2026 Bear Hunt Day 5 - The Brain Is A Horrible Master

I woke up with a phenomenal headache.  I knew the screwy hours were going to get me.  I fought the good fight of sleep or coffee for a while.  Eventually coffee won.  This gave me a nice couple hours in the cabin before breakfast and then fishing.

Carter took Pat and I out for pike.  Weather was great with little wind and cooler, drier air.  I brought in one decent pike and had a few other hits, but fishing was a bit slow.

Back in camp we had shore lunch for lunch.  It was exceedingly good, even if the amount of food was more appropriate for about 30 people.  Since it takes a bit of extra time for that, the guides made the decision to push back bears a bit; this allowed me to get a real nap in which was absolutely splendid.  By the time we left for bears, I felt like a million bucks.

Chris took Pat and I up in a boat overfilled with bags of bait popcorn.  I was dropped off at the Holiday Rapids stand.  I was sure I had sat at the stand previously, but I can't find when that might have been.  The stand was comfortable with my cushion and tucked back into the trees, which I like.

The mosquitoes were absolutely arrogant.  I was glad I had my Thermacell; I don't remember the last time I used it, so I was equally glad that it still worked.  It only took a few seconds before the annoying buzzing was gone.  I've already gotten a lot of bites on my hands, so I do not need anymore.

The weather was almost perfect with pleasent temperatures for sitting and a mix of sun and cloud.  The little wind there was calmed down to almost nothing early in the afternoon.  It was one of the quietest and most serene afternoons of hunting I can recall.  With no wind and in an area where there were probably less than five people within five miles of me, it was almost too quiet.  Every movement felt like it was making as much noise as a firecracker.

It was also quiet on the bear front.  It was mildly amusing watching an industrious squirrel spend most of the afternoon, taking popcorn pieces one-by-one to its midden and other hiding places behind me.

I went in to the afternoon nearly sure this was going to be the afternoon with a bear on the ground for me, but there was little movement.

One bear did come in late.  It came out by the roll barrel and flopped down next to it to eat.  In my zeal to get a bear on such an amazing afternoon, I tried to make the bear bigger, but I also had to heed the principle:  Never shoot a bear lying down.  I lost light before there was any chance to get a good clear look at it.

I was glad I paid attention, on looking at the pictures after, while it looks smaller than it is lying on the ground eating, I can't see how I didn't see it as anything but a very small bear.

After dark, some combination of me moving (it was still very calm), the boat coming in and another bear the in area scared away the small bear.  I positive I saw another black blob in the bait for a few minutes before I heard the boat actually beach, but by that point it was just too dark to be sure of anything.

The boat ride home was as pleasant as it was going on ... at least with respect to temperature.  I was feeling a bit bummed that Day 3 of hunting wasn't the day.

Back in camp Allie had taken a really nice bear.  Carla had shot a bear, but in the dark it wasn't found immediately, and Carter said they would look for it the following morning.

Dinner was ribs and wild rice; the ribs were quite good, but after oral surgery a few months ago, I'm still paranoid so they were hard to eat.  I made it work, even if it was a bit messy.

As dinner wound down, I felt myself mentally sinking.  I had such high hopes going into the afternoon, that the inevitable crash when reality triumphs over anticipation is brutal.  I was glad I had my own cabin to go to and let what little remained of the day quietly fragment into sleep.

2026 Bear Hunt Day 4 - Seagull What Island

I really wanted to sleep in, but my brain had other ideas and the coffee maker was screaming at me.  So I got up and started my day.  It was getting light by the time the coffee was gone, so I chucked the lure a little bit and caught one pike off the dock.  I've caught quite a few pike off the docks by camp this year...

After breakfast, Locklar (sp?) took Pat and I upriver a ways to go after pike.  The water was rough from the wind, but most of the bays were sheltered enough to allow better conditions.  We fished mostly around and just above the rapids.  Numbers of fish caught were pretty good.  Most were small, but the activity was fun; this included catching a walleye on a chatterbait - in three feet of water.  That was quite unusual.  I did have a very ambitious small pike break my steel leader - losing my yellow chatterbait.  I was more than a bit bummed by this since it had been doing surprisingly well for me.

After lunch Chris took Rick and I way upriver.  Rick was dropped off at Ranger, and I went to the last bait at Seagull Shit Island.  I was glad to be going upriver; there is nothing wrong with the road baits, but hunting bears from boats is special.  As we cross some mythical plane on our way, it really starts to feel like I'm leaving civilization behind.  

I had to wear Vance's boots since the low water level meant wading in quite a ways in the shallow water.  I felt a little like Frankenstein, but it was better than wet feet.

I got situated and comfortable for the afternoon.  The weather was a comfortable cool and breezy.  It felt like a very beary day.  Not much was moving at first, and it struck me how much of bear hunting - how much of hunting - is just being comfortable in my own skin ... being in touch with nature and myself.  

Around 6:30 I caught something out of the corner of my eye and looked down/behind-me and saw a bear.  It was small - bigger than a cub, but not by much.  It must have smelled me and bolted off.  About 15 minutes later a bear came out to the bait.  I think it was the same bear, but it is really hard to tell.  It was a smaller bear and stayed in the area for quite a while.  As I watched it, I was pretty sure this was the same stand where I had major ground shrinkage after shooting a small bear; the log behind the bait looked suspiciously familiar.

A second bear came in which was definitely a bit bigger.  I still didn't think it was a shooter (or at least not a day 2 shooter).  But it was great to see a couple bears back to back.

The rest of the afternoon passed with lots of activity.  I'm not really sure how many bears I saw, and some of them didn't hang around very long.  But it was a fun night.  I didn't think any bears that I saw would break six feet and I'd like to stay above that in size.  We'll see what happens later in the week.

As dusk settled in I heard something to my right and glimpsed a wolf coming in.  It was only within sight for less than 10 seconds.  It didn't hang around long enough to have to make any kind of a decision.  It was neat to see, if only briefly.

As it got dark, one final bear came in.  It was too dark to see if it was three feet or 8 feet (it was somewhere between there).  It did look quite a bit bigger, but if it is too dark to adequately size it, it is too dark to shoot.  After a few minutes the bear crashed away as the boat came in to get me.

Rick had shot a pretty nice boar.  They tend to look smaller in the bottom of the sled, but it was a nice bear.  The wind had completely dissipated over the afternoon and the ride back to camp was wonderful.

It was a late night, but was able to turn in after a too-late dinner feeling fairly confident I had made the right choice in not shooting.  I was also fairly confident that it had been a really nice day and there are still several days to see more bears.

2026 Bear Hunt Day 3 - And The Wind Blows

I woke up to heavy rain in a very humid cabin.  I couldn't get back to sleep but quickly realized I had left my computer (and bear tags) in the lodge.  It was already a challenging morning....  At least the coffee was good.

I somehow survived until daylight, when I was able to reel in two more northern pike from the docks.  They were small, but the day was already improving.

After breakfast, Dave took Pat and I out for fishing.  The rain had moved out of the area and the conditions were generally improving - it was becoming a pretty nice morning.  We stayed in the area not too far from camp and cast for pike.  I brought in a couple small pike and, somewhat oddly, a few small bass in areas where normally I haven't previously caught bass.  But I'll take it!

I had started off using a chatterbait, but at some point switched to my favorite ... a spinnerbait.  Shortly after the switch, I hooked into one fairly nice pike.  It hit hard and took off, pulling drag line with it (my drag is set a little light).  It took a few minutes to bring it towards the boat.  SNAP!  The line broke.  I swore.  Then - very oddly - the line started pulling again.  I unswore and brought in a 34" pike.

What was very odd was that the lure had actually broken, not my line.  And since the hook part of the lure was no longer attached, I'm very confused about how I was able to bring in the fish.  Maybe he just really wanted to break the monotony of watery life for a few minutes.

After a tolerable, but a bit slow fishing morning and lunch and a nap, it was time for bears.

Weather was nice, but a bit breezy.  Forecast was for warm, but all the projections were for no rain.  Dave took Pat and I out on road baits; I was set up on Bear Creek.

The wind dramatically picked up after getting dropped off.  And it was generally toward the bait.  This was an uneasy situation.  And as often happens, I was having a difficult time settling in on the first night on the bear stand.

I won't say the wind made me uncomfortable being in a treestand, but it was close to that at times.  The afternoon passed rather slowly.  With less than optimal conditions, no bears showed up.  That is a long, long time to sit in a treestand in the lonely bear woods.

As darkness approached, it started to spit rain a bit.  This increased sporatically over the final hour or so in the stand until, when Dave finally came and got me in the darkness, it was full on raining.  My mood was sour.

Back in camp, only Kelly and Carla had seen any bears.  Carla had one which just stared and wouldn't come in.  Kelly (on the Meanest Sow in the Woods stand), saw three smaller ones and a decent one which also wouldn't come in.

No doubt the wind affected all of us.

I was ready to turn in after a far-too-late salmon dinner.

2026 Bear Hunt Day 2 - In Camp

After a much better night's sleep than the previous, I was up wwwaaayyy too early.  I read the entire internet before packing up and hitting the road.  I know they don't like it when I get to camp too early, but I can only putz around my hotel room for so long.  When I briefly thought about turning on my work computer, I knew it was time to go!

Not being in any hurry, I methodically made my way toward the border.  There were almost no other cars on the road, even in Warroad.  I got to the border and had a brief conversation with the Canadian Officer, then parked and headed in for the firearm paperwork.  I always appreciate the professionalism of the Canadian Border Security Officers.  I handed over my paperwork, had another brief friendly conversation and was on my way - a guest in a foreign country.

I continued on into Canada.  Traffic stayed exceedingly light all morning.  The drive was wonderful - scenic and easy.

I stopped once for coffee when I saw a sign for a "Coffee Bar", but that was a mistake - a big one.  The coffee was terrible, little more than brown water.  It was actually worse than the hotel coffee earlier in the morning.  So it goes...

I was glad when I finished Lies My Teacher Told Me.  OK read?  Meh...  Recommend?  No...  I finished the drive with some Garrison Keillor and an older podcast before turning everything off and just thinking back to my first bear hunt all those years ago.  I do that a lot on the final stretch of road.

I got gas and made my final few km into camp.  I parked at my cabin and walked to the lodge.  Carter and I talked for a bit; Maureen also stopped by.  It felt like visiting family.

I threw a lure for a bit while waiting for the cabin to be ready.  I caught two pike - this has to be a good sign - right?  One of them was even a reasonably decent size (not a monster).

With my cabin ready, I allowed myself a brief nap.  It was going to be a good week.  Another pike at the dock and a bit more forced down time before heading into the lodge.

Dinner was chicken cordon bleu while we all started to get to know each other.  The real adventure starts in the morning.

2026 Bear Hunt Day 1 - Driving and Driving Some More

The hotel was ... 3 stars at best.  I can't blame the hotel for all the other denizens slamming their door, but I can blame the hotel that every single one of them felt like it shook the whole building.  I had to resort to turning up the AC fan and wearing ear plugs, even then it seemed like my neighbors were coming through the walls.
Not surprisingly, I woke up with a headache.

But a couple cups of barely adequate hotel pod coffee put me in a good start.  I wasn't in a hurry so I stuck around long enough for hotel waffles.  There were ... ok ... maybe hotel waffles should be reserved for motorcycle trips.

I was on the road right around daybreak.  Traffic was minimal at first.  It picked up around Madison, Wisconsin (predictably), then slowly drained away through the day.  By the time I was in northern Minnesota, there were so few cars it was almost eerie, but in an oddly tranquil way.  It started to rain around Wisconsin Dells and rained for several hours until I got somewhere just south of Superior, Wisconsin.  Most drivers were taking it easy, so it wasn't a bad drive even with the rain.

I continued listening to Lies My Teacher Told Me.  It didn't get better and didn't get worse.  I learned a little, disagreed a little and drifted off a little.  While it probably helped make the drive more enjoyable, I'm ready for it to be done.  My biggest take-aways from it are 1) History is complex and 2) History is better explained as the unintended consequences of millions of poorly-made decisions (and I still say Loewen should STFU and write a better textbook...).

I watched the miles count down through the day, stopping for some new and ever more questionable snacks.  With my recent oral surgery, I still feel the need to be a bit careful about what and how I eat.  At one point somewhere Squaw Lake, I looked at the beautiful scenery, the near complete lack of any other cars and just thought, "This is absolutely incredible."  And I meant it.

I kept driving, stopping in the town of Baudette to get gas before stopping for the night.  In the morning, I'll be crossing the border on my final leg to the land of black bears (and wolves and pike and smalleys and, and and).

2026 Bear Hunt Day -0.5 - Sometimes Struggle Is The Solution

A picture came up in my history feed a few days ago from our 2017 Total Eclipse adventure.  It reminded me of how much things have changed in the last nine years.  Minor health issues; reminders that my body has an expiration date even if I don't know when that is.  A special needs dog; the universe revolves around her as she slowly becomes the dog she might have always been.  It's been three years since I've done any kind of motorcycle trip and six since S/O and I have done one together.  Work responsibilities have increased, even if I'm convinced most of what I do doesn't matter.

“The universe is Time's body.” - John Crowley, Little, Big

But sometimes it seems like something has been lost.  I have no reason to complain; I know I'm incredibly fortunate.  We lose things because we first have things to lose.

And if I look at it objectively, it is hard to say I've lost much when I'm on a 1000+ mile journey to hunt and fish.

I was mulling this over as the week before bears progressed.  I took a few hours of precious vacation time to mow the fantastically long lawn on Wednesday, packed up Thursday and had a final shortened day at work Friday.  I was able to leave with Inbox near zero so I'll count that as a win (big time).  I was on the road shortly after noon.

I easily settled into the drive.  Indianapolis was bonkers, but at least there was less construction than I recall from my last time through; Indy NEVER has no construction.  Then traffic lightened considerably for the remainder of the day.

I was listening to Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen.  It was mildly interesting and informative, but he certainly seemed to be selective on what he chose to complain about and his principles were applied erratically (so maybe the aren't really principles).  It wasn't bad, but it was too easy to let my mind wander, especially since it was quite repetitive.  I'll need to finish the book to make a final judgement, but all I can say is after writing a 20 hour book, he could have just written a better textbook.  But I guess complaining is more fun, and I suspect writing what he would consider a "good" textbook would end up being even more cumbersome than the 1000 page tomes he says are terrible history text books.

I easily found my hotel in Northern Illinois.  A quick gas stop and some soda from Walmart and I called it a day.  The real adventure is almost about to begin.

2026 Lake Erie Fishing - S L O W

My last day off was in January.  Usually I'm ready to commit myself to an asylum by now, but I guess this year I've just been living the routine.  I don't think this is a step change, but possibly I'm focusing on future possibilities.  Eventualities.  The timing of this trip is poignant; it is mostly people who've retired from the same company I work for. They can be a bad influence on me.

Memory, as a mirror, is cloudy at best.  At worst it's a black Sharpie that scribbles on our reflection. - James Wade

It's equally likely that I've been overly focused on my recent oral surgery (and recovery), and that has created novelty, even if a distasteful flavor of it (no pun intended).  It hasn't been easy.  My timing of the surgery was such that I either do it "now, or wait a year ... I don't want to worry about this while on my fall adventures."  This was the right decision given how difficult recovery has been.  I've had my final follow-up just in time for Lake Erie fishing - which kicks off the start of these adventures.  Serendipity.  Hopefully I am ready.

Saturday passed with threats of heavy rain.  Somehow I got the lawn mowed with only one brief downpour.  S/O was nice enough to help with trim work which made a huge difference.  The world won't end of the lawn is too long, but getting this done was a mental burden relief.

I had enough time on Sunday for both a long dog walk and a nice bike ride.  I'm lucky to live in the rural area I call home.  After knocking out a few last chores, I headed out to Dave's house.

After talking a bit, Dave and I headed to Nick's house.  Nick isn't going fishing this year, but I guess his house still makes a decent gathering point.  But almost everyone was already grouping, so we picked up only Phil and Dan and headed north.

The drive up felt long.  We ran into the car with Mike, Jim and Lou at a rest stop before meeting up with everyone at the hotel.  Father Mike was still en route so there was some down time before heading for dinner.  I was tired but knew sleep wasn't going to be easy so I resisted the urge to lie down.

I struggled to know what to eat at Jolly Roger with my recent surgery.  I ended up with Shrimp 'n Chips.  It was, at best, OK...  The potatoes were oddly both undercooked and overcooked at the same time.  The breading was fat (which is good), but fell off of the shrimp loosely.  I'm pretty sure the last time I was actually inside a restaurant was on the previous year's trip - now I remember why I rarely eat out.

Back at the hotel, I turned in early even though it was light.

_________

I woke up at my usual time and messed around a bit on my phone.  A group was going to breakfast, but I stayed back and ate my packed fruit; I got the better end of that deal for sure.

I was in Steve's boat along with Dave, Dan, Mike and Jim.  The last time I had fished with "The Dude" (my nickname for him) Steve was 2018 I think?

I had a slight headache, but I was pretty sure it would subside once we started fishing (I was right).  We motored out and started where Ned and Steve had good luck the previous day.

In short, the fishing, all day, was S L O W.  Often painfully slow.  It was slower than One Fish Bay.

My first catch was a really healthily fat catfish - which was fun to bring in on light tackle!

Steve did a decent job of trying to get us on fish and he stayed in contact with Ned and a few other captains.  But the fish were just not there ... or were not biting (which is it?????).

I think my total for the day was three walleye (it might have been only two), two sheephead, one cat and 1 goby.  I have an odd sweet spot for goby.  I know they are invasive and are known for raiding the nests of other fish, but they are cute in their own way.

It was so slow that I was ready to be done about an hour before we quit.  Total count was less for both boats than what a limit would have been for either boat.  

But it was still a good time.  There wasn't too much shop talk which was nice.  Weather was objectively splendid with reasonable temperatures and low humidity.  But fishing may have been better if the wind was a bit more active.  Still, just being out on the water was a good break.

Then it was off to the fish-cleaning house and the lollygagging and waiting to hit the road.  Only Dave, Dan and myself were heading south; everyone else was staying another night.

The drive back towards home was a bit painful, but conversation was good.  After dropping Dan off at his house, Dave and I split up the rest of the fish at his house.

I got home right near dark.  S/O helped repackage fish.  It would have been nice to take the time to remove all the Y-bones before freezing, but I just didn't have it in me due to the late hour.

So not the best year of fishing ever.  I won't take the slow fishing  a premonition of what my year's future outdoor adventures will bring.