Another Try for Longbow Bear in MD - Almost!

 

After 5 years of hunting the one week, no scent no bait, MD bear season in the past without a single sighting even...I got a good shot at one and a lucky bear was educated.  

 

 

The Terrain was a steep Mountain area that has a fire trail running parallel to the ridge line about halfway up.  There is an old abandoned farm and orchard downhill from the fire road and steep hardwoods above.

3 of us went in the fire road at first light.  Walt went uphill first and set up along the ridge.  Brent and I kept going until we reached the access to the farm.  I went uphill and set up in this bench area.  Just walked in and straddled a blow down near the root ball.  No cell service at camp but signal up on the mountain so I checked my phone, and of course that is when I heard a branch snap.  Brent had gone down the fire road that turned around a bend from where I went up and was still hunting.  He must have pushed the bear, but he never saw it.  

 

 

I heard something running about 60 yards out and tried immediately to see if it was "brown or black".  It was black! The good-sized bear looked like it was going to pass above me at about 35 yards on a good trotting gallop pace and I had a window.  I thought this maybe my only chance at a shot so as he past a lane I actually pulled back to ¼ draw, but then let down.  This is when it took a right and started coming down!  I went from afraid it would never get close...to Oh my gosh it is going to run me over in a second!  It was still quartering towards me and about to go parallel at only 10 or 12 yards when I drew and picked a spot behind the front leg and the arrow was on the way.  I heard a crack and watched in horror as the bear looked towards me and I watched 2 halves of my arrow fly just over the bears back! I said "SH*T" out loud as I reached back and got another arrow on the string.  The bear had meanwhile taken to or 3 fast bounds and stopped about 25 yards away quartering hard away and looking back at me.  I was flustered by this point and I wanted to try another shot fast and forgot to pick a spot in all the excitement.  This was the shot I want back!  I aimed at the entire bear and watched my arrow go up over it's rear end and thunk into a tree.  I watched the rumpling rear kick up leaves as it careened downhill out of sight towards the thick hedgerows of the farm below the fire road.  

My view of the first shot. 

Wow, you don't know excitement until you are at full draw on a predator that close on the ground!  WOW~!

The results of the first shot. You can see the business end of my arrow stuck in that log behind the fletching end.

 

 

After I dug my second arrow out of the tree (having a pinned head really helps get them out of a tree without the glue line breaking).  A doe actually came up and snorted at me from the tapping of my chisel tipped file to dig out the Hill head...I guess she thought I was a woodpecker and got in close to investigate. I tried to head way down the valley and head off the bear but never got to see it again.

I am pretty sure I caught a glimpse of another bear on the last evening hunt but again I could not get ahead of the animal i spotted way ahead in a valley.

Now I am excited to get back in 2 days for deer camp!

 

 

My Hill Style Longbow Journey Movie

 I decided to play around with editing a video of my longbow journey.  I had fun putting it together with years and years of old practice film and photos.  Who was that young fellow at the beginning?  Thanks.

Braised Vension Shanks Recipe

I've been experimenting lately with ways to make my deer butchering more efficient.  Last year I decided to vacuum pack and freeze these two deer shanks whole instead of trimming and grinding it for other uses as I would typically do.  Researching Osso Buco recipes, I decided to give the basic principles a try with a whole shank instead of cutting them into rounds.  I was very pleased with the results.  Because I had a squirrel quartered and frozen, I decided to also add that to the recipe and even a tough old squirrel came out sooo good!  I may even do a repeat of just squirrel if I can get a few more.

This particular cut of meat from a wild deer is about the toughest and most sinewy chunk of meat to cook.  It is even a chore to cut it from the bone to feed the grinder!  

The first step I took was to coat the meat copiously in salt and pepper, one could also coat with the flour at this point.  I heated up the iron skillet on the outdoor BBQ to sear it, so as not to smoke up the kitchen.  A couple teaspoons of olive oil in the pan.  Next time I will use a larger skillet also.

 

After browning I de-glazed the pan with a little venison stock that I had previously canned. I poured everything into a large casserole dish with: 

1 cup of wine (I used persimmon wine I had made)

1 cup of garlic sausage Prego tomato sauce.

cup or so of diced carrots

2 cloves of minced garlic

Half a small sweet onion diced 

1 teaspoon of thyme.

1 teaspoon of salt

Ground black pepper

teaspoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of minced parsley

1 small can of diced tomato

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

 

Here is everything ready for the oven.  I put the pan in covered at 325 degrees for around 4 hours. 

 

You could also use a heavy dutch oven, but since I was at home I used the Corningware.  This recipe would also work well in the ground slow cooking at camp which I intend to try at some point.

It came out of the oven looking like this:

This dish was super tasty and tender.  I was highly pleased and even the squirrel came out fork tender and so very savory.  The liquid was just the correct thickness for a light gravy.  Pair this with some rice, noodles, or some mashed potatoes and you have a super home cooked meal I would venture to say that even those that "do not like venison" would probably enjoy!