I'm going to try the satellite phone through the day until I get through, or figure out what the problem is. We'll get it eventually....I am pretty sure that it is weather-related.
Jake
I just tried again, as well as a couple other numbers. So far....no luck.....but I'm as persistent as well....I'll get something figured out.
Jake
ps - Richie, I spent the last two months jogging barefoot in the snow.....really.....just in case I got into a similar situation. So far, things seem to going well. Isaac stopped by my room this morning....we had a good conversation while he was there.
Once I leave for the hunt. we'll be out on the ice....no land line phones for about 50-100 miles. I'll keep trying with the sat phone.
Jake
I was FINALLY able to reach your answering machine this afternoon. After I concluded the call, I when to turn off the phone and the phone was already off. Did you receive any of the message? I don't see it posted on the forum yet.....
Jake
-Jordan
You da man!!
I hope yours is a record-breaker! Best of luck.
iowaPete
From what I can tell, it looks like we'll be heading south towards the Prince Albert Sound. They have been seeing quite a bit of bear sign down there. Spirits seem rather high right now.....and I believe that we'll be going about 40-50 miles south of Holman (Ulukhaktok). The satellite phone will work great today, so I'll post a message this afternoon sometime during our travels, or perhaps when we stop to make camp for the evening.
Isaac's sled box might be a little shorter than Jack's was last year, and I am a little on the tall side. It might be a tight fit!! However, Isaac has been a very helpful and cooperative assistant guide so far. I'm sure that we'll get something figured out. In fact, Isaac brought me over here last year and had me get into the qamituk box, just so he could figure out how to re-arrange things, so I might fit comfortably. I also got to use his computer for a while.
I didn't bring many hunting books to read this year...but I did bring my journal. Since I am sure there will be some days where we are confined to the tent, my journal will probably get a LOT of attention. Maybe I can post the results of the journal on the forum upon my return.
So far, I really like my chances. I wish that Ned Greer was coming up here sooner than the end of April....just in case the weather breaks.
Isaac's wife, Agnes just told me about a polar bear walking right across the small bay in front of the house this summer. It walked right into town, and laid down in front of a group of people. Probably trying to figure out which one was the slowest runner?!!
HMMMMM....Now there are eight dogs on the harness.....
I have seen several women carrying small children on there backs, in specially made harnesses to hold the baby in place, under their coats....kinda like a papoose. Then they tie a strap under the babies butt, so it can't slide out from the under the coat. It's pretty cool looking.
That's all for now.....oh, the population of Ulukhaktok is about 450 people.
Jake
Have you even started hunting yet or are you waiting until the time is right?
-Jordan
-Jordan
-Jordan
-Jordan
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Linkthis gets my blood flowing (cabin fever I guess)
Having spent a lot of years in airports, I feel your pain, man.
The windows media player has been working fine for me. Maybe instead of just "left" clicking on it, try "right" clicking on it and "Open with" media player or another application.
I've been downloading these and saving them to a file to mail to Chuck "Thunderflight" in Iraq because he can't open them on line becasue of military rules. I can also try and email them to someone if they want...just PM me with you email address. Just trying to help....
-Jordan
As for the yuppies by you in the restaurant, you're on your own!
Good luck Jake, hope the weather breaks for you soon. I must really be the pits sitting around the middle of nowhere watching the snow blow around.
These reports are awesome. There is something uniquely exciting about hearing it, without being able to see anything. It really lets the imagination take over. Reminds me of the stories of families huddled by the radio, before TV was around.
Look forward to each day, and hope Jake cuts a big track!!!!!
FlatbowMB's Link
I also came on some interesting pictures and commentary of the Holman region which I linked above
-Jordan
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's Link
FlatbowMB's LinkSurprisingly I can down load them....8*)
Thanks I appreciate the help though. 8*)
Your cheering section has to be one of the largest ever!
-Jordan
Janez
I can't wait to read the details and see the pictures!!!
I can't wait to read the details and see the pictures!!!
I think I have listened to you more this week than I have my Wife!!
Jeff
Congratulations Jake!
Looking forward to the story and the pics!!!!!!!
Congratulations an can't wait for the details.
Hope he got it on video.
Wonderful ! and way to go Jake !!
bearman
I've just returned to Ulukhaktok and I am staying at my guides house until my flight leaves.....which will either be Tuesday or Thursday. We have a big pile of fur in the middle of the floor, and I believe that many friends and neighbors are coming over to either offer congratulations or to help us skin/flesh the bear.
It would appear that I really got "bit" by the cold yesterday. My left hand (which held the bow) was probably uncovered for 30 minutes at -30. When my fingers work better and I can explain, you'll understand why.....in the meanwhile. the tips of the fingers on the left hand are still numb (36 hours later) and they are pretty badly swollen, and hard to the touch. The natives expect me to some degree of feeling restored by tomorrow.
If anyone with any medical background would like to offer any information, I'd love to hear from you. I've had my share of frostbite before, but nothing like this ....
As soon as my fingers work better, I'll give you my Paul Harvey imitation of "The REST of the story". Right now, everyone is skinning and fleshing. so I am going to go join in......at first estimate, it looks like the skull will be about 24 inches plus or minus an inch.
Gotta run,
"Sausage fingers"
Sounds as if you had a GREAT GREAT bowhunt. BB
MM
That says it all. A wonderful and momentous occasion. Thanks for taking us along. Can't wait to see the pics and hear the details about baying and killing such a critter. Wow!
Not to take it (the frostbite)too lightly, but with a multiple-arrow close bowhunt encounter with a great white bear, sounds like you came off with a fairly minumum of injury!
This has to have been the experience of a lifetime, and you certainly have earned it!
I think it is great that we can all be along on this hunt with you, it is something 99% of us will never get to do.
Again, congratulations.
Sharpstick
Take care of that hand.
Can't wait "for the rest of the story"! LOL!
Jake....congrats again and Thank You for the daily updates and memories and stories. We can't wait to get The Rest of the Story and some guarded photos....and The Book soon to be published...or at least The Story!
Neil Summers's Link
Bowhunting Safari Consultants has booked 17 clients on polar bear hunts, and 14 clients had harvested bears with no firearm intervention. In 2005, our first client in 15 trips came home without a bear, and working closely with the outfitter, we were able to get him back up on the ice in 2006 where he was successful. In 2006, Jake, alohttpng with one other client were unsuccessful and again, working closely with the outfitter, both got a chance to return and Jake cashed in.....Awesome.
I meant to ask you and Mark....have either one of you ever hunted polar bear with Adventure Northwest?
Jake
Where are the pictures?
John
I have some feeling in two of the three fingers that were frozen. but the pinky is still completely numb. I have been immersing the hand in warm water on and off all day.I'm packing tonight (with one hand) and flying to Yellowknife for a day and half. While there, I am going to try to accelerate the process of exporting/importing the hide into the US. I have already contacted Lisa at the USFWS service, and I'll be talking to Boyd at Adventure Northwest tomorrow.
My digital camera cable is at home, so no photos for a while....but here is some of the rest of the story....when we started to approach the bear on the sled, and the dogs are going crazy, I'm trying to get my bow out of the case while we're moving along at a pretty good clip. That's when I discovered that the quiver clip on the bow was split in two. That's also about the time that I noticed that the rubber tubing for the peep sight was snapped in two. Did I mention that the release was frozen shut? Wanna guess what happens if you think that you can pull apart a frozen METAL release (at -30) with your teeth and orthodontia while bouncing around in the back of a sled with a Polar Bear practically running along side? Then I fell off of the sled!! Needless to say, my shots were instinctive and with fingers, and THAT's why it wasn't a one shot kill.
Murphy must have been laughing his butt off....but I got the last laugh, and he who laughs last, laughs best.
assuming you actually had to shoot, how far were the shots.
I would love to hear more about your "acclimation training." The harsh climate, to me, is the most facinating and daunting aspect of this hunt - not to dismiss the superhuge, toothy critter ya'll were purposely aggravating:)
ps Just say the word and I can hook you up with a sweet recurve :)
Greg
First, if anyone ever tried to hunt in the arctic while wearing orthodontia....contact me....because you have to wear a muffler over your face, and you'll have your gear zipped up as far as it goes, it really presses the braces into your gums. Then add to that the jarring motion of the qamituk, and you can get some pretty significant sores on the inside of your mouth. Take orthodontic wax!!
Second, I have now eaten Polar Bear.....and it is excellent!! I just wish that I was allowed to take it back into the US. The red meat was GREAT. The natives prefer the feet, which is more like knuckles and cartilage-which I also tried. Make mine red meat, please.
I leave for Yellowknife today, and I'll be escorting my guides grandson, Cameron, for the trip. We'll have a blast. When I arrive in Yellowknife, it is time to get serious about the CITES paperwork for importation of the hide into the US. I'll also visit Robertson's and Adventure Northwest.
Because of limited flight availability, I won't get home until Thursday. I'll try to post photos at that time. Hopefully, this post will make it to the forum....
Can't wait to hear the entire story.
MEAD
Congrats on your bear, it was a great story to follow.
I couldn't agree with you more....the odds are against it....but if I save ONE person from getting the same kind of hamburg that I have on the inside of my mouth, it will have been worth it!!
Now that I am back in Yellowknife, I am going to find a bar, order a Crown Royal and 7-up (Yes, damn it, I going to mix it!!), and have a couple drinks - strictly for medicinal purposes, mind you!
Tomorrow, we'll start the paperwork process.....thanks for the tips, Richie......are you going to P&Y. I'm ready to collect on that drink!!!
JM...tell me about your bear!!
Jake
I was lucky enough to take this bear on the 7th day of the hunt. We caught the bear out in a huge section of smooth ice near a pressure ridge, there probably wasn’t any rough ice for a couple of hours on a dog sled in any direction (we printed out a satellite photo of the area before we left). We had him bayed up in some of the ice along a pressure ridge and he was taking lunges at the dogs who jumped away just in time. The bear was backed into the ice and I tried to swing around to get a quartering away shot but as I kept moving to the bears left he kept turning toward me. Eventually he was facing me at 30yards and there was nothing between us but air so I decided it was better to move back and place the dogs between me and the bear. I got back on the bears right side and he started paying more attention to the dogs again than me. I still couldn’t get a quartering away shot because the ice blocked the shot. Finally I got a clear broadside shot so I settled the pin behind the shoulder and released. The arrow hit a little back from what I was aiming but I knew it would kill the bear. I quickly shot twice more and the bear stood up and fell over on his back. I didn’t have a tape measure but my guide said that he was sure that he was over 9 feet and said that he thought that he would be closer to 10 than 9 for whatever that is worth. Anyway he is a heck of a bear and I was thrilled with the experience.
John
John
I took a different tactic against the cold than you did. I assumed that water freezes at 32F degrees and I was pretty sure that I would freeze at -30F so I elected to stay warm, no frozen fingers for me : )
John
You're KILLING me!! Tell me that you shot your bow with those pizza bags on your hands! I was disappointed that the natives didn't cook more of the polar bear than they did...it was excellent. Now, I have learned the REST of the story. Most white men can't eat that much polar bear without it really upsetting their digestive tract (at least, for the first couple times). They gave me just enough that it wouldn't make me sick. They had it just about perfect...I almost got the runs the next day.....but managed to "gut it out" .....excuse the pun.
I wish that I had the opportunity to wear some caribou hides for my hunt, but they didn't have any that would even remotely begin to fit me. Those suckers are impervious to the cold and the wind!!
Congrats on a great bear!!
Jake
I took the coat and the gloves off and I had some glove liners that I found at REI that were light enough to shoot with but had some wind proofing. I wore the liner from the Northern outfitters jacket under the caribou jacket so I wouldn’t freeze when it came time to shoot. I also kept my release on all the time with it stuffed inside my sleeve or glove plus I kept it with my camera inside my sleeping bag at night.
John
I slept with my release on....it never left my wrist during the hunt. Too bad the damn thing FROZE!! LMAO!! Are you going to P&Y?
Jake
I will definitely be at P&Y.
John
I am not a member of P&Y, but I understand that I am still allowed to attend. Now that I have free time, I think that I am going to attend. Tom in Pa....I'll take you up on that first one!
Jake
The fingers are starting to come around a little bit. The pinky is still completely numb, and really swollen, but it is the yellowish color of a blister now. The other fingers look normal, they just have no feeling for the last joint.
I'm flying out of Yellowknife in a couple hours for Edmonton. I'll spend the night in Edmonton, and then fly to Buffalo tomorrow evening. I should be home by 8;30PM, Call whenever you wish and we'll talk in detail.
Jake
I'll be home by 9:00PM EDT, and I'll be home all evening unpacking. Call me whenever you get home.....it's not like I have to get sleep because I have to work the next day. Just call.....but be prepared to run up a phone bill.....we've got a lot to talk about. Did you get the list that I e-mailed you earlier?
Jake
dan
Dottie and Chris
It's about Midnight and I just got in. Will try to post some photos tomorrow......
Jake
How is your hand?
Can't wait to see some pics Jake!..hope the fingers are doing ok!
Hope the fingers are better, waiting on some pics and the (whole) story. Thanks!
it's taking longer to upload the photos than it did to kill that creature.
did you really get one??????????????
I'll be posting photos on the forum on Sunday evening. I have to make sure that they are high definition, per Pat's request. I have four photos in particular that I want to post...1.) Me and the bear 2.) the ring seal that was caught with the seal hook 3.)The guide and me on the dog sled out on the open ice, and 4.) A photo of the dentition of a mature 9' polar bear boar......you ain't gonna believe it!!
Jake
When does Ned head out on the ice?
John
I can understand Ned’s feelings about doing the call. There is a tremendous amount of pressure to be successful on a hunt like this if for nothing else than the monetary cost and this year there is also the prospect that this will be the last year that a bear can be imported into the US. There is something to be said to just sitting back on the dog sled and enjoying the ride and not having any other responsibilities than to hunt. Good luck to Ned!!
John
Ned and I both got "bit" last year by the conditions in Wyniatte Bay. I have talked to Ned about this, and while Ned is not a superstitious person, the Inuits have a culture that is based on hundreds of years of tradition.
I think that many of the elders still have a deep respect for the "spirit of the bear", and the intervention of technology may interfere with that respect or that tradition. Since he will in close quarters with his guide, the decision not to use the gear to post anything to the forum probably isn't about having less responsibilities......it's out of respect for the culture of the Inuits.....and the spirit of the bear....IMHO.
Tell what steps you have taken regarding importing your hide into the US.
Jake
I'm trying my hand at writing about this most recent escapade. I'm going to insert four different photos into the body of the letter, and then paste the whole thing to this thread. It may be late in the day, but I really do hope to have the whole thing done and posted by the end of the day. My house looks like a small WMD was detonated here, and I am trying to clean, then write, then clean some more, then write some more, etc.....but I'll get something on here. I think that you'll find the story worth the wait. Everyone that I have told it to has been quite entertained.
I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday that is a physician. Apparently, (if I understood him correctly), I killed the nerves in my left hand's fingertips. They grow at a rate of about 1 mm per month, and my friend estimated that it would take about six months for me to regain the feeling in the seven fingers that have been affected. The four fingers on my left hand, and three fingers (that a fingers shooter would use) on the right hand are numb all of the time. It's like walking around with your arms asleep. It seems to have affected my typing skills a little bit as well.....but we'll git ur done.
Jake
Now flash forward 38 years and I am gathering around my computer screen daily listening to garbled intermittent radio messages and anticipating the images that will make me say WOW! Could I do that someday?
I’ve always laughed at the conspiracy theory that Armstrong never landed on the moon and the whole thing was just a hoax by NASA to justify their existence. Now today, on April Fools day 2007, Jake and Pat are going to do the same thing. The more I think about it the more I want to believe it was all a hoax. I really didn’t miss out on the great adventures in life did I?
That was hilarious!!
Jake
and man those are the best looking guides i have ever seen....you lucky dog...
why are you hopping around on that picture? are you trying to get a better angle for the shot?
OK, everyone - now for the "Rest of the story".....
I'm simply going to type directly from my journal.......
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 - Left for the Buffalo airport at 0330. Flights are uneventful. Met Jeff Langer in Edmonton. Went shed hunting and had dinner together...sure a lot better than sitting in the airport with a seven hour layover. Arrived in Yellowknife around 2130 hrs. Glen Walsh was waiting. Glen took me to the Hotel where I dropped off my gear. He also picked up some hand warmers ("MY HOT") for me, they are different from the ones that were used last year....I hope that they work OK. The ones that I used last year were designed to last for up to 12 hours....they were called HEAT TREATS, made by Heat Factory, I believe.
Thursday, March 15th, 2007 - Glen picked me up at 0700 hrs. Went to Adventure Northwest (AN), and used their computer for a couple hours. Paid Terry for the hand warmers and one other outstanding bill. Glen took me to the airport.
Arrived at the airport in Ulukhaktok at 1330 hours. Walter Olifie, Isaac Aleekuk, and Jack Kataoyak were waiting there for me. I went to the hotel and checked in. Bought my polar bear license and my wolf tag (just in case we got a repeat of last year). Went to the Helen Kalyak high school and said "hello" to the people that let me use their computer equipment last year.....Harold Reardon and Chip Bryant.
Friday, March 16th, 2007 - Weather not good enough to travel. Stayed at school most of the day and used one of their computers. Isaac came over later in the day and took me over to his house. Met his family and used his computer some more (as the school had closed for the weekend). Went back to the hotel around 2130 hrs.
Saturday, March 17th, 2007 - Isaac picked me up and took me to his house while Walter, Jack, and Isaac made preparations to depart. I had some toast and coffee- and used his computer. Met his wife, Agnes, and his grandson (or nephew?), Dustin.
Departed around 1100 hours. Sure was an easy ride compared to last year, but still bone jarring and bumpy as hell. It seems to be about 10 degrees colder than my hunt to Wyniatte Bay, obviously a function of traveling north one month earlier in the season. Saw there sets of tracks on the way to our proposed camping area....all are fairly fresh, and in the 6-7 foot range.
Meat and soup for dinner. Sun set around 1945 hrs. No northern lights. The traveling conditions sure are different from year - at least, so far. We didn't have to travel 270 miles (one way) over the rocky interior of the island. There are many stretches of reasonable smooth ice.....but where there IS rough sea ice, holly cow....it is a turquoise or aquamarine color, and in some places it must be stacked 20 feet tall, or higher. Climbing it to glass can be dicey, even dangerous....because if you slip or slide, and fall onto a lower piece of ice and use your hands/arms to break your fall, your bowhunt could end sooner than you want. We saw a raven, supposed to be a sign of good luck.
Sunday, March 18th, 2007 - I saw another raven. Tried to go to Walter's favorite spot to glass for bears, which is west of the lowest E-W trending lobe of Victoria Island.....NO WAY! That frigginf sea ice muct be 30 feet tall and wraps around the landmass as far as you can get. We aren't getting to the open ocean by going THIS way. We turned around and headed back towards Prince Albert Sound. We cut the tracks of a sow and a cub and a nine foot boar!! His tracks were older than the sows/cubs......I'm guessing 3-4 days old. Lots of smooth ice in some places....just not where we wanted. Fatty steak and mashed potatoes for dinner. Good food. Saw one arctic fox.
Monday, March 19th, 2007 - For the third day in a row, we have bluebird weather. Not much wind and sunny, but still quite cold....probably -25 to -30 degrees all day. Saw that raven again....no bears seen yet, and no tracks of any sort seen today.
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 - We continue to cover a lot of ice hoping to either find a way to the open ocean ice, or some fresh bear tracks. We seem to be spending quite a bit of time in the general vicinity of the Horizon Islands. The newer, thinner ice seems to be further to the west. The Inuits believe that there may even be some open water.....this is based on the a particular type of cloud formation that is sometimes visible very low on the horizon. Walter instinctively seems to continue to be most interested in heading as far west as we can get. I think that everyone is surprised by the amount of snowmobile that we have seen....probably from the previous hunter and his guide(s). No really fresh tracks, no really mature bear tracks. We set some seal hooks in the breathing holes of some ring seals....we need meat to feed the dogs. No luck catching one of them yet, either.
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 - Out travels today brought us within a couple miles of the Horizon Islands...this is the closest that we have gotten to them yet. While glassing from a high point on the rough sea ice, we saw two sets of fairly fresh bear tracks - a sow and 6' cub. We also spotted a seal that out of the ice. Walter stalked within gun range and shot at the seal. Based on blood at the hole, it was obvious that he had hit it somewhere....but it made it to its hole escaped.
Walter was probably 5 miles from us (we were watching the stalk through my spotting scope). Upon his return he told us that he had seen the freshest tracks of a mature boar since we hit the ice. He's out there somewhere!!
Upon returning to camp, we swung by the seal hooks that we had set, and sure enough, we'd snagged a a ring seal!!The Ring Seal is about 5 - 5.5 feet long and probably weighed about 100 pounds. Jack Kataoyak pulled up on the rope that bound the treble hook to the cross brace that was straddling the hole (above the breathing hole, out on the ice). When the seals head cleared the water, Walter hit him in the head with blunt end of a hatchet.
As Jack tried to pull the seal out of the hole, the treble hook pulled through his flipper. However, since the animal dazed by Walter's blow to the head, it remained at the top of the breathing hole just long enough for Jack to re-snag with the treble hook, and for Walter to turn the hatchet blade around and hit him right between the eyes. Needless to say, now we have a quite a blood trail near the seal's breathing hole.
One the seal was dead, we tied the seal hook to the back of a sled and dragged it back to camp....with the dogs going berserk the entire time. If a bear should happen to cross this trail, we will definitely have a visitor.....and we finished the butchering exactly 34 yards from the front of the tent. My bow and arrow is just outside the tent, to the left of the tent flap....and my release is strapped to my wrist.
About 2200 hours that evening, in the last minutes of twilight, the assistant guide, Isaac, is outside making a nature call when I hear him yell from just outside the tent!! He had swung his headlamp around and saw a pair of beady eyes over the seal kill......false alarm....it was just an arctic fox. But for a few minutes, it REALLY got the blood pumping.
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 - In the event that I needed to make a "nature call" today, I build myself an "igloo outhouse". It took me about 20 minutes, and while it was no work of art, it was very effective in shielding my butt from the wind, when the appropriate time did arrive.
It's another gorgeous day in the arctic today. We covered a lot of ice, but only saw a few old tracks UNTIL late in the day when we ventured slightly west of the Horizon Islands. We immediately started to see newer, fresher, and even BIGGER tracks. I just know that we'll check this area out tomorrow, as Isaac told Colin, the hunt coordinator (via short wave radio) what we had found later in the day. It is still rather unnerving to see the ice "flex" in front of the weight of the sled.....the ice is about 5 inches think in the area where the highest concentration of seal sign and bear tracks were observed. Where the ice has cracked, the fissures has filled with salt water that has just started to refreeze.
Friday, March 23rd, 2007 - I woke up this morning to what the Lnuits would call a white-out. Visibility was about 1-2 miles, as opposed to the normal 20-30 miles. It's only about -30, but the wind gusts are reported to be in the 40-60 range over the radio.....nasty windchills!! When I came out of the tent this morning, I could see another group of qamituks, dogs, and snowmobiles about 600 yards to the north.
Apparently, when Isaac radioed our succeess in finding fresh bear sign, the newest hunter's guide (Louie), must have been monitoring the radio. After a brief "discussion" with Jack Kataoyak over the 600 yard span, the other group packed up and headed east....directly away from the area where we were preparing to go. 3,000 square miles of ice, and we have the only two polar bear hunters (one with gun, one with bow), separated by 600 yards.....jeesh.
1400 hours - your KOLD weather update....the winds have died down, the sun is out, and we are going scouting to the west of Horizon Island!!....as we are going to scout just as far as we can go.....but we aren't pulling camp. We've sent Jack back to Ulukhaktok to get more naptha for the Coleman stoves, a new lantern, a better sleeping bag for Walter, and maybe a little more fuel.
Evening update- Wow!! We found some newer, thinner ice west of the horizon Islands. There were seals working on their tan lines (well, OK, they were just sunning themselves on the ice), and quite a bit of fresh bear sign....mostly sows and cubs.....notice the word, "mostly"? There is a BIG bear out there, but he seems to be reclusive, and he is hanging around the rough sea ice most of the time....that is his best cover.....
It is quite interesting, but still unnerving to see the ice "flex" under the weight of the qamituk. However, the guides have tested the ice with this long metal probe, and it is 5-6 inches think. They are quite comfortable traveling on that ice...I guess that the ice from fresh water has a completely different yield strength from that of ice which has frozen from sea water.....
We only spent a couple hours in the area before heading back to camp(because of the inclement weather earlier in the day). Nonetheless, you can bet that we'll be back here tomorrow......weather permitting. Because of our incident with Louie his morning, our evening report to the hunt coordinator might have omiited some of our more interesting findings of the afternoon.
Satruday, March 24th, 2007 - Obviously, we are pretty pumped up by the number of seals and the amount of fresh bear sign that we saw yesterday. We left camp around 0930, a full hour earlier than what I had become accustomed to....and I was elated to get an "earlier" start....that tells me that my Inuit guides are almost as excited as I am. After travelingabout 45 minutes, we've probably covered about 6-9 miles over the ice. Suddenly, I can see a trail of bear tracks ahead of the sled. We are going to cross them.In view of the recent high winds wiping the surface of the ice clean of tracks, you've got to assume the these tracks are less than 6 hours old.
When we get up to the tracks, the front paw is about 8" to 8.5" wide. The rule of thumb for them, is that once a track exceeds 5", you take the with of the track (in inches) and one to it....that is squared size of your bear.....remember, this is JUST a rule of thumb(ROT). We're looking at the tracks of a 9' to a 9.5' foot boar polar bear that crossed out path with less than a six hour head start. You know that the tracks are pretty damn fresh because you still were the hair from the bottom of the bears paw dragged the snow out of the track. That is one of the first parts of the bear track to fade with time.....
Walter turns the sled and we begin to follow the tracks. We are going as fast as we can go, trying to catch up to the bear that made these tracks!! I can't help but notice that we running parallel to some incredibly rough sea ice....only 250 yards to the east of us (on our left), as we are heading south, about 8 miles west of the Horizon Islands.We had running for about 20-30 minutes, when suddenly I hear something yelled in INUIT, and it ends with the word that I desparately wanted to hear.....NANOOK!!
I peer around, and all I can see, about 150 yards ahead of us, is an igloo......with feet!! This frigging bear is so damn big, and so wide, that I thought that the curve of his ass was a small igloo!! It seemed like it took FOREVER to close this 150 yards- including one quick stop to release two dogs to bay the bear. As we started to FINALLY gain on the bear, I'm told to get my bow ready.
I RIP open the bow case and grab my bow. In order ot do so, I had to remove the huge "mittens" that I have been wearing for the past 8 days. I have a sheer pair of polypropylene gloves on underneath. My Mathews Custom Safari bow has a wooden handle, but it doesn't go all the way around the bow where I grip it. Because my hand was rather warm inside of the Northern Outfitters (NO) bulky handgear, there was probably just a little bit of moisture. At -32C, grabbing your bow with a slightly damp, warm polyproylene glove is probably NOT the best idea. However, when you are gaining on a 9' polar bear, adrenaline has something to say about what is cold, and what is not cold....besides, this isn't going to take that long, and I have been "acclimating"......RRRRRIGHT!!!!
When the fingertipshit the front of the bow grip where the composite handle was exposed, I could feel the instantaneous "bonding" of fabric and bow. I was SO pumped, I couldn't have cared less - at the time. We're now less than 100 yards from bear and the two dogs that were released are closing fast - Nine foot bears don't run per se.....they have this shuffling waddle, but they can still cover the ground - as the dogs close. I go to clip my 6 arrow quiveron the the side of my bow. That is when I notice that the quiver clip which is attached to the bow, has split in two, vertically. No where to clip the quiver. NO PROBLEM.....a little thing like this or a cold hand doesn't even qualify for Murphy's law - yet. I pry my glove (and fingers) off of the front of the bow, and slide the quiver into my grip - suddenly my fingers are acting rather sluggish, but they hold the quiver, and when I grip tight, they "reattach" to the front, non-wood composite part of the bow handle.
At this time, I hear yelling - I don't remember anything but an Inuit voice telling me to get an arrow into that bear because he's going to turn and head towards that rough sea ice ANY second.....and now it is only 100 yards away. I slide my SCOTT Mongoose release out from under my sleeve where it was been residing for the past 8 days. Remember that moisture on the glove on my left hand? What do you think happens to a metallic archery release when it goes from the inside of a nice warm sleeve (on the arm of someone who has been acclimating - HA!!) to -32C with a 10 mph windchill? That's right sportsfans ...it freezes instantly!! My left hand is holding the bow and the quiver (I hope), and it is virtually "welded" to them by the frozen moisture....therefore, I can't open the release with my left hand. My release is strapped to my right hand - that isn't going to work either.What else can I use? (remember this is all happening while moving at 10 mph trying to catch up to a 1,000-1,200 pound carnivore).
How many of us haven't tried to pry something open with our teeth at one point in time or another?Remember the kid in the Christmas movie (something about a BB gun) that licks a frozen flagpole? That scene is painfully etched in my mind, but we all KNOW what I have to do.....despite a mouthful of orthodontia, despite bouncing along in a qamituk at 10mph, despite being parallel to a half ton carnivore, despite the fact it is only 100 yards away from sea ice that is 20 feet tall and will hide him like a pine thicket hides a trophy deer.....I have to get that release on the string without gluing it to my mouth first. I try to open the release, in the back of a bucking bronco...er....qamituk WITHOUT touching the non-enamel portions of my mouth. Needless to say, the damn thing got caught in the braces. MURPHY'S LAW is now fully engaged, and gaining momentum. What would any serious bowhunter do at this point in time? You say "Screw the release".
So I did.....I sure hope that my orthodontist (Jim Larson) doesn't ever read this - I pulled the release out of my mouth....not knowing or caring about what braces may or may not be attached to it. Plan "B", we're now a fingers shooter for the remainder of this episode....but despite shooting 5,000 arrows to prepare for this hunt.....not ONE arrow was shot with fingers.
Things are getting exciting now. The dogs have closed on the bear and just as the sled almost comes to a halt, I jump off.....just in time to see the bear backhand one of the dogs with the backside of his paw. The 100 pound dog does a double backflip (I scored it a 2.4 for level of difficulty) and SCURRIES behind the sled, with #2 dog in close pursuit. Remember, how many of the dogs in ULukhaktok died over the last year? This included Walter's two prima donna bear dogs.....and the stand-ins have decided that this wasn't in the agreement when they signed on for a wilderness adventure. Again, I hear an INUIT vioce screaming "JUST GET AN ARROW IN HIM!!"
The bear is now 20 yards away and is starting to turn and head for the rough sea ice. I draw with my fingers and notice that the rubber shrink tubing that rotates my peep sight, has pulled off of the back of the peep post. No quiver holder, no release, no dogs, and now....no sights. MURPHY is now on the ice, soiling himself. I have a large, thick beaver hat on my head. When I draw the bow, my fingers anchor point is on the OUTSIDE of the hat, an inch away from my head, which I instinctively (excuse the pun) know will make me shoot to the left. The bear is running from left to right......and my fingers are so sore from all this typing, that I think I'll finish this tomorrow or the day after - I hope....as I am leaving for Tortola on Tuesday evening. See? It's not NICE to bust someones chops when you want the REST of the story......
I sure hope these fingers can recover over the next day or two, as I 'll be in Tortola for a week, with no computer..... stay tuned.
TRUST me when I tell you that the story hasn't even gotten interesting yet!! Stay tuned.....
Jake
Now, drink a quart of good black coffee and get this thing DONE.
Please!
As much as I typed today, I have that much MORE to type before I complete this article. I'll complete it, and include photographs - tomorrow. I'm glad that you have enjoyed it thus far....I'll clean up the typos before finishing it tomorrow.....
Jake
Wow! Thanks for taking us along with you on the hunt! ! Looking forward to the picturs...
Ned's little sister Nora.
By the way, was this the brand of release that you were using....?
FlatbowMB's LinkUR Killing me!!
Actually, the day that I got my braces, my friend (who also happens to be my orthodontist) told me that the PINK rubber bands would move my teeth faster.....needless to say.....I told him that we'd be using clear bands.
Luckily, I'd been warned about that particular practical joke.
Jake
Love a good story. I never get good stories from people with all the details. Can't tell you how disappointed I am when a buddy kills a deer and I ask "what happened?". They say "I shot him".
It's ALL in the details.
...it's one of those "stay tuned" closures!
ROTFLMAO!!!!
Jake - ya' really know how to keep us "at bay"!
Great story...thus far! LOL
I might be able to copy the remainder of the article to a disk, and swing by a public library before I head to the airport, and post it to the forum. Should I wait to post it next week, and include the photos? Or do I post the text of the story now.....and post the photos upon my return next week?
Any thoughts one way or the other?
OH, Gary Young, the gun hunter that was up there when I left, scored on an 8.5 ft bear yesterday....I don't know exactly where he got his bear.
juneaulongbow's Link
I'll be back from Tortola next Thursday. I'll post the photos and some narrative for each picture upon my return. I hope that you enjoy the article. OK, everyone - with no further adieu, now the rest of the "Rest of the story".....
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 - Left for the Buffalo airport at 0330. Flights are uneventful. Met Jeff Langer in Edmonton. Went shed hunting and had dinner together...sure a lot better than sitting in the airport with a seven hour layover. Arrived in Yellowknife around 2130 hrs. Glen Walsh was waiting. Glen took me to the Hotel where I dropped off my gear. He also picked up some hand warmers ("MY HOT") for me, they are different from the ones that were used last year....I hope that they work OK. The ones that I used last year were designed to last for up to 12 hours....they were called HEAT TREATS, made by Heat Factory, I believe.
Thursday, March 15th, 2007 - Glen picked me up at 0700 hrs. Went to Adventure Northwest (AN), and used their computer for a couple hours. Paid Terry for the hand warmers and one other outstanding bill. Glen took me to the airport. Arrived at the airport in Ulukhaktok at 1330 hours. Walter Olifie, Isaac Aleekuk, and Jack Kataoyak were waiting there for me. I went to the hotel and checked in. Bought my polar bear license and my wolf tag (just in case we got a repeat of last year). Went to the Helen Kalyak high school and said "hello" to the people that let me use their computer equipment last year.....Harold Reardon and Chip Bryant.
Friday, March 16th, 2007 - Weather not good enough to travel. Stayed at school most of the day and used one of their computers. Isaac came over later in the day and took me over to his house. Met his family and used his computer some more (as the school had closed for the weekend). Went back to the hotel around 2130 hrs.
Saturday, March 17th, 2007 - Isaac picked me up and took me to his house while Walter, Jack, and Isaac made preparations to depart. I had some toast and coffee- and used his computer. Met his wife, Agnes, and his grandson (or nephew?), Dustin.
Departed around 1100 hours. Sure was an easy ride compared to last year, but still bone jarring and bumpy as hell. It seems to be about 10 degrees colder than my hunt to Wyniatte Bay, obviously a function of traveling north one month earlier in the season. Saw three sets of tracks on the way to our proposed camping area....all are fairly fresh, and in the 6-7 foot range. Meat and soup for dinner. Sun set around 1945 hrs. No northern lights.
The traveling conditions sure are different from year - at least, so far. We didn't have to travel 270 miles (one way) over the rocky interior of the island. There are many stretches of reasonably smooth ice.....but where there IS rough sea ice, holy cow!....it is a turquoise or aquamarine color, and in some places it must be stacked 20 feet tall, or higher. Climbing it to glass can be dicey, even dangerous....because if you slip or slide, and fall onto a lower piece of ice and use your hands/arms to break your fall, your bowhunt could end sooner than you want. We saw a raven, supposed to be a sign of good luck.
Sunday, March 18th, 2007 - I saw another raven. Tried to go to Walter's favorite spot to glass for bears, which is west of the lowest E-W trending lobe of Victoria Island.....NO WAY! That frigging sea ice must be 30 feet tall and wraps around the landmass as far as you can see. We aren't getting to the open ocean by going THIS way. We turned around and headed back towards Prince Albert Sound. We cut the tracks of a sow and a cub and a nine foot boar!! His tracks were older than the sows/cubs......I'm guessing 3-4 days old. Lots of smooth ice in some places....just not where we wanted it. Fatty steak and mashed potatoes for dinner. Good food. Saw one arctic fox.
Monday, March 19th, 2007 - For the third day in a row, we have bluebird weather. Not much wind and sunny, but still quite cold....probably -25 to -30 degrees all day. Saw that raven again....no bears seen yet, and no tracks of any sort seen today.
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 - We continue to cover a lot of ice hoping to either find a way to the open ocean ice, or some fresh bear tracks. We seem to be spending quite a bit of time in the general vicinity of the Horizon Islands. The newer, thinner ice seems to be further to the west. The Inuits believe that there may even be some open water.....this is based on the a particular type of cloud formation that is sometimes visible very low on the horizon. Walter instinctively seems to continue to be most interested in heading as far west as we can get. I think that everyone is surprised by the amount of snowmobile tracks that we have seen....probably from the previous hunter and his guide(s). No really fresh tracks, no really mature bear tracks. We set some seal hooks in the breathing holes of some ring seals....we need meat to feed the dogs. No luck catching one of them yet, either.
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 - Our travels today brought us within a couple miles of the Horizon Islands...this is the closest that we have gotten to them yet. While glassing from a high point on the rough sea ice, we saw two sets of fairly fresh bear tracks - a sow and 6' cub. We also spotted a seal that was out of the water and laying on the ice. Walter stalked within gun range and shot at the seal. Based on blood at the hole, it was obvious that he had hit it somewhere....but it made it to its hole escaped.
Walter was probably 5 miles from us (we were watching the stalk through my spotting scope). Upon his return he told us that he had seen the freshest tracks of a mature boar since we hit the ice. He's out there somewhere!!
Upon returning to camp, we swung by the seal hooks that we had set, and sure enough, we'd snagged a ring seal!! The seal is about 5 - 5.5 feet long and probably weighed about 100 pounds. Jack Kataoyak pulled up on the rope that bound the treble hook to the cross brace that was straddling the hole (above the breathing hole, out on the ice). When the seal's head cleared the water, Walter hit him in the head with blunt end of a hatchet.
As Jack tried to pull the seal out of the hole, the treble hook pulled through his flipper. However, since the animal was dazed by Walter's blow to the head, it remained at the top of the breathing hole just long enough for Jack to re-snag it with the treble hook, and for Walter to turn the hatchet blade around and hit him right between the eyes. Needless to say, now we have a quite a blood trail near the seal's breathing hole.
Once the seal was dead, we tied the seal hook to the back of a sled and dragged it back to camp....with the dogs going berserk the entire time. If a bear should happen to cross this trail, we will definitely have a visitor.....and we finished the butchering exactly 34 yards from the front of the tent. My bow and arrow is just outside the tent, to the left of the tent flap....and my release is strapped to my wrist.
About 2200 hours that evening, in the last minutes of twilight, the assistant guide, Isaac, is outside making a nature call when I hear him yell from just outside the tent!! He had swung his headlamp around and saw a pair of beady eyes over the seal kill......false alarm....it was just an arctic fox. But for a few minutes, it REALLY got the blood pumping.
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 - In the event that I needed to make a "nature call" today, I build myself an "igloo outhouse". It took me about 20 minutes, and while it was no work of art, it was very effective in shielding my butt from the wind, when the appropriate time did arrive.
It's another gorgeous day in the arctic today. We covered a lot of ice, but only saw a few old tracks UNTIL late in the day when we ventured slightly west of the Horizon Islands. We immediately started to see newer, fresher, and even BIGGER tracks. I just know that we'll check this area out tomorrow, as Isaac told Colin, the hunt coordinator (via short wave radio) what we had found later in the day. It is still rather unnerving to see the ice "flex" in front of the weight of the sled.....the ice is about 5 inches think in the area where the highest concentration of seal sign and bear tracks were observed. Where the ice has cracked, the fissures have been filled with salt water that has just started to refreeze.
Friday, March 23rd, 2007 - I woke up this morning to what the Lnuits would call a white-out. Visibility was about 1-2 miles, as opposed to the normal 20-30 miles. It's only about -30, but the wind gusts are reported to be in the 40-60 range over the radio.....nasty windchills!! When I came out of the tent this morning, I could see another group of qamituks, dogs, and snowmobiles about 600 yards to the north.
Apparently, when Isaac radioed our success in finding fresh bear sign, the newest hunter's guide (Louie), must have been monitoring the radio. After a brief "discussion" with Jack Kataoyak over the 600 yard span, the other group packed up and headed east....directly away from the area where we were preparing to go. 3,000 square miles of ice, and we have the only two polar bear hunters (one with gun, one with bow), separated by 600 yards.....jeesh.
1400 hours - your KOLD weather update....the winds have died down, the sun is out, and we are going scouting to the west of Horizon Island!!.... we are going to scout just as far as we can go.....but we aren't pulling camp. We've sent Jack back to Ulukhaktok to get more naptha for the Coleman stoves, a new lantern, a better sleeping bag for Walter, and maybe a little more fuel.
Evening update- Wow!! We found some newer, thinner ice west of the horizon Islands. There were ring seals working on their tan lines (well, OK, they were just sunning themselves on the ice), and quite a bit of fresh bear sign....mostly sows and cubs.....notice the word, "mostly"? There is a BIG bear out there, but he seems to be reclusive, and he is hanging around the rough sea ice most of the time....that is his best cover.....
It is quite interesting, but still unnerving to see the ice "flex" under the weight of the qamituk. However, the guides have tested the ice with this long metal probe, and it is 5-6 inches think. They are quite comfortable traveling on that ice...I guess that the ice from fresh water has a completely different yield strength from that of ice which has frozen from sea water.....
We only spent a couple hours in the area before heading back to camp(because of the inclement weather earlier in the day). Nonetheless, you can bet that we'll be back here tomorrow......weather permitting. Because of our incident with Louie his morning, our evening report to the hunt coordinator might have omiited some of our more interesting findings of the afternoon.
Saturday, March 24th, 2007 - Obviously, we are pretty pumped up by the number of seals and the amount of fresh bear sign that we saw yesterday. We left camp around 0930, a full hour earlier than what I had become accustomed to....and I was elated to get an "earlier" start....that tells me that my Inuit guides are almost as excited as I am. After traveling about 45 minutes, we've probably covered 6-9 miles over the ice. Suddenly, I can see a trail of bear tracks ahead of the sled. We are going to cross them. In view of the recent high winds wiping the surface of the ice clean of tracks, you've got to assume the these tracks are less than 6 hours old.
When we get up to the tracks, the front paw is about 8" to 8.5" wide. The rule of thumb for them, is that once a track exceeds 5", you take the width of the track (in inches) and add one to that number....that is squared size of your bear.....remember, this is JUST a rule of thumb(ROT). We're looking at the tracks of a 9' to a 9.5' foot boar polar bear that crossed our path with less than a six hour head start. You know that the tracks are pretty damn fresh because you can still see where the hair from the bottom of the bears paw dragged the snow out of the track. That is one of the first parts of the bear track to fade with time.....
Walter turns the sled and we begin to follow the tracks. We are going as fast as we can go, trying to catch up to the bear that made these tracks!! I can't help but notice that we running parallel to some incredibly rough sea ice....only 250 yards to the east of us (on our left), as we are heading south, about 8 miles west of the Horizon Islands. We had been running for about 20-30 minutes, when suddenly I hear something yelled in INUIT, and it ends with the word that I desperately wanted to hear.....NANOOK!!
I peer around, and all I can see, about 150 yards ahead of us, is an igloo......with feet!! This frigging bear is so damn big, and so wide, that I thought that the curve of his ass was a small igloo!! It seemed like it took FOREVER to close this 150 yards- including one quick stop to release two dogs to bay the bear. As we started to FINALLY gain on the bear, I'm told to get my bow ready. I RIP open the bow case and grab my bow. In order to do so, I had to remove the huge "mittens" that I have been wearing for the past 8 days. I have a sheer pair of polypropylene gloves on underneath.
My Mathews Custom Safari bow has a wooden handle, but it doesn't go all the way around the bow where I grip it. Because my hand was rather warm inside of the Northern Outfitters (NO) bulky handgear, there was probably just a little bit of moisture. At -32C, grabbing your bow with a slightly damp, warm polyproylene glove is probably NOT the best idea. However, when you are gaining on a 9' polar bear, adrenaline has something to say about what is cold, and what is not cold....besides, this isn't going to take that long, and I have been "acclimating"......RRRRRIGHT!!!!
When the fingertips hit the front of the bow grip where the composite handle was exposed, I could feel the instantaneous "bonding" of fabric and bow. I was SO pumped, I couldn't have cared less - at the time. We're now less than 100 yards from bear and the two dogs that were released are closing fast - Nine foot bears don't run per se.....they have this shuffling waddle, but they can still cover the ground - as the dogs close.
I go to clip my 6 arrow quiver on the the side of my bow. That is when I notice that the quiver clip which is attached to the bow, has split in two, vertically. No where to clip the quiver. NO PROBLEM.....a little thing like this or a cold hand doesn't even qualify for Murphy's law - yet. I pry my glove (and fingers) off of the front of the bow, and slide the quiver into my grip - suddenly my fingers are acting rather sluggish, but they hold the quiver, and when I grip tight, they "reattach" to the front, non-wood composite part of the bow handle.
At this time, I hear yelling - I don't remember anything but an Inuit voice telling me to get an arrow into that bear because he's going to turn and head towards that rough sea ice ANY second.....and now it is only 100 yards away. I slide my SCOTT Mongoose release out from under my sleeve where it was been residing for the past 8 days. Remember that moisture on the glove on my left hand? What do you think happens to a metallic archery release when it goes from the inside of a nice warm sleeve (on the arm of someone who has been acclimating - HA!!) to -32C with a 10 mph windchill? That's right, sportsfans ...it freezes instantly!! My left hand is holding the bow and the quiver (I hope), and it is virtually "welded" to them by the frozen moisture.... therefore, I can't open the release with my left hand. My release is strapped to my right hand - that isn't going to work either. What else can I use? (remember this is all happening while moving at 10 mph trying to catch up to a 1,000-1,200 carnivore).
How many of us haven't tried to pry something open with our teeth at one point in time or another? Remember the kid in the Christmas movie (something about a BB gun) that licks a frozen flagpole? That scene is painfully etched in my mind, but we all KNOW what I have to do.....despite a mouthful of orthodontia, despite bouncing along in a qamituk at 10mph, despite being parallel to a half ton carnivore, despite the fact it is only 100 yards away from sea ice that is 20 feet tall and will hide him like a pine thicket hides a trophy deer.....I have to get that release on the string without gluing it to my mouth first. I try to open the release, in the back of a bucking bronco...er....qamituk WITHOUT touching the non-enamel portions of my mouth. Needless to say, the damn thing got caught in the braces. MURPHY'S LAW is now fully engaged, and gaining momentum. What would any serious bowhunter do at this point in time?
You say "Screw the release". So I did.....I sure hope that my orthodontist (Jim Larson) doesn't ever read this - I pulled the release out of my mouth....not knowing or caring about what braces may or may not be attached to it. Plan "B" is now engaged – we are now a fingers shooter for the remainder of this episode....but despite shooting 5,000 arrows to prepare for this hunt.....not ONE arrow was shot with fingers.
Things are getting exciting now. The dogs have closed on the bear and just as the sled almost comes to a halt, I jump off.....just in time to see the bear backhand one of the dogs with the backside of his paw. The 100 pound dog does a double backflip (I scored it a 2.4 for level of difficulty) and SCURRIES behind the sled, with #2 dog in close pursuit. Remember in previous threads that I mentioned that many of the dogs in Ulukhaktok died over the last year? This included Walter's two prima donna bear dogs.....and the stand-ins have decided that this wasn't in the agreement when they signed on for a wilderness adventure.
Again, I hear an INUIT voice screaming "JUST GET AN ARROW IN HIM!!" The bear is now 20 yards away and is starting to turn and head for the rough sea ice. I draw with my fingers and notice that the rubber shrink tubing that rotates my peep sight, has pulled off of the back of the peep post. No quiver holder, no release, no dogs, and now....no sights. MURPHY is now on the ice, soiling himself. I have a large, thick beaver hat on my head. When I draw the bow, my fingers anchor point is on the OUTSIDE of the hat, an inch away from my head, which I instinctively (excuse the pun) know will make me shoot to the left. The bear is running from left to right………
I swing the bow, led him about two feet and released the arrow. The elevation of the arrow was perfect, but between the fact that the bear was running away from me (from my left to my right),AND the fact that my revised anchor point made me shoot to the left, my lead was insufficient. The RAGE two bladed broadhead hit him in the rear, right ham. The bear turns and bites the arrow off, then he starts to run again. I start to run after him, while trying to get another arrow nocked. Again, I stop and swing through the boar and release. He is about 30 yards away and as soon as I release I can tell that the arrow flight is higher……and I still haven’t led him enough. The Rage broadhead hits him in the general vicinity of the kidney. Again, he turns and snaps the arrow off….and continues to run. I make it back to the sled and hop on, and the guide starts to take off……but the start is jerky and I lose my balance and fall off of the sled. I watch as the guide manages to get in front of the bear…..who stops and decides to turn around and head back in the direction that he came from…..which happens to be RIGHT where I am standing.
I now have a 9 foot polar bear with two arrows in him running back in my direction. Since I kept shooting to the left, I realize that if he really does charge me, I have a slim chance of hitting him in the spine if I hold the bow upright. I cant the bow horizontally, like a crossbow and prepare to shoot if he crosses an imaginary line I have drawn at 4 yards. At that distance I am confident that I have a pretty good chance of hitting his spine (by just sighting down the arrow shaft) just above the head. The problem is that the bear is so tall, I have to let him get REALLY close before I can release. Luckily, at 7 yards, he turns to his right (my left)…..and as he starts to head away from me, I shoot my third arrow (with a Spitfire broadhead versus a RAGE broadhead) and hit him directly in the ear. I am shooting a 450 grain arrow from a 95 pound bow, which hits him in the ear and he doesn’t even act like it hit him!!
He continues his turn and I can see that he is heading for a 20 ft high wall of sea ice. I cut a diagonal and start to try to close the distance, while nocking my fourth arrow. At 35 yards, I stop, draw, swing and release……the arrow flight looks good……and just as the arrow is going to hit him in the vitals, his right leg comes back and I hit him either on the shoulder or the upper leg bone, instead of vitals. He roars and makes it into the sea ice.
I am NOT embellishing when I tell you that I am following a 2’ wide blood trail that Helen Keller could follow. As I am approaching the 20 foot wall of ice, I see one of my arrow stuck in the snow at the top of the ice ridge. Since I am down to my last 2 arrows, I thought that it might be a good idea to go get that arrow. I get about 1/3 of the way up to that shaft, when I realize that I can’t see OVER the ice until I get right up on top. I back up, circle downwind, and peek around the ice ridge. The boar is laying about 2 feet behind the arrow, with his paw out and ready to swipe…..just like when they hunt for seals!!
If I had climbed up there and grabbed that arrow, he would have had me….no doubt. Instead, now he realizes that I outflanked him and he turns, drops down off of the sea ice, and runs in front of me. He is heading for the really big sea ice now. I take a “Hail Mary” shot at 45 yards and miss him completely. I the grab the arrow that he was hiding behind, and stick it in the quiver.
I slide, fall, and curse my way down the rough ice and get back on his blood trail. I am following blood, constantly searching for anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, I see the bear and he is standing right on one of the rifts that has filled up with water. This rift might run for 30 yards, and has about 3-4 feet of water in it, and has about 2” of ice on top of the water. He literally jumps right on the ice, breaks through and is now standing in 4 feet of water, which is on top of the 1-2 ft of thicker ice beneath it. His vitals are covered by the water…..then it dawns on me, he is using the cold water to numb the pain of his wounds.
He is starting to weaken, but he takes a deep breath and completely submerges under the ice and follows the sluice of 4’ deep water. He is literally walking on ice, in water, under 2” inches of newer ice. The water in the sluice is starting to look like cherry Kool-aid. I run to the front of the sluice, and when he reaches the end of the water, he breaks through 2” of ice with his head!! As soon as he comes up for a breath of air, I shoot my 6th arrow. The arrow hits just to the left of his head, entering at the base of the neck and travels through his body. I am guessing that it stopped somewhere aft of the right side of his liver (because of the angle, when I shot him). He immediately takes another breath and submerges, reversing his direction under water. He makes it back to his entrance hole and climbs out of the water. I am standing across the rift from him at about 25 yards. Half of his body is red from the various wounds……he look at me, and the first time since this entire encounter started, he lays his ears back and starts to turn toward me……luckily for me…..he is so weak from blood loss, that he collapses right there next to the water. I walk to about 10 yards and shoot my 7th and final arrow into him. It is a double lung shot, but the bear still breathes for about 5-6 minutes before finally succumbing to his injuries.
By now, the guide and assistant guide have caught up to me. After 4-5 minutes, they allow me to approach the bear. There were pieces of arrow everywhere, and while it wasn’t the humane, one arrow kill that I had hoped for – I had taken a polar bear with only archery gear, luck, and some perseverance.
I knelt beside the bear, and said a prayer for his spirit. Then, the guide helped to get the bow out of my worthless left hand, and I put my big, bulky glove back on…..about 30 minutes after I had removed them. I tried to help to set up the bear for some photos….I even had the bear pin me to the ground as we tried to roll him over (I slipped as we were trying to roll him over, and he landed on top of me). However, he was so wet, it was so cold, he was so big, and I was so pooped that after a couple photos, we just decided to skin the animal right away, as he was starting to freeze right before our eyes. When I finally picked up the wet fur and head to put it on the sled, I am guessing that it weighed about 150-160 pounds.
As previously mentioned, with no stretching whatsoever, the bear squared about 8’10” – after getting him skinned and fleshed, he squared about 9’2”. The thumb on my left hand works fine, but all four fingertips (especially the pinky)are still numb even 8 days after killing the bear. The index finger, middle finger, and ring finger on the right hand are also slightly numb, but not as bad as the left hands fingers.
I realize that many people may second guess my decision to shoot at such a magnificent animal when my gear had been so badly compromised. However, it was my second polar bear bowhunt, it was not only the only boar that we had seen on the hunt….it was the only bear that we had seen…..and there is a real possibility that after this year, polar bears may never be importable again.
I also realize that these considerations may not actually justify my decision to shoot. I am just explaining why I chose to do so. It was the diciest, most extreme bowhunt that I have ever been on in my life – but I got my polar bear! Who yah!!
I actually submitted my paperwork yesterday for the CITES importation permit. Hopefully, within about 60-90 days we’ll have that bear in the states, where the taxidermist will do my full mount.
I hope that you enjoyed the article….it has been a lesson in humility, to say the least.
Sharpstick
Those who never start never finish. Those who give up never win. Those who cannot adapt will never overcome. You gave it your all and in the end you won out.
Not just "congrats", Congratulation. Super trophy.
Now, as for the pictures...
Great story, Congratulates!
Thanks again.
I have a couple of "loose end" questions.
1. Did the lead dog that got swatted get injured bad? It sounds like he survived the smacking he got.
2. Do you know if the other fella who got his bear is going to post a story and pics somewhere?
John
1. The lead dog is fine.....ONLY because I couldn't catch him at the time!!
2. If you are referring to JM, he DID post his story in this thread on 3/27/2007.
Outstanding Jake.
Exactly what butternut40 said!!!!
Congratulations jake.
Wow!! What a story! I know how impressive a mature Polar bear looks as he is running directly at you at about 60 to 70 yards with a group of dogs on his tail, but 7yards, that is a little close for comfort. Congratulations on a great bear and I am looking forward to the pictures.
We should have talked a little about our bow setups before our hunts. I knew that you shouldn’t use the black rubber tubes as they become too hard and won’t stretch enough in the cold; Stacey Frost had the same problem. On my backup bow I used a Vital Bow Gear peep that uses a bungee cord instead of rubber to align the peep and it worked fine when I was practicing. On the bow I hunted with I used T.R.U. NOK with a peep aligner which also worked great. I kept my release on all the time during the day with the head tucked between my glove liner and the heavy gloves you see in the picture I posted earlier, I didn’t have a problem with mine freezing up. One thing that I would change if I hunted in similar conditions is the vanes that I used because they became very stiff and brittle. I only got 7 or 8 practice shots through snow before they broke apart.
After reading your story maybe you will need to change your handle to “Frostbite” : )
Congratulations!!
John
By the what can you hunt in Tortola?
John
Congratulations.
I'm going on my first Griz hunt in May, hope its not as eventful as your hunt.
Awesome story.
Congrats, although I have never met you I feel like I was their with you. That was great.
He overcame adversity with tenacity, enginuity (SP?), and an Ahab like desire to do this or die trying. I'm sure some elitist snobs will have something to say about the manner in which he killed the brute, but I'm sure Jake could gives a rats a**!
Jake, your story is so unbelievable its got to be true. Reminds me of Robert Ruark, or Peter Capstick. Fantastic piece of writing! Hope your fingers get better.
It has no affect on the sport of hunting. Hunters understand and anti's hate us. The non-hunters who matter are not visiting here. If this was being shared on CNN live it would be a different deal.
I'm just waiting to find out if he shot more bears than pictures on the hunt. So far we have 1 bear and 0 pictures.
Respectfully,
Cheryl Napper
I couldn't have said it any better my friend.
Just my opinion. Who am I though? For that matter, Who are YOU? Great job again Jake on your success! Sorry to all of you who I offended in this rant. Please PM me if you have to reply.
Sometimes the newest technology can be a hinderance in making pretty kills. This hunt certainly adds fuel to the traditionalist argument that simplicity is better.
But no point in second guessing success in the most extreme of environments a bowhunter will ever encounter.
More than anything, Jake's story shows that mindset and mental determination are far more important than tackle....I'm inclined to think that with the resolve Jake demonstrated, he'd have killed that bear with a club!
It is a hell of a thing to still believe "I can do this" when your equipment has failed you, and you're staring down a 1200 pound predator in an environment that is so extreme and unforgiving.
The truth isn't always pretty. Congradulation and I can't wait to see the pics...good or bad!!!
Joel
I for one appreciate his honesty about how it went down too. It's refreshing to hear someone tell the real story vise what you'll read in magazines or see on videos by hunting icons.
Congrads Jake!!
"Sometimes the newest technology can be a hinderance in making pretty kills. This hunt certainly adds fuel to the traditionalist argument that simplicity is better."
I would agree. In extremely cold environments, simplicity definitely has its benefits. That is why alot of inuit prefer air cooled 2- stroke snowmobiles, for example. Late in the deer season where I am, the temps can be between -30 and -40 C. There is definitely a whole lot less to go wrong with my longbow at those temps than with modern tackle.
Kudo's to Jake for overcoming the unexpected equipment SNAFUs, and doing what it took to the harvest the bears. As for any elitists that want to sniffle because it wasn't the one-shot-one-kill deal, and didn't meet their 'ethical' standards, I would say this; Unless you have bowhunted in - 30C or colder conditions, you would have no credibility criticizing this hunt.
iowaPete
These words and feelings were swirling within me as I read your account!
The truth is not always pretty, but it is still the truth. You are to be commended for telling it, and for your undaunted PERSERVERENCE! You should also be commended for not following through with your arrow retrieval when you wanted to. That probably kept this from being a post-mortem tale!!!!
TO HELL WITH MURPHY--JAKE could not be stopped!
HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS!
....and thanks for sharing!!
Stan
I am quite flattered and pleased by many of the remarks that have been posted on Pat's thread. Walt's commenta are also welcome.....I spent several years in the military to help preserve the freedom for all of us the express our thoughts without worrying about the soup nazi tracking us down.
Whether you agree with my tactics and decisions or not is not what matters to me, what IS important is that we have a forum where we can all connect. We can share ideas, tactics, and experiences. The feedback has guaranteed that posting my story was the right thing to do....and you can rest assured that I will do so in the future as well......
Walt, we may have differing perceptions and we may have made different decisions (if you had been in my place)....but we both share an interest in archery. I just hope that if I continue to be blessed with other hunting adventures, that you would be willing to consider reading of other exploits....because of a mutual desire to bowhunt, and the fraternity which includes both of us.
Have a great day everyone.....gotta go, my banana pancakes are getting cold!!
Jake
Jake read Walt's post and handled it with (as no surprise) class, respect and an aire of professionalism. He was frozen like a popcicle, FEET away from angry claws bigger than his head - I don't think another bowhunter's constructive criticism is going to bother him.
Congratulations on living your dream Jake. You are the Man!
Even though I am sure that your comments didn’t bother Jake, this thread is designated as debate free and as such is not the proper place to criticize whether it is constructive or not. I think the majority of the people posting here on this thread respect that. If you feel the need to express your opinion then you can start your own thread and tell us what you would have done and debate any issue that you choose.
John
My original comment was: OK guys. Where do we go to say what we really think about this hunt??? The next response was "What does that mean Walt. Say what you want to say here". That's how this got started. It was not my intention to "tear down other hunters in the name of ethics" as Pat described. I can only hope I have not been placed on his "toxic person" list.
Thanks for sharing Jake !
You are quite right that you didn't start all this stuff up. You asked a simple question.
Sorry to have started a firestorm...
Richard
Is that positive enough? LOL!
Jake, you're killin us here...
...that's debatable...LOL!
You aren't far from the truth. I AM trying to acclimate to the heat, but I am not even going to begin to mention the limits of my depravity when it comes to physical training.....like working out in the sauna at the YMCA (they'd skin me alive if they knew....)
However, now that the polar bear bowhunt is behind me, I will tell you that my garage will have more room in it....now that I have sold the stainless steel, commercial, vertical freezer that I bought at a Rotary auction. I bought it used because it could go to -40. I SHOULD have put my bow in there, and experimented with grabbing it with various gloves. Instead, I just climbed in (in a pair of shorts, or less) and tried to read a book. The stories my garage could tell!!
And....since I have female companionship with me on this trip, I wanyt to state for the record, that the photo of the blonde lovely that was posted, is NOT anyone that I know or have met. Primitive later admits that, I just don't want to get in trouble (when for once, I didn't deserve it!!).
I learned that the USFWS actually submits each and every application for a polar bear importation permit to the federal registry. It is literally posted to a public forum where people can question or debate each and every application. After 30 days from the initial posting, upon approval ( and "token" $1,000.00 importation fee), the most difficult task will be complete. Then we find an expediter to help us get it across the border at an approved port of entry.
Jake
ps - found a dead tarantula on the road this AM when I walked back from my morning swim.
They have a bear in camp that they just shot
KEEP 'EM COMING PAT, THESE FEATURES ARE GREAT!!!! This is as close as allot of us will ever get to these types of hunts.
hurry up we have been waiting a long time for this.
Pat, I copied the narrative and the photos to a DVD. Either give me your e-mail address (and we'll try that) OR give me your snail mail address (and I'll send the DVD to you). My fingers are STILL numb (and peeling), and I'm not asking my friend to retype everything again. He missed the first game of the Sabres series helping me with the pictures and the text!!
I know that everyone has been waiting for the pictures....I'm doing the best that I can!!
Jake
I'd post more but I'm moving to high ground to avoid the giant tidal waves from rising sea levels !!!!!
Congratulations Jake , Very kool stuff ( No pun intended )
I'm glad to hear that you got the photos. I'm even MORE glad that I won't have to retype them!! There is at least one typo in the photos. The word hundred is mispelled (houndred). If you can correct that, it should be good to go.
Jake
Walter is also going to be taking Ned Greer next week!! Jack Kataoyak will be the assistant guide.....Ned couldn't have two better Inuits to hunt with......
Jake N
i don't think he's killed it yet. he's still up there trying. there was no trip to tortola. he stayed in the artic trying to tag out.
good luck jake get him today and let us know how you make out.
They're posted now. Go to the feature hunt section and look in the bottom right corner....
Impressive choppers !
Did you see Al Gore up there checking temps when you froze your fingers ?
Beautiful animal ! bearman,
It took 28 days to get back in the seven fingers that were affected. Some recovered faster than that....but 28 days was the longest that it took to recover (the pinky finger on my left hand was the last one to get feeling restored). I've been told that my hands may be temperature sensitive for the rest of my life. I sure hope not, but I'll have to wait until next winter to really put tha theory to the test.
I hope the hear from the USDFW in the very near future about my paperwork for the CITES importation permit. My 30 day waiting period should just about be up. The expediters in Canada should just about be done with the bear hide, too. I'm looking forward to getting the skull, it was really quite impressive.
Jake
I leave a week from today for a brown bear bowhunt in Alaska. If I am lucky enough to fill my tag, I'll have the grand slam of bears with my bow and arrow. I'll be bowhunting in Wide Bay (out of the Aleutian Peninsula), in the very spot where Chuck Adams and Archie Nesbit both got 10 footers.
Jake
Best of luck to you!
I can tell that you are getting pumped-up for your muskox hunt up north, you are re-reading old arctic hunting threads!
I hope that this photo is what you wanted......the rest are available on the Bowsite forum.....which includes a great video of Tom Hoffman's polar bear bowhunt where the bear charges the dogs. Just click on the bear icon at the top of the forum page, then look for Polar Bear hunt #3 OR go to the home page and click on Features. Then drop down until you get to March of 2007.....doesn't seem possible that almost four years has passed since that hunt.
Any idea where I could see the pics of the bear?
