Darin Potter says patience and preparation are keys for harvesting a bear with a bow.

As I entered the Ottawa National Forest on foot, I could tell by the sign and surrounding cover that this particular area my buddy had chosen was going to be productive. Prior to the season, he had scouted and set up a trail camera viewing three different-sized bears hitting the bait on a regular basis—150-, 200-, and 250-pound bears.

With the extensive amount of knowledge in bear country that my friend had, I was in good hands and felt confident that this area would produce.

After reaching my treestand, I raised up my compound bow and nestled in for the afternoon hunt. Eventually, clouds rolled in and a light sprinkle began to cover the surrounding canopy. As I sat with my bow in hand, my buddy sent me a text informing me to be prepared for action after the rain stops.

After the rain let up, you could hear a pin drop, which is an excellent time to be in the bear woods. I’ve also heard that if the mosquitoes are bad that you should be on stand or in your blind.

About three hours had passed when a large bear slipped into the bait site from my right. I judged the bear to be around 200 hundred pounds. Within seconds, he slowly circled the logs that were over the bait. With his focus on the goodies, this gave me time to come to full draw.

When he finally completed his 360 circle and stood broadside, I released an arrow, striking him in the vitals behind the front shoulder. My orange Lumenok on my arrow shaft allowed me to see the location where I hit the bear and find my arrow after the shot. Once the arrow had penetrated, he bolted to the right where he had entered my shooting lane.

When a bear has been shot, it is essential to pay close attention to the bear’s reaction. Whether the bear is shot with a bow or gun, it will sometimes turn towards the entrance wound and bite at the area or snarl. This particular bear ran off without doing so.

After the bear fled my shooting lane, he continued to bound off to the right, crashing through saplings and the understory until finally, the woods became silent. My main focus at that point was two areas: the last spot I had eyes on him before disappearing, and where I last heard him.

Oftentimes, black bear will let out a death moan, which is the air leaving their lungs for the last few exhalations. This particular bear remained quiet and wasn’t vocal, but his final steps, which were crashing through branches and thick brush, helped me pinpoint his general location. After giving him about an hour, I decided that it was finally time to climb down from my stand and check out the area where I had shot him. If necessary, especially with archery equipment, give the bear plenty of time to expire.

I walked up to the opposite side of the bait pile and easily found my arrow with the lighted nock. It was completely covered with blood and I felt confident that it was a fatal shot. I also noticed a couple areas where the bear had kicked up leaves and exposed the dirt beneath. Besides blood, any disturbances that you find on the ground can give you clues as to which direction the bear traveled. These include scuff marks in the leaves and broken twigs. Also, pay attention for the jet black color of the bear’s hide, and also the glistening of their eyeballs as you shine your light.

Thick hide, heavy fur, along with fat seem to plug up the entry and exit holes for both bullets and broadheads. This means that there is seldom much of a blood trail to follow. Typically, most bears that are fatally wounded will only travel 50 to 100 yards. Be prepared to be extremely patient and slowly search in the direction that the bear traveled.

After I had retrieved my arrow and safely placed it back in my quiver, I marked both the bait pile and my treestand with a glow stick in order to return to this location. Reflective clips and surveyor’s tape can also be used to mark these locations, along with the blood trail. Hunt apps such as OnX Hunt are invaluable tools for marking the blood trail. This particular app allows you to place a “blood” symbol as you are tracking the bear.

Soon, my buddy arrived with a plastic sled in order to pull the bear out of the woods. I filled him in on the details of my shot and we began tracking the bear from the location where I had found my arrow.

Having four to six people helping to search for a bear that has been fatally shot is optimal—especially if it weighs more than three hundred pounds and is in a remote location that requires toting the bear a long way. With this amount of people, tracking one or two should stay at the last blood that was spotted, while two lead the blood trail. Being methodic and communicating well with each other is essential for a successful tracking job.

As we pressed on, the blood seemed almost nonexistent, so our attention was mostly on scuff marks and the area where I last heard the bear. A couple of different times, we had to backtrack and search for more clues.

After zigzagging and circling a few times, I finally bumped into the bear, which had chosen the base of a large spruce tree for its final resting place, traveling just over 100 yards.

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