August 23, 2010

Yesterday went well we finished cutting grass at the main camp. Today we were going to get ready to get out to the outposts but rain rain rain. We are going to get the outposts and get the grass cut, then run out some deer baits and set up our trail cams. Hope we get some nice Canadian bull moose pictures like last year and of coarse some nice Saskatchewan Whitetail bucks on film too. Can not wait for moose season to start.

Back to camp

Here we are at August 14 and getting ready to go back to camp. Yes, the time has come again to get to all 3 camps and cut grass and collect firewood. We have to get set up at the camps for our Saskatchewan Whitetail Deer hunters and our Canadian Moose hunters. Some hunters are doing a combo hunt for 10 days so that they can harvest their trophies. Who knows how many black bear and wolves we will see while we are out on the trails. As our Spring hunters know, there are a lot of both out there. Some of the black bear hunters got to see their trophy live...up close and personal. It is always good to get some pictures of the Whitetail Deer and Canada Moose as well. We like to see where the big boys are so that we can set up our hunters with these awesome creatures. Can you imagine a 50 inch plus Canadian Moose crashing through the willows as he is headed your direction. And then to have him stop 30 to 50 yards away from you. Some of our hunters do not have to imagine because that is exactly what happened to them. Come out and have some fun, we are getting ready for you.

Big Bears

These are just a couple of Black Bears that we have. The crazy thing is...they are still out there. Wouldn't they look good in your trophy room?

Website

She is up and running again, no, not Alaine, but our website. After a time of being under construction, our website is up to par. We have added a couple of new features, facebook and our blog. You can now stay in touch with us through both, if you are on the website, you can connect to facebook or our blog through our contact page. Weather you are checking to see if we have room for another couple of Saskatchewan Whitetail Deer hunters or if you want to do a Canadian Moose and Whitetail Deer combo, you can get in touch with us anytime you like. Facebook is a great way to stay in touch and of course you can always email us or give us a call on the phone.
We will try to keep you up to speed of what is happening with the government and (SOA) Saskatchewan Outfitters Association. We should be hearing from them soon, as they were to complete a report of how their meetings went. SOA and Sask. Environment got together, throughout the province of Saskatchewan and held around 20 meetings for outfitters. They were discussing creating a commission. I spoke with the SOA administration clerk last week and she told me that we should soon have a report sent to us about these meetings and how well they were received. The report should also tell us (outfitters in Saskatchewan) if there is enough interest in creating this commission and what is the next step.

Acredited Outfitters

On July 21 we attended a meeting with SOA (Saskatchewan Outfitters Association) and Saskatchewan Environment. This meeting was to get more input from outfitters as to what they would like to see, as for creating a commission to over see outfitters becoming accredited. This would help all hunters so that they could look up and see if a specific outfitter is accredited and would also give the hunter a place to issue their grievance with an outfitter. There are a lot of details to be worked out once a commission is created, but we feel that this is a great first step in eliminating rogue outfitters that are making a bad name for the legitimate ones. This commission would be run for all outfitters, Big game, fishing and game birds.

Check in again for more information about the commission and how it is to be run. There were meetings held all over Saskatchwan and we should be receiving some information about the outcome of these meetings, soon.

Room for you

Yes, we have room for you. We have our list of hunters coming up for Canadian Moose and / or Saskatchewan Whitetail Deer, but we do still have room for a few more. If you or a group of you, would like to come up for a Whitetail Deer hunt, a Canada Moose hunt or and deer/moose combo hunt, we are your outfitters. We will soon be going back to camp to get them ready for this fall's hunters. We also have room for Black bear hunters. You can check our website to see the size of our harvested bear this Spring, and the trail cam pictures of the ones that are still out there. Give us a call for details.

Monday, May 24

Up at 7:30 to 10 degrees Celsius (50 F). Dave and Eric decided to go out hunting at 1 pm today. If they start early then they will be done early because they plan to drive away at 4 am tomorrow. Morgan did not feel well, so stayed behind. Eric called at 4 pm...he had shot a bear. I got a hold of Darrell and Walter. All 4 guys and 2 bears back at camp around 5:30 pm. Darrell took Morgan and Dave out to where they had just shot Dave's bear. There was another one around when they left. As they guys were coming back, a big black bear crossed the road and did not run very far into the bush. They go back to the area and Darrell saw the bear...Dave and Morgan did not spot it soon enough to get a shot away. They kept going and spotted the bear another time...still not in a good position to get a good shot. It got dark and they did not spot the bear again... no bear for Morgan. She will have to come back next year.
Pictures and sizes of these two bears to come later.

They are out there.

Sunday, May 23

Rain and wind through the night. Probably round 3/4 " of rain. Darrell, Eric, Dave and Morgan off around 8:30 to look for the black bear. Nice sunny morning. After looking for 2 hours, there was no bear to be found. The arrow must have hit his hip bone and fell out. Every one had lunch and a nap. Out to tree stands around 3 pm...raining off and on. A little more on than off. We got about another 1/2 inch of rain through the day. Hunters came back in between 9 and 10 pm but the bears are still in the bush. Tomorrow is Holiday Monday. I think that the big bears should take a holiday in the USA as a wall mount or a rug.

Saturday, May 22

12 degrees Celsius ( 55 F ). Wonderful morning...the guys got the boat ready to go fishing. We all too a ride up to the bridge that goes into Cumberland. Took the hunters out around 3 pm. Dave called at about 7:30 pm to be picked up. Morgan hit one in the shoulder. Darrell, Dave and Morgan tracked for 2 hours, but they could not find it. They will look again in the morning, but it started to rain around 5 pm. Eric had a couple of bears come in and the other one that came in last was the BIG brown one. He just could not see it very well to get off a good kill shot.

Friday, May 21

22 degrees at 7:30 am. Another hot one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARRELL. Morgan and Dave took some shots with Morgan's bow. She is trying a new arrow that glows in the dark and then flashes when it is in the black bear or through the black bear, in the ground. Cool. Morgan is our 15 year old young lady that has hunted with her Dad for number of different kinds of game. She has a few kills under her belt, but this is her first black bear hunt. They usually hunt around Casper, Wyoming. They only saw the same young black bear this evening as last eve.; the one with a nice V on his throat. A wolf also came close to the bait, 50 ft from the stand, but never came right up to the bait. Eric saw 3 black bears to night, but none of them were 300 plus for his trophy room. All 3 black bear hunters took great pictures and video; these will be on the web site at a later date. We did not get them transferred to our computer tonight.

Thursday - 20th

Rained over night...Marvin is gone so is the hot, hot weather...lol... it has been hot the last 3 or 4 hunts that he has been on. It is supposed to go up to 25 degrees Celsius (75 F) today. Darrell is doing things around the yard today and waiting for the fuel man. I am off to Nipawin for groceries, our quad and to do laundry. It's going to be another non-stop day. I left by 8:30 am and got back around 8:30 pm. Dave, Morgan and Eric got to the camp round 2:30 pm. They had a bite to eat and then got set up in the stands. Dave and Morgan had a 2 or 3 year old come into the bait and eat for a while. Then he would leave and come back later. No other bears in tonight, but tomorrow is another day. Supper was around 11 pm. Others to bed and I finished in the cook house. To bed around 2 am for me.

Wednesday - 19th

We are up around 7 am...it stayed hot all night. Marvin and Neil packed up while I made bacon and eggs. It is a really windy morning. They left camp around 8 am. Darrell, Meesha and I left camp round 10 am to take down 3 baits and one stand. It is a long trip, and time flys when you are having fun. There was a lot of bear sign, but no bears. The only wild life I saw was when a wolf ran across the road about 15-20 feet in front of me. He looked like he was in really good shape. We did not get back to camp until around 5 pm. Had a quick supper. Darrell checked another 3 baits and I changed out bedding and cleaned up the bunk house rooms. To bed around 11 pm as usual.

May 18 - Tuesday

22 degrees Celsius ( 72 F). at 7:30 am. Yes, it's hot, hot, hot. All 4 guys got tree stands and bait in two boats and headed out to Birch River camp to get them set up. Sent them some smokies for lunch and will see them back for supper...who know what time. Alaine cleaned up yard to get ready to cut grass. Got caught up on some emails and computer work. Guys back in around 6 pm. They were able to make all the stands and get out the bait barrels. They saw a lot of bear sign, but for a change, no bears to chase away. At 3 pm and temperature reached 40 degrees (100 F). Crazy for May.

May 17 - Monday

18 degrees Celsius at 9 am. Marvin, Neil, Walter and Darrell left around 10:30 to put up tree stands and bait. 30 C (86 F ) at 11:30am. 32 C (88 F) at 4 pm. Clarence brought 2 jugs of oil and a pail of fish for baiting. He took 3 pails for more spoiled meat and fish. Alaine took in list of new hunters to DNR to get tags made up. Painted the back side of bunk house 1 1/3 gallons of stain and not done yet. Ate around 7 and had a camp fire around 9 pm. Early night to head to bed...only 10:30.

16th...bear, that won't let us bait

Sunday - 16th

Hot again. Probably about 12 degrees Celsius(54 F ) at 7 am. Walter and Neil went and took down a couple of stands in the morning. They tried to put up a new bait, but the large brown bear kept circling them and they could not bait. Some one has got to shoot this bear. He was not scared of them at all. He is BIG body and a big melon(head) too. Even though it was a new, never used bait site, this bear meant business and these two legged creatures were not going to stay in this bears territory.
Darrell and Marvin worked on things around the camp in morning and took Marvin out to his stand around 4 pm...plus 32 Celsius (90 F ).
Marvin back in around 10 pm...with Buckaroo bear. He definitely had some growing room left to do. But at least we are cutting down on the bear population. Around mid-night before we ate supper.

Saturday - 15th

Up at 3:34 am to see John and Robert off. Robert wanted to be back home to Colorado to sleep in his own bed tonight...probably mid-night. Up again around 7 am. Darrell fuelled up quads while Marvin and Neil made another 2 ladder stands. All 3 guys put out 3 ladder stands and bait; back to camp at 11:30. 1 pm - visit from Gil. 2:30 Darrell took hunters out to stands. Yesterday, Clarence and Tom (son) put new belt on his quad that came off on Wednesday.
Darrell back before 6 pm with Neil and his bear. Yeah Neil. This is his first bear hunt and this was a keeper. It did not break any records, but it will make a nice rug.

Friday, May 14, 2010

18 degrees Celsius (68 F) at 9:30 am. Another hot one...John is going to wear his blaze orange Bermuda shorts to the bush this afternoon...he's got to keep cool somehow. lol Darrell is off to Nipawin at 7:30 am. Picking up one of the quads getting repaired. He may meet up with Marvin who is driving in with Neil from Pennsylvania.


John saw a few bears yesterday; not sure if the heat was a factor. One yearling was on his own, so momma must have spring fever, found herself a big boy and chased off her baby. The big one is out there, bait just was not the thing on his mind.

Marvin and Neil showed up at camp around Noon. They got settled in and started to make tree stands, single and double. Walter and Robert took John out to his stand around 2 pm. Darrell back around 3 pm. Brought back the Kawasaki...carburetor needed a cleaning. John has 2 way radio for when he shoots out, he can call Walter. Darrell, Marvin, Neil and Walter left camp at 6 pm to set up tree stands and bait. Robert started to pack up their truck. All guys back at camp around 10:30 pm. No shooters today. The monsters are still out there. We will see what happens in the next month. If we bring in the monster, we will grow another for John for the next time. The score is now...One for us...one for the bears.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Robert shot a big bore last night...it weighed in at 323 pounds. And we think that his head is between 19 and 20 inches. With a bow, he should be a Pope and Young record. Got him skinned out and in the freezer by 10 pm. John and Walter got back to camp around 11:30 pm. No huge ones today for John; will see what tomorrow brings.

It must be about plus 10 degrees Celsius (50 F). Very warm morning. Darrell left around 8 am to bait. Hughie and Clarence got here around 9 am to go by boat to bait the outpost. Robert went with them since he SHOT OUT last night. Darrell back by 11 am, had lunch with John and I. John and Walter back left around 2 pm. Hopefully the bears don't smell John, it got up to 32 degrees Celsius today (90 F). lol

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Plus 7 degrees Celsius(42 F) this morning at 7 am, overcast. The guys worked on the trailer and got bait ready for this afternoon. Left camp at 2pm at plus 17 degrees Celsius (62 F); sunny with a few puffy clouds around. Darrell came back at 4 pm to baited other stands. A bear came into the yard by the garden but took off when Darrell called to me to get the gun.

Monday, May 10, 2010

It is overcast and cool this morning. The hunters slept in until 5:45 and 6:00am. We had bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast, around 7 am. By 9 am the sun was out and warming up. Noon meal, we had lasagna, garlic bread, Cesar salad and vanilla cupcakes with strawberries and whip cream for dessert. The hunters and guides got ready to head out to the stands by 2pm. Light rain and plus 12 degree Celsius between 2-3 pm. Now we wait. Last light is around 9:15 so we will see what time they get back and with how many bears.

The guys were back around 10:30pm. They saw a few bears at each stand, but passed up a big sow. We'll give her one more day to grow.

Now, how big is he? We will let you know at the end of Bear Season. Any guesses, just send them our way. Picture below...

May 9, 2010

Darrell took down a trail cam from one bait site at 7:30 am to move it to another. There were only a few pictures, but it only takes one picture to find the big boy cleaning out the barrel. Actually, this is the one that digs through the oats to find the beaver parts. He may be picky, but his size does not show it.

Welcome to our new blog! As we have many interesting things happen out at camp we figured we would share our stories and pictures with our readers!