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Skudt bjørn måtte hentes i træ - Kima - 15-12-2005
Hunters tree one bear only too well
Wedged animal takes some doing to bring down
ANTIGO — It's hard enough for a hunter to move a 525-pound bear when it's on the ground. But what if it's wedged in a tree 30 feet up?
Eugene Mancl of Wisconsin Rapids and a group of Langlade County bear hunters faced that predicament this season and, fortunately, solved the riddle.
It wasn't the way Mancl, a master electrician, expected his long-anticipated bear pursuit would end, but he couldn't be happier at the results.
"When the day was over, I ended up with a high-ankle sprain," the 44-year-old hunter said. "But I don't care. To this day, when I feel a twinge of pain in my ankle, I just smile. It brings back memories of the hunt. There's nothing painful about it."
It took Mancl nine years to obtain a bear kill tag.
There are more applicants than bear kill tags available in Wisconsin's four bear hunting zones. Tags are issued on a preference point basis. A hunter earns a preference point for each year he applies and fails to receive a kill permit. It typically takes five to nine years of preference to earn a tag.
With a permit finally in hand, Mancl set out bait for 1½ months in the Rhinelander area this past summer, only to find his efforts had attracted sows with cubs and a small yearling.
"I had three cameras out," he said. "The photos they took and tracks I found were disappointing. I had hoped for something bigger."
Several years ago, Mancl killed a black bear on a guided hunt in Manitoba "but this time, I wanted to do it all myself," he said.
His initial plans quickly were shelved.
With time and the bear hunting season running out, Mancl got in touch with Ridge Runner Guide Service, operated by Ken Rine and his son, Dan, in Bryant in central Langlade County. One of their specialties is running bear with dogs, often in conjunction with other bear hound enthusiasts.
"I was lucky," Mancl said. "The hunter that was scheduled had just filled his tag, and they were happy to have me. We met at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. While we were having breakfast, they had seven to eight guys checking bait sites for tracks. They reported finding large bear tracks at one site. We went there and released hounds to follow the cold trail."
After 2½ hours, the bear was jumped by the hounds. After a lengthy pursuit that included the bear turning several times to confront the dogs and bounding across a roadway in front of alerted motorists, the bear climbed a massive oak.
Mancl arrived on the scene, about 1½ miles from the nearest road, and dispatched the animal. Instead of falling, however, the bear sagged and wedged in a crotch of the tree, creating an unusual predicament, as well as spectator interest.
"One of the guys in the group — Chad Henry — climbed up, but he couldn't dislodge it," Mancl said. "We couldn't quite figure out why it was so difficult. Estimates had been that the bear weighed about 300 pounds."
An obvious solution was to cut the tree down but the oak — on private land — was too large for that.
"Somebody suggested that we call Chris Minch, a guy from Antigo who used to work for a tree service and has climbing tools," Mancl said. "It turned out Minch had heard about the chase and was already at the road where we had left our cars."
Minch climbed the tree and placed a strap across a strong limb above the bear. One end of the strap was connected to the bear, the other to an ATV weighted with riders. The pulling effort raised the bear enough to clear the snag, and the carcass rapidly descended.
"It was the first time everybody got a good look at it," Mancl said. "Then we realized — no wonder it wouldn't move — it's a 500-pound bear!"
Mancl's prize weighed 442 pounds dressed out and is estimated to have weighed 525 pounds live, one of the larger bear registered in the state this year. The hide measured seven feet, four inches from nose to tail. Mancl said he expects the skull measurement will be sufficient to qualify for entry into the Boone and Crockett record book.
"After we got the bear out of the woods, I went to a local establishment and made sure every one who helped was rewarded for their efforts," Mancl said.
When the bill came, it was Mancl who found himself stuck, but gratefully so.
"The doctor said that at my age I may feel pain in my ankle for the rest of my life," he said. "I said, 'Fine. I can live with it.'
"It was a neat hunt."
Mvh
Kim
Jeg er ikke fejlfri,men det er så tæt på at det skræmmer mig.