Having just returned from an archery black bear hunt in the north woods of Minnesota, I’ve found a whole new respect for those who choose to scratch their outdoor itch in some of America’s more remote and rugged environments. I also discovered through the span of the seven-day hunt that some of these trips are not for the faint of heart.

All four of us on this trip were new to black bear hunting and although we were well equipped and physically ready, we hadn’t actually envisioned what it was like to be hunting in such a wild, untouched area. This would be a trip filled with moments of pure, heart-stopping excitement along with hours of pure boredom sitting on stands waiting for a shot opportunity to reveal itself.

The first hint of how different the hunting would be came as we mounted our ATV’s and headed up into the vast timber on trails that would have tested the skills of a mountain goat. As we approached to within several hundred yards of my stand site and parked, I grew excited looking around the rocky, pine-strewn bluffs at all the possible directions a big bruin might appear from.

I followed the outfitter quietly and carefully to the stand site and erected what would become my perch for most of the week. As I watched the outfitter’s silhouette fade into the distance, it was only then that I felt completely alone. Suddenly I realized that upon nightfall, I’d have to make my way back to my four wheeler and then into camp in utter darkness through a thick forest known for producing a lot of bears.

As the magic hour approached, when the sun begins to set beyond the horizon, I detected movement off to the north of my stand. Hoping to see a big, old bear, my heart nearly stopped as two very large wolves passed by within 25 yards of my tree, completely unaware of my presence.

While I watched in utter awe as these magnificent creatures moved off into the timber, the sounds of several more howling in the immediate vicinity didn’t make the idea of my ensuing walk through the woods in the dark any more appealing. The lonely sounds of a loon wailing from nearby Lake Vermillion seemed to only amplify the rush of knowing you were in some true wilderness.

I made it out of the woods that night and every other night without a single incident, although I’d be a liar if I told you I wasn’t jumping at every crackling branch or other noise while finding my way out of the woods in the dark. As we all rolled back into camp at night, each relayed their stories of seeing and hearing wolves all around them.

This rush was only amplified on the third day when one of the guys came back to camp clearly shaken. He had been hunting on the ground on the edge of a secluded clearing when he heard the brush behind him erupt. He swung around to find hundreds of pounds of snarling bear rushing toward him at an unbelievably fast pace.

I don’t know if it was his commanding, 6-foot-7 height coming to full view or the fact that he swung his .357 magnum preparing to defend himself, but the large mature bear made a hard turn and broke off the charge. As he told his story, his hands were still visibly shaking from the rush of the encounter.

After breaking off the charge the bear had gone up on the ridge and proceeded to thrash the trees with his claws while growling and popping his teeth.

“It was at that point that I nearly broke down,” said my buddy. “Not knowing if the bear was going to come back again or what his intentions were, coupled with the previous charge really terrified me. I have never experienced such pure fear in all my life.”

As we all related our stories to Bill Muelkin, our host, he laughed and said bear hunting is not for everyone. Bill has been in the outfitter business for well over a decade and has seen many hunters fall apart when it dawns on them that they’re no longer the only predator in the woods.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then a hunter will just freeze up. As an outfitter he’s literally had to go out into the woods after dark to bring hunters back who were too scared to climb down from the tree stands in the darkness.

An encounter with a bear, wolf, mountain lion or other dangerous critter is highly unlikely for the majority of us. Still, hunters and other outdoorsmen who choose to step into their turf should be mentally prepared, as it’s always a possibility.

Hunting in a wilderness area offers a level of excitement and feeling of being alive like none other, but beware of things that go bump in the night. For the four of us, we can’t wait until that next journey begins.