Practice Makes Perfect - Ontario
A happy hunter!
Joel & Jessica
Practice makes perfect!
Hunter: Joel Turnbeaugh
Camera Person: Jessica Turnbeaugh
Practice makes perfect, and I planned to be just that on my 2008 Fall Bear hunt.
Some may describe it as a family vacation, as my wife Jessica and I packed our gear into our parents’ truck for the annual trek to Atikokan, Ontario Canada. Lonnie (Dad), Meegan (Mom), and I were hoping to fill the three tags that awaited us, while Jessica was planning on sharing her time in the woods behind the camera filming me. Excitement is not sufficient to describe what I feel as we arrive at Camp Quetico some 18 hours later. It’s late, so we unpack a few items and head to bed.
DAY ONE starts with breakfast at 7:00 AM and we are all geared up and ready to go! After breakfast we grab our guide and head out to our sites. We have four sites total—one for me, one for Lonnie (Dad), one for Meegan (Mom), and an alternate. A lot of stands to hang, and we get done right around 1:00 PM. A little late, but our hopes are still high. We were late getting out and had trouble with the camera arm. Jessica will have to film freehanded tonight. Oh well, all is good as we see a small boar and another we are not too sure of after camera light.
DAY TWO brings a little fishing in the morning and the afternoon bear hunt. Now this is my kind of day! The evening passed without an encounter, but we are still holding out hope.
DAY THREE sees us arrive early to our site, settle in and get quiet for the evening sit. Apprehension is the word of the night, considering the first night a good bear appeared under the stand after camera light. We know this site has been hit, so we sit and wait.
As it seems bears always do, one shows up and is on us before we know it. I wait for the bear to go behind a tree before standing and grabbing my bow. My hand is shaking so bad I can barely get my release on my d-loop! Then the wind changes suddenly, along with the bears attitude; from eating mode, to I just got a whiff of human mode! I think the jig is up, but the bear’s stomach is still hungry! I am looking for a good quartering-away shot and it feels like forever, but finally the moment of truth. I come to full draw, get the OK from Jessica, settle the pin, and let the bear meet its first (and last) Nightmare! We here a crash followed by the death moan and we know it is over with the bear piled up only 10 yards away. I am ecstatic! I have completed what I have been waiting and practicing for this summer.
It was a great trip, with the time of fishing, food, and fellowship being priceless.