....now remind me why you can't bring a sidearm along while bow hunting?

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=267501

Actually, it is legal (in MN) to carry a firearm while bowhunting for bear. I know I sure would!

David

Yup. Certain other instructors make fun of me for including that proviso of the law in my class materials and in the MADFI instructor required topics.

Yep - page 23

Ahhh yes....makes sense. You just can't carry while bow hunting for deer, right? Hey, cmon, those deer can get pretty mean during the rut! Don't think they would climb a tree though

because we all know this fluke accident couldn't happen while the guy was sitting in a tree stand hunting DEER. I mean, the Bears are all hybernating during DEER season, right ...

Personally, no matter what he was hunting, a firearm just in case makes sense.

about 10 years ago and only a couple miles east of Tony a friend and I were bowhunting for deer. My friend had a large Black Bear cross the trail he had walked to his stand on and the bear stopped turned back to the trail sniffing the ground turned and fallowed the trail to the tree he was sitting in. he was only about 6-7 feet of the ground when the bear stood up and got his head even with his feet my friend stomped the wood platform and yelled at the bear; the bear then backed off circled the tree a couple times and wondered off. My friend vacated the stand and was pretty jacked up when I met him after dark. we knew that area has bear but that was the first encounter while hunting.
we both wear rubber boots while bowhunting that time of year and I don't know if the bear smelled somthing he had stepped in or was atracted to the scent he used to attract deer or cover his scent.
I know he was always nervous about bowhunting in that area after that but loves it when the firearm season opens!
anyway I though it was interesting that these two situations happend within a couple miles of each other.

How could I have missed this thread?!? I shall take every opportunity to piss-and-moan about the fact that I can not legally carry my .357 while bow-hunting deer. Hear me now and listen to me later, I will be your "test-case" should I win the big raffle tonight!

I have said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care how sharp your stick is, bow-hunting for bear is still poking a bear with a stick. We all know the rules about poking bears with sticks...










... if you're going to do it, have a gun ready too!

And hes never going to hunt that area again, What is that the only area of Wisconsin with bears?

I suppose that is a fairly difficult bow shot, straight down on a black bear from your tree stand, maybe even under your tree stand. If he was 14 feet in the air I wonder if he thought about trying it. My trigger finger would be awful itchy once that bear closed in to the 4-5 feet range. May still be next to useless if the bear is under the tree stand.

Note to self, don't use bullet proof tree stands.