Our highest scoring black bear taken with archery equipment is a mammoth brute Larry Murray of Illinois collected in early June in Thunder Bay District. The bear, which weighed 502 pounds on a certified government scale is one of the biggest black bears ever taken in Canada. I’m just an average bowhunter who got lucky. "I was in the right place at the right time," said Larry.
The right place at the right time was Dog Lake Resort, about 30 miles north of Thunder Bay on June 4. Brian Cashman guide and owner of Dog Lake Resort had been feeding the bears in a 55 gallon drum with a tree stand 12 feet above. Cashman said, We’d seen this one and another one; but we didn’t know this one would score so high. The thing is, I think the other one is bigger.
Larry was lucky enough to draw the stand that cool, clear evening. At around 9 p.m., the bears started arriving - first a smaller one, then two big ones. I watched them for an hour and ten minutes. "It was amazing - it was like sitting in their living room," Larry commented. "I think it was a sow along with the boar", he said. The big boar kept popping his teeth. I knew he was big; but I didn’t know he was that big. If I would have known he was record book, I probably would have blown the shot.
I came to full draw three different times, but I didn’t like the angle so I kept waiting. At about 10 p.m., with 15 minutes of light left, the angle presented itself and Larry let fly. The bear spun around about 10 times, then crashed away.
Wayne arrived about 20 minutes later to find a very anxious hunter. He was unbelievably excited - "so was I," Wayne said. But I convinced him we had to wait and let the bear bleed out. They followed a tough blood trail that went 200 yards and ended at a trophy of a lifetime.
The hide weighed 140 pounds and measured 7-1/2 feet long. The pads were 6-3/4 inches across. A special thanks to Bowhunting World for most of this story.
The Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife
1217 Division Rd Indian River, ON, CAN K0L 2B0
phone: 1-705-742-0148 e-mail: inquiry@frow.ca