I believe we got out there the Tuesday before rifle season. A couple guys got there earlier and did some scouting in the area. That night we met up in New England and talked strategy. During the scouting they found a couple herds that numbered around 30 animals. When we figured out where they were located and invited over a couple of the locals for supper in the trailer house that my friends have been renting. The two guys that help us get on land look forward to the group coming out there every year just for the meals and good times. I believe we had a paddle fish fry the first night, reuben sandwiches the second night, lasagna the third night and I do not recall the other nights. Those guys get a kick out of us that we actually want to try to shoot an antelope with a bow. Anyway, during the meal we found out that we could get on the land where the goats were. We decided that I would set up in a portable blind in an alfalfa field that still had round bales in the field.
The next afternoon I drove down from Dickinson where I was staying and met the guys at the field. I believe I was set up by 3 p.m. and decided that I would sit by myself with a decoy placed at about 30 yards away from me. It was a pretty nice day to start out. It was around 50° with a little wind out of the northwest. After about sitting for half hour I could see one heard to the southwest. They were in between me and a big butte in the distance. They were around 300 yards away. I could tell they could see the decoy but they had no interest at all. There was another group to the east of just three antelope. They were across the road from where I was sitting and seemed to meander around aimlessly. They never came in either. Hunting antelope is a total different ballgame compared to what I was used to. The coolest thing that I saw was when the pheasants started flying in to the alfalfa. There were probably 20 bales in the field and every bale had at least two pheasants on it. I've never seen that many pheasants in one area in my life. I could have shot a c
ouple roosters that walked right in front of me. I tried to put a count on them but I had to give up after losing count four or five times.
Around 6:30 the weather started to change. The light breeze turned into a gale force wind and was coming out of the southwest, directly into my face. Then every once in a while there would be a big gust of wind. During one of these gusts one side of the blind caved in. That was really handy. So I backed my chair into the corner to help support the roof so the whole thing did not collapse on me. By then I knew my hunt for the night was pretty much over. I didn't have to wait long for the other guys to come and pick me up. When the rain started they decided to get in for some grub. I believe that night was the first night of snow in the state. Just some flurries but just some is too much.
After the meal and a couple games of poker I went back to Dickinson and looked at the forecast for the next couple days and it was not good. I woke up the next morning and the wind out of the west at 20 mph, gusting over 40. The big American flag out my window looked like it had been starched. I decided I wasn't going to hunt that day. Hopefully the next day would be better. The other guys didn't do much hunting either that day. They ended up in Bowman. And there's only about one thing you can do in Bowman. The next day was even worse than the day before. I didn't go out hunting again on the trip. I had to leave on Thursday and didn't really want to bow hunt during rifle season. Nobody got one with their bow that week. But they were five for five in filling their rifle tags. All in all it was a great trip and I hope to get back there again next year with a rifle tag.
That brings me to the 2010 spring turkey season. Halfcocked a.k.a. Don B. and I both drew tags and decided that we would try and hunt together. I don't believe he had ever been turkey hunting with a bow before. I had one tag a couple years ago but never filled it. Before the season started a friend of mine who does some camera work for a local hunting show called, "Wildlife Pursuit," asked me if they could try and film my hunt. I was all for it. We just needed to figure out the time and place and we would give it a whirl. Don B. and I drove around out in the sand hills along the Sheyenne River on a couple scouting trips and spotted quite a few gobblers. We decided on the spot that we knew we could get permission and just needed to line it up with Barry the camera dude.
It was in the middle of the week when everyone's schedule
s lined up. We burned out of Enderlin around 3 p.m. to meet Barry. On our way down there Barry called us and said get down here in a hurry there are already gobbling. So we gave it the onion. When we got down there the turkeys were gobbling in every direction. Barry had all of his camera equipment set up when we got there. When I was getting out of the van he came running over and said put this on. It was a Wildlife Pursuit hat. He filmed me getting my cross bow on and getting into the blind. Now we needed to figure out how to fit three guys and two cameras in one blind. All while turkeys are gobbling all over. After we figured everything out we started to call. Actually Don B. was our designated caller.
After about four minutes of calling we heard a couple of gobblers that were starting to head our way. The two toms were headed right towards our decoys which consisted of a couple of hens and one jake that was riding a hen. They were coming in directly to our left and my only shot was straight in front of us. They got so close that we could hear them walking in the dry grass right beside us. We could even hear them puff themselves up. The only way we could see them was through the viewfinder on the camera. They were only a couple feet away. They hadn't gobbled for a while but we could still hear them walking around but they would not go in front to the decoys. I just told myself that they are going to gobble pretty soon and to not jump or get startled. Kind of like when a rooster gets up at your feet while walking through tall CRP. I didn't want to look like a fool in front of the camera because one of them was fixed on me the whole time. And wouldn't you know it they both gobbled at the same time and both of my arms went up and my head snapped back. Then we all got the giggles but the turkeys did not seem to mind. After little while they started to go back from where they came from. We tried calling them, they would answer but would not turn around.
We didn't have to wait long for some more turkeys to come by. This time it was three jakes. Barry asked me while we were getting set up what I wanted to shoot, a tom or a jake. I said whatever walks by. The three jakes didn't take long to come into the decoys. They actually circled them. The only problem was when I had a shot Barry could not see because of the diagonal frame on the blind. And when he could see them I could not get a shot. I was holding on the biggest bird waiting for him to give me the OK. Finally he did and I shot and I missed. They flew away giving us some time to cock the crossbow again. After some discussion on how the heck I missed the shot we decided to keep calling. It did not take long to get a response. This time there were three big toms. We played with them for quite awhile but they would not come in either. By this time it was getting pretty dark and Don B. decided he had enough time to try and spot and stalk before the daylight ran out. He never got a shot at them but when he and Barry were going through the trees they spooked up about 100 deer and 15 to 20 turkeys. That was quite a sight to see. They were running everywhere. But the hunt was not over yet. When Don B. was on his way back to the van he saw a couple jakes and thought maybe one was the one that I wounded. One of them ran and the other just stood there so he decided to take a shot with his compound bow. It was a 55 yard shot but we practice that distance all of the time. After he let the arrow go he heard of big crack and he thought he must've missed. He went down to check his arrow and the big crack was when it hit a dried out log. But when he grabbed arrow he felt blood and then he noticed some feathers strewn around. Anyway, his spring turkey hunting was over but it was for a good reason.
I went out a couple more times by myself. Most of the time I was hunting the along the Maple River east of Enderlin. I always saw or at least heard some birds but nothing ever came in. I think I educated quite a few birds this spring. The last day of the season we drove around east of Anslem in the sand hills but did not see a single bird. So turkey tag soup was on the menu for 2010.
The summer of 2010 was filled with many shenanigans as usual. A lot of baseball, shooting 3-D targets and a little fishing. I hadn't been fishing for at least a couple years. There were a lot of different reasons why. The main reason was most of my buddies that I used to go fishing with have now moved on with their lives and don't have the time. The biggest reason why I haven't is because since I have gotten my last wheelchair, I haven't gotten around rigging up the new fishing rod holder to the chair. But 
after some friendly persuasion from Justin a.k.a. bullheadmaster, I started working on it. I drew up some plans that I thought might work and gave them to Don B. to engineer the holder. And a couple of days later it was done.
I only went out a couple of times fishing over the summer. I planned on doing a lot more but there always seemed to be something going on or somewhere I needed to be for that to happen. The first time I tried my new rod holder out was at the Castleton Reservoir with Justin. We met there one fine afternoon and decided to give it a whirl. The fishing rig worked really well. I even got to show him how I do my patented double hook set. We caught quite a few fish that day, nothing huge but it didn't matter all that I cared was that I was fishing again. I even caught a good buzz that day.
The second time I went fishing during the summer was for the First Annual Fishingbuddy Bullhead Tournament. It was held on a Sunday afternoon at the Sheyenne diversion in West Fargo. There were about a dozen Fishingbuddy members that showed up. The fishing wasn't that good but the company and friendships made were worth battling the 90° heat and 30 mile an hour winds.
During the spring of 2010 a couple of friends of mine who had been bear hunting told me that I should put in for a tag because it is a blast. The friends of mine had been bear hunting in Northern Minnesota with another friend of theirs and had had good success and a great time. It didn't take very much convincing on their part to get me excited about the possibility of slaying a black bear. I did have a few questions though about what it all takes to have a successful hunt. I knew it was going to be a lot different than deer or turkey hunting. I had quite a few conversations with people that have had done it before. The final motivating factor came when I talk to the guide that I would be hunting with.
He already knew about my situation from the friends that have hunted with him before. I guess they had quite a few conversations during their hunts about if it would be a possibility for me to hunt with him. I also had quite a few conversations with Joe the bear guide. He promised me that he would do everything in his power to make my hunt of success. Joe is the owner/guide of Bear Paw Guiding service out of Grygla, Minnesota. So I put in for a tag and wouldn't you know it I drew the first year.
During the summer I shot a lot at my friends 3-D course knowing that I wanted to be at my best shooting wise, when September 1 came rolling around. I had the option of either hunting with my crossbow or rifle. I chose the crossbow because I was more comfortable with it and knew that I would be sitting in a ground blind so I knew the shot wouldn't be too far of a distance. A lot of my relatives thought I was nuts. Going bear hunting with a crossbow in a ground blind didn't sound like a very good idea to them. But to me, it was the only way I wanted to do it. My response to my relatives and friends about them being scared for me was, "If I do get attacked by a bear, at least I will make the paper." I cannot say that I wasn't a little nervous, but if you are not a little nervous about doing something it is probably not worth doing.
As September was approaching and the excitement through my veins was boiling a couple of friends of mine said they would like to hunt with me. Barry was one of them, and he was going to bring a video camcorder. Don B. was the other one, he was bringing his hog leg pistol for backup.
A couple days before I left for Grygla, I made a stop in Fargo and grabbed some last-minute supplies. The next day we packed up the van and hit the road. My mom and I got up there around five o'clock the day before the season opened. Don B. and Barry were going to take off in the morning. For those of you who have never been to Grygla it is a
small town with one motel, two bars and a lot of bears. You could tell it was a small town when we row arrived at the motel and in the window of the door going in there was a note that said, "Clint, your key is on the counter in your room. If you need anything call our home number and if we don't see you tomorrow good luck on your hunt." That sort of thing just doesn't happen anywhere. That night we also drove out to Joe's to finally meet him face to face. His place was about 5 miles east of town.
We talked for quite a while about where he was going to put me when I was hunting. He told me that he had some bad news. Northern Minnesota that year was hammered by rain so that limited the spots where I could get dropped off from the van. The other bad news was, that the berries had been producing earlier than he can ever remember so the bears were not coming into the bait as much as they usually do. But the spot where I was going had been hit the last three nights before I got there. He had some nice pictures on his trail camera where I would be sitting. Baiting for bears was totally new for me, so I really did not have a clue but I knew he was doing the best he could do for my mobility limitations. The place we were going was north of town about 12 miles. He told us about the good places to eat in town and also told us to meet him back there at his place around 1:30 PM to get everything ready to go.
We got back we up town and ate at one of the bars and had a couple cocktails to simmer the nerves and excitement. That night while I lay in bed I thought how different the terrain is up there than what I expected. I guess I was expecting solid trees with a couple of clearings every couple miles. But it is mostly farmland with a lot of soybeans and sunflowers. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of trees but I just didn't expect the wide open areas. It is also pretty flat, but I guess not too far to the east it gets to be a little bit hillier.
The next morning was D-Day for my first bear hunt and to say I was a little excited was an understatement. After a little lunch we met up with Don B. and Barry out at Joe's and went over the game plan. Also did a little shooting just to make sure. We would follow Joe to the spot and I would get dropped off. Then we set up the ground blind and hide it in between some pine trees in front of the bait pile about 15 yards away. Then Joe put some more bait on the pile, gave us the thumbs up and went on his way. I believe we were set up a little before three and would be sitting until dark, around nine. The area where we were was about a half-mile from a highway through a muddy alfalfa field and in the tall pines about 100 yards. The grove of trees we were in followed a little stream. I think we were about 50 yards from the stream. On each side of the water was about 200 yards of trees.
The first night we sat it was pretty windy so we were not going to be able to hear anything. But I guess you really don't hear bears anyway, they are pretty stealthy stalkers. Where we were sitting was a little clearing about 50 yards long and 20 yards wide. Surrounded by tall pines, which is very different from what I am used to hunting in North Dakota. It is almost like a claustrophobic feeling. But at least you can look up and see the sky. We were entertained all night by 
chipmunks and squirrels. Once it started getting dark Don B. got my attention and he was staring straight ahead. I thought this was it, here comes Mr. Bear. Looking to the south I could see the top of the back of something I thought for sure was a bear. As my heart rate skyrocketed I saw the distinct face of the biggest raccoon I had ever seen or heard of. This thing had to have been 45 pounds. It looked like a giant wood tick ready to pop. We watched him or her for quite awhile and then the first night was over. The only time I ever got nervous was when we were walking out of the trees. That is an eerie feeling in the pitch dark.
I forgot to say, that all three of us were in one ground blind. It is pretty tight quarters for five to six hours sit. We also had a tripod with camera and another camera in the corner of the blind videoing my face and crossbow. If you have ever sat with anyone in the blind you can pretty much guess there was some shenanigans going on. Good times.
When we got back to town we went up to the bar and had a little supper. We also talked to quite a few locals who said this year had been the worst for bear hunting in many years. By the way, they have good pizza at Diamond D's Bar if you are ever in the area.
The next afternoon we were at it again. That day it was raining off and on with strong winds. That made for a noisy ground blind. We were there for only an hour when Don looked out the west window and said he sees something. By the time I got maneuvered to look out the window it was gone. It was a little black bear that must of winded us. He was standing on his hind feet staring right at us. Our chipmunks and squirrels were back again along with the obese raccoons. They had finished all of the baked goods from the night before but I noticed that they never touched the secret concoction of oats/sunflower seeds/cracked corn/some type of mystery liquid. The bears most of cleaned up the seeds. We did not see anything else the rest of that night. It was still a good time but after two days sitting in a blind for five hours a day gets a little long. So we decided to wind down a little bit at the bar.
Evidently I got back to the motel somehow and was ready for one more day of hunting before my partners had to leave. It was a five-day hunt and I had planned on coming up again later in the season. That night on the way to the 
blind there was a huge blood mosaic on a highway. That night I learned that a big bear got hit by a semi. At least I knew there were some in the area. That night we did not see anything except our friends we had gotten to know. After the hunt my friends had to take off right away for home. When we got back to the motel my sister and her husband were there. They didn't have anything to do so they figured they would come up and see my bear. Sorry to say I did not fulfill their wishes that night. But I decided we should all go out to Joe's for a bonfire and some BS. When we got out there one of the other hunters had skewered one just south of town. So that night we got to see a real bear. They are a lot tougher to skin than a deer, and don't smell so good either. But that night I made plans with Joe to come up later that month and give it another try.
About a month later, another friend of mine from Enderlin, Lucas decided that he wanted to come up with me hunting for my last two days. We got up there on the Thursday and were going to hunt Friday and Saturday. During the time that I had been back home, northern Minnesota was again pounded by rain. They actually had 3 inches the night before we got there. So the place that I hunted the first time was not going to work. But Joe had another spot lined up east of his place about 5 miles. There was a nuisance bear that had been bothering one of his neighbors. It was very easy to get into the spot because it was a lady's backyard. She said that the bear had been in her yard numerous times over the last couple weeks. She also said she would be baking cookies that first night of our hunt, so she would leave the windows open to try and entice him into the area. I thought that was pretty neat. Her farmstead was surrounded by quite a few trees and a field of soybeans around them. We set up on the edge of her yard by a huge pile of lumber. The blind fit underneath a big tall pine, which really blended well. Lucas had a 30-30 lever action Winchester along for backup. That night was pretty slow. We did not see any bears. But I did have a good time poking Lucas as he dozed on and off. We stopped at Joe's on our way back to town and met the rest of the hunters that were at camp. A couple of the guys saw some bears but no one took a shot. That night we went up to Diamonds Bar and raised a little hell. The locals at the bar were entertained by us all night.
The next night we did it all over again. It was another slow night. But the lady whose land we were on, said right after 
we left the night before that the bear came into her yard and tore down a couple of her bird feeders. Those bears are sneaky. I don't know what the problem was, maybe he smelled us or maybe he heard Lucas snoring. Either way it was a good time. That night when we got back to Joe's, a bear ran through the yard. I probably should've just stayed on his patio. Maybe next time. Anyway, I did not shoot a bear that year but the experience was great. I would recommend bear hunting to anyone. It is a total different ballgame from deer hunting. I plan on going back up there again in the next couple years.
When I got back home and it was time for bow hunting. Over the summer I had found some new spots to put up some cameras and was excited at the pictures that I had been getting. That fall of 2010 I think I hunted more with my crossbow than any other year. I think I was out at least 25 times. I don't believe I was ever skunked, always saw deer. But I never saw anything to my liking to shoot early in the season. But that is a good thing because I like just being out there.
It was getting close to rifle season and that is when I have to make the decision whether to shoot something or wait until after rifle season. But by the end of rifle season there could be a foot of snow on the ground. So I usually try to shoot something before. Three days before a rifle season I went down to the tree farm again to try my luck. I have shot three deer there in the past. I decided to try my spot where I have had the luck in the years passed. When I got down to the oxbow, I looked around for a little sign of activity. And I didn't have to go far before I found it. I found a nice scrape and a lot of rubs in the same exact spot I shot a buck the year before. So I doused the scrape with some Buck Bomb and placed the wick above the scrape on a branch and also with some scent on it. Then I backed my chair into the Christmas trees about 10 yards away from the scrape. It didn't take long for me to see some deer. They were all over the place. Mostly does with fawns and a lot of the yearlings. I did not see any big does that I wanted to take. It was starting to get dark so I started to grunt. I heard a faint grunt in return from the south. Pretty soon I saw a buck working his way towards me. He went straight for the scrape and started working it. He was only 10 yards away and did not have a clue I was there. He wasn't that big so I decided to let him go. He started walking right towards me and followed the tree line 5 feet away from me. I could hear him breathing as he went by. That is as close as I have ever had a deer to me that still had a heart beat. As he walked away I gave a couple more grunts hoping something else would come in. But he turned around and came right down the same path within 5 feet again and did not smell me. This time he worked the scrape again and I decided to let a bolt fly. It was a 10 yard shot. I pretty much just looked in 
my scope and pulled the trigger. I shot a little back but was still in the rib cage. So I waited awhile and called in my tracking and gutting crew. We follow blood right away and he only went about 70 or 80 yards. He is not the biggest or the oldest buck, but he sure tastes good.
My rifle 2010 season was my second season hunting with a rifle since my accident. That year I only sat by our farm. I think I went out a total of 10 times during the season. I usually just sit north of our farmstead. There are a couple of shelter belts with farmland in between. About 125 yards distance, so perfect for sitting with a rifle. I sat quite a few times and always saw deer. But I had a buck tag and never saw Mr. Big. It is good to have another option with a rifle and it adds to the hunting season but for some reason I can't get into rifle hunting. I don't know what it is. To me it is kind of like cheating compared to bow hunting. Maybe I will change my thinking if I ever kill something with my rifle. But until then I will be a bow hunter for life.
Lead Photo: Clint, focused.
Photo One: Dustin, Lucas, Kevin and myself getting ready for my first antelope bow hunt.
Photo Two: The field where I was set up.
Photo Three: My crossbow, myself and some great scenery.
Photo Four: Fishing rod holder mounted on chair.
Photo Five: Don B., Barry and myself before my first bear hunt.
Photo Six: Our ground blind set up for the bear hunt.
Photo Seven: Lucas and I before my last day of the bear hunt.
Photo Eight: Lucas, Kevin and myself after tracking my whitetail buck.
Photo Nine: Looking for a buck during rifle season.
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