Surrounded by Bears - Quebec
Lonnie and his Quebec black bear.
Hunter: Lonnie Turnbeaugh
Cameraperson: Meegan Turnbeaugh
It's day two of my wife Meegan & my spring bear hunt at La Griffe d’Ours Outfitter in Quebec. Meegan had taken her bear on the first night and we were pumped!
Yvon, owner and lead guide, told me that morning that the site we were going to that evening was a new site and it had never been hunted and I would be the first one to ever hunt there.
It was a 60 mile drive to where we got on the 4-wheelers for another 3 mile ride over huge rocks and mud. We then walked the remaining ½ - ¾ mile to the site. It looked great, different from any bear site I had ever seen. It was somewhat open with a lot of maple trees and we knew we were going to be able to see a bear coming for quite a distance. Yvon got us situated, wished us luck, and took off to place several other hunters.
It was around 5 p.m. by the time we got set up and ready to film. Meegan and I talked and commented that with all the maple leaves on the ground we would be able to hear something coming for a long way. Well guess what, I looked to my left and there was a bear sitting looking at us at 15 yards. We never heard a thing! Bears are amazing animals and it is hard to believe they can walk so quietly. The bear turned out to be a small sow and not what we were looking for and she eventually boogered out of there.
At that point we figured out that maybe we wouldn’t hear them coming and started paying closer attention. A short 30 minutes later, I looked to my left and saw a nice sized bear coming up the trail we walked in on. Meegan and I got ready. The bear kept coming closer and closer, until finally at about 12 yards it looked like he was going to give me a shot. He turned broadside. I got the “Ok” from Meegan and I started to apply pressure to my Scott release when he bolted. He was a split second from having a Beman arrow right through him!
What happened? He must have caught our wind! We watched him make a big circle around us and could see him occasionally through the brush until he finally was behind us to our right. Then bear #3 showed up—he came in, right in front of us slightly to our right, and was about 40 yards from the bait. The first bear started making woofing noises and bluff charging the new comer.
Meegan and I both agreed that the bear behind us was larger so we were going to wait for him to come in. He eventually ran the other bear off and very slowly started making his way in. Meegan informed me that we were running out of camera light and said, “We have to get him shot.” Finally, he came in at 17 yards, turned broadside, and then took a couple quick steps like he was spooked! But when he stopped he was in a perfect quartering away position. Meegan said “I am on him” (the sweetest words ever). I touched the trigger and sent the new Spitfire Max zipping through the air. My Hoyt Alpha Max must have been quiet because he never had a clue until the arrow was thru him. He ran 20 yards and piled up. What a rush! I love bear hunting!
So two days in Quebec and we were done, we had harvested two very respectable bears. We can’t thank Yvon and his son Phillip enough. You guys have a first class operation in Quebec. If you’re looking for a great bear hunt, you can get in touch with Yvon at www.griffedours.com.