Change and challenge continue to be mainstays of today’s Aroostook sportsmen.
Tying your own flies, building a personal canoe, using a muzzleloader rather than a modern rifle, or hunting with a handgun or bow instead of a long gun all increase the difficulty of each outing, but also the sweetness of success.
A few years ago I decided to heighten the hurdle of goose gunning by attempting to take a limit of honkers with every legal gauge of shotgun. Success with the small .410 and .28 gauges was elusive, and the single shot black powder shotgun was daunting, but I finally accomplished the feat. Over the last 10 years I’ve hunted black bear with only a handgun; a different style and caliber each season. The challenge added greatly to my enjoyment, and whether I got my big bruin or just photos of moderate size bear, my contentment with every outing afield increased.
It was last September while sitting in a treestand observing changing leaf colors and seeing another peaceful dusk descend that crossbow hunting crossed my mind. I’d watched a couple of fair-sized bear come, feed and leave, but I was holding out for a particular big brute. Back in my later 20s I’d hunted a bit with a compound bow, and when practice time got scarcer due to other commitments, I’d switched to a Bear Lightning Bolt crossbow. Enjoyable, still challenging, but less time consuming for practice than vertical models, but dependable and deadly.
There’s been a good deal of strife and controversy among Maine’s bowhunting community the last few years specifically pertaining to crossbow use during regular archery seasons. Enough dissension in fact that crossbow enthusiasts have been relegated to using their choice of weapon only during regular firearm seasons for big game animals. I don’t agree with this set up for a variety of valid reasons, but this is neither the time nor place for such a debate.
Anyway, that night in the tree stand I was replaying a story in my head about a sportsman bagging a nice buck the previous fall with a crossbow. It suddenly dawned on me that a hunter should also be able to tag a bear or moose by the same means as long as it was gun season. Upon arriving home I checked the law book and sure enough, crossbows are legal weapons during firearm seasons. Then and there I decided that in 2011 I’d be crossbow hunting for black bear.
Getting into any style of bow hunting is no small venture. Three major hoops must be jumped through: first, from a vast array of weapons, one style, type, and size and all the accessories must be selected; second, an in depth and arduous bow shooting and hunting course must be attended and passed, and lastly, a good deal of time and effort needs to be spent preparing and practicing. I’ve accomplished the first two and am still hard at work on the last using paper targets and life-size 3D animal targets.
From over a dozen well-known crossbow manufacturers I used a specific set of criteria and narrowed the list down to four companies: Excalibur, Barrett, Horton and Parker. In the end I selected an Excalibur Equinox. I eschewed double limb models, front string reverse limb styles, and very popular cam/pulley units and selected a lightweight, single limb recurve crossbow with blazing speed and pinpoint accuracy. Excalibur’s Equinox flings a bolt at 350 feet per second from a Camo synthetic bow with a thumbhole stock. Novice crossbowmen like myself will truly appreciate the unique bow string shock and sound suppressors, smooth trigger release, ambidextrous cheek piece, sight and safety, and the fast, simple cocking device. Each individual will have to go through his or her own difficult selection process, but then the fun starts.
The archery certification course is a 10-hour compilation about laws, safety, equipment, first aid and survival, map and compass, and ethics and landowners relations. Crossbow hunters must also complete a 3-? hour course centered around this weapon in particular. Some of these hunter education courses are partially home study while others are all on-site teaching. Potential Aroostook crossbow hunters can attend a bow course at the Caribou Learning Center from 6-9:30 PM on Sept 12, 13 and 19, and then the additional crossbow segment from 6-9:30 on Sept 20th. Call 493-9272 to register or receive more information.
Sometime in September I’ll deliver part two of this crossbow story in which I’ll delve into the practice and preparation to hunt with my new archery weapon. Perhaps due to age, physical disabilities, time constraints or just desire for a change, a crossbow might be for you. I’ll also offer names and locations of local outlets for crossbows. With any luck I’ll also have a hunting adventure to relate.
