 In early April, my husband Andy, our fifteen-year-old son Travis, and myself boarded a plane in Indiana and headed off for an adventure like nothing we had ever tried before. With guns and bows in tow we began the long journey to Pacific Rim Outfitters, Jim Shockey’s bear camp located on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
 Once in Vancouver, we rented a car and boarded the BC ferry for the two-hour ferry ride to Nanamio, Vancouver Island. Thankfully, the ocean was calm and the ride was smooth. Sea lions were bathing in the sun on a rocky outcropping that flanked a lighthouse and majestic eagles were soaring above us. These sites were new to our midwestern eyes. We are accustomed to seeing miles and miles of cornfields, and the beauty of this place was just starting to unfold before us.
We made the long four-hour drive to the campgrounds of the Cluxewe River Resort, where we were graciously greeted by the caretakers Dale and Darlene. We were pleasantly surprised with our accommodations a new cabin right on the ocean. We were met by one of our guides, Fred Lackie, who suggested we take a quick drive in the area to see if we could locate any bears. We loaded into the comfortable new Ford F-350 crew cab truck. We soon realized why a comfortable truck was so important in this area. Within minutes of leaving the resort we spotted a big boar standing in a grassy patch alongside the highway, with two more bears spotted before nightfall. It was an exciting prelude to the days to come.
Returning to the resort, we found much to our surprise, that Jim Shockey was there to greet us. We knew that Jim was a busy professional hunter and operated several hunting camps throughout North America, so we were not expecting to see him at the camp. Travis has followed Jim’s career for years. Jim hosts his own television show, writes for eight hunting magazines, and has countless videos and hunting books to his credit. Add to that Jim is the first, and only, hunter to complete the North American Super Slam and Ultimate Slam with a muzzleloader. It was a little too much for a teenager that, thirty-six hours ago, was sitting in the middle of high school. The smile on our son’s face was priceless. The stage was set for an incredible week of hunting bear on the north rim of the island.
Travis and Andy had both taken their bows with hopes of getting a chance to take a bear with a bow; they had also brought firearms as a back up. The next morning Jim informed us that he wanted to take Travis out for a private hunt that was to be filmed for his television show. Originally we had planned to hunt together as a family, but we did not expect to meet Jim Shockey, and especially did not expect him to take time to guide a one on one hunt with our son. However as parents, we simply could not let our son miss the opportunity to hunt alongside Jim and to film for an upcoming show. What more could a young man who eats, sleeps and breaths hunting want? Off they headed in pursuit of a bear with his Hoyt bow.
 Andy and I loaded up with Guy Shockey, Jim’s cousin and co-host of his television show. The weather, according to everyone that lived there, was unseasonably warm and dry. Remarkably, each day was filled with brilliant sunshine, and warm breezes from the ocean. As our first day unfolded, we learned "how" we were going to hunt fifteen hundred square miles of mountains and logging roads. We were already appreciating the new, comfortable trucks. We drove to the top of one mountain to glass for bears on the mountains across the valley. These mountains held old slashes and slides, where logging companies had logged years ago, all that was left in these slashes were massive stumps and weathered debris from thousands of trees. In addition, spring was beginning on the island; these slashes held tender, tasty grass and precious clover that was a favorite of the black bears. The bears would come out and graze on these slashes, making it easier to spot them.
 The first stalk that I put on a bear was a monster of a bear, which we had spotted from an opposite mountain. He was all black; as there are no color phase bears on Vancouver Island. Guy named him Bruno. Most bears tend to stay within a certain area, we stalked Bruno quickly, as we knew approximately where he was, as we rounded the bend in a grassy path, he stepped into the bush before I could blink. Like magic, he was gone. He had winded us. Bears do not have the greatest eyesight, but their highly sensitive sense of smell makes up for it. If they smell something, anything, they are gone and out of sight. I later stalked Bruno a second time, and he was even further up on the mountainside, again by the time we climbed the mountain, he was gone. Never again in this trip would we see the monster named Bruno. He chose to stay at the very top of the mountains that rest along the untamed coast. Amazingly, the grass at the top of his mountain was deep and succulent. Bruno will live to see another season go by.
 Most of the stalks are done at a quick pace with the guide beside you at all times. He is also armed because non-residents are required to have a guide. The guides will take a back up shot unless they see the bear drop to the ground, immediately after being shot. We later learned why a good back-up shot is so important and why it is vital that they not get to the bush.
The day ended with numerous bears sighted and several heart pounding stalks. We joined back up with the others and Jim and Travis for a delicious meal of Dungeous Crabs, steaks and wine. Off to bed for a good night sleep, it was easy to fall asleep with the sound of the ocean at your door. My dreams were filled with the sights I had seen that day and Bruno. Spot and stalk bear hunting is exciting and I now understood why so many hunters have to Vancouver Island.
 On the second day of hunting Jim and Travis headed out again while Guy took us to a mystical place called the Eternal Fountain. We hiked several miles in the area that was shrouded in heavy moss, draped trees, and thick canopy cover. The air was crisp and clean; the smell of cedar and earth filled your senses. We stalked several bears on that hike, including a big long legged giant that eluded us each time. A second bear was spotted and it was a perfect specimen of a bear we stalked within 20 yards. We were in perfect range to take this animal but our guide assured us that there were even bigger bears to pursue. This ebony beast would chew on the rich, emerald grass for awhile, then look at us with curiosity, take a few steps closer and snatch another mouthful of long grass. These bears deserve our respect and full attention. They are magnificent animals. Eventually, the bear made a 180-degree turn and vanished into the dark cover. This was our closest and longest encounter with a bear, I wish all of our stalks had been that close. To be so close to the point that you can smell an animal is exciting and gets your adrenaline flowing.
 Every day we spent countless hours riding in trucks, glassing the slashes, slides, and tidal flats for bears. Each day we would stalk several bears in hopes of getting lucky, and we would encounter more wildlife than we saw the day before, eagles, black tail deer, and bears. It was worth the trip, just to see these creatures in the wild. Every day we traveled several hundred miles of logging roads, zooming past stands of forest that are centuries old, and a myriad of waterfalls and rivers that were so clear you could see every detail of the bottom. We would walk tidal grass flats and sit upon massive logs that the high tides had heaved upon the shores, hiding behind them in hopes of surprising a bear. We would hike places that made you certain no other human had tread before. It was easy to forget time, and even easier easy to fall in love with beautiful British Columbia, a place that time has not touched. To see eagles hovering effortlessly on the pacific trade winds, then watch them plummet hundreds of feet below to the rolling ocean to grab a unsuspecting fish is unbelievable. To wake up each morning to the sound of the ocean caressing the beach and the sounds of eagles perched on the pine trees above your cabin is priceless. To close each day by falling asleep in a warm, clean cabin was fantastic, each day started and ended like this for us. What a way to hunt!
 Our hunt was starting to wind down for us when Jim had to leave camp, he was headed to Spain to hunt Ibex for his television show. We regrouped, Travis, Andy and I, with cameraman /guide Jason Peterson and Guy and we headed out for another full day of hunting. We had seen several large bears by noon, and finally, as if to appear out of nowhere, a big boar stepped out of the bush. I quickly loaded my gun and waited for him. He was walking away from us when Guy told me to be ready, I was. Guy blew at the bear and he turned broadside to see what type of fool would be challenging him. Guy then said those two words that I had been waiting for, shoot him! The beast dropped to the ground for a split second and then he jumped up. Guy fired two more shots to try to knock him down but he missed. We later learned that Guy’s scope had been knocked off. The bear instantly fled into the bush and Guy followed without hesitation and within a few minutes we heard another shot, time seemed to stand still as the four of us stood at the edge of bush. We knew we could not enter the bush, because we didn’t know where Guy or the bear was. Guy yelled out for the bush "you got a great bear Lisa!"
 We grabbed the packs, and the cameras and took only what was needed. The bush put a strangle hold on all of us as we tried to walk through it. We could only take small steps because the vines and underbrush swallowed up our steps. "How could a bear run though this?" I asked myself. The brilliant sunshine could not break through the darkness of the bush, rope like vines would snag our feet, and the forest floor appeared to be alive with creatures that did not want us to enter. Evergreens would scratch at our faces and mulch pits would consume our feet and legs, but we were determined to recover my bear. We climbed down a twenty-five foot ravine through soggy, slimy, moss- covered trees. We slipped and slid until we reached the riverbed at the bottom. There I saw my bear lying between two giant fallen logs on the creek bed below. Shouts of joy rang through the bush. It was a rush like nothing else I had ever experienced before. My first bear and he was bigger than he looked through the scope, he squaring over six and half feet with a skull that would qualify for SCI record books. Photos were taken and the smiles were all around, but now the work had begun as the bear was skinned and quartered. Two giant guide packs were loaded with bear meat, hide, and the skull as the laws require that all edible meat be removed, along with the hide and skull. Everything else had to remain in the field. Just for laughs, a young and very brave cameraman threw a couple of rocks in Guy’s pack. Coming in the bush was tough enough, but making the journey back up the ravine and out with fully loaded packs would prove to be an exhausting task. Eventually we made it to the truck and finished the process of preserving the meat and hide. Everyone was exhausted from this hunt. At that moment, I knew I would be tipping my guides nicely.
 It was lunchtime, so we headed to the top of the mountains to eat and rest for a little. While eating, Guy spotted another bear that was back down in the same valley where I had shot my bear. Off we flew! This one was for Travis and he took his bow and his gun just in case. All week, they tried for a bowshot, but the bears were not cooperating. The bear was on to them, so a quick decision was made to ditch the bow and use the gun. Travis and Guy set up behind a stump, Jason was videotaping, and Andy and I were stooped down on the edge of the bush to watch our son and take it all in. The bear bolted through the heavy slashed trees and marsh, so Guy blew him. The bear stopped and turned broadside, presenting Travis with a perfect shot. The bear dropped to the ground for a moment and then jumped up and was headed for the nearby bush. Guy followed with two backup shots, but the scope was still off and he missed, bear ran less than twenty-five yards and dropped. Travis’ bear did not make it to the bush, thankfully, but the slash was full of wet, mushy ground, massive log piles, and enormous stumps. Travis’ bear was located and additional video was shot for the television show. This bear had a luxurious, perfect, coal black coat, nearly four inches thick that squared over six feet and a dark black muzzle. Travis would now have his bear skin rug, lots of photos were taken, then the work started again. Skinning and quartering the sections of bear, and packing the packs out to the truck. Several more bears were spotted on the way back to the cabin but we ran out of daylight.
 The next morning started out overcast and gray with a threat of rain. Guy had to leave for home so we had Fred Lackie as our guide, along with Jason. Fred is a full time guide and knew the area like the back of his hand. He was a soft-spoken man of few words, but when Fred did speak it is nothing but hilarious and entertaining. The constant rain could not put a damper on the fun we were having. The afternoon was dismal and we did not see much in the way of bears. The day was winding down and we needed to head back up over the mountains before dark. The bears that we did see were way out of range, and we had no way to get to them in that weather. Fog set in by late afternoon and the hunting was over for the day, driving back up over the mountains in the dense fog was our challenge for that day. We still had one more day left in our hunt and Andy still needed to take a bear, we closed the day with a worried hope for the next day. The last time Andy had gone on a bear hunt, he had not seen any bears during the entire hunt. He was getting worried that he might be the only one going home without a bear.
 The last day of our hunt was upon us. The morning rain broke and sunshine peeked through the clouds for a few hours. We saw two big bears while going up the mountain, though the first was in a non-approachable area. There would have been no way to get to that bear without risking life and limb. The next big boar we spotted was below us in the bush, slowing eating, and meandering back and forth between the alders and the grassy patches. Andy was setup on him perfectly. Travis and I had a bird’s eye view from the road above him, Andy had the bear in his crosshairs a few times, but there was always a tree or rock that would block the shot. The bear finally retreated to the bush for an afternoon nap, that stalk was over. A big boar was spotted and off we flew in the truck, down the road, through the brush, and onto a severely overgrown road. The alders and brush beat the truck’s side and made for one rough ride, so the decision was made to ditch the truck and walk the rest of the way. Fred, Andy, and Jason made that trip as we felt that the less people making the noise, the better. Two hours had passed, they returned to the truck with disappointment on their faces, the three of them were up to their tricks and tried to fool us saying they did not get a bear. However, it was hard to hide the sheepish grin on Fred’s face, they almost had us fooled, but thankfully, they are better guides and hunters than actors. Andy had made an excellent shot, dropping the bear which squared over seven feet, Jason had even gotten some great video footage of Andy’s hunt for Jim‘s television show. Andy’s bear was the largest of us all three we had taken, he was taken at the top of a rain soaked slide, and the only path up was by climbing a small trickling water flow. The rain held off long enough to do additional video and take some photos, then it was time to field dress the bear and climb back down the water flow.
 The trip down the mountains to our cabin was bittersweet. We had all had success and harvested excellent bears, each one of us, had a hunt of a lifetime, but we would have to leave this wonderland and head home. Our hunt was better than we had ever expected. I cannot say enough positive things about Jim Shockey’s outfitters. Every detail was covered, our guides worked above and beyond what was expected of them. They adapted each hunt to our own individual needs, they were professional, and hard working, and they gave us 200% of their attention and expertise. They were eager to share their knowledge of bears and their knowledge and love of this island with us. It was the most fun I ever had hunting, to hunt along side my husband and son for one of nature’s most dangerous and beautiful animals. To see nearly a hundred bears in one week was worth the journey to get there. It was a hunt of a lifetime, and to top that off, we can view Jim‘s television show next season and watch it unfold again.
|
