Ole Guys, Post Covid, Bear Hunt Report
Bears
Well, finally after 2 years of no Canadian bear hunts we are back at it. When I arrived at camp last week in Saskatchewan with Kent Wolowski, I was one of 4 hunters. Bill is 80 from North Dakota, Vern is 79 from Georgia. Jim is 70 from Massachusetts and I’m 68. I’m usually the “old guy” in camp but this week I’m the youngin. Let’s see how it goes.
It’s been a tough couple years for all Canadian Outfitters and those that survived are appreciative of our return. Due to the late Spring Kent got some bait barrels in with his snow machine.
Also, with late Spring the River we cross to Kent’s Camp was too high to drive over so we took this boat across then quads to camp. The picture is Kent’s three German Shepards. They enjoy the boat ride and shopping trips to town.
Scroll in to see detail.
Scroll in to see detail.
There are two comfortable log cabins sitting on a cliff above the Carrot River. One of Kent’s long term hunters does antler carving and I couldn’t resist taking this Moose antler carving. Amazing detail.
To supplement Kent’s income during Covid he has done a lot of hide tanning for local Taxidermists. Here are two tanned Polar bear capes hanging in our log cabin.
Have a blast up there!
Following for a successful hunt.
Beauty
Beauty
We take quads to the baits from a half mile to 5 miles away from the Cabin. I like this rather than driving long distances from camp each way for each hunt. The first night sit 3 of the 4 of us saw bears and Jim shot this beautiful Brown Color phase boar. Look at that cape. One hour and he’s done.
The next morning we skinned the bear and did a green score with calipers. He was 19 2/16”. Kent guessed the weight at around 280. Jim loves bear meat so he cut the bear meat, packed it in freezer wrap and got it into the freezer.
Congratulations! Neat area!
Later that morning Vern and I went for our morning walk. Vern is a former Marine served in Vietnam in 1966. We hunted together at Kent’s place in 2014 and I just love being in his presence. He’s a wise soul that lives young and he’s a killer. In 16 bear hunts with Kent he has 9 bears and all color phases.
Great stuff!
Keep it coming please sir.
Looks like a hunt of a lifetime in the making!
Big beavers
Big beavers
Saw some neat stuff while on our walk. Kent traps a bunch of beavers for the baits and rigs them inside a barrel so they’re very hard to get out.
This is our turn around spot on our morning walk.
Late spring but the flowers were just coming out.
I wonder how many beavers call this home.
You old geezers are stackin em up!! Good stuff for sure!
Looks like the bears wouldn’t have much of a problem getting those beavers out, Charlie. What’s the trick to keep the bears from carting them off?
Two blondie cubs
Two blondie cubs
Kent keeps trail cams on the baits and each of us has at least one target bear. On my second evening sit I first saw a chocolate sow then two blonde cubs with a black sow.
t-Roy: Those beavers in the picture are getting ready to go to baits. Kent has a barrel that locks and slips the bear in the middle and attaches it to something like a beaver trap so he can’t pull it out easily. Coupe holes in the barrel and it drives them crazy. I’ve seen bears work forever on these beavers and it drives them crazy. If you didn’t tie the beaver in he’d just grab it and run.
Big boy walks in and out with no shot.
Big boy walks in and out with no shot.
All of a sudden the two cubs and sow pick up their heads and look to my left. Immediately they go running straight away from me. I never turned to look and knew a bear was likely close and coming in. He appears 3 yards from me and walks towards the bait. I knew from the trail cam videos he was my target bear. He walks by, circles the bait then goes to that cut off pine you see, (back right) stands facing me, eats the bait for five minutes but never presents a shot. I keep thinking he’ll come to the beaver barrel but all of a sudden he walks straight away the same way the sow and cubs went. It’s something special to see the big boy right there but no shot. I figured he might come back but he never did. I’m stoked for tomorrow. The other two guys saw small bears but no big boys.
Ground blind for second wind option at bait.
Ground blind for second wind option at bait.
When we got back that night Kent and Guide Wade showed Vern that the two big bears at his sight were coming at all different hours so day 3 he decided to go in at 9 am and sit until dark. One was a big blackie and the other a big brown. Kent has made ground blinds out of pine limbs to each bait has a stand and a blind for different winds. Here is a pic of Verns blind.
Good stuff! You guys aren’t having any fun I bet.
Charlie.. did you have to do anything special to get into Canada?
Arrivecan ..Covid test etc?
Ty
Shug: It is actually a bit easier to enter/exit Canada than prior years due to the process being digitized. No more filling out that paper on the plane before arrival. You fill out the Arrive Can app 72 hours in advance for entry and once complete you get a confirm # and only need your passport and airline ticket. If driving you don’t need a Rapid test to re-enter the US but if flying you need a rapid test 24 hours or less before your first flight leaves. We connected through Toronto and it went smooth both ways.
On day 3 both Vern and I figured we would have a good chance to connect with our bears. Jim cleaned, boiled and bleached out his skull from day 1. Very nice for clean transport home and a fun part of the hunt.
Good luck, and finally some good weather, bears should be really active!
I went to my stand a bit early figuring today was my day. As the hours went on I keep thinking “any time” but as bears do none ever came in that hunt. What to do for tomorrow??
When I got back to camp I heard that Vern had shot the giant blackie. He got to his blind around 9:30 am, saw a big sow at 11:45 and then nothing until 7 pm when the big guy appeared like a ghost. As the bear approached the bait he turned and looked right into the blind. Vern froze out of sight in the blind but the bear was nervous turned and was leaving when Vern shot. Quartering away the arrow entered mid-body and exited off side neck. The Bear was down in 30 yards. His cell had no reception from 7 to pickup at 9:20 so he sat waiting. By the time they got home it was 1 am. Hoots, hollers and Bud Lights until 3 am. At least that’s what they told me as I was asleep.
Hear is Vern’s big blackie.
There is something about a big old bear. I guess it’s the same as a big old buck or elk because we know how hard a life these creatures live. It is a blessing to experience and I think us older guys appreciate it a bit more since we know we’re all on a finite time line.
The bear green scored 21 4/16” and weighed 397. We rested the full bear on the scale using an aluminum step ladder weighing 12 pounds and Vern’s bear weighed 409 less the 12 pound aluminum step ladder it came to 397. What a beast. Vern’s 10th bear with Kent and his second biggest.
Wow sounds like a fun hunt! Keep the posts coming!
Great thread. Looks like fun. Thanks Charlie
300 and 100 pound weight on scale.
I was a little put off by you calling 68 old, but then I'll be 69 next month, so then it won't apply.
That's some seriously big bears the Elders are putting on the ground and a huge congrats to all of you! And welcome back to Canada!
Bear camp is a very pleasantly different type of big game hunt. Tons of time to relax, actually talk and yet times of intensity to fuel the hunters heart and passion.
You are posting up another great hunt, thanks for sharing with us Charlie! Looking forward to the rest.
Charlie - what an adventure. Glad you guys are seeing bears and enjoying yourselves.
Good times Charlie! Have fun and keep at it!
Looks like the making of a super adventure. C do your part and make it 100% !
Keep it comin! Congrats to Vern on a tank!
Great thread Charlie ! That looks like such a fun trip. Never underestimate the older guys, they’ve been doing it a long time !
Day 4, Two hunters done and two to go. Me and our 80 year old recurve hunter from North Dakota. He’s wanting a color phase bear so he’s heading to a stand where there’s a nice.
Now for the patience challenge. Nothing at all showed up at my stand last pm. Do I continue to go to the same stand for day four or pick a new stand with another big boy? We decide I will return to the same stand for at least another day. Big boy has been averaging showing every two days or so. So back I go.
I get to my stand and after three hours nothing shows. Based on the last three hunts I’ve seen bears entering and exiting on four different trails so I focus my attention on those trails. After three hours at 6 pm a chocolate sow comes in then after the two blond cubs and black sow come in and spend an hour on bait. They serve as sentries that let me know if another bear approaches. Later a medium sized boar who steals the beaver guts we hung in the tree above. I was optimistic but time was running out.
Then at 9 pm I see him walked directly toward me. I filmed with my iPhone so although not great the next video shows what happened. When he came in he wasn’t really interested in the bait but was checking to see who was there earlier. I was going to shoot quickly if he presented a shot. He walks straight to me looks up at me then turns broadside and I drew, aimed and shot at 13 yards. He runs out like a rocket and after 7 or 8 seconds all is quiet. I text Kent and the boys are on their way with the quads.
The video on the next post will show the 6 different bears that came in and out that pm hunt.
When Kent and Wade arrived we began the tracking and as thought he went about 80 yards. My best bear ever. The picture attached is a screen shot of the arrow as it hits. See the white streak and the entry is at the bottom.
Happy boy I am.
Happy boy I am.
Hey Charlie great video and nice to meet you in Toronto. Just curious, did anyone ask to see your negative covid test result? Neither airline asked for mine.
IronWill wide 125 grain
IronWill wide 125 grain
das: Great meeting you too and glad you shot a biggun also. It’s all done digitally so your test results automatically get linked to your passport. Sure was easy “Eh”
I used an IronWill Wide 125 grain. That is snow falling in the picture
Many many bears have been photographed on the Cliff above the Carrot River
Many many bears have been photographed on the Cliff above the Carrot River
Bill the Recurve shooter saw a nice big black bear but didn’t shoot seeing he wants a color phase.
Picture is on the cliff at Kent’s over looking the Carrot River.
Persistence and patience paid off.
Persistence and patience paid off.
After we caped him out we took this old style bear skin picture.
371 pounds
371 pounds
The bear weighed in at 384 minus 12 for the step ladder at net 371 pounds. Green skull measured 20 1/16”. Really blessed and thankful.
Skull prepared for flight home
Skull prepared for flight home
The next day we boiled out my skull for the flight home. Bill did not shoot his last hunt so we went 3 for 4. It was neat to see the “ole boys” still after the thrill. Many more hunts guys.
If anyone wants to hunt with Kent look him up at Rock Ridge Outfitting, Carrot River, Saskatchewan. He takes a small number of hunters each year and would be a great hunt for a spouse or child.
Did you get any square measurements? The hide looks huge. Congrats on the 20"er!
It is a lot of fun to see this next generation of kids enjoying themselves so much. And kicking some ass too. Nice bears thanks for sharing
Congratulations on a fine adventure and a few DANDY bears!
I'm heading to Manitoba this weekend and hope to find a critter even close to the quality you gents were able to take.
Congratulations Charlie dandy bear!!
Sounds like a great trip and nice bear!
Nice one Charlie, congrats!
Congratulations Charlie dandy bear!!
Way to go ‘Ol timers! :-)
That's a big old boy, Charlie!
Congrats, I knew you weren't gonna let those Old Codgers beat you ! :^D
What a hunt by you guys! Congrats all.
Ambush nailed it.
“Bear camp is a very pleasantly different type of big game hunt. Tons of time to relax, actually talk and yet times of intensity to fuel the hunters heart and passion.“
This is the absolute truth!
Very cool. Enjoyed that recap. Thanks Charlie and congrats.
Makes me smile. Thanks for posting . Hunt
Very nice bear. Well done. Congrats. My guess on squaring- 7 1/2'
I was pulling for a 100% hunt.
Congrats on a giant, Charlie!
Great bear Charlie, and a great thread. One of my two great regrets of my hunting “career” is never bowhunting bear. I love a good bear thread !
Outstanding!
Congrats to you and your friends on an excellent hunt!
Thanks for sharing it with us sir.
Great hunt Charlie…Congrats on a great bear.
Tremendous video. Thanks for sharing Charlie. I enjoyed it and felt like I was there.
Excellent story,pics, hunt. Thanks.
What a great hunt Charlie. That's what it's all about. Congrats to you and the rest of the crew.
Great bear Charlie!!! Man this really makes me want to go to Canada and chase a bear soon….
Awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome Charlie! Congrats
Good stuff Charlie. Congrats my friend!
Thanks for the story and pics....great bear!
Carrot River, Saskatchewan 5/20/22
Carrot River, Saskatchewan 5/20/22
Thanks for your comments guys. I’ve been very fortunate to meet many great bow hunters and outfitters through the Bowsite. What a tremendous community Pat and you guys created.
For our traditions to continue we must continue bringing in the next generations of hunters and outfitter’s/guides.
Really nice thread, that broadhead sure did its job!
Well done! Sounds like a great trip and a lot of action. Another hunt and experience of a lifetime for sure. Congratulations!
Great hunt and recap. Congrats to you guys and thanks for sharing it with us
Congratulations. Excellent video, perfect shot. Thank you, enjoyed this very much!
Congrats! Great bear!!! Always enjoyed hunting with Kent.
Congrats Charlie on your best bear yet!! You prove again that you're never too old to get another animal of a lifetime!
Congrats great hunt and recap.
Congratulations Charlie, beautiful hide. Are you going to have a rug made?
Congrats Charlie, awesome bear!
Great thread Charlie and congratulations!! That's a heck of a bear too! I love the photos and comments. Thanks for sharing it with us!
What a bear Charlie!! Congrats on a great bear and a perfect shot!
This is a great thread! What a fun experience, thanks for walking us through this, congratulations on a great trophy! Big bears r so cool!
Great hunt, bear and write up Charlie! Looks like y’all had a blast! Thank you for sharing…..
Great job men. Done post often but I think a bucket list hunt for me would be to end up in the same camp as Charlie. Seems to be living right!
Great job, Charlie. Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.
Congrats! Thanks for sharing a fun hunt.
Congrats on a great bear and adventure Charlie!
