As every bear hunter knows, the hunt begins long before opening day. Baiting is a demanding, time-intensive task, and my efforts started in mid-August, 2024. On August 31 at 12:48 pm, I captured my first bear on camera – and it was huge.
The Waiting Game
From that day through September 12, I had consistent nighttime photos of the same large bear. Aside from the initial daylight visit, the bear only came in after dark, typically between 7:30 to 10 pm and again from midnight to 4:30 am.
I hunted daily from my ground blind, and on September 6, just before dark, I finally saw him in person. He stepped out at 50 yards but caught my scent, winded me, and disappeared before I could get a clean shot.
From September 7 through the 19, I didn’t see him again during legal shooting hours. He would show up at the bait pile soon after I left my blind and return multiple times throughout the night. It was frustrating, but I knew he was still around. I just needed him to make one mistake.
Then, a gap. No sign of the bear from September 13 to 17. I was getting nervous. But on September 18 at 9:32 pm, there he was again – back on camera.
The Perfect Opportunity
On September 20, with fall settling in, I drove nearly two hours from Wausau to put the pontoon away at our cottage. While finishing the job, I got a notification from my trail camera at 1:10 pm. I expected squirrels or turkeys – but it was the big bear, in broad daylight, at the bait pile. This bear had never come in during the early afternoon, except on August 31. I had baited early that morning and tried something new for bait. Maybe the different scent triggered his curiosity.
I wrapped up my boat project, jumped in the truck, and made the drive back home. I kept wondering what made him show up early. Was it the new bait?
I reached my blind by 4:15 pm, hopeful he would return. After a couple of hours, I looked up and there he was, about 150 yards out, coming straight toward me. Even from that distance, I could tell he was massive. As he lumbered closer, swaying side-to-side, I froze. At 50 yards, he was still walking directly at me. I worried he might head straight to the blind. But at 40 yards, he turned and moved toward the bait pile.
The Shot
Now at 30 yards and broadside, I had the perfect shot – and I took it. The arrow hit its mark cleanly. Heart pounding, I waited 20 minutes before exiting the blind. I found my arrow immediately—passed through the bear clean and covered in blood. I marked the spot, returned to my truck, and left the woods. No tracking that night.
My neighbor and hunting partner agreed: we’d wait until morning. With no rain in the forecast and confidence in the shot, we didn’t want to risk pushing the bear and losing him.
The Recovery
At first light, my son, my neighbor, and I began tracking. We found blood right away. The bear had gone into a cornfield, leaving a steady trail for about 100 yards—then there he was. Massive. The three of us could not move this beast. With the help of a four-wheeler, we were able to get him to the truck, where it took five people to load him.
This was an unforgettable hunt that involved patience, persistence, and luck. A true once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Mike Richie harvested an incredible 495-pound (dressed weight) black bear in Marathon County using a crossbow.
