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.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 8 - One Fish Bay

With everyone tagged out, the day was different from the previous.  

After breakfast, a few of us went out for fishing, but the weather was cold, and very windy.  It was just a snotty day.

I went upriver with Lockler to fish for pike.  We went above the rapids and tried several bays.  I brought in a good number of pike, but size was overall small.  

Weather deteriorated as we went through the morning.  Winds remained abusive which created a lot of chop in the open-water areas.  It spit rain most of the morning and with cold temperatures it was not easy conditions.  I'm not yet cold tolerant and my hands went numb from the cold.

But it was still a fun day fishing.

We went back to the lodge for lunch which I was glad about since trying to do a shore lunch at the actual shore would have been difficult.

Lockler took myself and Bill out after lunch.  We fished the islands near camp and went into Blind Bay.  I caught the one and only (small) fish brought into the boat.

Back at the lodge at a more reasonable time than bear hunting provides, dinner was steaks on the grill.

A few people had already left camp, but those of us that remained sat around talking about hunting, fishing and just about a little of everything.  This was fun, but I was ready to have a few extra hours of sleep.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 7 - 10 Years Later

I woke up definitely feeling like I could have slept in.  The late nights and early mornings can be challenging.  But there is absolutely nothing, zero, nada to complain about.

After breakfast Thomas took Waylon and me out for fishing.  We went upriver above the rapids (not sure the term is correct since there are no "rapids" this year), and hit several bays.  It was a phenomenal day of fishing.  We hooked into pods of pike through the morning with enough slow sections to keep us slightly humble.

I think Waylon caught about three fish to my one, but I remained stubborn to my spinnerbait when I probably should have switched to a spoon like Waylon was using.  I did not really like the movie A River Runs Through It, but I find myself overthinking that pike are supposed to be caught on spinnerbaits, much like how one fly-fishes plays a role in the movie - probably a symptom of getting older...

I did hook into the largest pike I've caught in a few years, bringing in a fat 37" pike.  Watching it hit right near the boat was quite exciting.

Dave had taken tagged-out hunters upriver, so there were only a few of us for lunch.  Then a nap and it was out for bears.

Weather was cool and cloudy.  Forecast was for some rain, but it looked like we would be just outside of it as it drifted south.  I loved the cool weather and decided to chance it and not bring rain gear.

I felt oddly optimistic as Drew took Rebecca and I upriver.  The scenery was stunning.  The cool temperatures got my blood going.  Wind was non-existent.  Even the cloudiness seemed right.

Rebecca was dropped off at Greer Lake.  I was sitting in the boat waiting; the loons were wailing and laughing in the distance.  It was a rare, beautiful, magical moment.

With low water we had a longish walk to Gas Can from where Drew beached the boat.  The bait had been hit since being filled previously in the morning.  I got easily situated as Drew left me alone for the afternoon.  A grouse was loudly drumming and this continued through the early afternoon; I had not previously heard this in the fall.

I was dozing a little bit when I was brought back to alertness by movement to my left.  A bear was nosing through the woods, headed into the bait.  It got to the small clearing, looked in my direction and did a 180, turning back into the trees.

I watched it for several minutes as it wandered a bit, then lost sight for a short time.  It returned, and made its way once again to the bait.  After walking it, it took a quick bit of spilled popcorn before nervously high-tailing it out to the right.

For the short time I had a good view of it, my impression was of a good bear, but still thin and young.  I didn't want to overthink at this point.

About an hour passed before another bear came in from the right.  This bear was not the same bear as the first one, and was confidently bold.  It scrambled around the barrel before making short work of the logs and started eating.

I watched the bear while my mind fought for what to do.  I knew it was not a monster, but everything about the bear screamed 'pretty good.'  It was not real long, but it was very fat for its size.  It was tall enough to see over the barrel, even  when it was in the depression the barrel was in.  It had to struggle to get its head into the barrel.

But every time I looked at it through the scope, it shrunk...

And then there were the rationalizations - both positive and negative.  I'm 100% good with a good bear.  I'm not sure the freezer has room for a whopper?  But with good weather, no reason not to hunt more?  I think I really do want to go home with a bear?  My mind went back and forth at least 87 times.

I went on my first bear hunt in 2009.  That hunt ended on the exact stand I was on.  I thought about how excited I was then ... how excited the 2009 me would have been to see a bear like this ... of the infinite lessons since that 2009 kid was sitting on this spot in Manitoba, one of the best lessons is cooling down while hunting; one of the worst curses is overthinking.

After about an hour the bear turned to leave toward the right.  I saw the bear fully in broadside.  Decision made.  Good enough won out.

After the shot, the bear ran a few steps and I heard it crash.  I knew it was over.  I waited as long as I could and got down out of the treestand.  I easily found my bear.  It was a beautiful, stout black bear; I was happy.

After grabbing a couple pictures, I put out my orange on a tree and got back in the treestand.  I knew it would be a long wait.  But temperatures were nice and there was a bear on the ground, so even if it was a bit tiresome, it was also almost spiritual.

I spent quite a bit more time thinking about 2009 vs. the current day.  I was so fortunate to be able to go on a bear hunt in 2009, and that is still true today.  I found it serendipitous that my first and 10th bear were taken from the same stand; that may have been a very small reason (of many) in my decision to shoot.  I'm not the same person I was in 2009 ... at all.  But I still am me.

Right around sunset I heard a boat come in.  Chris and Drew came in to get me.  We took some pictures before loading my bear into the sled and making our way to the boat.

Coming around that last bend before camp, the moon was peering eerily through the clouds as the lights of the dam glinted in the distance; I let myself have one more bit of nostalgia as I thought back to the same journey in the freezing cold temperatures in 2009.

Back at camp Rebecca had taken a near carbon copy of my bear with a beautiful white tie.  Waylon had taken a pretty good bear as well.  As my bear was almost done and in the freezer, Bill came in with a whopper of a boar.  Everyone had tagged out.  The guides were happy so many bears were taken with light left, and very little tracking was needed overall.

Everyone else had eaten so Bill and I ate dinner while talking with Chad.

We all still had two full days to fish.

I went to bed filled with memories ... and much gratitude.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 3 - In Camp (Finally)

I futzed around the hotel room for a while.  Given my book choices were only adequate for the drive so far, I was desperate to find something else.  It was not to be.  I found several books that looked promising, but none of them were available.  There are, of course, lots available, but many of them looked like a questionable commitment.  I have a couple on hold, so maybe they'll come available in the next week.  I dearly miss when I could download books ahead of time, but I also understand the reality here...

For the final leg of the trip ... podcasts.

When I couldn't stand it anymore, I packed up and hit the road.  It was a wonderful and quiet Sunday morning.  I made my way to the border.  The very pleasant border guard asked a few questions, followed by informing me that there was a new gun form.  I parked and went inside and hand-filled the new form.  Other than that, I breezed through and I was in Canada.

Shortly after crossing the border, a small group of deer crossed the road right in front of me.  Much like my Friday drive to work, I saw it as a good sign.

I decided to avoid the hour plus of gravel road and stayed on pavement.  This added about 15 miles, but was at least parity on time and might have been better.  I enjoyed the drive.  I was sort of listening to podcasts, but also let my mind wander.

As I got nearer to camp, I thought back to that first bear hunt so many years previous - in my mind, I was just a kid then.  At one point I looked at myself in the rear view mirror and barely recognized the old man staring back at me.  Time brutally moves in one direction.

My spirits were high - even after seeing the saddest field of sunflowers I'd ever seen.

Once into camp, Maureen was in the lodge.  She moved me into a new cabin that was ready since I was early.  I threw a lure into the water for a bit, but never got a bite.  I accompanied Rylan (sp?) to bait some of the sites.  It felt right to be in the woods.

But Dave had already baited several of the stands, so it was a short trip and we returned to camp.

I had a bit of down time in my room.  At great risk to my life, I did nap a bit - I can only hope it doesn't kill my ability to sleep later.

This article also crossed my screen.  While not French, I did feel a kinship with much of what the author expresses.  I almost never walk into the field and not feel some amount of cognitive dissonance.  This seems especially true for bears.  I spring from a thicket of tangents.  I was still looking forward to the first day in the stand coming up.

With still some time to kill, I chucked a blue spinnerbait in the water for a bit.  I had one follower, and a short time after that caught my first fish on my new rod and reel.

My equipment choice comes with some nostalgia since one of my first fishing poles was a Mitchell.

Dinner was a Thanksgiving feast (that couldn't be beat).  By the time it started to get dark, I was more than ready to sleep.  Unfortunately my cabin was really warm so sleep came slowly.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 4 - Home

After getting up, I was ready to head home.  I spent a few minutes choosing my route.  Since I was leaving early, I decided I would risk the 401 to avoid the tolls on the 407.  I also had a quick couple cups of coffee, hopefully giving me just the right amount of caffeination for the trip.

As promised, Denis was up around 4:00.  We loaded up my fish and a few Coho salmon for me to try.  The amount of fish was truly shocking - I've had hunting trips with less (but then again, I've had hunting trips with nothing in the cooler).  I tied down the cooler and I was on the road by 4:15.

I followed the GPS to the 401 and it was the right decision.  It was a bit busy nearer Toronto, but there were no slow downs.  I did have to pay attention - mostly because I was on unfamiliar roads.

I listened to the end of The Secret Life of Groceries.  The end of the book was probably the best part - if also a bit sad.  It got into the psychology of buying, which was interesting.  It also got into the food supply chain - specifically a lot about the seafood supply chain; every time I read about seafood and all that goes into it - I'm appalled at humanity.  The world is doomed and humanity might deserve this.

I guess I did feel a bit better that the fish in my cooler were obtained ethically and in a conscious manner.

After finishing Groceries I listened to Ologies podcasts for the rest of the day.  I almost gave up after the first one - which wasn't very good.  But I was in a hairy spot so I just started another one as the easiest thing to do, rather than find one of my other podcasts.  I was glad I did, since most of the rest of them were good - which just enough humor to get me to laugh a few times in each one.

I avoided buying fuel for the Maverick in Canada, but the level was lower than I was comfortable with.  I did get absolutely fantastic mileage the whole time I was there - even more surprising since my speeds wouldn't suggest it should be this good, but I'll take it.

I crossed the border back into the US at Windsor since this would put me mostly south of Detroit.  The line was moderate, but it was still the right decision.  It was mildly infuriating when a dude forced his way in two cars ahead of me.  But we already know that a small percentage of the population has no redeeming qualities (the internet has reinforced this...).  The border itself took 30 seconds to get through.

I continued my way towards home.  Traffic was actually worse in places than near Toronto.  

Soon enough I was home with enough time to unpack and take the dogs on a quick walk.  Fish were still frozen so it was just a matter of transferring them to the freezer.

I know I'm very fortunate to have friends like Denis and now Julie.  Fishing for big salmon is something I've always wanted to do.  I hope to be able to do this again.

And barring anything unforeseen, I'll be back in Canada in a few weeks!

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 3 - Un poisson

With a little better lay of the day, I was up and ready for coffee.  Denis had kindly set the coffee to start a bit early for me.  Sometimes small things are big blessings.

And with a little better lay of the land, I didn't get lost in the very dark morning.

Signs pointed to it being a very good day.  But sometimes life hands us signposts which go nowhere...

We drove out to the marina which looked very different as it wasn't a holiday.  Additionally, after we got there, a friend of Denis walked up and said their charter was cancelled due to high waves.  We decided to give it a go anyway.

Initially it didn't look that bad, but as we motored out of the protection of the harbor, the waves increased quickly.  It was tolerable - and I counted my blessings that it wasn't the previous day when I wasn't feeling 100%.

We trolled for a while before one line told us there was a fish on.  Julie took the pole and reeled in a nice Chinook salmon.  The boat was hopeful that the less-than-perfect weather was not going to be a significant negative factor.

But it was not to be.  We tried deeper water, but the waves were much worse there.  We had a couple VERY small strikes, but nothing else came in the boat.  Oddly, we marked more fish on the fish finder, but they must have just been snobby fish.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a good day.  The rocking wasn't terrible and the weather, other than that was nice.  We chatted and hoped and dozed.  It was still a good day on the water.

And with only one fish, clean-up was a breeze.  I didn't feel all fishy afterwards either.

We quit a bit early since all we were doing was burning gasoline.  Back at the campground, we had some down time - which was also nice.

Dinner was Alberta Whitetail burgers before turning in for the night.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 2 - Chinook In Five

I woke up early with a headache (of course).  I dozed for a bit before getting up.  I knew the coffee maker was going to go off at 4:00 and I was ready.

I sat outside drinking coffee before heading to the bathroom - only to get turned around and lost on my way back.  I was slightly embarrassed.

Soon enough we were on the road to the marina.  It only took a few minutes to get the boat ready and we headed out.  It would be an understatement to say it was a stunning morning.  It was cool but not cold, and there was very little wind.  Wildfires are not good, but the haze makes amazing photographs.

We didn't go out very far before Denis started setting out lines.  As he was getting the second line out, he yelled, "Fish On!" and grabbed the first pole handed it off to me.  I wasn't sure what was on it, but it was big and it did not want to come in.

It took about 15 minutes to get the first Chinook Salmon I've ever caught into the boat.  It may not have been a monster, but it was close enough to a monster for me.

I have to admit though, that when reeling in big fish, there is a small part of me that is rooting for the fish; just a small part though.

The good thing about all the early excitement is that it basically ended my headache.

An hour or two later a much bigger Chinook came on the line.  This one took almost a half an hour to get it into the boat.  Thankfully I did not lose it.

And so it went throughout the day.  We would have slow periods followed by action - such is fishing.  We went out to deeper water and got into some Steelhead.  When I was a kid - Steelhead was THE fish to catch on Lake Michigan.  So it was pretty cool to be able to catch a few.

I felt somewhat bad that I was the designated catcher.  But Julie said that was the plan for the day.  I have to admit I also did enjoy it.

We did miss a few fish.  Sometimes this was user error - at one point I think we were all sleepy and missed the strike.  We had the line break once as well.  And there were a few releases of smaller Steelhead to be caught another day when they are bigger.

Total count for the day was three Chinook and three Steelies.  But this was only part of the point - it was, frankly, just an amazing day on the water.

As the afternoon wore on Denis brought in all the lines.  Then he fileted the fish right on the boat - which makes total sense to do.  The filets were packed on ice as we made our way back to the marina.  In the later afternoon it got almost hot, with just enough wind to give the lake some chop.

Back at the camper we packed up the filets in individual bags and dropped them in the freezer.  Hopefully they freeze before the trip home.  I was feeling quite fishy and gross - so a quick shower brought me back to the land of the living (even if I thought I still smelled a bit fishy).

Dinner was pork chops - which were great.  Fish might have been more appropriate, but it had been a fishy enough day.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 1 - Breezing Through the Border

I think I first met Denis in 2013.  Since then, we've hunted together in South Carolina more times than I can recall.  Denis has a big boat and as he's (I think) partly retired, he spends much of the summer catching fish on Lake Ontario. 

We talked in 2024 about me coming out to fish with him, but that ended up being a busy year for him and for me it was the year of health challenges.  Fast forward and we made plans to go fishing.

I was a bit apprehensive - which was stupid.  It is way too easy to get caught up in the work-eat-sleep routine and to take work too seriously.  It didn't take too long for me to realize how awesome this would be.

The summer so far has been exhaustively hot and humid.  Friday came gloriously with cool air and decreasing humidity.  This allowed me to spend Saturday getting caught up on some chores around the house as well as spending time doing some maintenance and small repairs (that required doors/windows to be open).  I felt wonderfully productive, if somewhat tired.

One of my repairs was going to need some subsequent work, but it was good enough and didn't stop me from heading out early Sunday after some quick coffee.

I was out the door and on the road around 5:15.  Predictably, I had the Sunday morning road to myself.  I was listening to The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr.  The first  section of the book felt a little like and advertisement for Trader Joes - although he does make a disclaimer that he's agnostic on the chain.  It might have felt a little more real had I ever been to a Trader Joes, I suppose.

My mind did wander a bit, which is to be expected.  But the book was pretty good.  At some point I realized I wasn't going to finish it, so I switched to some rather forgettable pod casts for the last few hours.

I bypassed the Detroit/Windsor border and continued, crossing at Port Huron.  This may have added a few minutes, but I was anticipating the crossing a drive to be a little easier.  I breezed through the border within a few minutes.  The line of trucks coming into the US was crazy; I couldn't help but wonder if it was to avoid the next round of tariffs?

I  realized this time was my first time out of my home state since January (I think).  This is a bit sad.  Although I guess I could count my dog walks into Indiana.

Once into Canada, the traffic was nonexistent at first.  

It got much hairier and uglier as I got close to Toronto.  The roads seemed overly complicated, but I just followed the GPS - or tried to.  I'm a bit terrified I'll need a second mortgage to pay for the 407 tolls - but I guess that is just part of the trip.

I made my way to Denis and Julie's campground.  Denis was out getting the boat ready.  I had never met Julie before so we had a while to get to know each other.  It was fun and she was easy to talk to.

Denis showed up on his motorcycle late afternoon.  It was good to see him as well.

Dinner was beef steak and veggies before turning in relatively early in preparation for a fairly early morning.

2022 Bear Hunt Day 3 - Whittling Away Time

There was a bit too much commotion as I was trying to sleep so I had to use the air conditioner as white noise overnight.  I'm not sure what all of it was about, but it must have been non-residents since most of the offensive noise-makers were not there when I woke up at my too-early hour.  So it goes.  

I didn't want to get to camp too early so I putzed around my room for a while.  This was painful; I don't do lollygagging well.

You know why I'm whittling? Because that's what you do in a town where a yellow light still means slow down, not speed up.

I poked around online and came across an article referencing Twin Peaks which noted it was on over 30 years ago.  My friends - most of whom were idiots - paid little attention to Twin Peaks.  Thursday wasn't typically a go-out-and-try-to-find-booze kind of night, but I spent lots of Thursdays alone watching Twin Peaks.  The show was popular with people I was acquainted with; these were the same kinds of people I was in AP Chemistry class with.  I once snooped around online to see what some of these people were doing - their lives appeared as different now as mine does from late-teen me.  It is tempting to see people and places from so long ago as locked in time.  Aren't our houses and schools and friends supposed to remain locked in place, as if they had been frozen by some Narnian White Witch?  Just as my high school (and frankly College) is barely recognizable from what it was then, so too are most of these people.  There is a zero percent chance I would ever go to a high school reunion, and that is probably good.    I'll never be who I set out to be, but I will always be who I was.  I'm not sure where I am going on this non-sequitur, except that getting away from the chaos of work, away from the mundanity of days that pass without notice, away from the daily issues that make me shake my head is important.  A few forced minutes in a cheap hotel room en route to my seventh bear hunt allowed me a few minutes to think about things in the third person - even if it was a phantasmagoria.

Enough introspection.  I walked around outside a bit before it was time to hit the road.  The sunrise across the water was gorgeous.

I was on the road around 7:00 which felt really late but was in reality at least an hour early.  On my way out of Fort Frances, I saw the Tim Horton's and stopped in.  I was hoping to get a bear paw (defined as a baked pastry with a filling made of dates and other similar things).  I didn't see any, but decided apple fritters might be an acceptable substitute.  I asked the lady if they sold bear paws and she pointed to the apple fritters saying they are what people call bear paws.  Apple fritter it was (these are NOT bear paws).  I don't remember the last time I had any kind of fried donut, but it was pretty good.  It could have used a bit more apple and it was messy enough that I had to pull over to brush off all the glaze that fell off.  I was still feeling quite Canadian by having gone to a Tim Horton's at all.

I drove a route I'm now familiar with.  I thought about stopping in Kenora just because I had some extra time, but couldn't think of anything I really needed, so I took the bypass around.  Route 44 was as bad as ever in most parts with a few repaved areas.  

I listened to podcasts through the morning - mostly Hidden Brain and several involved loneliness which was a bit odd given that I have just spent the last couple days alone.  I stopped for gas at the Petro-Canada and thought about buying more junk, but my stomach wisely told me it was not a smart thing to do.  At the lower speeds on the smaller Canadian roads, my indicated mileage was even better than the previous day.

Soon enough I was at camp and Maureen happened to be leaving my cabin as I was pulling in.  The sights, sounds and smells were all familiar.

I vegged in the cabin and lodge for a few hours.  Dinner was turkey with all the trimmings while we all got to know each other.  In camp so far is two guys from Iowa, three from Utah with another two from Pennsylvania (I think) still working their way here through the horror of commercial air travel.

2022 Bear Hunt Day 2 - Our Neighbors to the North

After a reasonably good night's sleep I was up early.  I packed up all my stuff and as quietly as I could loaded up the truck.  Out the door around 4:30, I had the interstate to myself.  Sunrise came near the border with Wisconsin - even through the window of a vehicle it was pretty with fog hugging the ground in several locations.

I finished Franzen's How to Be Alone.  He's quite a talented writer if a bit verbose at times.  What I found a little disappointing is how myopic he comes across - everything he likes is justifiable and good, everything else is less so with a bit of qualification in a few rare instances.  And while he admits watching TV - he does so only by explaining, may times, how much he dislikes TV.  I have another of his books ready for listening, but I switched over to podcasts for the remainder of the day.

Getting around Madison was super easy in the early morning; Indianapolis could take a lesson.  I stayed on the interstate to Eau Claire, taking US53 north for the rest of the day.  When I stopped and got gas north of Eau Claire, I also got some locally-made beef jerky.  It was smoky to the point of almost tasting dirty and had enough salt to give me a coronary.  Even questionable jerky is good so I finished it quickly.  Shortly after getting gas it started to rain, and the rain built to torrential downpours at times.  Much like the previous day, I wasn't in a hurry so I was able to just take my time.  I need tires on the Ridgeline so speeding through the serious ponding would probably have been foolish.

The rain was done by the time I got to Duluth.  It seems like the exact same areas in Duluth have been under construction since 2018?  This wouldn't be so bad, but Duluthites drive ssssslllllooooowwwww.

I continued north and my mood lightened as it started to look more northy.  Traffic was non-existent and I was really enjoying the drive at this point.

All day I had been noticing how great my gas mileage was with moderate speed and a stiff south wind.  Actual mileage may be a bit lower once I calculate it, but this is still outstanding for an AWD Ridgeline.

There were only two cars in front of me at the border so crossing was quick.  The border guard asked me what kind of work I did. "Chemist" 

"Oh?  What do you work on?"

"Diapers."

This was followed by a pregnant pause as he decided whether that would possibly be something that someone would make up (it isn't).

Getting the guns through took a few minutes but was easy enough.  It is quite incredible that I can cross an international border with a couple firearms for a nominal fee, one piece of paper and a friendly conversation with a Canadian Official.  North America is a wonderful place and Canada is a wonderful country.

Once into Canada I found my hotel.  Walking into my room brought back memories of my 2021 bear hunt and all the angst about getting across the very recently opened border.  The world is slightly more normal now than it was then.  Once partially unpacked I walked down to the Fort Frances Tower.  It was closed in 2021 due to COVID and was now closed due to flooding a few weeks prior.  Some day I'll get up top (maybe).  

I had never thought that boats must cross the border, but I suppose they need customs when this happens as well.  I also suspect I'm not supposed to take pictures of the border area.  Oh well - I was in Canada.

Google maps showed me where a convenience store was so I could get some chips.  It ended up being quite a long walk but gave me a chance to see some of Fort Frances.  It reminded me of something, but I couldn't grasp what until I caught a smell that reminded me of my Opa and Oma's house in St. Catharines, ON.  This must have been a coincidence since there is no reason for a Canadian house to smell different than a US one, but it is still amazing how evocative scent can be.  For sure - Fort Frances has a mix of houses, but the neighborhood reminded me a lot of Opa and Oma's.  I also know my memory may be fading...

After I got back to the common area by the water, I decided to walk out to the point near the US.  I was getting tired of walking which is weird since I walk so much at home.  I suspect I was really getting tired of walking without a dog.  The weather had markedly improved through the afternoon, so I made the most of it.

On the way back there was a vehicle sobriety checkpoint which seemed odd for 4:30 in the afternoon - usually I hear of these late at night after people are leaving the closing bars.  But then I remembered ... Canada...

Back at my hotel I munched on my chips and some Rainy River Meats Pepperettes (do recommend).

Another noodle bowl and guilt-inducing Ding Dongs ended my day.  I went to bed hoping all my ducks were in a row for a final few hours of travel.

Delta Bear Hunt Days 9/10/11 - Fantasy Camp Ends

The final day in bear camp starts with breakfast sandwiches.  Everyone has filled their bear tag so we all head out for a day of fishing.  I'm in the medium-sized boat with Ron, Justin and Late John, and Max is guiding.

We head out on the river and as we are motoring upriver I notice that the color of the trees is just starting to change.  Fall comes early to Manitoba, and it almost seems like the amount of color in the trees is about twice what it was only a week previous when I had gotten into camp.

I start fishing from the top of the boat - both because I like fishing up high and it gives everyone else in the boat just a bit more room.  I lose the 10 yards right by the boat, but I can cast forever up high and I can also see lots more of the fish strikes.

Fishing in the morning is a bit slow, but not terrible.  Our boat has only a few keepers through the morning.  I land about four fish, but one of them is a good-fighting 33 inch pike.  There are numerous other strikes, but many spit the hook.  Barbless Manitoba is both a blessing and a curse.  Justin also brings in one good-sized pike.

The weather is intermittently good with heavy rain squalls.  We mostly keep fishing through the rain.  The fish are already wet and with camp coming to an end, I don't want to miss anything.  Once the rain starts, I do drop off the roof of the boat since it can be a bit slippery and a fall from the top might be catastrophic.

Lunch comes with a stop to the same shelter as the previous day and more rain.  Instead of the fish and potatoes, lunch is fish tacos which were absolutely amazing.  Of course anything with guacamole has to be good.

Fishing in the afternoon gets much better.  Both Justin and I hook into a ton of really nice fish.  We don't bring in any monsters, but the action is almost non-stop.  John even abandons bottom bouncing to start cast for pike as well.

All good things must come to an end and Max calls final cast.  We bring in our lures and get ready to head back to camp just as another rain squall stirs things up.  The wind whips of the water, but in the covered boat we all stay (mostly) comfortable.  Once out of the rain squall we are treated to a stunning rainbow which puts a capstone on the entire bear hunting trip.

We have a final group dinner of ribs before I settle up with Vance.  I also book for a future hunt; I am not sure if it will be in 2022, but it will not be soon enough.  Hopefully.

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I have a very restless night before the alarm on my phone tells me it really is time to head south.  I had packed up most of my stuff the previous day, so it is a quick shower, load up my bear and head out.  There are a few light sprinkles, but traveling is easy and traffic is light on Canada's Labo(u)r day.

Crossing the border goes smoothly enough, although I do panic a bit when one of the US guards starts to tell me that bear paws are not allowed to be imported.  "I know they can't be brought in detached, but I can bring in the entire in-tact hide."  A quick call to agriculture says no issues there and USFW did not answer.  A minor incident, and thankfully she didn't insist on being wrong.

I do have a spell where I get pathologically tired.  Thankfully this doesn't last too long and I munch on my buffet of unhealthy food during this time.  A good book helps keep me alert.  I listened to Where the Water Goes by David Own.  I had downloaded this book a long time ago but it took a while to get to it.  I wish I hadn't waited so long since it is really good.  It paints an interesting picture of the history of water rights in the Western US - as well as a scary future.  The world is a complicated place.  The book also does a really good job of going into how this complication means every potential action (or inaction) has a unintended consequences on top of unintended consequences.

I have a deer run right in front of me not too long after crossing the border into the US.  It is a very impressive buck which does start me thinking about the upcoming deer season, even if a doe is the mostly likely animal I'll get a chance to take.  There is lots of construction with poorly marked detours through Minnesota.  These probably didn't add much time to the drive, but they can end up feeling really frustrating.

I get to Maria's house with enough time to take a walk with her and Liz and the dogs.  The park near their house is quite pretty, but with the mix of bikes/walkers/dogs is claustrophobically risky.  I'm surprised at how much agriculture there is within the city of Madison.  Dinner is some really good ramen.  It is a short but good visit.

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Maria and I catch up a bit before it is time for the final leg of my journey home.  I listen to a mix of Radio Lab, Hidden Brain and Planet Money podcasts which makes the time pass quickly.

The dogs are happy to see me once I get home.  Maybe SO is as well.  The rest of the day is hairied mix of unpacking and taking care of bear meat.  Everything is separated, cut, ground and in the freezer by the end of the day.  But there is still enough to catch up on that I'll have one more day before I need to go back to work.

Getting to Manitoba during Delta/COVID was an uncomfortable exercise of paperwork, tests and stress.  In hindsight, it doesn't seem so bad and I'm amazed how everything worked out really well.

I'm very appreciative of Mark for inviting me along.  I know I am so fortunate to be able to head north into Canada and go on these kinds of adventures.  And I am really glad to have friends, both old and new who keep life interesting. 

The world is changing faster than ever before, and it gets easier every year you’re alive to be just a bit more of a pessimist, turning the brightness dial of your perspective down another notch. It takes effort, but I believe it’s worth it, when we can, to squint into a visual field of rain clouds loaded with infinite ways we could be disappointed, unimpressed, and dissatisfied with every little thing in our lives, and instead focus on a sense of awe and amazement. - Brendan Leonard

Delta Bear Hunt Day 8 - What the Eagle Sees

I once again slept in far later than I normally do; I was wondering how long it will take to get back on my normal schedule.  But I have several days (and over a thousand miles) until I have to start thinking about that.

After an egg bake breakfast, Derrick took Ron and I in one boat while Max took Justin, John and Mike in a separate boat.  We headed above the rapids and started by jigging which was not working very well.  So for most of the day, our boat set up with Ron bottom bouncing and me casting for pike (or whatever).  The weather was cool and cloudy with just a couple sprinkles.  Not having the sun out was almost kind of nice since I'm a little bit sun and wind burned.

Ron pulled in quite a few walleye and I make good work against the pike.  Around mid-morning I finally get a pike on the line that did not thrash around like a pissed-off teenager and I knew it was a good one.  It gets near the boat before dragging line deep beneath the boat.  After a bit of work, the fish is tired and we get a big fat 36-inch pike in the boat.  I'll take that any day.  I'm equally happy after a successful release back into the Winnipeg River.

We continue fishing for the rest of the morning.  As we are about to head to our lunch spot we see a bald eagle fly low over our boat.  Derrick takes one of our small perch and thumps it on the head and throws it into the air.  The eagle, which is now in a fir tree looking over the bay, sees this and flies down, taking it off the water just a few yards from the boat.  It is very dramatic (I think Ron has a better picture than this which I hope to steal a copy of).

We stop and fish a bit more before heading to one of the beach areas to eat.  I walked out to the rocky point to look for wolf tracks.  They are hard to find after the previous day's rain, but I do find two sets of them, the second set having smaller tracks of very young wolves.

Lunch is once again shore fish and potatoes.  It is easy to eat too much.  Carter and John stop by for a few minutes before we head out for some more fishing.  Temperatures have turned warm from the mornings gloom and I finished the day in shorts and a T-shirt again.

The afternoon's fishing isn't quite as good for our boat, but we still hook into a decent number of fish.  At one point I don't get my line out of the way of the boat in time on a turn and it gets wrapped up in the trolling motor - I felt like quite the waterhead.

As the afternoon wore on, it was time to head in.  The wind had picked up creating waves in the open areas.  At a point near the rapids, we see two bald eagles fighting mid-air.  The go at each other before tumbling in a triple barrel-roll, only to break away and fly off right near the water.  I'm not sure which was cooler, the eagle taking the perch right before lunch or the eagles fighting while headed back to camp?

As it got darker back at camp, the first boat came in early which was a good sign.  Both Amanda and Matt had shot nice bears off their stands.  It wasn't too long before the other boat came in with Mark and Tyler ... and two more bears.

So 10 hunters, 10 bears with one day to spare.  Incredible.

Delta Bear Hunt Day 7 - Spinnerbait Walleye

I slept pretty well and expected to wake up to rain.  But I woke up to another steely grey Manitoba morning.  It was much warmer than I expected as well.

After coffee and reading a few things online, I took my pole out to the bay and cast by the boat ramp.  I ended up catching the largest pike I've gotten yet.  It was a bit tough to get the treble hook off without any kind of pliers.  It was only about 24" but I could interpret it as a good omen.

After breakfast, Mike (guide) took Justin and I out to fish.  We headed into Blind Bay.  On my first cast I ended up hitting a decent pike and bringing it in.  This was followed shortly by another pike.  Neither were huge, but catching pike is always fun.  Even the little guys often fight like big fish.

We worked our way around the bay with both Justin and I bringing in a fair number of fish.  None of them were huge, but it was at least a very consistent amount.  It was also surprising that they were hitting on just about everything.  I did catch one fish which was fairly respectable in size - not a monster, but at least as big as my boat ramp fish from the morning.

We headed in for a shore lunch at the lodge which was good, but not the same as an actual shore lunch in a remote area at the shore.

Once done with lunch I was getting really tired - so it was imperative to get out fishing soon before I got even sleepier.  Luckily that was the plan as Justin, Ron and I headed out again with Mike.  This time we headed up to Petrushney Bay.  We probably brought in even more fish than the morning.  Again, none were very large, but it was still a lot of fun.

It was also an odd fishing afternoon since we brought in fish using unusual tackle.  Justin brought in a mooneye using an inline spinner, and I brought in a big walleye on a spinnerbait.  Sadly, that spinnerbait was later lost to a snag.

As we fished, the expected rain did start.  It ranged from a light mist to fairly heavy rain.  We all had rain gear which made it somewhere between tolerable and fun.  I did borrow Mike's Frog Toggs pants which saved my Donkey pants.

We headed back to the lodge around 6:00 after a very fun afternoon of fishing.  John had shot a really nice and big bear.  No one else had gotten anything.  Matt sat on the same stand I hunted from.  I suppose I was both hoping he would see some gosh-awful huge bear and wondering how I would react if he would see something like that on that stand.

Delta Bear Hunt Day 6 - Princess Bride Fishing

I woke up later than I have in a very long time - possibly years.  But I guess eating and going to bed so late will do that to someone.

After breakfast, Mike and I went out with Carter while Mike (guide) took Justin and Ron out.  We went way up river above the rapids and started by using bottom bouncers for walleye.  This was not proving very effective, so we went a little farther up river and started jigging.  

In the movie The Princess Bride, Inigo remarks, "I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using?" when the Dread Pirate ship is gaining on them.  I can relate to this after the morning's fishing, as the boat we were in barely caught any eating-sized fish, while the other boat limited out within a couple hours.  I wonder if they were fishing in the same water we were using?  This might be understandable if we were in different bays, but we were almost within casting distance the entire time.

It is also possible that some cosmic force knew that I find jigging a very unengaging method of fishing, so our boat was doomed.  This may be supported by the fact that I only caught one good sized walleye, and it escaped the net.  Regardless, by early afternoon, there was enough for a good shore lunch thanks to the other boat.

We headed a short distance back down river to Kendall.  This has to be one of the prettier spots on the river.

Mike (guide) and Carter cleaned the mess of fish caught in the other boat and cooked up a great shore lunch which also included a can of stuffed jalapeño peppers.

After lunch we continued fishing, but switched to casting for pike.  We fished a few bays through the afternoon.  The fishing was good, but not great.  Most of the fish caught were smaller pike, but I did manage to bring in another pretty good smallmouth.

Throughout the afternoon, the wind picked up considerably, making it easy to cast in one direction but hard to cast in the other.

As afternoon wore on, we decided to begin to head down river and try to fish at Lamprey Right Bay.  But once we got there, we were not sure if anyone was hunting that stand so we ended up going back to camp. 

The boat ride back to camp was absolutely brutal in the more open sections.  The wind had whipped the river into a wavey, kidney-punching torture fest for myself in the front of the boat.  Luckily there were only a few sections of river where it was really bad.

There was some down time in camp while the six people still hunting were out (Tyler's bear wasn't recovered).  Once they were back, John (late to camp) had taken a nice sized sow.  Amanda had barely grazed a bear (which oddly came back to the barrel after that) and wasn't able to get another shot.  No one else had shot anything.

It was a good day.  So far the fishing has been a little bit tough this year, and with a storm brewing for Thursday, the future is in doubt.  I guess it always is.

I'm still hoping for one day, or even an afternoon where the pike are biting at anything that gets chucked at them?

Delta Bear Hunt Day 5 - After Bears, Fish

I woke up to a stunning Manitoba morning.  The air was cool and crisp with no wind.  The river was like a mirror.  Pictures on days like this are like cheating.

I sent a few I'm-in-an-awesome-place texts to a couple friends who should do things like this but rarely do.  Over the years I've gotten a few of these back as well so it is all fair.

After breakfast, Max took Tyler and I out for fishing after dropping another dude off at Kendall on the way.  We fished mainly by casting through the morning.  Fishing was good, but not great.  We caught enough fish that it didn't feel slow, but they were all small.  Even if the fishing has remained a little slow, the scenery is wonderful; miles of gorgeous coastline with almost no people and what evidence there is of civilization is not obtrusive and tucked out of the way.  

Conversation through the morning was good, even if some additional filtering may have been appropriate at times.

Lunch was once again soup and sandwich.  

The hunters went out after bears while Carter took Mike, Justin and I out for more fishing.

We started out by bottom bouncing for walleye.  I guess this is slightly less painful than jigging, but it is still not the most engaging way to fish.  It was also not terribly productive.  We did catch some walleye, but only 2 (or was it 3?) were big enough to keep.  We also had a lot of snags with Bag Al's hooks proving to be a frustrating tool for the job.  I think Big Al has some quality control problems.

When we ran out of Big Al's substandard hooks, we switched to casting.  This was a good turn since the fishing in the later afternoon was much better.  We were able to hook into a consistent amount of pike with a few smallmouths thrown in.  Some of the smaller pike were hitting lures with a brutality not commensurate with their size.  Several times we said that we had finally hooked into something big, only to see another snot rocket get reeled into the boat.

I did manage to bring in one smalley which was somewhere in the impressive arena.

We fished right up until dark before heading back into camp.  The six people still hunting filtered in through the evening.  Shockingly, only one bear had been shot at by Tyler, but its hoped recovery was going to have to wait until the morning.  Most of the bears seen were either small or maybe-on-Friday in size.  

I got pathologically tired and was ready for bed about 5 minutes after another excellent dinner.  Bear camp brings some bad eating and sleeping habits.  I love it.

Delta Bear Hunt Day 4 - Dropping Guns (and Bears)

The cabin was quite dark and quiet so I slept really well.  After waking up and putzing around for a bit, everyone met for breakfast followed by a morning of fishing.  I went out in Derrick's boat with Justin.  It was a beautiful steely grey morning.  Fishing started out slow, but there was enough action to keep things interesting.  All the pike we caught were small, but it was still great to be catching fish.  I did catch one smally in addition to the pike.  Justin spent quite a bit of time using a flyrod, which would have been neat to see, but he wasn't able to connect with it.

On the way back in camp we stopped for a few casts in Petrushney (and I am just about sure that isn't spelled right) Bay.  It has been a very dry summer in Manitoba, but recent rains had started the water running again at the small waterfall at the mouth of the bay.

After soup and sandwich for lunch, we all headed out to go after bears.  I was headed back to Moose Creek, the same stand I had been on the previous night.  Matt was also on the same stand he sat on previously.  Mike was dropped off first at the other downriver stand that hadn't been sat on yet.

When Max and I walked into the stand there was a bear on the bait with his head stuck in the barrel.  The activity on this stand is incredible.  At least the bear ran off this time - likely because nothing was left in the barrel.

I got up into the treestand and got settled.  Max gave me the thumbs up before heading back to the boat.  Just as he got out of sight, the whole stand shifted in a jolting manner.  My rifle slid, banged on the footrest of the ladder stand.  I reached to grab it, straining my arm only to watch the gun tumble to the ground.  I stared in horror as my Ruger was sitting, barrel nearly straight down several inches in the dirt, like a planted tree.  OH SHIT!  I made sure everything else was secure and climbed out of the treestand.  The barrel was plugged with dirt.  I ran back to the boat.  In hindsight, I'm not sure what I was going to do at the boat that I couldn't do there, but two brains are better than one.  Max and I made an impromptu gun cleaning kit out of some saplings and some leaves.  We got the barrel at least mostly clean.

I nervously went back to the stand - since there had been a bear on it before, I wasn't sure it wouldn't have come back to the filled bait barrel.  Back in the treestand I get settled again - this time being overly cautious.  My mind pondered my rifle.  I would have been more nervous had the scope been hit or if it had been wacked in the action.  While dirt in a barrel is bad, ranges in bear hunting are close enough that impact would be unlikely to be shifted enough to give a bad hit.  Right???

The first bear came in at an early 3:30, surprising with all the gun falling and in/out of the stand.  It spent time getting the logs out of the barrel, but ended up pulling one from the top end of the barrel through the side hole - getting it very stuck in the process.  The bear was not happy and spent quite some time shredding the log with its teeth and claws to get at the food inside.  Note to self:  Do not get in a fight with a bear.

A second bear came in a short time later.  As with the previous night, both bears barely tolerated each other at the bait ... barely (or would that be bearly?).

The second bear only stuck around a short time, with the first bear staying for over an hour.  Then I had a long uncomfortable stretch where nothing was happening.  It was still a very nice evening.  Temperatures were perfect with some sun, but in the deep, thick woods it wasn't hot.  There were a few mosquitoes, but not too bad.  There was absolutely no wind which was both good and bad:  good since it made the evening serene, bad since every movement felt like I was banging a gong advertising my presence for miles around.

The somewhat uncomfortable stand also made the long stretch more difficult.  I spent too much time pondering the impact of the fall on my rifle, whether I should switch to my back-up TC shotgun.  I wondered why I wasn't seeing all the bears from the previous evening.  Time passed slowly.  I had to remind myself how incredible it is that I get to do these things.  I recently saw an article discussing Type 1 Fun (fun in the moment) versus Type 2 Fun (not fun in the moment, but fun - usually really fun - in retrospect).  Hunting can sometimes be both Type 1 and Type 2 at the same time.

As the evening started to approach some longer shadows, another bear came in.  My heart raced since I was hoping that the less amount of bears compared to the previous evening might mean something big was nearby.  But it was a small bear.  I watched it for a while before it left.  

I had another bear circling me a short time later.  I caught only a few glimpses of it behind me.  I was not sure how big it was, but it was obviously very wary.

As the darkness grew bigger, another bear came from the opposite side of the barrel.  I was sure this was going to be a big bear.  I had already brought my gun up on my Bog Pod with the previous bear.  In the dimming light, I saw the bear turn broadside, brought my gun up and shot.  The bear hunched and took off.  I knew it was hit, but I didn't hear it moan.  I also didn't hear it crashing away.  After waiting not enough time, I climbed out of the stand and nervously approached the barrel.  Just beyond the bait was my bear.  It wasn't the monster that I thought it was, but it was a beautiful Manitoba black bear.

The situation was much like my 2011 bear hunt - where I assumed I should see a big bear, even if part of my brain knew the bear I was looking at through my scope wasn't huge.

Once back in the stand, I pondered the last decade.  If in 2011 I was a bit disappointed with a smaller bear, in 2021 I saw a beautiful animal after two incredible days on the stand - with five days to still spend fishing with great people.  Midlife may be painful, but perspective is everything.  There are Big Questions nearly every day, but these small, beautiful moments can't be traded for anything.  Even if I had visions of huge Canadian bears as I spent 20 hours driving to get here, once the bullet left the barrel, I am happy with the result.  Quite frankly, I am the luckiest SOB on earth (with apologies to Sam Malone).

Max had heard me shoot from the boat quite a ways out since it was such a quiet evening.  He came in early.  When I heard the boat I cautiously walked past the barrel and met him at the shore.  "Did you shoot?"

"I did."

"Did you get it, do you know where it is?"

"It is right by the barrel.  You can't miss it.  I'll got get my stuff from the stand."

"Right on man!"

I got my stuff while Max loaded my bear in the sled.  We took a few pictures and got the bear loaded into the boat.  Then we headed down to pick up Matt.  Like me, he had seen a few bears, but nowhere near as many as the previous day.  One bear in the area when Max went in circled the stand - huffing and puffing in a menacing manner.  No doubt these bears are aggressive this year, likely due to a mix of not as much food and little hunting pressure for almost two years.

Back at camp a total of four bears were taken (Mike, Justin, Ron and mine).  We all ate dinner while the guides started skinning and quartering the bear meat.  My shot had been right through the boiler room so the impact of the gun falling was negligible.  Only a small amount of one shoulder was bloodshot.  It was a late night for me, but even later for the guides as I went to bed once my bear was cleaned.