2022 Bear Hunt Day 10 & 11 - Home

I woke up a few minutes before my alarm and got ready as fast as I could.  It took me a few extra minutes to get my bear in a cooler since it had finished freezing in a slightly different shape, but I still made it all fit in one of my bigger coolers.  After triple checking the cabin, I was out the door.

Temperatures were cold, and the early morning drive was nice.  I'm familiar with the roads and knew the early route.  I saw some animals - likely a fox (although it could have been a small wolf) and a lynx.  A doe later in the day had me slowing down as well.

The sun rose right as I got to the sleepy border crossing, and I spent a few minutes there as the guard read questions from his computer screen - yes the gall bladder is left with the rest of the guts; yes the paws are still fully attached to the hide.  He had me fill out the declaration form differently than I had seen previously, but as long as I get through, I'll fill it out however they want.  And I was back in the United States.

I listened to Jonathon Franzen's The Discomfort Zone, which was an interesting take on the concept of a memoir.  His writing was once again pretty good, but he comes across as self-indulgent.

Then I listened to podcasts the rest of the day.  I had some older Planet Money podcasts that I finally got around to listening to and I liked them, but they seemed frustratingly abbreviated.

My mind drifted home quite a bit as I thought about my prodigal dog, now returned.  We will have a lot to figure out here.  I'm a bit concerned she may have heartworm and/or tick-born diseases.  But I guess that will only be one thing among many to deal with now.  At least she didn't get hit by a car or chased into the next county by a coyote or...  I really wanted to actually see her and pet her to know that she is actually home.  I think I'll have to take her on a combined thank you and apology tour to all the people that were involved with her over the last 141 days.

The early part of the drive in the US was pretty with many very moosey areas.  Traffic remained light with few evil motorhomes.  

This changed as I got to US 2.  I survived Duluth before heading south and finally getting on the interstate.  The area around Madison had more traffic than I expected for a Sunday, but it was a holiday weekend.  I got to Sis' house and spent some time catching up with her and Liz.  I had a tex-mex tempeh bowl for dinner which was quite good - if a bit unusual - and a really nice change from the crap I had been munching on most of the day during the drive.

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Up early the next morning I started the coffee maker and sat with Sis' dogs.  They were up soon enough and we finished catching up.  I was out the door fairly early since I was also going to lose an hour going home.

The drive went fast enough.  Traffic remained relatively light all day.  Even getting around Indianapolis wasn't too bad.  I had to take a snaking route once I got near home to avoid the many Indiana construction zones.  It took dueling GPS units to figure out the right route.

Back at home, my bear had thawed more than I expected so I took care of it right away.  I guess that is a blessing of a small bear that it went very quickly.

More importantly, I got to see my run-away dog.  She didn't seem happy, but she was quite calm which is probably good enough for now.  There will be plenty of time to try to get her to learn that life with people can be good.

2022 Bear Hunt Day 9 - Fish, Beagles and Northern Lights

I woke up to my final full Manitoba morning.  Fantasy camp must come to an end, but not yet.  There is a bear in the freezer and fish to catch.  

We all met in the lodge for breakfast while the Utah crew had already gone out for a morning bear hunt.  Just before breakfast was on the table, Dave came in and said that Austin had shot a bear.  We all quickly finished our food and went out to look at Austin's bear - which was a really nice black bear.

But with fish to catch, Carter took Gene and I out for an all-day fishing adventure.

We spent the day fishing in various bays and inlets.  Some were more productive than others.  Gene did hook into a really nice pike.  It had one of the biggest lampreys I have ever seen.

I could not buy any fish larger than about 24 inches with or without a lamprey.

Just before lunch, we stopped by Kendall Point to see one of the newer lodges they are building.  It was really pretty, but not nearly as pretty as the view from Kendall Point itself.

The bay near Kendall has historically been a good one for smallmouth bass and it did not disappoint.  I hooked into a handful, with two really nice fish included.

Lunch was Carter's excellent fish tacos with exceedingly fresh pike.  Then we fished for the rest of the day.  Gene again hooked in to a nice pike.  This has not been my year for big pike (or bears).

Once Carter forced me to stop fishing, we headed back to camp.  I started to pack up for the trip home and turned my phone back on, setting it on the table in my cabin.  A text message from SO told me the canine issues we've been dealing with for 141 days are over.  Our new rescue dog who escaped and had eluded every possible attempt at capture was back at home.  She had gone into the neighbor's dog house to get out of the rain and SO had noticed her asleep in there.  The dog finally made a mistake.  The resolution of this frankly made much of the rest of the day a blur.

As it got dark, boats started to come in with the remaining hunters.  Erik had gotten a nice bear on the same size scale as my bear.  Doug got a huge sow.  Matt was unable to connect on his last night.

I booked again for next year - hopefully bears, weather and fish are all slightly more cooperative.  Regardless, I know it will be a great time.

The day ended with a showing of the northern lights, which was an incredible way to end the week.

2022 Bear Hunt Day 8 - Pooh's Blustery Day

I woke up to a different Manitoba as it was cool and breezy.  The change in weather made me hopeful that both the fish and the bears might be a bit more cooperative.

So after breakfast Mark took Bill and I out for fishing.  The temperature was almost perfect and the wind picked up through the morning.  Initially we were going to jig for pike, but we ended up casting most of the day.  We went through several bays and inlet streams and hooked into a few fish, but the fishing was a bit slow.  I did have one large pike follow my spinnerbait right up to the boat and jump part-way out of the water, but I didn't see it in time.  We were fishing the same bays as the bigger boat with Dave and Matt/Austin/Erik, but they seemed to do much better as they had several fish in the 30-inch range.

After lunch we headed out for bears.  Chris took Gene and I upriver and I was dropped off at the Seagull Shit Island stand.  I don't think I've hunted this stand previously.  It is a more open stand and I was able to get relatively comfortable quickly.

Not too long after getting situated, a boat came into the bay as people were probably fishing.  I've had this happen before and it likely doesn't affect the bear hunting much, but it is a bit annoying to hear people murmuring in the background.  Thankfully, they must have only done a cast or two and were gone.

The wind was significant through the afternoon and the tree the stand was in was really tall, this made the stand sway quite a bit.  It made me think of Winnie the Pooh and his blustery day.  I'm not sure thinking of a child's story while hunting actual bears would be universally thought of as appropriate, but after 25-30 hours on the bear stand, I will allow my mind to go where it wants to.

Not much was moving until it started to get a bit darker and I saw movement behind the barrel.  A bear was running around in the thick brush.  I had a hard time judging its size.  I knew it wasn't a monster; I also knew it was the second-to-last day.

After watching it for around 15 minutes (maybe?  throughout the late afternoon I didn't look at my watch much so my timeline may be skewed), it came into the barrel.  I could still see it wasn't huge for sure, but its back was above the barrel which I decided was good enough.  I lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger.  The bear spun 180 degrees and dropped almost silently to the ground.  I was glad I had a bear down.  I also realized the bear was likely going to be much smaller than I thought since when it came in, it was standing on a log a bit behind the barrel - making it look much larger.

After ensuring all movement had stopped, I walked up to the bear.  It was small - very likely smaller than even my first bear.  I should have given it a few more minutes to size it up.  I was still happy - with the tougher bear hunting, I may have shot this guy deliberately on the last day.  My shooting was near perfect with a devastating exit wound.  The meat will be beyond excellent and the front shoulders will smoke wonderfully (in my experience, larger bear shoulders can end up being so tough that even long smoking times don't make them tender).

I put out my orange and climbed up in the stand to pack up my stuff and wait.  Chris and Carter came in a short time later.  We took a few pictures and easily packed the bear to the boat.  We went and got Austin who had only seen one very small bear.

Back in camp, there was a total crap-show as a huge motorhome driver had moronically driven down into camp and gotten stuck on the rock by the lodge.  A "tow truck" - which was just a dually pickup with a winch came to get it out.  They did get it out, but it was not pretty.  I've always known motorhomes are evil - some drivers lack common sense too apparently.

The guys in camp were gracious.  Most of them probably privately thought that the guy who has been on seven bear hunts must be a water-head for shooting such a small bear.  Maybe they are right.

Dinner was really excellent ribs.  The Utah guys were making plans to head out and hunt in the morning since none of them had filled their tags.  

As my memory serves, in the beginning of the book Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day, Pooh goes to his "Thoughtful Spot."  This felt apt on a couple levels.  First, I'm unbelievably fortunate to go on one Manitoba Bear Hunt, let alone seven.  Even more so, I'm fortunate to be able to take a small bear and use it as an excuse (as if one is needed) to hopefully return again.  With nothing to prove to anyone, I can enjoy hunting and fishing for what it is.

Beyond this, 2022 has not been an easy year.  SO's knee injury blew up hog hunting this year and required months of the two of us figuring things out.  Isla died - and I still miss that dog terribly.  Work has been a horror show, and when I find myself saying to myself too often, "I only have to do this for xx more years." I know that I desperately need perspective to survive those years.  And with my ongoing canine issues now at home, there are days I question how I'm going to get through.

Spending a week hunting and fishing with interesting people has been therapeutic (with a full day of fishing still to go).  So maybe Manitoba has been my "Thoughtful Spot" this year.

2022 Bear Hunt Day 7 - Furnace Creek Bear Hunt

I woke up to another amazing Manitoba morning.  The same, yet different from previous mornings on this trip and past ones.  Views like these are cheating for pictures.

After a breakfast of French toast, Carter and I headed out to fish again.  We started at the same bay where we ended the previous day since it was quite productive.  I'm not sure what was up with the fish, but if they were still in that bay, they were not very cooperative.  We hooked into a few, but it was literally a few.

We tried a few more bays and did find another fish or two, but just about nothing was biting - and certainly nothing of any size.

Near one bay, Carter pointed out some old structure remnants which he said was guides Chris and Mark's family cabin.  Apparently when the park was formed the area was littered with small cabins like this.  People had the option of keeping the cabins for a fee, or letting them go.  A few kept them and are the cabins that now sparsely dot the area.  Most let them go, including Mark and Chris' family.  I wanted to see it so Carter and I participated in "contemporary archeology."  It was barely two walls and some rotten remnants.  But it did provide a diversion to slow fishing.  It's hard not to stand in these kinds of structures and feel a sense of history and loss.

The morning was warm and the day got hot.  Very hot.  Way to hot for Manitoba in September.  Way to hot for bears.  The boat ride back to the lodge was nice, but more summer nice than fall.

After a lunch of giant moose burgers, which were excellent, we headed out for bears.  My normal warm weather hunting clothes would have been too hot so I sorted through what I had and found the coolest camo I had; I was sweating just standing at the dock while waiting to leave.  I couldn't even wear my hunting boots and opted for my water shoes instead.  I have never worn water shoes while hunting before...

Mark took Gene and I out, dropping me off at the back of blind bay first.  I'm not sure if it was the stand or me, but I was able to get relatively comfortable fairly quickly.  The previous day I had pulled something in the back of my knee to the point it was painful to walk and I was even limping a bit.  I don't know how it is possible to do this while in a treestand (in it, not getting in/out), but staying comfortable was definitely more challenging.

Thankfully, it was breezy enough that the heat wasn't too miserable.  The sun was behind me and it did start to cloud up a bit.  While it was terrible for bears, the time passed tolerably.  I did have a pine martin come in which was fun to see as I hadn't seen one of those in a while.

It even did start to cool down a bit as it got dark - but cool down relative to the Death Valley heat earlier.  This is, of course, an exaggeration, as the low in Furnace Creek was near the Manitoba high.  Superlatives still seem applicable when it is hotter in Manitoba than Savannah, Georgia.

But fur covered bears stayed buried wherever they could to stay cool and a short time after dark, Vance came and got me.  We headed back to camp enjoying the temperate breeze in the boat.

Doug was the only person who saw any bears, missing what he said was a huge bear right at dark.  Shoot lower next time Doug!

I'm starting to feel a little bit nervous about getting going home with empty coolers and feeling like passing on that Day 3 bear may have been a mistake.  But there are still two more days - a full 1/3 of my hunting time and the forecast is for much cooler temperatures.

2022 Bear Hung Day 6 - Immature Valley

I woke up with an absolutely brutal headache, while the day was brightening to an amazing morning.  The best option is to power through - I think.  

So after a breakfast of egg bake, Carter and I went up to go after some pike.  We fished several bays trying lots of different tackle.  Nothing seemed to work great, but nothing was too bad either (except the buzz bait - I gave up on that quickly).  Most of the fish we brought in were small.  Carter did manage to land two pike bigger than 30 inches.  It often seems the guide brings in the biggest fish - either because there is a bit of skill in it or just luck.  Or both.  I did have one monster follow my spinnnerbait at one point which is almost as fun to see as landing a big fish.

Back in camp after the morning fishing we had a fish fry "shore lunch" to eat.  There was way too much food, but it did taste good.  Fishing with Carter had cured most of my headache, but between the residual that was left and food coma from eating so much, a nap was a requirement before heading out for the afternoon of hunting bears.

Vance took Gene and I downriver.  Gene got dropped off first and I sat at Big Valley (Happy Valley?  Grand Valley?).  The stand is a skinny single ladder stand without sides which is not terribly comfortable.  There was no place to put my bag either so I had to put my bag behind me on a part of the stand that sticks out only about an inch.  Most of the stands are double-ladder-stands so I guess I've gotten spoiled.

But falling into the rhythm of bear hunting meant it was actually relatively easy to stay comfortable(ish) once I got everything situated even if dozing was out of the question.  I was really glad I took that nap before going out for the afternoon.

I'm not sure if time passed quickly or slowly, but it passed.  The afternoon was way too hot to hunt bears, and there was little wind.  What little wind there was ended up being almost a relief.  Thankfully the mosquitoes weren't too bad until much later in the evening and the Thermacell did its job of keeping them away then - despite the fact that the pads I had were a little on the old side.

Around 7:00 I noticed a moving dark blob way off to the right of the stand.  Unquestionably it was a bear.  All the discomfort of sitting in a single stand disappeared and my heart started pushing huge volumes of blood (Matt also saw bears and his Fitbit sent him a message saying his heart rate had increased to over 120 BPM while remaining inactive - which is one of the funniest hunting things I've seen recently).  I set up my shooting stick while watching the bear slowly work in.  After a few minutes it came into the bait.  It wasn't a bad bear and it had a cool blaze on its chest, but guessed it was a sub-six-footer.  I second guessed and re-estimated a few times, but I knew it was not a big bear.

With the less-than-ideal hot hunting conditions and people in camp seeing few bears, I really did think about shooting.  Plus part of my brain was telling me I could fish for more pike if I shot this bear.  But it just wasn't a Day 3 bear - maybe a Day 5 bear (maybe I won't get a chance of Day 5 though?).

The bear hung around for between five and 10 minutes.  It even had the courtesy of walking half way towards be and taking a giant dump - proving that yes, a bear does shit in the woods.  It really did not go after the bait too aggressively and seemed more interested in the cabled "Jolly Rancher" thing Vance had strung up in a tree.  No doubt it was affected by the high temperatures since it was panting like a dog.

Then it walked towards me, at one point looking directly up at me before going directly under my stand and even scratching itself on the shaky ladder a little bit.  It sauntered off behind me and to the right - leaving me alone to second-guess my decision to let it walk.  I'm never very comfortable with the god-like power to decide whether an individual animal lives or dies.

The rest of the evening passed quietly.  The wind died down to absolutely nothing which made every movement feel like I was pounding on the trees and treestand.  I like the stillness and don't at the same time.  I'm also mesmerized by the different sounds of the woods in different places.  As it started to get dark, I swear I heard the sound of the predator behind me (the real one from 1987).

We picked up Gene, who hadn't seen anything and headed back to camp.  Dave (and Vance) both thought my bear had been just over six feet which nudges me a tiny bit into the regret direction.

Back in camp the other boats came in.  Several people had seen bears and had some good pictures but most of the bears seen were small.  Doug had seen five bears, but the (potentially) bigger ones were when it was too dark to shoot.  I suspect Vance and the guides are sweating a bit with the small bears seen and not-too-friendly weather conditions.  Likely it isn't too long until things pick up considerably, but we all only have until the end of the week.

Before dinner Vance had made an appetizer of Canadian lynx.  I've eaten lots of wild game, but lynx was a first for me.  Taste was mostly pork-like.  I think it may be the first time I've eaten feline of any kind?

There was lots of talk about the bears we all saw during steak dinner.  After dinner the northern lights did make a brief ethereal appearance.  They were pretty far to the north and looked more cloud-like.  I thought about staying out to see if they would get brighter, but I was really tired.  And as much as I would like to see the northern lights again, I'm here for bears and it was time to sleep.