Hunts On Outfitting Podcast
Stories! As hunters and outdoors people that seems to be a common thing we all have lots of. Join your amateur guide and host on this channel Ken as he gets tales from guys and gals. Chasing that trophy buck for years to an entertaining morning on the duck pond, comedian ones, to interesting that's what you are going to hear. Also along with some general hunting discussions from time to time but making sure to leave political talks out of it. Don't take this too serious as we sure don't! If you enjoy this at all or find it fun to listen to, we really appreciate if you would subscribe and leave a review. Thanks for. checking us out! We are also on fb as Hunts on outfitting, and instagram. We are on YouTube as Hunts on outfitting podcast.
Hunts On Outfitting Podcast
Ep.14 From Funeral Director to Bowhunter: Matt's Journey Through Bear Archery and Deer Management
When Matt, a dyed-in-the-wool hunter with the unexpected twist of being a funeral director, joins me, your anticipation for bear archery tales will be richly rewarded. His transition from the distanced precision of long-range shooting to the heart-pounding proximity of bow hunting comes with stories that promise to keep you on the edge of your seat. Not only does Matt's improved scent control bring humor to the pursuit, but his expertise in reloading ammunition makes the technical side of hunting as compelling as the chase.
Venture with us through the complex terrain of deer management, where the art of growing big bucks is both a science and a passion. The strategy behind each harvest decision reveals a keen awareness of the environment and a dedication to conservation. And when it's time to switch gears to filming hunts, you'll find yourself weighing the challenge of capturing the moment versus living it—a juggling act known all too well by any family that hunts together. Matt's personal anecdotes remind us that what's captured on camera can be as unforgettable as the experience itself.
Conclude your listening adventure with a foray into the dense New Brunswick woods, where bear baiting is an exercise in patience and precision. Matt's vivid recounting of bait tactics, wind management, and the thrill of an elusive quarry will transport you right to the stand. And as the discussion turns to the plans for preserving the memory of a successful hunt through taxidermy, it's clear this isn't just a pastime; it's a profound connection to the wild that both Matt and I cherish deeply.
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This is Hunts on Outfitting Podcast. I'm your host and rookie guide, ken Murr. I love everything hunting the outdoors and all things associated with it, from stories to how-tos. You'll find it here. Welcome to the podcast and welcome to Hunt Sound Infant Podcast, the only podcast brought to you by Pete's Pool Hall. Feel our new thick sticks and now denser balls.
Speaker 1:Now today's show we are getting a great spring bear archery talk hunt. But first, who's telling the story? Well, today's guest is Matt. Thanks so much for joining us here on Hunts and Outfitting. We're going to be talking about your spring bear hunt. It's spring right now. In New Brunswick you shot it with a bow, a compound bow. Before that, matt, you were really into long-range range shooting and now there's a rumor, started by me, uh, that long range shooters just have really bad bo problems and that's kind of why they're shooting so far away, because you know they can't get scent control under control. But sitting here across from me I can see that you cleared that up. Finally, and, uh, you know we're excited to hear about this bow hunt. But, matt, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'm a funeral director in the area nice and see a lot of people yeah, I've been working. Some of them don't see you back kind of thing no, but I've been working at that for now for 12 years, so it's been a while. I've taken me all over the province and finally being back in Salisbury and then surrounding areas Salisbury, New Brunswick.
Speaker 1:We got a lot of people listening to this Salisbury, New Brunswick it brings me back to the area.
Speaker 2:No matter where I went, it always seems like you want to go back well, you know you're in a good business.
Speaker 1:It's very recession proof. People are dying every day. You know you get to uh read the rewards of it. You get to help them through the process, kind of thing yes, yes, yes, uh, well, yeah, yeah I mean they're less a person, but we're all gonna experience it. Um so, matt, you grew up on uh, on a sheep farm yeah, corn hill you know cattle too. You're tall, you play. They call you Mad Dog, mutton Buster.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I never heard that. But yeah, close, I called you, I think. Yeah, I called you once.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean nickname there Matt so you've got a YouTube channel, you started filming your own hunts. I mean, that's a whole different process in itself, right there, isn't it? I mean, on top of trying to hunt bear or any animal, and you're doing it with the bow, so you're getting closer because, thank God, you got the BO problem under control, because we're in a closed room right now and you know, filming it and all that just really adds a lot. It's a whole new dynamic. It is, it is, it really is. I do want to talk about the long range shooting just a little bit. What kind of gun were you shooting and how far were you going out? Because I remember you seeing on facebook and stuff you, you were into that.
Speaker 2:The fair amount, weren't you? Yeah, yeah, yep, me and a friend there, uh, clark, and uh we kind of started that just. Uh, I don't know, this is just more fun. We were kind of into the military style stuff, yeah, yeah, so when we started shooting 308, so yeah, so I had a. I had a short action and uh it was a 308.
Speaker 2:Uh, clark had a number of different rifles over the years but we kind of just well, he really got into it first and I kind of tagged along for a bit. I like shooting but I just never, you know, like I like shooting stuff, yes, and then he, but he really got snowballed into this whole. You know how far can we get out? Yeah, so it went from. You know, everybody buys their rounds.
Speaker 1:Right, everybody buys their ammunition you guys reload. And then so Clark started reloading. Oh, so we're getting into a whole other subject. Okay, yeah, okay, so that's how we got really good at it is.
Speaker 2:We just started mixing and matching, but what kind of rounds go best with our rifles?
Speaker 1:We started with three people and, anyways, we learned how to not mix rounds. That's right, we're down to two. We learned yeah, there's two guys.
Speaker 2:But no, we had a good time doing that and we were pretty successful at it. Like I've had multiple thousand-yard-plus shots.
Speaker 1:Really so you said you're shooting a short-action .308.
Speaker 2:Well, .30 plus shots, really. So you said you're shooting a short action, 308. Well, 308 is a short action.
Speaker 1:So, like short action, long action. That's what, uh, that's what I think a lot of the military and police use for, not, maybe not the military police use for sniper is 308.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah real good flat shooting it is but a hard hitting round hard enough, but it's flat yeah, I would choose a 308 all day. 800, 800 yards and under. Oh, yeah, yeah, see.
Speaker 1:I shoot a 7mm 08, which is smaller but it is real flat shooting rifle, but that would you know, it all depends on ballistics too.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:How good can your round be for your rifle?
Speaker 1:Well, how many grains were you guys shooting?
Speaker 2:Well, I was using 168 grain Match Kings. Okay, yeah yeah, but that's just what was best for my rifle itself. You know your rifle might be different than mine, which it definitely is. It might like a different round, more so than mine. So that's why you mix and match about what you know, which bullets you use, which powder you use, which primers you use. It comes down to even the brass, the primers. It even comes down to the brass.
Speaker 1:Really the primers it even comes down to the brass really like in how the primers the primers make a difference.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, get some decent, decent gear and you know you can shoot same hole at 100 yards yeah if you can get your ballistics down, yeah the same hole like you can call your shots anywhere with. You know, get yourself a good scope really yeah you're only as good as your scope.
Speaker 1:Well, yes, and a lot of other gear. Hell yeah, I mean you get it.
Speaker 2:No well, I'm for real, If you get yourself a good scope, that's going to mean the world to you.
Speaker 1:So you had the one where you can just turn it by hand with the adjustments. Yeah, what was the other way? You get it like a frigging quarter out or something, and I used to use a dime. Oh, that's just to zero it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then you leave it alone. Yeah, yeah, no, like this one's here. It's got like you guys had a little more to it. Yeah, it's got a turret system.
Speaker 1:I suppose you said you shoot in how many yards.
Speaker 2:I shot that .308. It was a calm, still day, like there was no, no wind or nothing. It still took six tries, but it was 1100 yards that's pretty good that's good for a short action, and if anybody knew anything about short action to long action, you know they would understand. But all right 1100 yards. It took six tries but I ended up getting them once. But like I said, 800 yards and under all day I'd same hole it.
Speaker 1:Really yeah, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Six six.
Speaker 2:I have a, I have a target set up. Well, Clark, he he, he welded it together and we have it at like 607 yards, just for fun.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's just where we shoot for fun and like that's like dang.
Speaker 1:And every single time it's like you, some, like we're waiting around for them to hit a hundred.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like you know, like I know some boys that need a piece of paper. I know some boys that need to take some lessons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, they could come hang out with you see, if you guys are shooting 600 just for like something to do, yeah but that's how we started and from there it just stemmed into hunting, and you know rifle hunting.
Speaker 2:But once you get tired of shooting stuff at such a ways away, it's like like how can I make this more personal and get into bow hunting, so that yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what a thing you guys were shooting, you know, 800 yards, all day, every day. And then bam, compound bows, which is slightly under 800 yards. Yeah, so and then?
Speaker 2:and then I want to ask too how did you get get into filming it, because I mean, that's a whole other. Yeah, you know can of worms that you're opening up there. Yeah, it's hard man, but hunting is tough by itself while I'm trying to film it.
Speaker 1:And now I got a channel on youtube and it's just for fun. But what's your channel, matt? Come on, give us a plug at full draw what is it?
Speaker 2:at full.
Speaker 1:At full draw archery or just after.
Speaker 2:Okay, yep, yep, that's basically what that is, your full draw on an animal. You're at it. That's all I could come up with.
Speaker 1:Well, no, it's great right, Because like what was he at? Like right full draw.
Speaker 3:You know, that's how you put it in.
Speaker 2:That's where he's at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're making food plots, you're managing, you know the deer in the area Trying. You're trying, you're in a good area. You're in an agriculture area. You got some cedar swamps around you, kind of thing right Owned land area too.
Speaker 2:That's key. Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:I know that because I've been watching you with a drone during deer season?
Speaker 3:No, but you got some cedar swamps around you.
Speaker 2:You got you. You've got corn fields around, You've got grass fields and stuff, so it's a really good area to be able to manage some big boxes and stuff and if you can get people on the same page. That's what it comes down to. Everybody has to work together.
Speaker 1:I don't know if people agree with me or disagree with me, but here in Canada I find that we lack the deer management.
Speaker 2:You see the guys in the States, you see the guys in the.
Speaker 3:States.
Speaker 1:That's deer management right there. 101, yeah, they are a lot of people, from what I've seen, yeah, are on the same page with that. They're really putting in the work with it. They're not shooting the small ones and stuff like no the us. Hats off to you, boys. You seem to be managing the deer. Now there's spots in canada as well, but not not to the extent to there. No, there, no, not at all.
Speaker 2:It is tough. I mean I won't give everybody such a hard time around here because we don't have the population quite like the states do.
Speaker 1:No, we don't Even Maine. It's healthy though it's healthy.
Speaker 2:We have a healthy herd, but it could be better.
Speaker 3:And people don't understand that.
Speaker 2:Everybody complains about the dough numbers. Yeah, and it's like well you know, harvest your dote. If you get doe tags, use them yeah, you should yeah and you know, you know it just makes. It makes the deer deer population way better. Like, yeah, you got to use them doe tags and you can't shoot them small bucks, because if you're shooting you know tomorrow's trophy. Today they aren't going to be a trophy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right yeah, but I mean too I think it's getting better around here. You know, just not that you have to, but you know, making the food plots, stuff that you see, the guys in the states, there's a lot of them doing that, yeah, and everything that really does help grow big but we have really great agriculture land managed by our dairy farmers.
Speaker 1:Shout out to our dairy farmers here um, that does help grow some big deer. Yeah, you know they've got the alfalfa fields going and stuff like that. They're putting fertilizer to it and ignoring that stuff's growing some really lush, healthy, you know grasses and fescues and everything growing some big deer. But still, I mean I do find a lot of people just shoot the first thing they see, and I mean to each their own.
Speaker 2:But Yep, whatever I mean, I won't ever, you know, crap on someone because no, no, no, no to each their own. But to me, like you know, you're looking at all these deer that are in your plots.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know small bucks you'd like to see, and then some that have great potential, and then you know the neighbor, just you know.
Speaker 1:Well, I find, like my parents own some land there and I've done that before. It's you know, let it go, let it grow. And then someone jacked it that night in the field or something like that.
Speaker 2:We have a issue with that, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So it's like well, shit should have shot it then, I guess yeah. But there's, you know we could argue and you know, agree and argue and go on forever. All right, let's do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got 45 minutes, yeah, we're. Uh, so I'll do them here. Guys, shoot what you want. If you're after the meat, go after the meat, that's fine we're not judging at all.
Speaker 1:If you got a dough tag, go for your meat because some people just say save a dough, but it's all right, it's lots of doughs, you don't you don't gotta save them all right the numbers are, you'll save them and some girl in a Civic flying along Texas is going to hit it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right. You might as well eat it, yeah that's right.
Speaker 1:So, matt, when did you start filming the hunts?
Speaker 3:Let's get into that a little bit Well.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:What made you think I'm going to start filming my hunts?
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 3:It just added in a whole another dynamic.
Speaker 1:You're just doing a selfie and like a deer walked out like hey, that's cool, I'm gonna do on there. Yeah, mix this together. I'm gonna make this selfie longer, yeah yeah, people to like it, yeah, no.
Speaker 2:So so it kind of started like just I was watching a lot of youtube like everybody else does, our age and uh, you know, you see the guys down the states and how they do that. But they do that with deer. Yes, it's a whole other. It's a whole other ball game deer to bear. I'll tell you that right now. Yeah, I've been doing the film filming hunting with the deer, but I've had a lot more. On success yes, then, success with that, because it just happens so quick with the deer, yeah with deer, specifically that bear like it's, it's harder.
Speaker 2:I mean, if they're on a bait site in the spring, it's a little.
Speaker 3:It's not. I don't want to say easy.
Speaker 2:I don't even want to say that, because you got to have nope no okay, you got to be down like you got to. You know you got to watch your winds. They are more predictable though they are, I got to say that bears are more predictable baiting in the spring. They are because you have something that they want, so they can be possessive over the area Charisma no no.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's you, that's what they want but the deer.
Speaker 2:you might see them one day. You might never see them again.
Speaker 1:Well, they've got a lot of options. They've got a lot of options, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I mean, if you're in that, you're in that moment, yeah, where you either got to get a shot or you're going to gamble with your camera. It's like, yeah, depending on that deer that's standing out there, you're probably like, I'm probably gonna shoot that deer right, yes, yeah, like I kind of run into that last fall and I was lucky enough to harvest a good deer, I used 200 pound. Nine point that's.
Speaker 1:That's big. You got some people listening to this that are in some of the States where they're a lot smaller 200 pounds big deer yeah, you know that's a good size deer that's eating well, anyway, I it came down to whether I was.
Speaker 2:I seen him once in the afternoon and he was fighting with another deer that also got harvested.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:So, dad, dad ended up getting him too, but they were fighting in the plot.
Speaker 2:Oh, you got one, your dad got one. The ones that were fighting yeah, they were fighting the whole family affair with you guys huh yeah not a family affair with the deer anymore. No, they're done. No, but I shot the. I shot the nine point because he was the second biggest on the plot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had one, of course, the one that always got away right yes and then, uh, the third one that was the biggest was actually the one that dad got two days after. But it all come down to am I going to get that shot or am I going to shoot that deer?
Speaker 2:yeah and you know he wasn't, uh, he wasn't liking the idea of coming out in the plot the second time, let alone the first time, and the first time only was to fight off that other buck okay yeah, so anyway, he did come out, came in passing, come and gone and uh, anyway, he ended up coming back out and he was, he was staring the old blind down and I was actually rifle hunting this deer because it was, it was the very first snow in October. Yeah, I don't know if you remember that or not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do. I was like I'm going to do it. Yeah, we had early snow in October. I'm going to do an all day sit that day.
Speaker 2:You know, pressure, pressure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know you're getting the blind oh, so you're looking at all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, okay so, sure enough, all day deer, all it was, and then he ended up coming back. It was a quarter after five yeah pretty sure it's quarter after five and uh anyway legal shooting hours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, trying to get across here, yeah but anyway he.
Speaker 2:And then I was like I gotta shoot that deer. I can't get the shot, but I'm gonna get him. Yeah, anyway it ended up working. It was nice deer and but uh, deer hunting and filming is a lot harder than it is with the bear so you just yeah, you just thought why not film this?
Speaker 1:you just watch stuff on youtube and you're like you know, I'd like to film my own you get an idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah, watching guys, and I mean you don't have to say a whole lot like you just do like a brief introduction louder than words.
Speaker 1:You know, shoot what you're seeing. Yeah, speak louder than words.
Speaker 2:Shoot what you're seeing. Yep, get your shot on camera.
Speaker 1:Shoot what you're seeing literally and with the camera Yep. Like shoot it, yep and shoot it. Shoot it in both ways, yeah.
Speaker 2:I know it sounds like I'm just saying that it's super easy. It's not at the same time.
Speaker 1:Oh no, no, I know it's not.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we definitely this spring, for instance. Like you know, I started off with like a bait and you know how you bait it what you know what to bait, or yeah, so yeah, you're on here.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about your bear hunt this spring. Yeah, you got the whole thing on film. Yeah, I saw it great video.
Speaker 2:It was the last video uploaded, so if you actually go and look on, that, yeah, at full draw yeah at full draw yeah it.
Speaker 1:Uh is good. So, yeah, let's get into that. So it's springtime here in new brunswick, actually, I want to get into first. How did you start compound bow hunting from the long range shooting? What like made you like, all right, we're shooting 800 yards, now we're going to shoot 30. Yeah, what, what happened? Yeah, 15, what was the switch?
Speaker 2:it was just the guys down in the states, man. You see them all running bows so that's really.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm kind of just like man.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool yeah, like I mean you're seeing a video of an animal literally on you on you, yeah. You can't quite figure out what's going on, but it knows something isn't right. There's a panic in their face that you can see and you'll never see anything like it unless you're a mortician. No, no no, but anyway, that's what it is, man, you see you're on these animals so that's what get you into is youtube videos.
Speaker 2:Well, you're in charge in that brief brief moment in time, that brief moment in time, and it's just like I said in at the end of one of the videos they're actually the one from the spring. It's like I'm very lucky to even have 30 seconds with a legend like that yeah you know a bear that you've been after for three years. He's been in the area. He's only been at nighttime. Pictures, skip ahead.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah okay, we're gonna start the story from the start, man, not from the end. Uh, sorry to scold you there, but it had to be done. No, so? So that's what got you into bow hunting was the youtube videos. Yeah, wow, that's cool, that's really cool. Yeah, um, all right. So it's springtime in new brunswick, you get compound bow, you're starting baiting yeah, I'm seven days late getting my tag.
Speaker 2:It was the 20th, 22nd, I think I find on the 15th.
Speaker 1:Well, I find that the bear activity in here in new brunswick, canada, really doesn't seem to pick up until, I mean, you're getting into may okay. Well, this year was an exception it was warmer because of the brief winter. Yes, it was a very brief winter, so you are right, past years yeah yeah this year was way far ahead yeah, like we did have a very brief winter yeah, so then bear were out.
Speaker 2:Uh, I had a. My first picture was like either the first week April or second week. Oh, that's early, Like that is way early. So I was like man, I got to get some, I got to get going?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I mean what you're setting. Did you have a predetermined bait site Like where, talk us through, where you're setting up for bait? Yep, what's the area like?
Speaker 2:If you're bear hunting, look for something that's dense, somewhere that they can look at your terrain.
Speaker 1:Look for something dense. I'll be setting up with my sister-in-law's house, dense bushes, yes.
Speaker 3:No, so you've got to look for dense bushes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, train that they can get in and out of and then train how the hills are, so that you can check the winds and like see how they would smell.
Speaker 2:So you look at your prevailing window, wind a lot, and then see how the you know and then try to try to maximize your position going in. You know where are they, what, what's the higher percentage based off of where I am and how? They're not going to smell me, that's all it is. They're not going to see you, they'll smell you and you won't even see them.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, bear, you got to be careful with that. You really got to watch your wind. They can see, but they rely so much more on their scent?
Speaker 1:Yes Than anything, I think. Don't quote me on this, but I'm quite sure their scent is. Scenting is better than a deer it is.
Speaker 3:it is okay yep, yep, you quote me on 100. You got her man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah I knew it was yeah, no, it's really good but you got it, so you maximize your stand potential.
Speaker 2:You know when you're going. You know never go in on a bad one, because they blow you once right, like yeah, they might not come back yeah you might get that one chance at a legend and you might see him. He might be 30 feet away. He'll smell you. Well, that's the thing.
Speaker 1:You see people get baiting bear and all that and um, you're like, oh, I'm having lots of bear come in and all that, but are you having any big ones?
Speaker 2:come in, because there's a difference right there is.
Speaker 1:Basically, you can throw some crap out in a barrel.
Speaker 2:You'll see a year and a half old bear. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But to get a big one come in, that's a whole different ballgame.
Speaker 2:They're a whole different bear too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're smarter, obviously yeah, they're way smarter. It's just more leery.
Speaker 2:I had two big bear, one being the guy that I harvested the big bear um, one being the guy that I harvested the other one was equally as big might have been 50 pounds heavier. Okay, I let that one go, hoping for the one that I got. The reason why I let him go is because I finally seen him on daylight oh, one picture yep, so we'll go back, yes, so don't be starting in the middle now, so I bait.
Speaker 1:yes, yes, you bait.
Speaker 2:Yep Okay Opened on April 15th. I think that was when the start date was. Got my tags around the 23rd, I think I sat. I want to say five days after that, after I got my tags. What are you baiting with Popcorn? Just?
Speaker 1:popcorn Yep, really.
Speaker 2:Popcorn and grease and you really only have to hit grease once and the idea behind the grease is if you put it, all over the ground.
Speaker 1:They're going to trace it back through the woods. They're going to trace it back into the woods.
Speaker 2:It's going to let you cast in a big net. Yes, so to speak, you just use popcorn. Eh, that's it.
Speaker 3:That's it, it's the easiest thing to carry in.
Speaker 2:It doesn't. You don't have to carry a bunch of bread and all these guys here throwing barrels full of meat and all this. Yeah, you throw meat and they're going to be spilling it from the stand and, like bear, you'd rather them not be eating meat because of that trichinosis stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah oh yeah, I know about it so you got to cook all bear meat, wild boar, carry it too anything carnivorous, omnivorous, like. Omnivores. Is it Eat meat. Well, both.
Speaker 2:I mean bear, well, carnivore like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, carnivorous, yes, but I mean bears, and pigs eat both. They eat everything, though, but I mean anything that's carnivore, could potentially have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so. So anyways, I bait popcorn. It's just the easiest. You can carry four feed bags in and you know, if you get yourself three air poppers, I mean you're done. In 40 minutes you get four feed bags full of popcorn.
Speaker 1:You got three air poppers. Oh yeah, I got a whole set up Really. It all funnels down into one, Just throwing it to Walmart. Eh, I got a handful of popcorn makers going at the store. They're looking at you like watch a lot of movies, Like know why? Know why Made a lot of bear.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but now so I bait that and then it doesn't take long, like as soon as you get that food in there. I mean, they're coming out very vulnerable. They're going to eat whatever they can. Yeah, so you're going to start out with those one two-year-old bears and then you're just gonna wait for a bit and wait for a bit. That's why I waited five days. So these guys started coming in and then I seen the guy that I wanted, but he's still at nighttime right I was like, okay, so this big white chested guy that I want for the last three years bear
Speaker 1:bear. Yeah, okay, yeah, we'll do. Yeah, we'll narrow that in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at the pub or something like that, yeah but uh, no him, we wanted him and okay, well, he's back. And then I had another big one, that was daylight, and I was like, well, I should go after that one, because then you know, history repeats.
Speaker 1:Give him a chance to get shot too, kind of thing, yeah history repeats itself.
Speaker 2:You're not going to see that bear with the white chest that you want, because you know he's just going to be nighttime all the time yeah so you know so. And then the next best wind. I was like well, I'll just go in, so you pick your best you really pay attention to the wind.
Speaker 1:You have to have to, I know. See, I just kind of pop out there. No, people, people just go man and they're like why am I not seeing nothing?
Speaker 2:yeah, like well, they're smelling you even before you're you're checking that. Yeah, all right, good, good check your, you know, and then, deer, we'll get off top a bit.
Speaker 1:Do you check the barometric pressure? You do, yeah, really.
Speaker 2:Pressure changes, see.
Speaker 1:I run hounds and I don't check it. If I'm going hunting, I'm going hunting, but the barometric pressure for scenting it does make a difference, it really does.
Speaker 2:It does, and hounding would be different, because you can go and just have fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You don't want to go into your good stands when you aren't maximizing the potential to shoot that deer that you want. Get a chance at that deer. It's ideal conditions. You might not even see that deer that you want, but you want to maximize every chance you can. So it's kind of with bear the same thing. I don't blow my stand because I go in and only when it's a good win, when you know that you're going to see something. Because who the hell likes sitting there and like not seeing nothing?
Speaker 1:no one, no one, no, not one. No, they'll say they do, but they say they do, but they don't.
Speaker 2:So I just like being in nature, like, really like everybody always said I was full of shit, but I get it on camera, so yeah, well, I mean, it's exciting seeing a squirrel, so that's how you know you're bored. Yeah, yeah so yeah, so anyways, and then, like you go in on your, you know your max potential, that you're going to see these guys, so I hunted twice. So both, well, three hunts total.
Speaker 2:To get that bear To get this bear Cool. But it's a lot of bragging. The first, the first couple yeah, that was the first hunt. And then the first night I actually didn't see anything because I went in and there was a bear already at the bait.
Speaker 1:As you saw him, as he was going in, and I'm like I got to go in there.
Speaker 2:I'm here already.
Speaker 1:You saw him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I already seen him.
Speaker 1:Did you drop the bow and get in karate mode?
Speaker 2:Well, I dropped the but. I threw a stick in the bushes and it bumped him off.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And so then I just slipped right into the stand real quick, got up and I was like man, it's cold for the bet.
Speaker 1:No, oh, okay, I didn't know. You said he's small, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean small bear man. Yeah, I know he's very strong. You're a tall guy, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not going to probably how close are you when you put your hands up. You wouldn't believe how close I put my hands up around his neck yeah, then he leaves, yeah kind of freaks out yeah, so first night wasn't real, uh, it wasn't real productive.
Speaker 2:And then so we seen the one the second night after that first bear I seen was that big one that I was like the second target yeah, he came right out during daylight right out. But I didn't have, and this was the all black one, so we'll. So we'll have these bears named. We'll have the all black bear and then the white bear, so the white bear is the one that I ended up shot and it's racist.
Speaker 1:No, we'll go with it. That's what we're doing. Yeah, we're rolling with that. So we got the black black bear.
Speaker 2:Yeah and then the white black bear.
Speaker 1:Okay okay, right. So this is clear as black and white to me. That's right.
Speaker 2:Yep, so the first black bear come in, and he was probably around the 250, 270 range, like I figured he was around that weight. That's pretty good spring weight it is.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, you know, for a new Brunswick it's nothing to shake a stick at.
Speaker 2:No, you know anything over 200 pounds.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty good animal, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I seen him and I was like I'm going to shoot this bear, but for whatever reason, like it just seemed like I didn't, I couldn't get a shot and I was like I wonder if this is like just a test. And so I was like you know what? I'm going to let this guy go.
Speaker 1:This is a test from the bear.
Speaker 2:So that's what we kind of rolled with, Actually.
Speaker 1:Matt, before we get right into it, in case we forget, give us a setup of your bow. What's the bow? What are you shooting for? Broadheads, let us hear it.
Speaker 2:I got a PSE Drive NXT. Okay, why did you go with the PSE? I like John Dudley there, that fellow there down in the States, and he's a big PSE guy.
Speaker 1:You ever shoot Obsession. No, well, you'd never touch a PSE again.
Speaker 2:I don't know about that, but anyway.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:Anyway, so actually Logan Elliott, yes, he's been on here before.
Speaker 1:Shout out Logan.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he knew of a guy in Fredericton that had these PSEs and he like no, this is a really good deal. Blah, blah blah.
Speaker 1:Was that the Fredericton bow shop?
Speaker 2:Brian Campbell, it's Atlantic Paintball and Archery, if you guys want a bow, he's actually a really good guy to buy from and he actually knows what he's doing when it comes to building a bow.
Speaker 1:Hey, that helps a lot when you're selling them and buying from. That I would buy from him if I was to buy from anybody.
Speaker 2:So, logan, he kind of like this is the best bow, I would say, for like where you want to spend, because I didn't want to go, like you know, $2,500 on a bow because he's got like a Matthews. V5 or whatever it is. I don't even know what the name is Logan.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's like the 1,000 series.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's got like a Like. I would say like if there was a guy to shoot a bow, that would be the guy to get for like targeting.
Speaker 1:Okay, Logan's going to listen to this and his head's going to swell up. Yeah, that's all right.
Speaker 2:Anyways, that's all right, he's a good bow shooter. He showed me like we'll go with this one and then, we kind of picked a few pieces together, Like I got a Yep.
Speaker 1:So it's an adjustable.
Speaker 2:I've got one too yep, so it's an adjustable. You can go from like 20 yards to 100, depending on your sight setup and everything.
Speaker 1:And shooting capabilities and shooting capabilities.
Speaker 2:You've got to remember that Not everybody's going to be able to shoot 60 yards with their bow.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:No, the most I think I've ever got was like 70 yards. Logan, I think he got up to like 100 or something like that. What, yeah, he's good. Don't be saying that we'll have to get him on the podcast to verify in the video yeah, so anyways, I got the pse and then get carbon express arrows okay, yeah they're the short, the sd ones. I don't know whether that's small diameter or short diameter or something. Anyways, they're just like broadheads, broadheads rage, hyp, broadheads Rage.
Speaker 1:Hypodermic. Okay, all right, that's what I was curious about.
Speaker 2:Yep People give them such a hard time, but the mechanical right, mechanical man.
Speaker 1:But they're set up so that when they hit, they've basically got to go. They expand, yes, because you hear some guys like the mechanicals off, but I find those rage ones they're set up to like.
Speaker 2:There's got to be like a 99.9 chance that they are. When you know how to install your broadheads, they're gonna. I think it's all shooter error when stuff like this goes wrong, because I have to draw weight on your bow 70, it's max okay yep, and it's 33 inches axle to axle with a 31-inch draw length, because my arms are 8 feet long. Yeah, that's crazy so it's hitting hard, it's hitting hard and these Rages like I tighten them down real good.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah you got it. And they never premature expand. They always expand and I've never had a bad shot with a Rage hypodermic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I don't know. I'm pretty sure that's what. No, I got the rage typhoons. I like rage ones.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, they're good yeah they're good because I mean, I like how their mechanicals are set out so that when they hit they're gonna open.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they got no choice. Odd weird fluke that they don't kind of thing. So you know, and with uh to reach.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then with with the draw length like as big as mine which is, which is kind of like a bird's, you know, wingspan. Yeah I mean that that arrow's coming at you yeah and like when it hits, it's got no choice but to expand, right yes as long as you tighten them down, like I always flex test arrows, make sure that there's no frigging around, all right good and always make sure your broad heads are tight yes and then in line with those shot collars that are on them, because what they are like breakaways so you got to make sure that your fins are in the slots right.
Speaker 2:So as long as I think it's anytime anybody's had something bad say about Rage or any type of broadhead. Fins weren't in the slots or like the blades, yes, but I would say it's like more shooter error than anything. Yeah. Or lack thereof of responsibility, or a fluke, yeah, but I mean we've all had some. I've never I've had really good luck. You know, anything rage and any animal I've shot at with a compound, yeah, yeah. So that's the setup, that's the setup.
Speaker 1:Good, all right, I like it. Now we know what we're working with.
Speaker 2:Yep, and so I've seen the big bear first, mm-hmm, and anyway I kind of didn't really get a shot or one that I was like real happy with. I could have, but I didn't, and so he got away and then I was kind of like battling with myself. I was kind of getting more like I was like, should I have shot him? Like eh, whatever, so anyways, and then the little bears all come back in again, and then, oh, you had a few in after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, they kind of trade off like you'll never see a small bear in with the big boars.
Speaker 2:No, no, no big bear will send them back they know to stay, they know to get out of there, yeah, and. And then, when that small bear leaves that bait, that is a very good indication to turn your freaking camera on okay, all right because, you don't know what's going to happen.
Speaker 1:Lesson learned, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, if you're planning on filming, you see a small bear, leave in a hurry, turn your camera on, but so, anyways, and then so the little ones have seen them around, and then, anyways, they left and I seen the big one again.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:And the Like I knew that morning. So so I guess reverse back a bit. Well, I finally got a daylight picture of this white chested bear that I wanted and I said, as soon as I got that daylight picture, the first thing I said I'm going to get that bear.
Speaker 1:Cause you knew he was coming during the daylight. Well, I knew he was going to. He slipped up once. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:He's going to do it again, mm-hmm. So that night I think I went in around 4.30. I wanted to go in real early. That's pretty early for now, because I mean you can sit until 9 o'clock 4.30 in the morning 4.30 pm.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:I was like you're really committed, no, so 4.30 pm, sit till you know nine o'clock. That's a good haul. You know four and a half hours sitting in the stand yeah so good thing I went in 4 30 because at five o'clock that big bear with the all black he come in just like oh yeah and he caught me right off guard.
Speaker 2:I was still getting my stuff set up and then him sitting in there staring at me, and so I was like frozen how far away are you 25 yards okay, so you're close, yeah so he's like staring at me, so I just stand there like a statue and then wait for him to either, you know, turn around or stop staring at me, one or the other right. And so, anyways, he did, and he walked off and I was like okay, well, if he comes back, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get him, I'll get him and whatever, because I mean he obviously I wasn't too too sure it's a good death wish.
Speaker 2:I wasn't too, too sure about this white chested bear and I was like, well, I really want, but anyway. So then the smaller bear come, this one of the smaller bear I can't tell any of them apart, just because they're so small, but yeah, anyway, the smaller guy come in and he was there for, I want to say, like two hours. Oh, really this small bear chowing down on popcorn huh. So I was getting pretty, like you know. I was like I don't know if it's gonna happen.
Speaker 2:That's my popcorn well, yeah, I mean he's eating through your bait and whatever it is what it is, and uh anyway. So he just stayed there for about two hours and then I literally I said on my on the you know I did like a little interview, yeah, it was coming on seven o'clock. Seven o'clock was like my that's. That's where I think like most of the action starts happening yeah, just based off of what I was, yep yeah, it's like your gray light during deer season.
Speaker 2:So so I said seven o'clock, I said something's gonna happen. It's gonna have to happen fast and then hopefully, like you know, this bear gets out of here in a hurry, yeah, so no sooner did I get that camera flip back around he's seen something and then bolted and I was like okay well, this is gonna happen, this is gonna happen, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm sitting there in the blind or in the stand, I'm 18 feet up in the air and I'm just waiting. So I'm like, okay, either either this, this black bear is going to come back hey, the all black one. And I was like, oh, this is perfect. I mean, you know, if I get a square shot on them, whatever, never in my life did I think that the first thing I was going to see. When that bear came out, I was like, okay, there, that's him. When he made his, when he put his right foot forward, once he got into the frame, I seen the white and then the shake start.
Speaker 1:Oh, you knew it was him. I was like, oh, this is him.
Speaker 2:Yes, I was like this is a guy that we wanted for you know three years and I'm like what is even the chances of this? I mean two days ago. He's on camera once in the daylight and you're telling me right now he's sitting there. He knew from the moment that he stepped into that opening that something was up. He had his eyes on me the whole way around the barrel. So he come around and he's kind of like just looking and looking and you'll see in the video, when he come around that barrel, all you see was that white chest. And that's when I really started getting nervous.
Speaker 2:I was like he's going to see me because I'm sitting here shaking. Yeah, this is the feller I wanted, though. Yeah, this is the feller I wanted, though. Yeah, yeah, so he's dead. Stare at me and I'm like, oh no, like what you know, he might know yeah, he didn't. And like you see it in his eyes, he's like something's going on. I don't know what it is he's like, but I like popcorn.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep. So I waited him out and he's like, okay, seasoning all the popcorn, or yeah, what do you have? Yeah, no, yeah, no, you don't know, just a fryer grease, yeah, oh, that's it okay.
Speaker 1:No dill pickles, no, okay, all right. Should, though, man, I know I'd be out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you'd be in there. I can't get the hell out of my bait, but that's what you'd be saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that'd be on your next video yeah, yeah, all right, so the bear's just coming in for the fr of grease and and popcorn.
Speaker 2:All right yeah, so he come around the barrel and he was looking dead at me and this probably felt like forever, but I kind of made like a a good decision. I put a jar of grease, a little bucket, around the barrel, so around front okay. So he had to stick his head out and get start looking at it, which would maximize his potential to spin his back end around so I can get a good shot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it worked. Oh, it did yeah All right, stuck his head out.
Speaker 2:He was into that barrel and I'm sitting there like, come on, man, just spin around, just spin around, just spin around. I need like a foot, I just need a foot, so I can kill you, yeah and then so I was full draw on him for, you know, 20 seconds and that's, that's okay and it's only 25 yards, so yeah, so I was on him for probably like 20 seconds it seemed, and, uh, finally spun around and hammered him and it was a clean pass through both lungs, clipped the heart, nice the craziest thing.
Speaker 2:Craziest thing after that though. So you know the bears and their you know, their death roar or whatever you want to call it yeah, I've heard it like once yeah twice out of the, the multiple bears that I've shot, and then it's only like a soft little roar or whatever. But this guy went 20 yards, crashed and then it sounded like a cow was down oh really 10 big roars and like I was like sitting in the stand, I'm like what is happening? I knew he was down because it was a stationary sound.
Speaker 1:I've never heard, because I, the bears, I shot with a rifle and they just piled up where they sat. Impact right, yeah, but this bow, I've never heard it actually both lungs out of him clip his heart. He went 20 yards he's still screaming and he was still roaring tough old boy I was like holy and of course man, like that's something you that's got to be like.
Speaker 2:You know, one of the top three things I've ever experienced yeah, yeah, just in the end, like because you, you know, you hear it once or twice and you're like, oh yeah, that was cool, but this was like, this is insane, like this is a giant bear and you know you got him, man, yeah I was like. I was like holy freaking, especially you know the. It was the guy that you wanted for forever that was the target.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was the target that you never, ever thought was even possible. Yeah, you know, until the one day. All it takes is one daylight picture and you're finally like man.
Speaker 1:I might have a chance with this guy. He could be it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I said too I was like man, I'm gonna get him, yeah, and then the exact time got him, that was it. So it worked out, worked out. So we got him out of the woods and, uh, weighed him, without the guts he was 200 okay, yeah, and so he had quite a bit to him and so he's hanging at 200 and then todd todd turner taxidermy yes and wants
Speaker 3:to do a bear mount. He's probably the best guy, that's who?
Speaker 2:he took it to eh yeah, well, he come out oh, he did he said because he's like well, I'll skin that for you because we're going to do a three-quarter or whatever with a three-quarter mount. Yeah, like, with'll skin that for you because we're going to do a three-quarter or whatever with a three-quarter mount. Yeah, like with the arms and everything, just because we're going to preserve what that chest looks like. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the white in it. Yeah, you'd obviously want that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was probably like a two, like it was like a two-foot section of white, like he was a big guy, yeah, and I noticed a Yep, and also Todd came out and you know we skinned him off and so now we just wait. Gee, so you got it done.
Speaker 1:Got it done. Bear season's still going on here in New Brunswick and Matt's just sitting back looking pretty enough.
Speaker 2:Got a second tag though.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes you going to wait until fall. Yeah, we'll see. We're just going to watch the cameras and see that something bigger comes out.
Speaker 2:Wow, there's still that big black one. Yeah, yeah he's.
Speaker 2:He's dark right now, like he's in the day, he's in the night time yeah I mean, I imagine I would be too, if you're, you know considering that, yeah, brian the bear, yeah so right now it's like a lot of daylight activity of smaller bears between ages of like one and three, yeah, and I would say these guys are like in the age class of like five to seven, okay. So because I mean and that's just an educated guess, like I don't know for sure- but like they're an older bear, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, for sure they are. I mean some bears. I guess they can live for I've heard of like 20 years.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I was gonna say 17 or 20, yeah yeah, yeah, I've heard that yeah, but I I really only knew who this white bear was for about three years and like I figured, well, three. And then you know the size of he is and I don't know, maybe five, five to seven years old that's, it's a good guess yeah, he's been around forever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it seems yeah, no, that'd be, seems. So it all worked out. It's good, matt. So it's at full draw. At full draw. Yeah, it's a 28-minute video.
Speaker 2:It's a YouTube video. I'd like to say it's the 28 best minutes of your life.
Speaker 1:Yeah right.
Speaker 2:It's definitely worth a watch. You'll see some bears, you'll see how it all unfolds. There's not a whole ton of talking and it's definitely worth the watch. And, like you, see some bears, you'll see how it all unfolds. Yeah, and there's not a whole ton of talking and it's just more action than anything. And you know, I kind of just you know I touch base on a few things and, like you know, play the wind, always do that with bear, like a kind of some tips and things, and we're still just working at it like I'm no I'm no pro, you're not no, get off the podcast, all, all right, I'm out of here.
Speaker 1:No, that's good. Yeah, no, it's just more for fun than anything. That's what hunting is. That's what hunting's supposed to be. Yeah, a lot of people lose sight of that. Yeah, yeah, we see it during deer season right here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I get the frustration, a holes patched in my head?
Speaker 3:No, I don't really care.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got an old giant hanging out over here, though You're good.
Speaker 1:What did he score? Anyway, he was 154 and 7.8. Nice buck Net but that's a whole other story, mate, you're jumping ahead on my buck. Yeah, no, it's cool. Just don't do it again. No, that's right but uh matt. No, I really appreciate coming on. I hope to have you on lots more because we're going to get into more quality deer management stuff and even the long range shooting. I mean, that's kind of interesting too yeah in and of itself.
Speaker 1:So, uh, good bear story. Everyone check out matt's video and, uh, we'll see you next time. Thanks,