Manitoba Black Bearhunting

Jeff H returns May 2018 to take a colored bear is what was planned.   Bears are not planners when we are hunting….. They arrive if they are hungry and if there is what they want at the barrel… After sticking this great bear with his easton arrow and the skull went to the beetles.   it came back as 17 3/16 just short of Boone and Crocket bear score here in Manitoba… But still a great bear.. His other 2 bears 18 8/16 and 20 1/16 if they’d been taken with his bow they’d made book….. Anyway what a great trophy black bear Jeff harvested in May 2018

I shot a Wolf in Manitoba

Wolf hunting in Manitoba many years ago it was not unheard of to see a wolf roaming threw a whitetail area of Manitoba

Have you ever had the opportunity to put the scope to a Wolf?

Wow what a rush! something I didnt know I would ever have chance to do.   While sitting in a Deer stand back in 2000 after our deer hunt was over. I was seeing a lot of tracks during the deer season and thought Id take a day and see what I could see.  Well -20F clear evening,  just a dusk that evening off in the distance the wolves were calling,  I was enjoying the scenes and saw a movement off to the right in the distance.

Patiently not moving a muscle just minutes later Wow there is a Wolf, because of earlier movement I was prepared and I squeezed the trigger of my 250 and down he went not another step… my heart beating so fast.  Out of the blind and down to see the trophy I had just harvested…   In Manitoba a Resident does not need a special license but a trapping license or an open Big Game tag which I had not shot a deer earlier…

now the long trek back to the truck up out of the valley but the adrenaline still pumping got the job done..

Big Grass Lady Bear hunters

lady hunter shots a bear

Nicole rocks

lady hunter shoots a bear

Jess blasts

 

 Women are True Marksmen    Women hunters are a pleasure to guide during a Black Bear hunt.. Precision is a must, a good kill is a priority. Jess is a seasoned hunter looking for a big Bucket head in 2018.  Nicole is amazed how a snap of a twig and he was standing in the site, and she waited for a good shot.  Safety off and deep breathe and she pulls the trigger.

Big Grass has guided many Ladies in camp and we make special plans if we have booked a Lady.  The anticipation of a bear entering the site shows on a ladies face by the width of the smile when you arrive after the Bear is dead. Detail is ignited with the replay when telling the story of her hunt.  Lady hunters young and old are always welcome to Camp.

Beavers is a source of bear food.

dandelions

Dandelions

Beaver trapper

Beaver trapper

Beaver carcass

Bears Big Mac

What do you think is a Bears favorite food?

Well in Manitoba Spring bear hunting, Beaver parts, carcass, not the hide but the body and internals is high protein. After a long winter they come out of hybernation hungry. Beavers can be out sutting small sapplings for food and because a bear can out run a Beaver they hav learned to follow the beaver dams to access easy food.. They will also pull apart a Beaver hut to get into get the kittens.

When we use the parts of the carcass, we cut them up with a band saw into small pieces and place in bait barrel , if you leave a whole beaver at the site the big old bear will come along and take the one carcass , go away have a feast then he doesn’t need to return to site for couple days… Then we put top back on barel so it is not easy access to the bait.

Spring means Dandelions,

this is also another favorite food,  the white mile in the dandelion stem is very sweet and the bears eat this to make their stomachs start to work in the spring… If you are in an area where there are lots of Dandelions the bears can stop coming to the baits for a couple of days while they are filling their bellies with Dandelions..

WE have a local First Nations Trapper who traps beaver , he gets the bounty of the tail , sells the stretched or raw beaver pelt and we pay him so this is another source of income for him.. We have known this fellow for a long time he has some great stories for us when we sit and have coffee. the hunters love to listen to his tails of the wilderness.

Timothy T ,Ia 5 ft Black Bear

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IMG_8674

Tim returns to take a Black with his 45-70 and these Barnes Vor-tx bullets.. the petals rolled back when it went threw both shoulders and stopped just inside skin on other side.. what a cool thing to see with these cannon like shells.

Manitoba black bear baiting

Do you have your fall black bears set yet?  Aug 29 hunters in the woods looking for good big colored bears.IMG_8439IMG_8429IMG_8427IMG_8428

Stealth sees everyone !

P18_T_FG=1750,FT=65000,NIR=0,GM=2,CT=128,EV=45,TY=98,PY=102,DY=31,GB=0x80,NY=0,AE(320,80,160,320,1),0

D65IR_V075.D00031.062__FG=10000,FT=166624,NIR=0,GM=2,  EV=66,PY=9,DY=40,GB=0x80,SG=0x74,EL=3092,AEY=0,AEM=0,AEW=160,AEH=320

Stealth captures awesome photos day and night, here a young doe is watching something, and a big old bruin is visiting our dead beasty pit, We had only seen a couple of foot prints in the spring, but he has now returned.  we have watched a small bear each year and if this is same bear it is likely 10 yrs now and likely weighing up in that 350-500 this fall… HOW Ever not baits here at the lodge..

Manitoba has great wildlife

P18_T_FG=1000,FT=1570,NIR=1,GM=41,CT=160,EV=14,TY=98,PY=101,DY=42,GB=0x80,NY=0,AE(0,0,640,480,1),0

P18_T_FG=1000,FT=12729,NIR=1,GM=41,CT=160,EV=29,TY=98,PY=101,DY=41,GB=0x80,NY=0,AE(0,0,640,480,1),0D65IR_V075.D00031.062__FG=1000,FT=5550,NIR=1,GM=41, EV=23,PY=29,DY=66,GB=0x80,SG=0x0,EL=103,AEY=249,AEM=1,AEW=640,AEH=480Whose out on the back 40 acres when we are not around, a nice young moose coming and going at his leisure, and this little buck,  Ive been seeing a huge print across the garden but he will not show his face to a camera…

Russell Manitoba the place to be!

IMG_5864IMG_5860IMG_5861IMG_5880Can you believe all these photos? What would we do without our Iphones? 50-60 mph winds blows the flag straight out, then driving along and within 1 mile we went from not snow to 4 inches and in 10 miles 12 inches,, Connies Drive in it the place to be March 31 in gusting winds the customers are lined up for burgers, chicken, fries, and soft ice cream!!  and the last one a cyclest in Manitoba is a Chilly ride with temps dip to 10-25F during the day. then gusting winds but he had the WIND ON  HIS BACK not a bad plan when you have no cab and only peddles for steam.

Baiting bears at Big Grass

IMG_5729IMG_5731Beavers is the main food of a Bear in the Spring prior to grass turning green, the beaver may be out cutting trees or the bear will dig into a beaver hut to access the beaver kits for food.. We are lucky to know Elzivar who traps fur in the winter and spring. Just the other day he called to say he had a bunch and would like to bring them over as he doesnot have a deep freezer and temps outside are rising.  here are 20 carcasses he bought over, and he will continue to trap till we arrive in the area for our spring bear hunt. We chop the beaver in pieces and wire the pieces to the so bear will have to work away at trying to release it to eat it..This gives the hunter time to determine how big the bear is and to get a good killing shot. We also use oats and grease for bait along with meat scraps, sweets and a scent control to spray hopfully covering the scent of the hunter in the tree, plus this scent is an attractant.