There are so many elements of hunting that drive our addiction for getting back into the woods. How your heart rate can go from zero to pounding out of your chest in seconds when an animal is close always amazes me—and it doesn't matter if you're a rookie or a novice. I understand there are chemicals in your brain that create this crazy adrenaline, but how it causes your body to have such a tremendous response because of an animal is beyond me. For many, this intense experience is one of the many reasons we return to the outdoors year after year.
I have been fortunate to hunt for trophy class bear across Canada. The population north of the border is extremely healthy due to MNR bear management, outfitters educating their hunting guests on proper bear management and, of course, the unfortunate Covid pandemic curbing the hunting pressure for a couple of years, all creating the very high density of bears across Canada.
I've often been asked whether I prefer spring or fall bear hunting. My response is always both! In the spring, the bears come out of hibernation and are looking for as much food as possible to regain the weight they lost during their long winter naps. This aligns with the early spring food sources being reasonably scarce. Plus, many of the females are kicking off their cubs after caring for them for the past 18 months in hopes of breeding once again, so hunting at this time has several perks. During fall, bears are looking to pack on as many pounds as possible, averaging as many as 20,000 calories per day before heading into hibernation. The trophy-class bear is much heavier in the fall, so I guess that might tilt the scale if a heavy bear is a goal.
On this trip, I returned to the Superior Region of Ontario, where I shot some of my biggest bears. It's also an area where I've seen the most bear. In the end, whenever I've hunted bear in Superior Country, I've left tagging a trophy bear. I ventured to Flint Wilderness Resort this time, hoping to continue my 100-percent success rate.
I arrived at Flint Wilderness Resort in early June for the Ontario spring bear hunt. Upon arrival, I checked in with owners, operators and first-class guides Tim and Dave. After a quick overview of the bears coming into a few hunting locations and marking a few spots on a lake map to try catching a few fish, I settled into my cabin. Flint Wilderness Resort offers extremely comfortable cabins on the sandy shore of Klotz Lake. With a very clean and roomy full kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms, I was set for a week of casting for walleye with the hopes of releasing a bolt from my Ravin crossbow.
I always look for knowledgeable outfitters and guides that do their homework in a successful bear hunt. The homework is much easier these days than in the good old days. In the past, if the bait was hit, you sat there without really knowing the class of bear you were hunting. Are they trophy-class bears, sows with cubs, or bears that need a few more years to grow into harvestable-class animals? Trial cameras eliminate the guessing game, allowing outfitters to get their hunters on trophy-class bears and potentially increase their success rate. Tim and Dave do precisely that!
The fishing rods come along for every hunting trip I have taken to Canada. In spring or fall, the fishing north of the border is always lights out good fishing. This allows for a lot of action-packed angling in the mornings and relaxing in the stand or blind during the evenings, waiting on the big bruiser to show up.
Flint Wilderness Resort is situated on Klotz Lake, which is connected to Flint Lake by the Flint River. This system has an amazing population of walleye and pike, with numbers and trophy-class fish opportunities. I focused on the shallower fish located at 4 to 12 feet during this first week of the June trip. Pitching 1/4 oz. VMC moon eye jigs with 4-inch paddle tails or minnow-style soft plastic, such as the Big Bite Bait Jerk Minnow or Sensation Swim Minnow, are extremely effective with 50-60 fish mornings.
The stand setup they planned for me was in a prime location with multiple bear trials from almost every direction. From the trail cam photos, multiple bears were coming into the bait daily in the evening. There were two bears they showed me that got my excitement level moving in the right direction.
My first sit was an action-packed evening. I had a smaller bear coming and going cautiously most of the evening to keep my interest on alert. I had a feeling a big boy was in the vicinity based on how that young bear was acting, darting in and out of the woods periodically and being very cautious.
The second evening brought more of the same, but this time, a borderline shooter kept me company. Judging the size of a bear to determine if they are shooters can be difficult when they get to be a certain size. Tim and Dave have a couple of rules of thumb to follow. First, look at the ears-to-head ratio of the bear. If the ears look big in comparison to the head, then let it walk. Another tip is that the bait barrels have rings on them. If the back of the bear is taller than the top ring, it's a shooter.
After our second sit, we checked the trail camera pictures after returning to camp. A big boy showed up minutes after we left the stand the evening before. In my experience, often there are big bears in the area, but they know you are there. They are smart and will hang out close by, not showing themselves the first few days of the hunt. But then it seems their stomachs get the best of them.
I felt pretty confident while heading out to my next sit. It only took an hour, and a younger bear visited our location. He scampered back into the thick brush after a few samples from the barrel. As the sun set, my confidence started to dwindle. With 20 minutes left of shooting light, I caught movement from behind to the right. As it moved closer, I noticed it was coming down the trail toward the barrel. I quickly gauged his size by his big melon of a head and immediately knew it was a shooter. I grabbed my Ravin crossbow from the tree hanger as the bear seemingly read the script and turned broadside. I squeezed the trigger, sending the bear running into the woods before crashing only 20 yards to its end, letting out a death moan, signifying a perfect shot and keeping my perfect success rate in the Superior Country intact.
This trip to Flint Wilderness Resort was one of my favourites. It was partially from closing the deal on a great bear but more to do with an overall fantastic experience and my friendships with Tim and Dave. I learn more about these unique bears on every trip I take, and these two gentlemen taught me a lot on this trip. They were resort owners when I arrived and were good friends when I left.
Flint Wilderness Resort offers world-class spring and fall trophy bear hunting in the heart of the Superior Country of Northern Ontario. The bear population numbers in this region are currently second to none. Flint Wilderness Resort's huge Bear Management Area allows them to offer the opportunity for everyone they host to connect on a trophy class bear. They also provide world-class fishing for walleye and northern pike. If you are looking for a professionally operated hunting or fishing experience, get in touch with Tim and Dave to book your next successful and exciting hunting and fishing trip.
For more information on Flint Wilderness Resort, please visit www.flintwildernessresort.com
