While all of Norway was getting on a train and shouting hurray for the national holiday, Hans Kristian Werkland was going on an adventure to Canada. The 20-year-old brown bear was hunting black bears in British Columbia, a dream for any hunter who loves great natural experiences.
-I shot the first bear we saw. It was also the first wild bear I saw, the first bear I saw living in the wild. It was huge, says Hans Kristian Werkland, who shot a bear measuring almost 2.2 meters.
He meets Frøya.no a few days after returning from a long trip and Hans Kristian is very happy that he chose to travel.
– It was incredibly fun. I’m the youngest person to ever go to that camp there, Werkland said.
On tour with Kristoffer Clausen
Hans Kristian took his hunting test at the age of 14, but has never been close to hunting animals as large as bears before. He mainly hunted birds, but now he wants to go on an adventure.
– I saw it on Facebook and found out I had to try it. I always wanted to hunt bear, Werkland said.
He learned about the project from Kristoffer Clausen, the man known for living alone in the forest for a year. He wrote a book and made a TV series about it, and then it was found out that he had cheated. He nevertheless lived 11 months in the wild and is known as a very experienced hunter and nature man.
– I had an extra desire to participate in the trip when I saw that he was part of it. I knew very well who he was, says Werkland.
– Kristoffer made a hunting film from the trip, so I’m going to get it back, he said.
The bear was in a tree
Werkland traveled to Canada alone, but upon arrival he encountered the group he was supposed to hunt with. There were several Norwegians, in addition to hunting guides and bear dogs.
– Was it scary to hunt the bear?
– Not really. We traveled the roads and we had with us the best bear hunters and bear dogs in the world. They had total control, explains Hans Kristian.
He says they saw a lot of bears during the five days of hunting. They were hunting in a large territory, but the guides were very experienced and ensured that the three Norwegians could shoot three bears together. On the froyværing side, this happened at the first opportunity that presented itself.
– The bear measured approx. 15 meters away, in a tree, the dogs stood under the tree and made sure he stayed there, says the 20-year-old young man.
– It was very different from bird hunting. It was different terrain, more difficult to access, and then you feel a little more adrenaline when you know that the animal can catch you, he said.
Want to hunt in South Africa
The skin of the 2.2 meter long bear is sent back home to Frøya, and Hans Kristian also collected some of the meat. He thinks it’s great.
– We took the meat with us to the camp and then we were able to taste it. I think it was good. It was quite tender, he said.
He now wants to go on more hunting trips and next time he plans to go to South Africa.
– There are a lot of great places to go and I really want to travel more. I can imagine hunting antelope next time, smiles Hans Kristian.
