THREE GENERATION CANADIAN BEAR HUNT and FISHING TRIP
By DICK HENSKE
Canada has always has had an appeal that won’t quit. The beauty of rugged and unspoiled wilderness humbles you. The areas are vast and private; a place where you can travel for miles and miles and have your breath taken away by every glimpse you catch. There are hundreds of clear sparkling fresh water lakes and endless tracks of pristine forests.
Three in our family planned an over-due trip to fish walleyes and bear hunt. Brendan, my grandson, is a career army sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell,TN, and my son, Steve, from Stevens Point set up a short four day trip; they have tight schedules. We contacted Margaret Chambers and her family who own Sturgeon Lake Lodge, north of Ignace. We have fished and hunted with them a few years ago and they are the best hosts and guides in the area. They have a resort and an outpost on huge Sturgeon Lake, known for its lake trout, plus access to numerous lakes filled with walleyes and northern.
Steve and Brendan Henske with two Canadian bears taken by Brendan and his Grandpa, Dick Henske, during their 3-generation hunt.
The resort is four hundred miles north of Wisconsin. You travel up the east shore of Lake Superior north of Duluth (Hwy 61) to the Pidgeon River Boarder crossing. The resort is about 12 hours north of Stevens Point, WI. After crossing through customs you can get maps and licenses at the tourist center.
Upon arrival, Margaret, showed us all the bear pictures she had on cameras. All 6 sites they had for us were hit daily. They had 2 cinnamon bears, lots of sows and cubs and 6 other shooter bears on trail cameras.
Warm weather – 88 degrees just stopped everything- the bears must have stayed in the cool swamps. Time was also an issue, because of the boys’ tight schedule. Nothing but cubs the first two days, but then the weather cooled. On the third day, Brendan shot a big bear at 6:00 P.M. He hadn’t hunted for over 10 years, spent time in Iraq and Korea, and was so excited about shooting the 350 pound bear that he doubled-timed it back to the resort. He and Margaret enlisted help from the fishermen, and they gutted and hauled the bear back to camp and put it in the cooling room with ice packs. It was a thrill for everyone to help this excited young man with a beautiful bear.
I shot a smaller bear the same evening, so we had two bears to process the next day. The resort has facilities (large ice-cube maker, freezers and a large stainless-countered, screened fish house. My son, Steve, hunted while Brendan learned how to skin, cut and package the bears. About a fourth of the meat was cut into meal-size packages and the rest was bagged in small chunks to grind up at home. I bought a pork butt to mix with the bear meat and made hamburger plus Italian sausage with the great spices from Penseys. The remaining meat was taken to Stevens Point to make summer sausage.
Steve bow-hunted all day Tuesday while we worked on the bear; he had no luck, however he enjoyed seeing seven moose.
Grandpa Dick Henske and grandson Brendan Henske with their two bears tagged during a 3-generation hunt in Canada. Brendan’s bar weighed in at over 300 pounds.
The hunt bait sites have stands; I’m an old “codger” and used m .35 Remington lever action. I sat on an elevated rock far enough away and had no problem with the bear scenting me. Margaret even has a stand that is wheel chair accessible.
If we would have had a few more days, Steve would have scored, especially once the cool weather arrived, but we did have a great hunting experience; one that Brendan will relive many times.
Now let’s talk fishing! We fished during the day on two of our four days. The resort has boats and motors stashed on back lakes which are loaded with walleye and northern. The first lake was loaded with 1½ to 2 ½ pound walleyes. We used jigs and night crawlers. We took the fish we caught back to Margaret who made a great fish fry for everyone staying there. The second lake was a ten minute walk-in and was about 400 acres. We fished the windy shore and could not believe the size of the walleyes-2 to 4 pounders, one after the other. We kept a few fish to eat at camp and 3 to transport home. You are allowed a daily bag limit of one under 18 inches and one over 18 inches on a conservation license.
How good can it get! We had a great hunt and a premier fishing trip, plus the great hospitality provided by Margaret and her dad.
Sturgeon Lake is basically a lake trout lake, but you can get some big walleyes trolling the bays. One couple, we met, had their own boat and had over 100 strikes and boated 68 lakers between 24 and 32 inches in six days.
A little over $300 will get you a cabin and a license to fish for a week. You can bring your own boat or rent a rig. The resort is on a well paved road (599) just north of Ignace.
I recommend the folks at Sturgeon Lake Lodge. They have very nice facilities, great fishing lakes, and loads of knowledge. You can tell by the number of repeat customers that they do it right. They have an outpost camp they boat you to, loaded with fish.
Bear hunting costs $1,400 plus your license. This includes your cabin, guide, bait and bait sites, boat and motor, plus a Friday fish fry.
I am going to do an article in the next edition to fill you in on what you need crossing the border for a successful trip to Canada.
Sturgeon Lake Ontario, Canada
Summer: 807-934-6933
Winter: 807-344-8265
Email: sturgeonlakelode@shaw.ca
Web Site: www.sturgeonlakelodge.com