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Black
Bear Hunting with a Can-Am Commander 1000 XT SxS
/ UTV
::Continued::
In a flash, a blur of blaze orange and black
fur rolled down the snowy hillside as the pair
were locked for what seemed like an eternity.
In reality, it was over in a second and the bear
was nothing more then a black blur as it raced
through the thicket with dogs now back on the
chase. The hunter, dazed and unharmed, righted
himself as he now faced a screaming pack of dogs
heading straight for him at full tilt! When the
ear shattering howls faded, everyone broke into
laughter and we asked him why he let the bear
go!
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| A
young hunter with his first black bear |
The bear was now on the run and we all watched
as the game played out in the valley and ridge
in front of us. The lead dogs were making the
bear work hard at his escape and at the crest
of the next ridge the bear once again skyrocketed
up a tree to seek salvation from the pack of hounds.
We all made our way to the ridge and finally
a young hunter would indeed harvest his first
bear, continuing a family tradition that is played
out all over the state each winter. With the bear
down, the work was about to begin as its perch
was over a very steep ridge that was going to
require some man power to get it back to the top.
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| After
a few trees and some brush were cleared
the hunters connected dog leashes to form
a long rope that was connected the to Can-Am
Commander Side-by-Side winch that was used
to pull the bear out from the bottom of
the ridge |
As several of the hunters began connecting dogs
leashes together to form a long rope, I heard
a chainsaw fire up. The Can-Am Commander 1000XT
was equipped with a winch and the removal of a
few blown down trees would allow it to do the
work. The drag was very short thanks to the Commander
1000’s winch, which made retrieval of the
bear almost effortless. The Can-Am Commander was
pressed back into service as it ferried dogs into
more bear tracks and took roads and trails quicker
and easier then could be maneuvered with a truck
as it made catching loose dogs or checking tracks
much faster and with far less effort then by foot
travel alone.
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| The
hunting team gathered as the black bear
was pulled in |
My hunt ended with memories that I will never
forget and I only wish I had the incident on video
to share. Trying to get expensive camera gear
into a "tree" while toting a rifle doesn't
always work out, however I will have something
on every tree in the future as something's just
have to be seen to be believed! The salvation
the Can-Am Commander 1000 XT brought to our successful
hunt proved again that our favorite means of recreation
has a solid place in so many forms of differing
lifestyles and continues to grow in acceptance
and use.
Again, an immense thank you to the Sturdivants
for their hospitality and for all those involved
in the hunt. We can't always measure success by
harvesting our intended quarry but you can bet
a good time and lifelong memories will be had
with every adventure we undertake!
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