We all grouped for breakfast before starting a new day on the water. Dave took a group of tag-outs up river, I went with Carter to cast for pike while two other boats went for walleye.
Fishing was a little slow. I did hook into a few pike, none of them big; although there was one follower which looked decent. I also got another decent smallmouth.
We once again ended the morning right near Kendall, but oddly the bay didn't produce nearly as well as it often did.
Back in camp we had shore lunch. It was good, but there was probably enough food for 30 people. Then it was a quick nap before heading out for bears.
But first, a story...
Before heading out on the last night of my 2023 Bear Hunt, Faith gave me a "lucky penny" that Maureen had given her before she shot her bear. That day was successful for me, and I kept that penny with my bear hunting stuff. I gave that penny to Matt since he had not seen any bears yet.
Kevin and Lockler (sp?) took Matt, Chris and I upriver to hunt. Carla and Sawyer were on road baits.
I was dropped off at Reef Bay. It was a new stand since I had sat there previously which I was glad about since it wasn't that comfortable before. While still challenging to sit for so long, it was a bit better.
I was able to get relatively comfortable. The view to the actual bay was pretty and I could see the few boats that went by through the day.
I let my mind wander. So much of hunting is mental. Days like the previous one are exciting with bears running around fighting. But days like this Day 5 are placid and almost spiritual. It is amazing to be able to sit in a place so peaceful. I wouldn't have been surprised if there were less than five people within five miles of me.
At one point a buzzard landed in a dead tree directly opposite me. It felt ominous; I wasn't sure if it was ominous for me or the bears. Probably both. We are all temporary.
I thought a little bit about my dad. I don't come from a family with an outdoor tradition, but he seemed to get a kick out of my hunting when he was still alive. This year marks a full decade since we lost him.
Weather through the morning started out cloudy, then it got sunny and almost hot, followed by a new bank of cold, breezy clouds rolling in. As it started to quietly get dark, a few sprinkles began to fall. I could see the boat out in the bay waiting to pick me up; about the time light and dissipated, Dave and Lockler came in to get me. I was glad they took a covered boat since it started to rain harder.
We went to get Matt and Lockler came back, "We need the shotgun. Matt got a bear." We all got out of the boat and easily found Matt's bear about 50 yards from the bait. It was still barely alive; Dave finished it quickly with a load of 00Buck. Matt seemed both thrilled to get his first bear while also mentally processing the whole situation. There were jokes about the truly "lucky penny."
After taking some pictures, we went to get Chris who had seen a decent bear. Chris was bowhunting, and there was just not enough light to be able to see to shoot.
Somehow Dave maneuvered the boat through darkness so thick it could be felt. How these guys do this is totally beyond me.
Both Sawyer and Carla and shot bears as well, leaving just Chris and I with unpunched tags. Carla's bear had been at the stand I was on the previous night. I suspect it may have been the bear I thought long and hard about.
After a pork pot roast dinner, I exited early to sleep. It was very late and it didn't take me long to get to sleep, once again going over how much of hunting is mental.
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