By Russell Thornberry
Last September I traveled a few hours north from my home near Caroline, Alberta, Canada, to meet with my outfitter friends John and Jen Rivet and bowhunt for black bears near Swan Hills, Alberta. The Rivets are renowned for the huge black bears they produce for their hunters. Not only do they have huge bears but they have all the color phases ranging from cinnamon to chocolate to blond, as well as black.
On the first afternoon of my hunt John accompanied me with his video camera so he could record the events of the hunt. We were barely settled in our 2-man ladder stand when the bears began to arrive. Four or five bears showed up at the bait in fairly rapid succession, each a bit larger than the last.
A couple of bears were at the bait site when they both went on point focusing on something that John and I could not yet see. We assumed it was another bear coming in and we were right about that. When the two bears at the bait bolted for the timber we came to attention assuming that the incoming bear was the bull of the woods, so to speak.
We were right again. The bear that appeared was a good solid 6 ½ foot, beautifully furred black bear. Since I had two tags little discussion about this bear was necessary. “I think you should take this one,” John whispered. I nodded and waited for the bear to give me the shot and John started the camera rolling. Finally the bear turned broadside at 30 yards. I stuck my 30 yard pin tight behind his left shoulder, triggered my string release and watched my vanes dissolve into black hair and disappear.
The bear bolted away from us and folded up in a heap only 25 yards away. The arrow had passed completely through both lungs and the top of his heart. It was over as quickly as it had begun.
After snapping some photos and loading the bear on the terrain machine we headed back to camp fully expecting to continue our hunt the following day and perhaps fill bear tag number two with a different color phased bear, but when I checked my cell phone I had an emergency message telling me that my wife had been hospitalized with severe kidney stone issues. So after a total of three hours of bear hunting I had a fine trophy and one sick wife.
John and Jenn were gracious and understanding and left me with an invitation to continue the adventure the following spring. The good news is that Sharleen survived the kidney stone episode and we are counting the days until we get back up to hunt spring bears with the Rivets. This time she will be the hunter and I will do the filming – assuming that the kidney stones mind their own business.
I give highest marks to the Rivets and would encourage anyone seeking a true trophy black bear (or two) to consider their operation. That goes for trophy whitetail and moose hunts, too.
You can find the Rivets online at:
http//www.greatcanadianadventures.com
or
http//www.livinthedreamproductions.com
Email: jrivet@live.ca
Phone: (780) 333-2812
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