Spring 2012 Black Bear Season

Week #1

Rod started our season off with a "big bang"!

This is an awesome boar:

May 12/12 Rod

May 17/12 Steve and Park

Mike went home without a bear, but he made a clean miss, with no blood. His miss was on a first-class big boar; from what he described, this one was a dandy! Mike is an excellent shot, and we personally witnessed some incredibly good shots on targets here in camp.

May 17/12 Dale

Dale took the last bear for this week! He also tried to leave a piece of his thumb behind. Dale was using his bow and didn't have his hand in the proper position, and the string cut into his thumb. Nothing that five stitches couldn't fix! Ouch! But hey, he got the bear, and that's what counts!

At the end of Week #1 we have four bears for five hunters, and the fifth hunter missed a "good one," so we consider that 100%.

The Arkansas boys travelled in fine style.

Week #2

Steve starts the week off with a nice chocolate color phase bear.

May 21/12 Steve

Steve's message to me:

"Dear Kathy,

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for running a first-class operation - it was all that was advertised and more. I have hunted with a number of different outfitters at different camps and yours is in the top echelon. From your assistance in preparing for the hunt, directions on reaching camp, the lodge itself as well as the cooking and the cleanliness of the lodge - all was spot on. The lodge felt like home. It was neat and clean with all the amenities hunters would need - right down to the slippers. The beds were comfortable and we all had plenty of room to relax. A lot of outfitters boast of hunters coming into camp as strangers and leaving as friends but my experience is that is a hard bar to reach. However you did achieve that. An added value was that the other hunters were easy to live with and made the experience much more enjoyable. Non-hunters think it is all about the kill and they fail to see that with most hunters, it is about the total experience not just the harvest.

I left for last any comments on your staff - guides, Barry, Walker and Larry not only know how to guide but also how to hunt. They made sure that we were well taken care of from the time that we started out till the time they skinned our bears. The skinning facilities and walk-in freezer were top drawer. It was nice to see Barry, Walker, and Larry searching and finding stand umbrellas to shield the rain away from the hunters. It shows their commitment.

I especially want to thank you for accommodating my diet. I like the fact that we had a hearty breakfast and dinner, sandwiches for the field, and then the soup: after a long evening on stand, cold and wet, we were all able to put your delicious soup in our bellies to warm us up.

Please use me as a reference for future hunters. I plan to come back next year, hopefully with the same hunters.

-Steve"

Scene from John's tree stand

May 23/12 Jeff & John

Getting ready for the hunt

May 25/12 Trent & Benjie

Thomas went home without a bear and also without part of his T-shirt. All you hunters who have been with us know about that! Thomas is a good hunter but every hunter can tell a tale or two about missing the shot!

John and Kathy

Week #2 saw five bears going home for six hunters, and the sixth hunter shot at and missed his bear, so we still consider this season to be 100%.

Week #3

Everyone getting ready to leave for the first day of their Saskatchewan bear hunt with Makwa River Outfitters.

Step one: get loaded into the trucks.

Step two: get loaded onto the quads/tub-trailers and head into the forest:

Step three: get to the site, get into the stand, and the guide (Walker, in this picture) adds to the bait.

This is a double stand set up for a father and son (we only do this if one is under age and legally requires parental supervision). It's not an easy setup, as we need two suitable trees side by side.

Step four: get your bear!

Eddie takes the first bear of the week and it's a nice one!

May 30/12 Eddie

May 31/12 Marion & Bruce

June 1/12 Bruce

June 2/12 Marcus

Larry and Matt went home without a bear this year.

Good job everyone!

This concludes our spring 2012 bear season!

Our next season ended up being six years later, in 2018.