Raymond Caswell of Escanaba stands next to the black bear he shot earlier this year in Delta County. Curtosey Photo

MARQUETTE — Taxidermist Raymond Caswell of Escanaba killed one of the biggest black bears taken with a bow and arrow in the state during the 2025 season.

The bruin he arrowed on the evening of Sept. 16 in Delta County while hunting over bait had a dressed weight of 443 pounds and en estimated weight more than 500.

It was the first bear he tagged.

Caswell’s hunt started Sept. 15. Based on game camera photos at the bait, he said he had five bears visiting the spot before his hunt began.

“On the first day of my hunt, the only bear I saw was the small male. Knowing a bigger animal was in the area, it was easy to pass up the young one.

“The next evening, the big male showed up about 7:15 p.m. I waited until he was in position for a good shot before releasing an arrow from my 65-pound-pull Bear bow. The bear immediately ran out of sight.”

Caswell shot the bear with a mechanical broadhead on a carbon arrow fitted with turkey feathers. He said he shot the bear from a tree stand that was only eight years from the bait.

He wanted to be close to make sure he made a good shot, if and when he got one.

“After I shot the bear, I was nervous,” Caswell explained. “I heard a death moan, but I didn’t want to look for the bear by myself. It was going to be dark soon, so I called my dad to help me find the bear.”

After he father arrived they didn’t have any trouble recovering the big bruin.

“There was instant blood at the bait pile,” Caswell said. “I got him in the heart. We found the bear 71 yards from where I shot him. When we found the bear and saw how big he really was, I was so excited and happy. I was jumping up and down and hugged my dad.

“I tried picking up the bear’s head and it was tough to do. We couldn’t even move him. It was a chore to get him out of the woods. We cut a trail to get an ATV to him.”

Caswell was hunting on private land near the border of the Carney Bear Management Unit. Due to the bear’s size, Caswell’s arrow didn’t go all the way through the animal. The arrow entered on the bear’s right shoulder and heavy bone probably reduced penetration.

There was an excellent blood trail nonetheless because he made a heart shot.

“I started shooting a bow and arrow when I was nine or 10 years old. I always wanted to shot a bear with bow and arrow, but I didn’t expect to shoot one this big. I’ve taken lots of deer with bow and arrow.”

The skull from Caswell’s bear should easily qualify for state and national big game record books after a 60-day drying period.

The owner of Nature’s Call Taxidermy, Caswell plans on doing a full mount of his bear.