MY FIRST HUNT

I have never hunted in my life, mainly because I lack time and also, I must admit, because I have always had this little fear of killing or injuring an animal.

Everything changed after I met Stéphane Monette. Since we met, he always talks to me about bear hunting, telling me that it's an introductory hunt, that it's perfect for starting this activity. No need to walk or camouflage, you just have to sit in a blind with bait and wait. On top of that, he often tells me that bear meat is one of the best.

I finally decided to agree to accompany Stéphane on his bear hunt when he explained to me his vision of the balance of nature. At first, I thought I was going to go there to get meat, but when talking to Stéphane, I said to myself: "no, OK, I have a duty". In fact, the black bear has no natural predators, so it multiplies, eats original babies, its own babies... a bit of everything in fact because it is opportunistic and devours everything it finds in its path. It is therefore important to act to regularize the situation.

Knowing all this, it then became really important for me to do something and that's when I accepted that we humans are predators too and that it's OK to hunt.

You see my point? I can't speak for everyone, but basically what I mean is that if I see a spider, I'm not going to kill it. I'm going to get it out of my house, simply because it has predators. When, on the other hand, it's a question of killing a bear, to help regulate the balance of nature, then I'm willing to do that.

So it is with this mindset that I decided to go bear hunting, but I have to admit that on the day, when I entered the woods, I was really stressed; I wanted to do anything but hurt a bear. I told myself that I would never shoot if I was not sure of killing it in one shot.

Once seated in the cache, Stéphane gave me a good coached . He showed me the “vital” spot, that is, the place where I had to shoot to kill a bear in one shot. All that was left to do after that was to wait, to listen to nature. Stéphane told me that I would hear the sound of a branch cracking and… when I heard a dull noise, I understood that a bear was approaching. I started looking around me and I saw it deep in the forest. It took about 4 hours before that moment arrived.

Stéphane had warned me: "As soon as you see him, don't hesitate, and shoot!" I tapped Stéphane on the thigh, then he signaled me to go ahead and shoot.

At that point, the bear had his back to me, so I waited for him to turn around, which he did. You may not believe me, but I swear I made eye contact with him. I shot him right in the vital area of ​​his spine and that was it. He didn't have time to suffer, he went straight down. I was so proud of myself. I felt like I had to do it right.

Hunters talk about "harvesting" instead of "killing" and that's really how I felt after the bear fell. Hunters truly honor the animals they kill. They are proud of the animal and want to treat it well until the end.

So, in light of my first hunt, I can tell you with certainty that this is now a vocation that I will continue to develop. Certainly, there is nothing fresher and more natural than this as meat.

Until my next experience, I wish you all good “harvests” and good BBQ!