Saskatchewan Baiting Lessons A Wisconsin Bear Guide Turns Hunter
By Mike Foss
After a long game of cat and mouse with the two Saskatchewan boars unwilling to share the bait, the blond sow Bill Engler had waited for saw an opening and took it. Camera rolling to capture the confrontation and hopefully, the kill, I stood above the bowhunter from Green Bay and felt our tree literally shake; the fever of the moment enveloped my good friend as” Honey Bear” emerged from the shadows and Bill began his draw...
Bill Engler of green Bay and Wisconsin Bear and Deer Guide Mike Foss found a great hunt and the blond bear of a lifetime in Saskatchewan Canada in May and recommend the adventure for any hunter waiting eight years or more for their harvest tag here.
As Wisconsin bear guide turned temporary hunter, this May 24 confrontation offered an unfamiliar view of a bear hunt in more ways than one; an experience that would allow me to better relate to the hunters who venture each spring into Bayfield County relying on my expertise and experience to bring the bears to them. Wisconsin hunters on average earn a harvest tag once every eight year. Our bear hunting is not a sport that lets the hunter get comfortable with yearly tags, and many feel the fever when they first meet those bears at the bait.
Regardless, our success rate at Northern Wisconsin Outfitters over a decade is over 95 percent with a near 100 percent shot opportunity. In the last few years alone our hunters have harvested a 638 pound bear, with bears in the 300 to 500 pound class certainly not common, but expected. There is a method to our baiting madness…and success… and it begins with diligence and effort.
This spring at the Wisconsin Deer Classic & Hunting Expo in Green Bay I presented the seminar, “Bear Addiction” which included a segment on baiting techniques. We bait for an average of 25 hunters annually who hold vigil over our baits spread over 30 square miles of rugged Lake Superior country. We begin the baiting in May that will have the bears habitually returning well before the September season.
In the seminar, I maintained that bear baiting methods that are proven in Wisconsin may not be effective at all elsewhere. Big talk. When it came right down to it and we ventured north into Saskatchewan, Canada with my own bear tag to hunt with Bear Claw Outfitters, I couldn’t practice what I preached. How could such a lofty success rate change just because we crossed the border?
Months before the hunt it was difficult to listen to my Canadian guide; although I had to believe that he knew his own local trade, it was hard to believe that a Canadian bear’s diet could be so different from their Wisconsin cousin. All bear like sweets, of course so why was Roger Eagles telling me that beaver and oats was the only menu item we would need? The answer was evident on day one of our week-long trip.
We had many stands from which to choose. Everywhere we traveled there was water and evidence of those bark-chewing engineers. The bears had simply adapted to an abundant, primary food source. Beavers were the staple. Still, as Bill Engler opted not to make changes to his bait, I “went Wisconsin”; in addition to beaver and oats in one barrel, which is required for ground bait in Saskatchewan, I stocked another barrel with cookies, pastries and pie filling.
The first day I hunted the sweets had hardly been touched; how rude of those Canadian bears. The beaver we hung in a tree was gone and the oat barrel was almost empty. Roger Eagles said sweets are more effective in fall due to the lack of abundance of the primary spring food sources. Makes sense. Next time I will listen to my seasoned guide and leave the Wisconsin menu home.
Bayfield County is wilderness country. Saskatchewan though, is big, beautiful and intimidating. If you’re not prepared you may be in for the shock of your life. We set our stands in a rain storm and woke to three inches of snow. We had not packed any warm gear. The sun melted all the snow by early afternoon, and we prepared to climb the stand where we knew Honey Bear was visiting. I switched the card in the Cuddeback and discovered as we waited for action that the blond bear had been on the bait only hours before. Now it was only a matter of time and she would be back.
Toss out scent control. After the ATV ride in and the walk to the stand, it was like we never showered. Although a skeptic for years, we both used Ozonics; a small battery-operated machine mounted above the hunter’s head that pulls in oxygen and sends out odor-killing ozone. It works; I had bears downwind of me that could not smell me. Now I will not hunt without one.
When the boars came in from behind, my finger was tapping a warning on Bill’s head like a woodpecker. I could physically feel the adrenalin moving his body as his lips quivered and the tree shook. The first bear eyeballed the movement but quickly chose the bait. The second boar decided to investigate and came several feet up our trunk, hissing his displeasure. Exciting stuff.
Finally, Honey Bear arrived but it would be a tense 3-1/2 hours before the boars allowed her access to the bait. Once again, the tree was shaking, the camera was on and focused, and Bill was on center stage. Honey Bear, due to the near-by boars, not us, came in with extreme caution. Despite the fever, Bill’s arrow was true and Honey Bear traveled only 20 yards, ending one of the greatest hunts I had ever been a part of. The bear of a lifetime was on the books. We will post the kill soon on the homepage at www.onwisconsinoutdoors.com.
For any Wisconsin hunter who loves the bear hunt but not the wait for a kill tag, try a Canadian adventure. Bill and I were so impressed with Bear Claw Outfitters that our 2013 hunt with three more friends is already booked.
The hunt had placed me on the other side of the coin. Now I know what my clients go through when mentally preparing for the day. Have I chosen the right guide? Purchased the right equipment? Do I know my limitations with bow or firearm? And so much more.
I understand. And I think I will be a better guide.
For more information on a Saskatchewan hunt contact:
Roger Eagles
Bear Claw Outfitters
www.bearclawoutfitters.com
Busi-1-306-634-6681
Cell-1-306-595-4990