Don't have to get the blessing, but you do have to visit all the way points (clear the shrine and then beat up the norn bear a few times) before you can actually go about killing him I belive
I think, actually, you have to get the blessing to trigger the rest of the quest. I'm not sure if you need to equip it, but I am sure that you don't need to use it if, as was said, you know where the spawn points are.