Bowhunting a big, black bear from a treestand, 15-yards from its dining area, can be a tremendous thrill. Now, move the bowhunter to the ground, and just to spice it up a bit, put him in a wheelchair. Throw in a 300-pound Pope and Young class bear that seems to have no fear of danger and you have one thrilling scenario. Set that hunt in the far reaches of pristine northern Manitoba, just beyond the edge of modern civilization and now you have an unforgettable bowhunting adventure.

Stanley Koich broke his back in an automobile accident over half of his lifetime ago. His spine had been broken, but his attitude and spirit were only strengthened by his physical setback. Stan continues to hunt, fish, play team sports and raise a family, all the while making a good living for himself and his loved ones. One thing he really wanted to do, but had not, was to harvest a black bear with his bow. It is a quest that many would like to accomplish, but few motivate themselves enough to turn their dream into reality. With Stan's added challenges, he patiently bided his time, waiting for the right set of circumstances to make his vision an obtainable objective.

Stan Koich

Wolverine Lodge and Russ Bettschen were the first two pieces of the puzzle that fell into place for Stan. Russ, who operates out of Lynn Lake, Manitoba, donated a black bear hunt to the United Foundation For Disabled Archer's annual banquet, which Stan bought. Russ, knowing that he would have to work with a physically challenged archer, was looking forward to the challenge. Catering to an archer with disabilities would be a first for him and his crew, but he was confident that they could provide a quality hunt, regardless of Stan’s limitations.

The last week of May, the entire cast assembled at Wolverine Lodge, ready for action. All of the bowhunting at Russ' is done from treestands, which was not a consideration for Stan. It was determined that a ground blind would be the hunting method used. A Double Bull blind easily accommodates a wheelchair and also provides the additional room required for a cameraman and his equipment. We had decided to document Stan's hunt on video because of the uniqueness of the circumstances.

Lee Nolden, who was the head guide for Russ’ outfit, filled the final hole in the puzzle. Lee is an experienced and colorful woodsman, who has been entertaining and assisting bear hunters, deer hunters and fishermen in the Canadian wilderness, for many years. Lee had visited with Stan at an outdoors show earlier in the winter and was fully prepared for the novice bear hunter's arrival. There was going to be extra work involved with Stan's hunt, but we had six nights to complete our mission. Each of us involved was determined to make that mission successful.

Chief Guide, Lee Nolden

The first night of the hunt began with Lee transporting Ike and me into the bait with all of the required equipment using a 4-wheeler and trailer. While our guide returned to the lodge to fetch the hunter, Ike and I went to work preparing the site for the evening's vigil. Ike's treestand was installed, the blind was set up and the cameras were readied for Stan's bear hunting debut.

The approaching drone of the quad's engine allowed Ike and me to setup our camera angles to effectively document Stan's arrival at the bait site. Once there, Stan moved from the 4 wheeler to his wheelchair and then Lee assisted the hunter through the thick cover, into the blind. Stan settled in as Lee gave basic instructions on where the bears would most likely come from, what position the bear should be in and where to place his shot. The excitement was running high as the hunter and guide discussed the moment that they both hoped would come that very night.

Lee finished his coaching, wished us luck and then departed for the return trip to the lodge. Stan and I busied ourselves with the final preparations, which had to be completed before we settled in for the evening's hunt. As we listened to the 4-wheeler move off into the distance, Stan reached for his bug netting, which would protect him from the hoards of mosquitoes that were swarming through the windows of our blind. Tucking the netting into his jacket, his eyes wandered to the bait.

Double Bull Blind, a Bear hunting "Natural"

"There's a big bear by the bait!" he suddenly blurted.

I chuckled at his attempt to dupe me. I could still hear the quad in the distance, but I glanced up to humor his well-acted performance. When I peered out of the blind, I saw a huge black bear walking around the bait barrel, just 15 yards from where we sat. Its sleek blue-black pelt glistened in the bright sunlight as it zeroed its huge head in on the fresh groceries that had been left by our guide. I hit the record button on the camera and looked at Stan whose eyes were the size of blue billiard balls. I looked at the crossbow that leaned against his wheelchair and noticed that it was not even cocked. He hoarsely whispered for me to find his arrows as he grabbed his bow and began to draw back the string. The sight of the big bear, which we kept looking at, was made even more awesome by our "close and personal" view.

Story continues below
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The adrenaline was surging through our systems adding to the pandemonium, which was filling the tent. I finally found Stan's arrow tube lying against the far wall of the blind and quickly fumbled to open it, while monitoring the activities of the big bruin. As my fingers unsuccessfully attempted to remove the end of the arrow tube, Stan leaned forward and whisked it from my shaking hands. As he fought to control his own tremors, he informed me that I had been trying to open the wrong end of the tube. Stan removed an arrow from the quiver and placed it onto the rail of his bow. I moved to the camera, making sure that the pepper spray we had brought for protection was within easy reach.

Hungry Black Bear

Our raspy, animated whispers and occasional clanking of equipment caused the bear to occasionally glance in the direction of the blind, which, thankfully, concealed our comedic antics. When the huge animal's head would jerk up and point in our direction, we would freeze and hold our breath. We stared back at the black marble eyes of the bruin as its head moved back and forth, scanning the landscape for the source of the noise. It quickly became apparent that the bear was unable to see the blind or us. Each time it hunted for our position, it would lose interest and return to the goodies that had been placed in the barrel. The excitement of the moment was dramatically intensified by the "on-ground", eye to eye contact that we had with the big beast. In two short bounds, the 300 pound animal could have easily been in our laps, making us regret our decision to hunt from the ground. It was an intense moment!

Stan's crossbow was finally loaded and he was prepared to take his shot. The bear was lying down in front of bait barrel devouring the contents with relish. The big beast's left front leg was covering its vital area preventing the hunter from getting a good, clean shot. As the camera rolled and the bear dined, Stan waited for the right moment to take advantage of his opportunity. His bow was raised and the broadhead was protruding from the porthole, waiting to be released.

The bear suddenly rose to a sitting position and sniffed the top of the barrel. It settled back to the ground and renewed its meal. When it did so, it moved its front leg forward exposing its vital area to the waiting archer. Stan looked at me, I nodded and his eye dropped to the peep sight of his weapon. His hand released the safety and shakily returned to the trigger. As the unsuspecting bruin occupied itself with its meal, the hunter's right index finger gently began to tighten.

Author and Stan with the 5-minute Bear 

As I watched the bear through the viewfinder of the camera, the silence was suddenly broken by the noisy discharge of the bow. The deadly arrow struck the upper part of the chest, completely passing through the startled beast. The bear exploded into motion, disappearing into the heavy jack pines in a blur of black. In a few short seconds, we heard its final death moans, as the last of the air in its lungs left the body. Stan's hunt was over just a few short moments after it had begun! He had not been in the blind for 10 minutes and had harvested a Pope and Young class black bear.

As we slowly began to recover from the events of the last few minutes, we heard Ike chuckling out loud from his treestand. He gleefully told how he had seen the bear coming into the bait as he listened to Stan and me chatting away as we noisily completed our final preparations. He was sure the we were going to spook the bear and was amazed to see it continue to approach the bait in spite of the racket we made. His camera was rolling long before we were even aware of the bear’s presence. He had to struggle to suppress his laughter as he watched the events unfold.

Stan radioed the lodge and was informed that Lee was just pulling up on the 4-wheeler. We were told that he would be right out to assist us in the recovery. By the time Lee arrived, we had finished our video cutaways and were ready for the final leg of the hunt. Lee helped Stan get onto the quad and began to track the animal, while the hunter followed on top of the 4 wheeler. The bear was quickly recovered and moved back to the open for photos. When all of the necessary shots had been taken, Lee headed back to the lodge with the hunter and his trophy, leaving Ike and me to disassemble our set-up.

Entire Team (l to r): Ike Isackson, Stan Koich, Lee Nolden and Daniel Hendricks

Bagging a black bear had long been a dream of Stan's. He had persisted in the pursuit of his vision and had made it happen. For years he had dreamt, for months he had planned and in just a few short minutes, he had reached his objective. None of us expected it to turn out as it had. The circumstances of the hunt had only added to the drama of the event. As long as there are people like Stan Koich to inspire us and people like Russ Bettschen and Lee Nolden to unselfishly share of themselves, the future of hunting looks very bright, indeed.