Eagle Eye Outfitting, Alberta Bears
Bears
Friday pm hunt nets four Alberta bruins all green scoring over P&Y minimum.
Friday pm hunt nets four Alberta bruins all green scoring over P&Y minimum.
This picture is from last Friday’s PM hunt at Kyle Mudge’s, Eagle Eye Outfitting in Alberta. Three of the four of us bow hunting connected that afternoon on four P&Y bears.
The link above is not the best way to contact Kyle Mudge.
email: [email protected]
cell: 780.850.9024
Kyle works with Mike Ukrainetz as his head guide on his fall hunts. 5 years ago Kyle bought Black bear allocations to the East of Mikes place and now runs a fantastic bear camp. Kyle has adopted much of Mikes technique to hunt these Alberta brutes. Alberta is a two bear hunt which adds to the fun.
I will re-cap my hunt from last week with a lot of pictures and a little video showing the quality of this bear hunt.
Kyle getting us ready!
Kyle getting us ready!
First a word about Mike Ukrainetz. As many of you know he runs one of the very best Outfitting businesses in Alberta. Usually an Outfitter wants to maintain his quality guides for his operation BUT Mike identified Kyle Mudge as a guy who wanted to run the “next” quality bear operation in Alberta and has done everything he can to help and advise Kyle. Not many Outfitters would do this. I first hunted with Mike in 2004 and knew from the get-go he was a class act!
The link above is not the easiest way to reach Kyle.
Email him at: [email protected] Cell: 780.850.9024
Green score 20 12/16’s over 400 pounds.
Green score 20 12/16’s over 400 pounds.
After week three a total of 15 bear hunters have killed 19 bears. 15 of the 19 bears have green scored over P&Y minimum and the largest was 406 pounds, 20 12/16 skull and was shot by a long bowman.
I have hunted in 7 or 8 different bear camps across Canada and this is far and away the best results I’ve experienced.
Glad to see that you enjoyed your hunt Charlie.I was at Kyles camp the week before Charlie,and had a great time,killing a 310 lb.7'1"square,19 3/8 bear.Already booked for next June,see what the bear rut is all about.Awesome camp,great guides,and great hunters make for a good time.
Five foot log in front of bait
Five foot log in front of bait
To consistently get mature animals You need great Genetics, food/habitat and time. This area has that.
The next key is creating the environment for bear evaluation and quality shots. This is where Kyle has it down. Remember he’s worked many years with Mike so you will see similar set-ups. There is a crib at every bait to encourage the bears to come in broadside. Also a 5’ log is laid on the ground in front of the bait’s. If a bear is as long as the log and as high as the standing barrel you want to shoot!
Popcorn machine was going every day.
Popcorn machine was going every day.
Beaver and meat at every bait
Beaver and meat at every bait
Every bait has a camera and every bait has multiple kinds of food. Popcorn, beaver, meat, licorice and honey are at every bait. The honey is positioned on a tree so you can sex the bear when he reaches up. Some bears prefer each different kind of food. Lots of popcorn which is a favorite. Kyle evaluates the trail cam Photo’s constantly and will only put you on a bait with at least one big bear visiting during daylight.
Tents and the gathering place fire pit.
Tents and the gathering place fire pit.
There is sooo much preparation that goes into a bear camp that I want to highlight the special effort Kyle makes. First the camp is a tent camp with quality tents each equipped with a small wood stove. Next to the hunters tents is the cook tent and a shower for hot showers each day. We were living outdoors but man o man was it comfortable.
Great looking bears....keep it coming!
We ate better than the bears:)
We ate better than the bears:)
Rancher: You were so right about this camp. You shot a terrific bear! Congrats.
Tom is the cook and has incredible variety at every meal. We’d have breakfast at 9, lunch at 2:30 then a dinner around 1 am when we got back to camp. We could hunt until around 10:30 while I was there.
I don’t see any Oreo’s on that spread, Charlie. Did you already have them all eaten before the pic was taken?! ;-)
Looking forward to the rest of this thread! Sounds like you guys had a great week and were very well taken care of. Congrats to all of Kyle’s hunters on their bears as well!
Prep!
Prep!
Bear camp is a fun, social hunt. The guys I met were terrific and we had lots great laughs. In this picture on the left is Curt from WI, Jason from IL, Matt from Australia and Tom from NY.
Matt Hynds from Australia
Matt Hynds from Australia
Matt Hynds from Queensland, Australia came on this hunt to celebrate his 40th birthday. He is a super bow hunter with much experience but there are no bears in Australia so off he comes to Alberta. I really enjoyed his company and as you’ll see later he got a great bear.
Staying in tents makes me ask about bugs... especially skeeters. Are the bugs a problem? Congratulations on some awesome bears.
Bugs were not an issue in camp or in the tents. Evenings got chilly and we used the wood stove most nights. Zero issues with bugs in the tent. A few of the guys used Thermacells on stand but I didn’t need it at all.
Great review Charlie and looks like a great trip! I had the pleasure of hunting with Kyle on a fall hunt at Mike's and it is no surprise that he would run a top notch camp, as he was a very detailed and determined guide.
Hey Charlie awesome review I agree 100 percent that was one well run camp.. Kyle and his crew had it all covered. Class act from beginning to end.. don't get to say that about alot of outfitters. It was a pleasure sharing camp with you as well, we have rebooked for next year and I'll be booking with Mike (requesting Kyle as my guide) for mulies as well on his next availability. Also wanna thank Pat for starting Bowsite it is a very valuable asset for us bowhunters,especially reviews like these. There's nothing worse than getting ripped off by a con artist who calls himself an outfiiter. If anyone is interested in big Alberta black bears you can book this one and rest assured these guys have your best interests at heart and will give 110 percent. Great camp.
Thanks for the great review, Charlie. Looks like an outstanding outfit!
Jason’s Bear #1
Jason’s Bear #1
Jason’s first bear. He runs Hero Shot Outfitters in Illinois, is a Bowsite Outfitter Sponsor and will doing his third Wounded Warrior Archery Hunt this fall.
All bears are weighed (digital scale), squared and green scored with calipers.
Jason’s bear 1, 280 pounds, 6’ 10” and green scored 18 14/16.
Crib promotes broad side
Crib promotes broad side
The color phase bears get a pass here until they are mature.
The color phase bears get a pass here until they are mature.
A few pictures of bears at the bait while I was on stand. Note how the crib gets the bears in a shooting position. This is the single best feature on every bait.
Many times the bears know you’re there but I’ve found Western Canadian bears tolerate hunters much more.
Great review Charlie. I love the tent camps the more remote the more appealing to me. It speaks volumes of the class act Mike Ukrainetz is not only a great mentor but as a person in general! Kyle has learned from the best so it only makes sense that he knows how to treat people and run a successful camp.
Kyle's camp is kicking butt this year on big bears! It's great to see the kills are finally matching up with what he has been seeing on trail cameras for the last several years. Awesome area, lots of bears, great outfitter and genuine good guy!! The link on his profile is kind of screwed up so text or call Kyle direct at 780 850 9024 for what hunts he has open in 2020 and 2021. Or email at
[email protected]. His hunts are a bargain price right now and won't stay this cheap for long, booking now will give you the greatest choice of hunt dates and lock in the current price.
Charlie, it was great seeing you in camp. Being in outfitter one of the biggest joys is the friendships that you develop along the way. I hold myself to a high standard running Hero Shot and am very picky when I book my own hunt. This hunt exceeded all of my expectations. Looking forward to bringing my dad to bear camp in 2020 and I will be joining 3under on a 2021 mule deer hunt with Mike(with the request of Kyle as our guide). I am confident I will have many more successful hunts with this group. Great Job Kyle, Buzz, Colton, and Tom. You guys are a class act. Look forward to following the thread!
Charlie,
Congrats on an incredible hunt! AMAZING!!!
I would concur about Kyle Mudge and Mike Ukrainetz as I've hunted with them at Mike's Outfitting in Spirit River Alberta.
They are first class people and outfitters all the way!!!
Can't wait to get back up there!!!
Mark
Thanks for the comments guys.
On night one I had a beautiful boar come in, chase a sow off then turn broadside and feed. I shot and only got 9” of penetration (found arrow and measured blood line on arrow). We looked that night and found a tiny bit of blood on a tree but backed out. In the am we searched for 4 hours but could not find a drop of blood. My shot was a bit high and must have caught shoulder but with no exit wound there was no blood to find.
This was the first bear hit and not retrieved during this season. Very disappointed however Alberta is a two bear Province and the way Kyle works it my first Tag was considered filled. Kyle takes the fee for bear two and if you don’t kill he gives you the second bear fee back at the end of the hunt. I took the next day off to re-group and get back mentally.
Big boar on Matt’s bait! Will he return?
Big boar on Matt’s bait! Will he return?
After day three the two guys from Wisconsin had to return home. One had shot two bears and the other passed in hope of a big boy. When they left it was us four bow hunters, three guides and the camp cook.
On day five, three of the four bow hunters shot 4 bears all green scoring over P&Y minimum.
First up was Matt around 7:30 pm (legal shoot time was around 10:30). He had come to Alberta from Australia to celebrate his 40th birthday. What a cool “mate”. He sat the same bait the previous pm and got a great pic of this giant boar but no shot. He also saw 8 to10 other bears included another real good blackie.
Matt from Australia!
Matt from Australia!
Here is Matt with his exception boar he shot at 7:30 pm. He and Kyle had a heck of a time getting him out but Matt was off the charts thrilled.
271 pounds, 6’ 10.5” squared and 19 8/16 green P&Y.
Jason’s second boar on his first bear hunt.
Jason’s second boar on his first bear hunt.
Next was Jason with his second boar. This was the second time at this bait. The first time a sow was there with four tiny cubs. This night when she came back two were gone and we’re likely killed by a boar trying to bring her back in heat. The rut is picking up. Jason shot this boar and heard the death moan for the first time. He was moved.
Bear weighed 262, squared 7’ and green scored 18 8/16.
Tom and Colton
Tom and Colton
Next up this pm was Tom from NY. The bait he went to was so remote the guide Colton brought a stand in to sit with him so he didn’t have to go back and forth twice. Multiple bears were coming and going and Tom then shot a boar. When the boar was hit he let out a roar which triggered the large sow on the bait to attack him. They fought for a bit then she backed off. Tom shot a second arrow and the boar roared again and she stormed back and attacked him until he was about done. Unreal!
Then a bit later a larger boar came in and he shot that one too. They had to bring each bear out separately and didn’t get back to camp until 2:30 am.
The prior evening Tom had shot a wolf but that am they found good blood but no wolf. Plenty of wolves around and we all had wolf tags. That was a LONG day for Tom and Colton.
Bear one, 198 pounds, squared 6’ 3” and green scored 18 even.
Bear two, 258 pounds, 6’ 7” and green scored 18 7/16.
Great write up so far Charlie! It was an honour for me in so many levels! It was well and truly beyond my expectations going into this camp. Having never hunted black bear ( never even actually seeing one prior to this......) but sharing the camp with great blokes with yourself, Jason(Hero Shot Outfitters) and Tom ( 3under) I was more than assisted and helped with any questions or queries that I had. For this I am truly grateful.
You guys continuously told me that there are less than “professional” outfitters out there and that I was blessed to have fallen into such a well run camp and professional outfit service like Kyles. Through Kyle, Colton, and Brian’s expertise I witnessed first hand a complete new level of hunting. It was truly a 40th birthday gift to my self that I could not have ever imagined any better! I take my hat off to Kyle’s outfit. It was beyond five star from the get go. The food, the accomodation, the valued knowledge, even the general conversation around camp. It was next level. I look forward to trying to get back over there some time in the future.
It was an unforgettable experience meeting all you guys in camp. I really do hope that we stay in touch and anticipate future hunts together. I could not have been happier. I could not fault a single aspect of the camp, the hunt, the people. Being a complete amateur at bear hunting, everything was made possible because of the group of guys, hunters and guides, even the cook, that made my camp and entire hunt experience something that will remain with me beyond my time. Cheers heaps guys. Thank you
Prepping the bears for photos
Prepping the bears for photos
Bears on quads:)
Bears on quads:)
The next am we had four bears to get cleaned up for photos and skinned.
This is another area of the hunt process that Kyle does a great job. First they brush up the bear coats for positioning for the photos. There is always a temptation to rush this process but taking your time is a must.
Happy boys!
Happy boys!
How about that patch?
How about that patch?
Charlie Rehor's Link
Here are the bears moving from pictures to weighing, squaring and measuring.
Weighing
Weighing
Next up a digital scale, then skinning, squaring and calipers for skull size.
Skinning
Skinning
I watched Kyle, Brian and Colton skin 8 bears while I was there and everyone was meticulously done with Havalons leaving zero fat on the hides.
Kyles dog Whiskey keeps an Eye on the boys at all times:)
Cooler for transport
Cooler for transport
Next The hides are laid out in the freezer to get the heat out. Then the capes are folded and laid in a container which is the exact size to fit in pre-purchased coolers Kyle has for the hunters to transport home. Once frozen the hide fits perfectly in these coolers along with the skull.
Fantastic service to prepare your bear for transport. Attention to detail is every where.
Bait with crib to position bears
Bait with crib to position bears
Ok, last night for me to get a bear. Here is the view from my bait. Bait is named “Booner”! Sounds good to me. Again, notice the cribs at each bait. This is the single most helpful method for getting the bear into a shooting position. Imagine the extra work to get one of these at every one of Kyle’s 40 baits.
Very nice thread Charlie!
At 9:30 with an hour to go this bear approached. It fit the barrel height and log length so I was shooting. Note again how the crib gets the bear in the right position. First part is GoPro over the shoulder then Closer video then slo-mo of the shot.
Iron Will, Victory Arrow and their new Lighted nock.
Iron Will, Victory Arrow and their new Lighted nock.
I was using my Mathews Vertix, Victory Arrows, Iron Will broadheads, MBG sight, Ripcord rest and TightSpot Quiver. The lighted Nock is a new one from Victory Archery. Gear worked great but as you can see my shot was a tad high. Colton came in quickly and we tracked for about 100 yards but it was extremely thick and getting darker so we decided to back out until am.
My bear
My bear
In the am Brian, Colton and I went back to pick up the track. The bear entered some really thick brush so tracking was slow but after about 30 minutes Brian yelled out “there’s your bear”.
Such a relief to see the dead bear. It turned out it was a giant Sow. Because of the location and distance from the quad we tagged/skinned her where she died and headed back to camp.
When I put the calipers on the skull it green scored 18 10/16 inches. I was absolutely thrilled at how big this sows skull measured. When I got home I checked the P&Y Record books as it is extremely rare for a sow to make Record book. I discovered there are currently only 5 sows entered over 20 inches and 11 sows entered over 19 inches. This bear should rank top 20 as a sow. Currently there are around 10,000 bears entered in the record books and almost all are boars. This will be my most unique P&Y entry. Genetics in this area are terrific. I’m sending the teeth to www.deerage.com to find out her age.
Ready to fly home.
Ready to fly home.
I had a couple hours to pack and get ready for my flight home. Brian cooled down my cape, took the meat off the skull and then Colton drove Matt and me to the airport.
Grand Prairie Airport
Grand Prairie Airport
At the airport for my flight home.
Congrats!! Looks like a great hunt!
Great hunt! Great stories! Good for you guys! Well done Charlie!
Awesome Charlie! Great pictures, info, and video! Thanks for sharing and congrats on a great bear!
Congrats! Incredible for a sow - what a trophy! What did she square?
woodguy: We skinned the bear in the field and she had been partially eaten on one side during the night (wolf, coyote or bear?) so we never squared the hide or weighed her.
Tremendous post! Great hunt. Thanks Charlie!
Very nice Charlie,congratulations on your bear.I felt like I was with you every step of the way.It's going to be a long wait until next year,but I can always fall back on reading your thread when needed.Cliff
Great hunt Charlie, and congrats on that giant sow! Will be very interesting to see how old she is! Did you get a look at the teeth? Could well be she is even past breeding age, and just an old dry sow. Thanks for the hunt recap.
Kyle on left!
Kyle on left!
A year and a half ago we had an anonymous Bowsite member diagnosed with terminal cancer. He donated his fully paid Moose Hunt to this Purple Heart Recipient, Jeremy on right. Kyle was his guide for that hunt and Jeremy got a fantastic bull Moose. Pay it forward guys! Good things will happen!
Kyle’s email: [email protected]
Kyles cell: 780.750.9024
Packing a lot of good eating home.
Great thread Charlie! Thanks for sharing... footage of your shot is very cool as well...seemed like your arrow hardly slowed down.
Color phase sow
Color phase sow
This one likes beaver
This one likes beaver
Note white patch
Note white patch
Some other visitors at the bait.
Great job writing this up! I almost took the 2 person cancellation hunt last week with my 16yr old son but he was preparing for finals at school. Showed him the pics and he was bummed to miss out on the action. Hoping to book for 2021.
It's also nice to see bow harvests on the bowsite. Too many pics of rifles on other black bear posts in my opinion. Keep up the great job and hopefully we will be in your camp very soon.
Charlie how do you post videos? I got a couple cool ones I can post from the hunt.
Not the harvest video of course.
Great write up Charlie. Looks like a great place and am impressed with the hide care. Laying them out flat to cool in freezer before packing is key.
Very nice, Charlie! Bring that skull to me in 60 days and we’ll make it official. :)
Thanks for a great thread Charlie, and congratulations on a great bear! I’m glad you had such a good hunt!
Kyle does a great job on helping you judge bear. Between boar and sow and young boar to mature boar. One thing that stuck out to me is that a sow will be shaped like a light bulb. That stuck with me all week and helped me identify the sows from boars. This allowed me to be able to eliminate any sow that came in and focus on a mature boar.
Thank you Charlie for doing a great job posting the story of the week. It was great to finally meet you and hunt together.
Thanks for the kind words from everyone. Having clients like you all in camp make the hunting experience what it is. Thank you.
As for Charlie’s first bear, there is no sign of it being dead but where the arrow hit I do not believe the bear will die. High shoulder hit likely will scar over and he will become a new legendary Giant.
Mark Demchuck 290lbs, 7’1” and measured 20 2/16”
Mark Demchuck 290lbs, 7’1” and measured 20 2/16”
Let’s keep the excitement going. Here is a couple bears we took the first week of this season.
240lbs, 6’10”, 19”
240lbs, 6’10”, 19”
Repeat hunter Mike from North Dakota tagged this beauty of a bear.
300 lbs, 7’, 19 8/16”
300 lbs, 7’, 19 8/16”
Another dandy taken by Lyle of North Dakota on his second hunt with us.
Congratulations again and great thread
Kyle,I love the picture of Lyle of North Dakota and his bear.Lyle and the bear are both squinting,maybe in the gene pool,eh?
Good stuff! Congrats to all involved!
Do you have fall hunts ? If so what range of weight would the bears be then?
I was up at Kyles operation the week before Charlie came,and killed a bear that weighed 310 with no fat at all.Kyle said that bear would have weighed 30% more in the fall,or 400lbs.
Honey Box.
Honey Box.
Every bait station has a honey box where the bear stands which helps identify either a boar or sow.
wow that is some dark honey. I wonder what flower it came from. Some of the Canadian Beekeepers can get up 200-300lbs per hive. Sorry i'm a beekeeper.
On top of the great accomadations and awesome bears, add these chromosomes to the gene pool.. Next few years are going to be interesting, to say the least.
On top of the great accomadations and awesome bears, add these chromosomes to the gene pool.. Next few years are going to be interesting, to say the least.
Great info; can't wait for my hunt with Kyle in May, along with a friend who hunted there last year and killed two brutes. After hearing from him, I had to go. Will be going for bear #11&12.
Congrats Charlie did you ever find out how old the sow was, I’m guessing 18
skull: Deerage.com aged my bear at 9 years old. Alberta has great genetics.
Official P&Y Score is 18 7/16” Very rare for a Sow to score above P&Y minimum (18”)
Hope everyone has a great Spring Bear Hunt lined up
Thabks Charlie for adding to the post. For your sow to score well over the Pope and Young minimum is incredible. Very rare, it was only the second sow I’ve seen score over 18”.
For those of you looking for a bear hunt this spring give me a call. I have had a couple spots recently open up. 780 850 9024 or email [email protected]
Thank you to all who have hunted with us and followed along in the past.
