By Clay Newcomb

October 1^st is a day I won’t soon forget.  Five years of effort and hustle culminated into my best day of bear hunting. I was bear hunting on private land in Oklahoma for my fifth year. In 2015 I took a 360-pound 20 8/16” bear and was thrilled, however there was a larger bear on the property that I named Batman. He wasn’t just “bigger” he was a lot bigger. He was extremely wary and rarely showed up during the daytime. It's hard to beat an older-age boar's nose. They understand the game. They live long because they come in downwind when they approach the bait – it’s that simple. Or they are 100% nocturnal. They rarely make mistakes. I knew to harvest this bear I was going to have to get extremely lucky, or find a way to be totally scent free - and luck can't be trusted. Your typical “wash your clothes” in scent free soap and spray down is a joke in the bear woods when you’re after a world-class bear.

Rare daylight image of the giant Oklahoma black bear named Batman. Pictures like this are pure gold for a bear hunter. For five years we've been getting pictures of this bear but haven't been able to harvest him. Several years he's been almost completely nocturnal. Note the Redneck Blind in the background.

Clay Newcomb with "Batman" the 550-pound Oklahoma black bear he harvested on October 1st, 2018. Clay used a Redneck Blind to contain his scent while hunting the giant bear. 

        I thought about building an airtight blind that I could sleep inside of to stay on these bears when the season opened. Then it occurred to me, “There already is one….Redneck Blinds.” I contacted the guys at Redneck and discussed my plan to see if they thought it would work. “Will these blinds contain your scent?” I asked TJ Pugh at Redneck.

            “Almost 100%.” He said. The windows and door are sealed with rubber gaskets. I knew it would be hot with all the windows closed, but it would be worth it for a giant bear. I drove to Lamar, Missouri and brought back a Redneck Buck Palace blind in early August. I won’t spill the beans of the all the details of the setup and the hunt until a later issue of Bear Hunting Magazine – I harvested Batman at 6:21 p.m. on the first evening of the hunt. He never knew I was in there. It worked.

            Batman weighed 550 pounds on a digital scale and had a wingspan of eight feet (claw to claw in front). He was seven feet nose to tail. His skull green scores 20 2/16”. This is the largest body-weight bear I’ve ever taken. He was a true monarch and I felt privileged to breath the same air as him for the fleeting minutes I got to watch him.  

Giant old boars indicate a healthy bear population. This giant Oklahoma black bear has a wingspan of 8 feet! Nose to tail he was 7 feet. Check out Bear Hunting Magazine for the full story. 

 The bear weighed 550 pounds on a digital scale. 

         Hunting older age class boars is a privilege and a testament to the management and conservation happening in Oklahoma. These big bears are “indicator animals” that tell us the habit is good and the population dynamics are strong. Hunters are the good guys who love and value wildlife more than any other people on the planet. Yesterday I went back to the property and felt a tinge of sadness that Batman wasn’t still roaming the property, but I knew in his absence other bears would thrive and another MONARCH-KING of the bear woods would take his place. Long live the beast….

Clay was shooting a 250-grain Iron Will broadhead. He got tremendous penetration on the giant Oklahoma black bear. 

The wildlife related commodities that we get from bear are amazing! Check out this rack of ribs! Clay's planning to put these on the smoker! www.orioncoolers.com

You’ll be able to read a detailed article about this hunt in a 2019 issue of Bear Hunting Magazine. You’ll be able to hear a play-by-play podcast I recorded in the Redneck blind during the hunt by next week! (Bear Hunting Magazine Podcast) I even recorded the shot! Lastly, you’ll be able to watch the hunt on the Bear Hunting Magazine YouTube Channel in a few weeks.

Watch us setup the Redneck blind here: 

Check out Northwoods Bear Products. I relied heavily upon them for this hunt:

Special Thanks to Aaron at Outdoor American Archery in Springdale for letting me borrow his bow!!!

Watch the VIDEO: 

Listen to the Podcast: