Been putting the corn out for the deer for some days now. Spend a little extra cash to feed the deer. Hunting season is coming. You’re preparing to get that nice buck of your life. You go through your pictures on your trailer camera, there it is….
Laying on your pile of corn, with the salt block in between its big black paws. Spoiler alert: IT’S NOT A BUCK OR A DOE. It’s not what you were hoping to see on your camera. It’s eating everything up and barely leaving the pile of corn you left for the deer. It is a black bear!.
The beautiful black bear just has to stop eating all the corn and the salt molasses block we left our for the deer. I’d like to hunt deer during deer season, but unfortunately that black bear doesn’t give the deer a chance to even get a taste of feed.
The season is open for black bear currently here in Ontario. I myself have never seen one alive, but have seen many black bears dead. We love to eat black bear meat by the way.
Recently I acquired my hunting and gun license here in Ontario. My partner took me for my first hunt. It went something like this.
We arrive at my spot. Sitting under a tree facing the corn piles waiting for the bear to come up the swamp next to it. Patiently waiting and then we both heard a few branches breaking. He looked at me and said “He’s coming, get ready” I start to get ready and I see him. Right there, so close a real black bear coming right towards me. “holy shit” I said right before turning the safety off and pulling the trigger. Pump and fire another. Shit, I missed.
No one really tells you what your first big game hunt will be like. They never tell you the thoughts and emotions that are going to run through your body. You learn the basics. You learn to shoot. You learn the fundamentals of hunting and proper handling of your firearm. What you don’t learn is that exact feeling I felt tonight. Scared, nervous and excited. That is something you can’t learn ahead of time that is something one can only experience to be able to learn to handle the situation better for next time.
Take a deep breath, I will try again. This black bear is not going to continue to discourage the deer coming to the deer feed pile. He WILL end up in our freezer to had as bear steaks for dinner.