New New New…
The Bear Hunting Obsession of a Driven Man
by Bill Wiesner, with Glenn Helgeland
Call it passion. Call it obsession. Call it some of each. It is what it is … a life-long observation, study and pursuit of the black bear by Bill Wiesner, a man often called “BearCrazy” by his friends, family and, quite often, by himself. For forty years he has eaten, slept, thought, dreamed – and acted upon – hunting black bear. He has taken 57 bears and acquired a wealth of bear hunting knowledge.
This book is Bill’s story, memoir and in-depth, fact-filled “how to hunt black bears successfully and love every minute of it” effort to inform and entertain you, whether you already are a bear hunter of want to become a bear hunter.
Bill and his family (wife Sandy and sons Brad and Bryan) have hunted black bear in their home state of Wisconsin, plus Michigan, Minnesota, Wyoming, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. They have a combined total of 147 years of black bear hunting experience.
They have taken more than 100 bears, more than 30 of which qualify for the Pope &Young Club record book, and seven of which qualify for the Boone & Crockett Club record book. They have taken these bears over baits, by spot-and-stalk, and behind hounds. They have hunted with outfitters, and they have hunted on their own.
They have taken bears with rifle, shotgun with slugs, crossbow, selfbow, recurve bow, longbow, compound bow and muzzleloader.
The book has 10 ‘how-to chapters of in-depth information on all types of black bear hunting:
- On your own as a D-I-Y hunter (including a lengthy checklist);
- Guided with an outfitter (including drop camps);
- Spot-and-stalk;
- With hounds.
How-To chapters describe the bear from nose to tail, bear distribution and populations, where to find trophy hunting (and state-by-state, province-by-province record-book totals), hunting gear (firearms, muzzleloaders, handguns, all bows and crossbows, treestands, ground blinds and more), scouting (for spring and fall hunting), baiting (DIY and with outfitters), the shot (before, during, after), tracking and trailing, meat and hide care, and ‘bear on the table’ meat processing, storage and cooking instructions, plus several recipes for bear meat. It’s detailed information from basics to specialized scouting/baiting/hunting tips for everyone and especially helpful to new and wanna-be bear hunters.
As a bonus, there also are adventures you wouldn’t expect to hear about or read — 10 memoir chapters of highlights, odd events, memorable personalities, and unusual (good, bad, just-plain-funny) events in the author’s development as a bear hunter. These chapters and the hunting chapters alternate through the book, creating informative reading and enjoyable reading.
How-To Chapters
- What Is The Black Bear?
- Distribution, Population & Record Books
- Hunting Gear
- Hunting Styles
- Scouting & Habitat
- Baiting
- New Twists & Trials
- The Shot (Before, During, After)
- Care Of Meat & Hide
- Bear On The Table
Memoir Chapters
- Lady With Mouth And Attitude
- Spilled Rotten Fish
- Most Satisfying Bear & Biggest Bear
- Living In The Boondocks
- One-Up, and One Down
- Amber’s Dream Bear
- Toughest Man In The Woods
- Memories of Michigan
- North To Canada
- A Humbling Hounding Experience
CONTACT INFO – BILL WIESNER for interviews
Ph: 920-495-4749
Email: bearcrazybill@yahoo.com
Additional biographical items for Bill Wiesner:
- First hunter to complete the Great Lakes Grand Slam (deer, bear, turkey) with all types of bowhunting equipment – compound bow, recurve bow, longbow, and selfbow with stone heads. This means he has taken all three species with each type of bow.
- First hunter to receive all five (coyote, bobcat, turkey, deer, bear) Wisconsin Bowhunters Association pin awards for animals taken in one season. This is extremely difficult, due principally to Wisconsin’s point system for issuing bear tags.
- Active seminar speaker on archery gear, archery shooting safety, bowhunting and bear hunting topics.
- Youth mentor and speaker at high schools in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Penninsula.
- Hunter education instructor for 25 years.
- Bowhunting and archery/hunting safety instructor at Ted Nugent’s Kamp for Kids, 4-H clubs and youth archery organizations, and conducted Door County (Wisconsin) 4-H archery program.
- Presents archery/bowhunting promotional programs at banquets and in-store events.
- Member of the “Red Arrow Society”, awarded by the Lakota Sioux Nation for archery contributions to the tribe. This award is rarely given to a non-tribal member.
- Certified Easton arrowsmith.