was church night again so we didn't hunt and of course a bear came in at light light. During all of this my 70 year old dad had 2 stints put in his heart so I made a trip to Hot Springs to see him.
Thursday we are back at it again. We sat for hours without seeing a bear. With about 3 minutes of legal hours we heard a bear close by. The swirling winds have us away. No doubt the bear was sneaking in and caught our scent. It circled around us at about 15 yards and without a shot the bear left. We had trail cam pics 4 mornings in a tow of a bear on the bait so we decided to hunt hard through Saturday evening. We got up arou d 4:30 am friday to try and be there early.
I was struggling to stay awake. At 10:00 a bear was coming to the bait! I saw him at 30 yards or so. He went straight to the barrel and pulled it over and started eating. The problem was is he was laying down facing us on wrong side of barrel. The bear got up to move a couple times but would not be still long enough for Drake to steady for the shot. Again he was shaking badly. The bear had his fill and got up and walked away. We had to just watch. Drake was overcome with disappointment he started crying. We stayed until 11::00 and broke for lunch. We went back to the truck and ate and I laid down under the shade of a pine tree and took a nap. With a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some new Hot Wheels he brought he was getting in a better mood.
We headed back for the evening sit. We got settled into the stand around 3:30 pm. Just sitting there relaxed waiting for the long time before prime time to come I catch a glimpse of black fur! We had only been there about 15 minutes when the exact same bear appears. The bear had 2 yellow ear tags meaning he was a nuisance bear. Drake get ready I said, here comes a bear. This time the bear came in bypassed the barrel and walked ti our tree stopping at about 15 foot looks up at us. Then proceeds to walk to about 8 foot from our tree and looks up at us again. I was trying not to make eye contact but I could see him blink. The bear turns back to the bait and just picks around at the food but looks back at us 3 or 4 more times. The bear stopped several times broadside as I whisper scream to shoot him, shoot him! The bear picks up a donut on his way out but stops one more time to nibble on it. Finally Drake shoots, I see the hit is low! Bear growls and runs off. I told Drake he hit to low and didn't know if we would find the bear but we would look. Disappointed again and down on himself he begins crying again. We only wait a few minutes and get down to look for sign. Immediately a serious blood trail begins.
We found the xbow bolt with lots of blood on most of it. We continue tracking a very easy blood trail so my hopes pick up, maybe just may be he got heart. The track continues with lots of blood for about 300-400 yards which is normally to far for a fatel hit but if not fatel why so much blood? All of a sudden I hear a loud noise and up ahead about 90ish yards I see a bear quickly climbing down from way up high a pine tree. What just happened? Was that him or a different bear? Why is it up a tree? I can see through the forrest the bear stumbling around, falling down and getting back up and repeating. Rolling and stumbling but not getting anywhere really. At this point the excitement and adrenaline is intense. We stay back watching and listening not wanting to lose sight but also not wanting to push the bear away further. We wait a few moments and slowly proceed. I hear a loud sound of air but not really a death moan like I have heard in past hunts. As we approach I see the dead bear! We are now within 40 yards or so.
When Drake realized the bear was dead, well you can imagine. Finally Drake gets his hands on the beautiful black fur of his first bear! Almost 24 hours later as I type this, WOW, comes to mind. What an experience for an 8 year old soon to be 9. I dont know that either one of us know right know how special that day was. I used onx to track back to up the steep mountain (yes Oklahoma has mountains. Some call them hills but to us flatlanders that visit Southeast Oklahoma they are mountains). It was 368 yards back to the bait sight. In Oklahoma you are required to physically check in a bear for dna samples. The bear biologist dude said the molar he was going to pull had already been pulled meaning it was a nuisance bear that had been trapped and relocated. Upon skinning and guyting I found where the broadhead caught bottom of right lung and sliced side of the heart. Drake got the whole experience. The reward of hard work of gathering bait, opening bait, carrying bait. The ups and downs of hunting. Staying with it when it dont always work out.
Patience, excitement, heartbreak, adrenalin, success, etc.
Thanks for reading about a dad and his son and a boy and his bear.
MarvB
Well-known member
Thanks for the share and congrats to your boy!
Idahoarcheryhunter
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Awesome story, congrats.
ashersdad
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Lifetime memories right there! Congrats to you both.
Nick87
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Congrats to the both of you!
JohnCushman
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Congrats to both of you!!
Pahoundsman
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Congratulations, thanks for sharing that moment. Reading your story brings back memories of myself with my boys. Thanks again.
Shortbowshot
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Good work!! Tell Drake I can see a boy and his pronghorn next year.
okie archer
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Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Last edited:
okie archer
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Haha, you know me well. I have been thinking that for a month or two but haven't said to much to him just yet. Dont want to overwhelm him.
Salmonchaser
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Great story, well done!
prhunter
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Congrats to both! TFS
geetar
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So cool man! I love seeing kids be successful.
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