Ty’s Tidbits 3: Black Bear with the Poiriers – Bienvenue Welcome

Posted by Junior Shooters

By: Ty Weaver & Al Weaver
(Junior Writer  For Kids By Kids)

Black Bear with the Poirers 5Dad (Al) and I have always dreamed of hunting black bear with a bow. We have watched several black bear hunting videos. There is something about those sneaky critters that gets us excited. Little did we know our dreams were soon going to turn into reality.

In March 2007, Mitch Haroldson with Big Country Outdoors, www.bigcountryoutdoors.com called Dad and me to join him and his other pro-staffers on a Quebec Spring Black Bear hunt with archery gear May 15 thru 21. (This is a close up of my Martin Leopard bow that I shot my bear with.)

Dad made the plane reservations, and I?ll let him tell you about that. Ty’s right, I made the reservations. We flew into Syracuse, New York where Mitch Haroldson, and pro staffer, Steve Dollman, and cameraman, John Haroldson, were waiting to greet us. Black Bear with the Poirers 3We loaded up our gear and drove North on Interstate 81, crossed the Canadian border, through Ottawa and stopped for groceries in Maniwaki, Quebec. From Maniwaki we traveled 66 miles northwest to Poirier Fish and Game territory. In all, a 240 mile trip from Syracuse Airport and only 150 miles from Ottawa.

Dad and I met Frank Poirier and his sister, Claire, the owners of the territory we were to hunt on. They are wonderful people! They manage 124 square miles of territory (79,000 acres) which includes 67 lakes. They offer hunts for black bear, moose, whitetail deer, small game, and fishing for lake trout, brook trout, pike, and walleye. The Poirier family has been managing this territory since 1946! (A close-up of my Crimson Croc Broadhead arrow made by Crimson Talon and Cat’sVision light on my hat by www.batsusa.com this light helps me sneak in to and out of my stand hands free)

The temperature was in the 40s the morning we arrived camp. Our cabin was on Lake Delahey. It is one of 14 main cabins. The Poiriers also have 23 outpost cabins throughout the territory. We unpacked our gear, shot our bows, and got ready for the afternoon hunt. Dad and I met with Frank for awhile and he told us how several baits had been hit.

Black Bear with the Poirers 1Frank led us to our stands. My bait site was 25 yards away but was not visited recently by a bear but Frank told us this site was going to get hit. It was one of his favorite sites. Dad and I settled in the stand. Dad set up behind me with the camera. Dad was an official Big Country Outdoors cameraman on this trip. We sat very still even though the weather was wet and cold. But no bears visited the bait by my stand. Mr. Mitch and Mr. Steve’s baits were hammered but no bears showed up the first night. The wildlife was beautiful: photo by Ken Widrick

I told Dad that I was just dying to smack a bear with my Crimson Croc Broadheads and my new Martin Leopard bow. I couldn’t wait until the next night. Frank told us that he was going to check other bait sites for fresh activity while Dad and I would go lake trout fishing. Frank showed us where to fish and what plugs to use, and sure enough we caught some very nice lake trout for supper.

Ty and I met Frank and the Big Country Outdoors gang back at the cabin. Frank looked at Ty and said, “You need to go back to the same stand that you were in last night. Bears will hit that bait. That is one of my very best spots and I have a lot of confidence in that site.” Ty was not too excited about going back to a bait site that had no activity, but he knew that things can happen in a second. We parked the truck and walked the trail toward the stand. Ty pulled hard on my shirt sleeve and pointed to the ground with a huge smile on his face. A fresh bear track! We then eased into the stand and noticed that the bait site had been hit hard! Ty was pumped and on high alert while sitting on his white birch log. Suddenly, Ty flinched like he was stung by a wasp or poked in the side by something. His eyes got huge and he slowly stood and grabbed his Martin Leopard bow. I read his lips, “Dad, I hear a bear coming.” I looked at him kind of puzzled because I could not hear anything, besides, bears sneak in. They just show up, well, most of the time. Black Bear with the Poirers 2This time Ty gave me the huge eyes, flared nostrils, crooked head, get the camera ready! I have videoed him enough times to know that I better get the camera ready! Sure enough a bear appeared in front of the stand. He circled to the left of us and suddenly ran away but then suddenly stopped. I lost him in the viewfinder for a minute. But something was wrong. I was trying to video the bear on the left side of the stand and Ty was, well, this is going to sound funny, but Ty was pointing with his eyes toward the bait site. Wow! We had two bears within 30 yards of us! I slowly swung the camera to the bear heading for the bait site. I gave Ty the, “I’m ready signal.” (Here is a picture of the Pike that I caught on my bear hunting trip. They are great fighters and are great eating. I fried them in butter for the guys four nights in a row. We had bear and/or fish every night for supper.)

My heart was beating fast and so was Dad’s. I was afraid the bear would hear our hearts beating. I knew the bear would not hang around long because the bait had been hit hard. When the bear sniffed the barrel, I drew my Martin Leopard and sent a 100-grain Crimson Croc on it?s way. The white fletch disappeared in the bears shoulder crease. Actually, the Martin sent the Croc through the bear and into a stump! Awesome, I was shaking! The bear bolted 30 yards and fell with a loud roar! Dad gave me a huge bear hug.

Black Bear with the Poirers 4

Yeah, Ty’s correct, I did give him a bear hug. I just love hunting with my little buddy. I witness everything he does in the outdoors and I just can’t believe it. Well, Frank was right. This bait site would produce! We took several field photos and managed to load the bear into the truck. We surprised the guys in camp by coming in so early. At first they thought something was wrong. We set up the video cameras and interviewed Frank by the lake shore with Ty and his bear.

The next several days Dad and I went fishing and caught northern pike on Lake Delahey and Lake Putnam. Those pike are great fighters!

On the fourth day of the trip Mr. Mitch smacked a bear bigger than mine, a really big one, close to 300 pounds! Mr. Mitch had excellent performance with his Martin and Crimson Croc broadheads. He released his shot before he actually wanted to and the Croc entered the bear’s neck, punched through vertebra, shoulder, and drove into the lungs! My new buddy Steve did not shoot a bear this trip. His bear hung up just outside the bait and did not present a shot. He did show me some cool martial arts stuff that I tried on buddies when I got back to Texas! I even whooped him in Hackey Sack, pelt, pool, and horse shoes. Well, maybe that’s not exactly true. John is another cool new buddy and he is a great cook. Even the fried potatoes he made every day tasted great. Just don’t let him handle the bug spray… That’s another story all its own. Mr. Mitch, thank you for inviting me to spend time with the Big Country Outdoors Team and the Poiriers. I will always remember it.

I agree with Ty. The group was a blast to be around and the memories will last forever. Frank and Claire are wonderful people. You need to check out their website at www.poirieroutfitters.com

Currently a seven day bear package is $1,150 Canadian currency per hunter. This includes seven nights in camp or a cottage on Delahey Lake, boat, 9.9 h.p. motor, unlimited gas for the boat, transportation from the main camp to stand sites, bear baits and tree stands, skinning of the bear, and freezing or salting of the pelt.

They even offer lower cost packages as well. This price is a bargain!

Dad and I saw bear, deer, moose, and small game. We were fishing along the shoreline of Redon Lake and came upon a monster tree stand that was placed along the water’s edge for hunting moose with a moose standing under it! Talk about great stand placement! This would have made a great photo. The scenery is beautiful in Quebec. I enjoyed everything about this trip. I had fun talking with Ms. Claire at the main lodge while drinking a ginger ale and shooting pool. She even printed pictures of my bear for me the same day that I shot it.

“Every kid is waiting to be invited outdoors.”

You may contact Frank or Claire by phone at 819-449-3032 or email them at info@poirieroutfitters.com

Contact Information

Logo New 12-29-08

Copyright and Published By Junior Shooters and Junior Sports Magazines Inc. December 2009

Categories: Archery, Hunting
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

Comments are closed.

«     »