Massive bruin leads Senoraske on the unforgettable hunt of a lifetime

For Holcombe resident Todd Senoraske, Sept. 21, 2024, will live on in his mind forever. That was the day that Senoraske came home with the story of a lifetime, one that needed no embellishment.

“It was a pretty wild hunt,” said Senoraske. “I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures in life…but this would rank as probably one of the best hunts ever.”

A mere five miles from his house, Senoraske was on the chase for a bear to fill his tag, as part of a group of avid and dedicated hunters, which included Walker Jones, Wayne Jones, Nathan Jones, Kadyn Jones, Trent Lee, Terry Kent, Brandon Kobliska and Dave Kobliska.

The morning of the hunt, Senoraske and the group checked the baits, then waited for legal hunting time, to release the hounds to pick up a track. The dogs found a few trails that day, then suddenly began baying and would not stop.

“That’s a concerning part, at times, because the bear can be very aggressive toward the dogs and the last thing you want, is a dog to be injured,” said Senoraske, adding that ethics and safety of all involved, is paramount. “There’s a lot of responsibility involved with this sort of hunting.”

Senoraske is well aware that some people perceive bear hunting as cheating or effortless, but unlike other forms of hunting, this requires a more demanding need for endurance and perseverance.

“Particularly this one,” said Senoraske. When they followed the dogs, Kent and he entered the woods, then came to tag alders in a fallen cedar swamp, where the hounds had the track. Soon, the hunters were sinking into the muck above the knee, and after about 20 minutes of extreme exertion, ended in grass up to the 6’3” Senorake’s chest.

The duo confirmed where the dogs were by GPS, when all at once, the dogs were right around the hunters.

“If the dogs are around you, where is the bear?” said Senoraske.

A quick look around and Senoraske spotted the bear, getting his gun ready for a shot. All that could be seen, was the animal’s head and back, which was level with the grass.

“I was like, oh, my, this is a big one,” said Senoraske, who was ready to take a shot. “And just like that, it was gone.”

Keep in mind, this all was happening in a severe thunderstorm warning, with thunder and lightning crashing overhead.

“The least of our concerns was the lightning at that time,” said Senoraske, laughing. “It was the huge bear!”

Back into the swamp the hunters plunged and 200-300 yards later, they closed in on the bear again. With only 10 yards of visibility in front of them, Senoraske saw it and had a shot toward the base of its neck – the bear was just five yards away, making for a dangerous situation.

“It was not happy,” said Senoraske. “And that’s part of the hunt, it’s just part of the sport.”

However, Senoraske is no stranger to intense situations, having hunted bear for years, including on an expedition with grizzlies, so he whipped up his gun and dropped the bear in its tracks. The animal went down at once and the hunters collected the dogs, securing the guns, since it appeared the bear was done for, with zero movement.

Here is where Senoraske admits to what could have been a fatal mistake – he should have put a finishing shot into the bear. A whole four minutes after they thought the bear was dead, it started to raise its head, with its mouth open, in a chomping fashion.

Senoraske reached for his 12-gauge slug rifle short-range shotgun like he was in slow motion, while Kent, who was near the bear, had the animal roll onto him slightly, pinning him, but managed to get free.

“It took two finishing shots and then it was done,” said Senoraske.

During all this, it was still storming and the hunters look at each incredulously.

“It’s unbelievable, like you’ve reached the apex of your bear hunting career,” said Senoraske.

The euphoria wore off a little, as the team then had to figure out how to get the massive animal out of the middle of a very difficult swamp. Since they didn’t want to dress or quarter the animal, as it was important to know the live weight, should they somehow find a helicopter and airlift it out? That seemed unlikely, so the group began to drag the carcass out.

At one point, there were eight people pulling the bear out and if even one of them lost momentum, everyone came to a screeching halt.

“It takes everyone in the communication process…to take credit alone, definitely don’t do that,” said Senoraske. “Everyone had one goal – work as a team. That’s the beauty of running hounds, I think.”

Eventually, Holcombe resident Buck Steele came to the rescue somewhat, by bringing in an otter sled. The group continued dragging the bear on the sled, until they came to Mud Brook, submerging the bear into the water, following the creek for about a quarter of a mile, which eased the burden of dragging the bear, by floating it.

“We had some very generous landowners, who allowed us to drag it across,” said Senoraske.

Once they reached a road, they got the bear out of the water, then loaded it into Steele’s truck. Senoraske had to show his family first, before heading with his kill to “headquarters,” to weigh it.

Someone in the hunting camp had just harvested a 608-pound bear the Monday before, breaking the camp record, but that weight was smashed, as Senoraske’s bear tipped the scales at 653 pounds. Senoraske is currently waiting to see results of the measurements of the gigantic skull.

“It could potentially make the books (as a county record),” he said.

Of course, with a harvest like that, Senoraske saved the bear as a full-body mount, which will be on display at Rocque Ridge Guides & Outfitters in Holcombe, once it comes back from the taxidermist.

Perhaps even more special to Senoraske, than the thrill of a lifetime, is the community aspect of the hunting the group, as they do things right, in a very ethical way, with a team-oriented philosophy. Sweetening the experience, Senoraske’s father, who runs hounds in Merrill, hopped in his truck and drove to see the massive harvest, sharing in the jubilee. “It was really cool to be around all those who are super passionate about it,” said Senoraske.

Xxxx

The paws of the monstrous animal alone were a sight to behold on the bear taken by Todd Senoraske of Holcombe.