Samantha Sukupcak with her Wisconsin Zone C black bear

In addition to being a dear friend, Samantha Sukupcak is also a role model, the consummate outdoorswoman – not just an angler and an educator, but also a hunter, as I recently found out. Everything that she does amazes me. Rather than give you a longwinded lead-in, I’d rather let her tell you the story of her most recent hunt. Here it is, in her own words – it’s such a good story and lesson that I’ve split it into two parts, so be sure to check out this space next week for Part Two.

Almost one year ago I was notified that I had been awarded an opportunity to purchase a tag for a black bear after eight years of saving up preference points. I decided to book a guided hunt, as I felt that would give me the best opportunity to harvest an animal. I did not really know what to look for in an outfitter or much about the zone I had selected, only that I wanted to go on a hunt and potentially harvest my first animal. Half Past First Cast has graciously interviewed me about my experience, and I added in commentary from Mike Oberle, owner and outfitter, at Hooks N Bone Outfitters, who outfitted my bear hunt. I hope you enjoy the discussion, and if you are on the fence about bear hunting, make like the Nike slogan, and JUST DO IT! If you’ve put in for a tag in Zone C and want a great shot at a bear and want to meet some great people, give Mike a call at Hooks n Bone – spots are limited to 10 hunters!

HPFC: How long have you been hunting?

Samantha Sukupcak: I started hunting about 10 years ago. I use that term loosely because for most of that time my “hunting” consisted of one weekend here, one weekend there, when friends or family had an opening to squeeze me in. My husband and I had a small lease for deer and turkey hunting for one season, but the neighbor was very difficult to deal with and we would catch him on our property with his ATV or dog, and we decided not to renew the lease. This is the first year that I really had the opportunity and invitation to put real time in the stand.

HPFC: How did you get interested in hunting?

Samantha Sukupcak: My grandpa hunted, my uncle and two older cousins hunted, so of course, growing up you always want to be like the older kids. When I started fishing tourneys almost all of the guys hunted something, whether it was pheasant, turkey, or deer. I love being in the outdoors and I think hunting or the desire to hunt is a natural extension of that love.

HPFC: Why was it important for you to have a female hunting guide involved? Samantha Sukupcak: Representation. I know there’s a lot of talk about that in the fishing industry but I think in the hunting guide/outfitter industry it’s just as important. Knowing that there would be at least one other female at camp made me feel much more at ease. I also just thought it was bad-ass that this lady (Sarah Oberle) actually hunts bears and does all the baiting, walking hunters in/out of the woods, checks trail cameras, and goes along on the recoveries. That sealed the deal for me as far as booking with Hooks N Bone Outfitters, and I can’t really say that I have seen other women who do everything that Sarah does. I’m sure there are, but in my (admittedly limited) research that I did, I could not find any. There are a lot of female hunters, I believe that in Wisconsin, more women hunt than fish.

HPFC: Are you part of a vibrant group of female hunters? If not, is there a need for such a "support" group?

Samantha Sukupcak: I am a member of a few ladies hunting groups on Facebook, and there are quite a few organizations that coordinate ladies-only hunts. I would love to put together an all-lady bear hunt (with the way tags are distributed in Wisconsin it may be a stretch but I’d like to try – shooting for 2025 for my second hunt! (Hint hint for any ladies looking to draw in ’25!) I have not gone on a ladies only hunt, but from a few of the groups where I have seen videos or listened to podcasts from the hunts, ladies’ hunts sound fun and seem to be a generally supportive atmosphere.

HPFC: Did you have any qualms/squeamishness about killing such a large mammal?

Samantha Sukupcak: I kind of surprised myself here. There was a fleeting moment before bear camp started where I really thought about whether I’d be able to compose myself and pull the trigger if I had an opportunity. I don’t think it’s a squeamishness or having qualms so much as having the composure to put a good shot on the animal. I think that was my biggest worry – I wanted to have a well-placed shot. Black bears are the most abundant of the bear species, and their populations are in very good shape. I was not worried that I was hunting a “rare” animal – even though you don’t see them frequently, they are out there.

HPFC: What are the particular challenges in terms of gear or strength for a petite woman to kill such a large animal?

Samantha Sukupcak: With the vertical bow, which is what I used, the biggest challenge is making sure that your setup has enough kinetic energy to put an animal down. I am short and have short arms, so my draw length is short. I have my draw weight set to the highest poundage that I feel comfortable with, and working with my local archery shop, I was outfitted with heavier arrows that will give me the best knock down power with my draw length and weight parameters. One challenge that was kind of funny had to do with the shooting rail on the tree stand. I put it down, and could have shot around it, but the outfitter (Mike) noticed that the rail was quite high (I am short – 5 foot exactly) and bent the rail down so I could easily shoot over it. After I got more comfortable in the stand I left the shooting rail up so it wasn’t in the way at all.

HPFC: Why did you choose a bow versus a firearm?

Samantha Sukupcak: I shoot archery league and I am simply way more comfortable shooting my bow than my rifle. I put about 1,300 shots through my bow during league season, so the comfort level is just so much higher. I don’t know if I’ll ever have 1,300 shots through my rifle in my lifetime. Also I think there’s just something more challenging about hunting with a bow than a gun. You need to be close to the animal and it’s a challenge to remain undetected when you draw back. When I initially spoke with Mike, he said that bears don’t really handle an arrow well.

Here’s his take:

Mike Oberle: I don’t know the scientific/factual reason why, but in my experience, bears just don’t handle an arrow well. Maybe it’s because the cutting of a broadhead is what causes the damage versus a bullet that does damage by pushing and tearing. Bears have so much fat and muscle that bullets are slowed down where an arrow will cut through. I had one experience where my wife shot a bear with a bow and my friend shot one with a gun. It was the exact same shot, but one (the one shot with the gun) went 600 yards and my wives went 30. I looked at the hides and the shots were within an inch of each other as far as placement. I try to encourage my hunters to use a bow for this reason.

HPFC: How did you practice?

Samantha Sukupcak: Lots of shooting! Archery league helps a ton because the league I shoot is a hunting league where we shoot in different positions or off different obstacles. We can shoot from any position from kneeling on both knees to sitting to having our heels turned to the target to having our toes facing the target (don’t let that last one fool you – it’s harder than it sounds). We might shoot standing on a rounded log, a small elevated platform with a board in front of us that we shoot around, an under-inflated innertube -- different scenarios that require just a little extra balance or concentration on form. I think this is really beneficial for preparing someone to hunt in the field because you aren’t going to have that perfect shot every time. The more comfortable you are with shooting in a different position I think the more comfortable you are taking a shot in the field that may not be from the normal standing position.

Leading up to the bear hunt I would shoot a minimum of 10 arrows every day from varying distances in my yard. I would also practice drawing and holding for different amounts of time before a shot. Although my bow has an 80% let-off (meaning once I’m at full draw, I’m only holding 20% of the draw weight), I can’t hold it forever and I wanted to increase the amount of time I was comfortable being at full draw. It may have been a little overkill, but I wanted to make sure I was ready.

HPFC: Did you get all or part of the bear mounted?

Samantha Sukupcak: Yes! I am having a full mount done, and then I had the skull cleaned and will make a custom display shelf for it when I get it back. My bear had some faint white spots under the throat so I wanted a mount where that could be shown off a little. I also think the size of my bear is really the perfect size for a full mount. Rugs are cool, but I couldn’t have it on the floor with the dogs and they take up a ton of wall space, which I am reserving for fish mounts!

HPFC: Do you need a license and can anyone get one?

Samantha Sukupcak: The way the tags are distributed in Wisconsin is by lottery, and anyone can apply for a tag. Usually people try to accumulate preference points if they want to hunt in a specific zone. There are 6 bear management zones (A through F) and each zone takes a different number of preference points to draw a tag (you can draw a tag for a given zone with fewer points than normally required, but your chances are lower). Each year a hunter can either buy a preference point or apply for a harvest tag. When I drew my tag I had 8 points accumulated, but the zone I chose to draw for only needed 2 points. Once the DNR does their draw, winners are notified (usually early February, after the bear quota is established for the year), and then you have to buy the license and harvest tag. If you are successful and you harvest a bear, you have to tear your tag and register the bear. You also need to send two teeth to the DNR so they can age the bear and then you need to keep the ripped tag as long as you have meat from the animal.

Guided hunts with Hooks N Bone Outfitters Wisconsin

HPFC: What time of year do you hunt for bear?

Samantha Sukupcak: In Wisconsin the bear season runs from the first Wednesday after Labor Day through mid-October. My hunt was the first week of the season – Wednesday, September 7, 2022, through Tuesday, September 13, 2022. Wisconsin only has bear season in the fall.

HPFC: Do you get to hunt a certain tagged bear or just any that come into sight?

Samantha Sukupcak: Any legal bear were fair game. The outfitter, Mike, had been communicating with the group in the weeks leading up to the opening of the season with bears that were on camera, and I think he said there were about 40 unique adult bears that were coming in to the baits. Our group did take a few bears that had not been on camera before. As other hunters take their bears, they disturb the woods and/or stop baiting so that causes bears to move to new areas/baits.

HPFC: Do they have to be a certain size?

Samantha Sukupcak: A legal bear in Wisconsin is 42” from nose to tail. Aside from the bears that were clearly cubs, all of the bears that we were seeing were legal bears.

HPFC: How long in advance do you have to set up the hunt?

Samantha Sukupcak: If you don’t know an outfitter that you’d like to book with, typically you are calling as soon as you know you have been drawn for a tag. When I started sending inquiries the majority of the outfitters were either full, or did not respond. Hooks ‘n’ Bone Outfitters responded and had space, and after talking with Mike, it sounded like going with his operation would be a really good experience. Some hunters will call an outfitter if they know they will apply for a tag to reserve a spot if they are drawn. That is the route I will go now that I have an established relationship with an outfitter.

Come back next week for Part II, to learn more about the process, the planning, and more great info from Mike Oberle.