Rick Dickson's Bear Hunt

The Bear Season in the province of Ontario opens on August 15. We started to collect and stockpile bait directly after the 2006 hunt. By early May, the baiting began in earnest. Also in May, the roads, trails and bait locations were repaired. The natural crop of berries and nuts were spotty, so we expected an awesome bear hunt.

Frank Bennett and his party, from Columbiaville MI, along with the Elmer Berndt and Robert Hedge (Rogersville TN) and Todd Fifield (Rutledge TN), hunted the Peckerwood baits and all 8 hunters either returned home with trophies or had an opportunity to take a bear.

The Joe Arbic party, Battlecreek MI, hunted the same baits as in previous years, and all ten hunters either harvested or had opportunities for animals.

The Larry Stornant (Warren MI) and Jim Bacoccini (Toledo OH) party, enjoyed the same success as the Bennett and Arbic groups.

The Tim Kendll party, staying at the Dubreuilville Motel, enjoyed similar success. Steve Bechuck and Eric Behrndt joined the party from Humble and Houston TX, respectively.

Gary and Judy Slater, Marion MI, both bagged nice trophies. This year, Judy hunted from the ground due to a broken ankle. Not a good time for a poor shot!

Ken Ward, Schoolcraft MI, Kevin Spalding, McBain MI, Todd Falor, Lansing MI, Ron Falor, Perrington MI, and Terry Waldron, Pewano MI, were all first time hunters and shared the same experience of returning home with nice trophy animals. I'm not sure who was more excited about Kevin's first bear - Kevin or his wife.

The Leroy and Loren Dyke (Coopersville MI), Mathew and Rodger Holman (Nunica MI) party went 6 for 7 and only an erratic arrow restricted these sportsmen from all filling their tags.

The Jim Ordway party, Freemont IN, tagged 6 for 7, with opportunities for all.

Ken Lehman (Stanton MI) and brother Max (Greenville MI), hunted with me when they were kids. They, along with hunting partners Jim Perry (Sheridan MI), Chris Feazel and Darrell Eggleston (Stanton MI) and Glen Beers (Rockford MI) all tagged nice trophies.

Paul Zelenka Jr. (West Olive MI) brought his very capable daughters, Morgan and Courtney, on their first hunt. They Zelenka family all filled their tags the same night. It was a long night.

Jim Hicks, Remus MI, Bill Kahl, Lakeview MI, and bob Parkey, Indian River MI, all saw plenty of bear and filled their tags. Bob selected a nice cinnamon over the largest bear he had ever observed. Jim arrowed another P&Y trophy. bob and Bill spent the balance of the week pelting over 50 bear for me. Nice way to spend a vacation!

Chris Kidwell (Kankakee IL) and Ken Kidwell (Danville IL) hunted with their younger brother and Jeff Palmer (Oakwood IL). They went 4 for 4 with one nice cinnamon bear. It was a busy week but Jeff and his wife brought everything into perspective with a tune from the bag pipes.

Curt Curtis (Lodi WI) and Tony Tantillo (Madison WI) once again hunted the same baits and were rewarded with nice trophies.

Ed Reedy (Washington MI) hunted the Hornepayne Highway and Gourlay baits with Robert Snyder (Frazer MI), Tim Snyder (Warren MI), Andrew Pfeifle (Sterling Heights MI) and James Brown (Smithcreek MI). Everyone tagged animals; several in the 350lb range.

Brad Snoderley (Swanton OH) has hunted with me several times. This year Brad hunted from the Pukaskwa Camp with Ralph Barlton and Brent Marinski (Toledo OH) and Jim Winterfield (Holland OH). All 4 were rewarded with nice trophies.

Dan Seal traveled from Troup Texas with his 2 sons, Jarrod and Justin. Everyone saw bear and the 2 boys both arrowed trophies.

Kelly Wieringa (Hudsonville MI) and Jacob Vollink (Zeeland MI) were on their first bear hunt. They wasted no time in tagging their bear from the White Lake Camp. The balance of the week was spent landing walleye and pike. I'm still not sure if Kelly and Jacob were old enough to hunt!

Jeff, Brent and Nathan Badan and Randy Goodwin, all from Scales Mound IL, also hunted from the White Lake Camp. Everyone bagged animals within the first few days. The balance of the hunt was spent sport fishing, landscaping and picking "rocks" at the cabin.

Paul Henderson (Falkville AL) traveled with his boys, Jason and Joshua and Jay Chittam (Hartselle AL), for their first bear hunt. Everyone saw numerous animals and only some erratic shooting kept them from all filling their tags.

James and Steve Meyers, Kelvin Armstrong and Loren Mickley, all from Danville OH, and Chad Nelson (Galena OH), hunted hard and returned home with trophies.

Dan Fellows (Colona MI), Lewis Fellows (Lawton MI) and Charles Evett (Benton Harbour MI) had a bad experience with another outfitter the previous year (as did James Meyers), but were all rewarded with nice trophies this year.

The Tim round (Middleville MI), Doug Round (Wyoming MI) and Jeff Laufersky (Nunica MI) party enjoyed an "Interesting experience". All seven hunters killed bear the first night of hunting. The baits were miles apart and trophies ranged from 250 lb. to 500 lb. One long night and into the next day. We love it.

All the best to you and your families from Rick, Darleen, Roger, Don, Pete, Donald and Judy. Until we meet again.

The 2006 bear season was a productive year. Some areas were more productive than others depending on the availability of natural food and local weather conditions. The hunter success rate for 2006 was 68%. The success rate was lower than 2005 (86%) but considering the natural elements, a successful year.

In early Spring the tree stands, roads and trails were repaired and feeding stations baited as work progressed. Baiting began in earnest in early July. many hunters arrive on the weekend prior to opening day. This provides time to settle in and maintain the baits several days prior to the hunt.

Frank Bennett and his party from Columbiaville, MI once again hunted the Peckerwood baits and were rewarded with three bears. Usually, they all return home with trophies but this year the first week was not as productive. Many of these baits were hunted the last week of the season by the Len Vining, Bill and Lance Norris party, Caledonia, MI. All members of this party either tagged nice trophies or passed on animals. The first part of the hunt was frustrating for some of my clients.

The Joe Arbic Party, Battlecreek, MI also hunted the first week, tagged 6 for 11 hunters. Todd Letner, Cedar, MI dedicated his hunt to the #2 catfish bait in the quest of the "phantom bear". For many years hunters and guides had got a glimpse of this elusive animal. Todd hunted the phantom perfect and one well placed arrow has Todd in the P and Y book. The animal was a mature boar that weighed 435 lbs.

Mark Stone, Marshall, MI has developed into a very successful bear hunter but poor judge of size. Mark always calls to confirm he downed an "average size bear". This year was no exception. Over the years I have become skeptical of Mark's size estimate so send extra help to retrieve the animal. Another one of Mark's average size bear - 325 lbs.

Josh Watruba, Green Bay, WO, Jodi Geiger and Darren Vandeher, Oneida, WI and Keith Pecho, Oconta Falls, WI all had opportunities for bear and returned home with 2 nice trophies.

The Dan Abbott Party consisted of Jeremy Gordon, Robert Kusmack, Shawn Olinger of Paw Paw, MI, Justin Korasik, Gables, MI and Jason Rockenstein, Bloomindale, MI. They hunted the same bait line as previous years and were rewarded with all seeing bear and tagging 4 nice trophies.

First time hunters Jeff Reid, Hart, MI and Ed Bowerman, Hesperia, MI hunted hard and both returned home with nice animals. Tim and John Morris and Denis Albert were also first time bear hunters and tagged nice animals.

Gary and Judy Slater, Marion, MI and David and Rhonda Slater, Dorr, MI hunted the same baits as previous years. Both David and Rhonda tagged nice trophies. Gary and Judy saw numerous bear but not the "right one". The Ed Pylman, Wayland, MI and Brian Pylman, Grand Rapids, MI party hunted from the White Lake Camp and all 5 hunters bagged bear within a few days. The balance of the week was spent jigging for walleye and Northern.

Ron Utt, Weidman, MI and his son Anthony are ardent sportsman. Ron has taken several bear and booked this trip to help Anthony on his first bear hunt. Ron's coaching paid off. On the second night of the hunt Anthony nailed a 375 lb bruiser.

Dave Porter, Roscommon, MI met his hunting partners Bob Porter, Aberdeen, S.D. and Brian Wiedebush, Mansfield, S.D. for their first bear hunting trip. All three were some what nervous but after seeing a few bear started shooting. All anchored nice animals.

Steve Wolf, Ortonville, MI, Dan Osborne, Quincy, MI and Ray Rataske, Coldwater, MI hunted in late August. Some of their baits were previously hunted by the Dan Abbott party. By the end of the week all were rewarded with nice fall trophies.

Ed Reedy, Washington, Joe Catenacci, Croswell and Mike Darling, Marne City shared the same campsite as Jeff Dyment, Eastpointe, Dan and Mathew Haggerty Warren, all from MI. All returned home with trophies, several in the 400 lb. class.

Chris Kidwell, Kankakee, IL and brother Ken, Danville, IL with long time friend Jeff Palmer were looking forward to the hunt and some relaxation. Ken and Chris arrowed bear the same night. The first animal was moved to camp. About 3 hours later they returned to retrieve the 2nd animal, however the wolves already located the bear and caused considerable damage. A few days later Jeff completed the hat trick.

Another hunter also experienced a problem with wolves. Bob Blevins, Engadine, MI and son Buck, Sandusky, OH hunted with Bob's Desert Storm partners Mike Labarbara, Temecula, CAL and John Boone, Taylor AR. Bob and Buck both bagged bear the same evening. Bob arranged to meet Buck at a road intersection and was absent from his bear for approximately 1 hour. When they returned the bear was gone. The wolves dragged it down the hill and into a creek. This was no ordinary bear as it weighed approximately 500 lbs. They no sonner located the bear and wolves started to howl everywhere. With the flashlight starting to flicker Bob decided to skin the bear in the creek. The wolves were determined to stay, at times in the swamp grass only a stone throw away. Bob was just as determined. He finished pelting the bear minutes before the batteries in the flashlight failed. It was midnight before they were in the truck. The next morning when they told me the story, I asked them "How many wolves?" They all responded as "Too many". They never returned to that bait.

Tom Swisher, Joe Mathews and Chris Taylor all from Watervilliet, MI had an interesting hunt. They hunted in early September and would take turns baiting while the other fellas sat the baits. The strategy worked as all 3 killed nice animals.

Jim Bacoccini, Toledo, OH has bagged several bear but is also somewhat unlucky in his quest for a bruiser. His good friend Larry Stornant, Warren MI will sit at a bait and spot Jim's bear. Jim sits at the bait and "nothing". Next year, Jim.

After the hunt I kept busy hunting white tail in Northwestern Ontario and Quebec and working my traplines. All the best in the New Year from Rick, Darleen, Don Roger, Pete, Donald, Danny and Jim.

The 2005 bear season was awesome; one of the most successful in history. My hunters harvested over 100 bear; many in the 350 - 450 lb range, with an average weight exceeding 200 lbs. There were many color phase trophies, including cinnamon and chocolate coloured animals. The hunter success rate was 86%. This success rate is based on individual hunter success and does not include sightings. Northern Ontario, and in particular the Wawa area, has a problem - too many bear, but providing great hunting opportunities.

In May, we started working on my hunting territory. Tree stands, roads and trails were repaired, and feeding stations baited, as work progressed. I built another walk-in freezer, capable of storing 9 tons of additional bait and moved the unit to Southern Ontario to collect bait directly from the abattoir. When the freezer is full we transfer the bait to the freezer units in Wawa. In addition, a truck and trailer were sent out weekly to pick up drums of candy, donuts and additional butcher scraps in preparation for the fall hunt. Baiting began in earnest in early July.

Frank Bennett and his party from Columbiaville MI, once again hunted the Peckerwood baits with everyone seeing multiple bear and returning home with nice trophies. One member of Frank's hunting party was Elmer Berndt of Rogersville TN, a rookie bear hunter. Elmer returned home with a nice trophy and also saw 26 bear during his 5-day hunt.

Dan Abbot, Bangor MI, Dawn Merritt and Bob Stevens, also wasted no time with tagging bear. Bob was after a P & Y book bear. He had the trophy pegged, however it would not present a shot. As Bob said, "No problem to harvest bear, but I wanted that particular bear". One for the book next year.

Gary Rumbaugh, Richmond, Carl Daly, Dinondale; Paul Seville, Ferndale; Frank Schmalts, Leroy; and Billy Bowman, West Branch; all single hunters from MI, and with the exception of Billy, all first time hunters returned home with nice trophies. Billy's trophy was one of the largest bagged in 2005, so large we pelted it in the bush (500 lbs.+). The rough skull size was 21". We actually hunted this bear for 2 years, and suspected it was a larger animal due to it's erratic feeding behavior. One well placed shot ended the speculation. Bill had only hunted it for 15 minutes.

The Jim Hicks, Remus MI and Dan Catlin, Mt. Pleasant MI party, enjoyed a great week of hanging bear from the "bear pole", catching fish and relaxing.

Bud Robinson and Robert Bailey, Farewell MI, and Bud's son Mathew, Clare MI, also hunted the Pukaskwa with all 3 rewarded with exceptionally fine trophies.

Tim and Tina George, Cornell MI have a favourite bait. When the wind was in Tim's favour, he slipped into his bait and with one well placed shot, it is in the record book.

Robert Wheeler and Dean Wolf, Muskegan MI, along with Kurt Luchies, Freemont MI, were on their first bear hunt. These fellows hunted the Hornepayne Highway baits from Caribou Lake - all were rewarded with exceptionally large animals. What makes this special is Robert's father, Gary Wheeler, hunted several times with me 20+ years ago. Gary, "Yes, I'm still kicking."

Mike Klaeser and Dean Gosse, Kiel WI, Terry Braun, Plymouth and Tom Halback, New Holstein WI, are all veteran bear hunters. Only bad luck kept them from all tagging out the first night of the hunt. However, within a couple of days, they were able to spend the balance of their vacation slaying the walleye. Tom's bear will certainly be in the P & Y book.

Joe Arbic, Battlecreek MI, and his group of 11 hunters, tagged 10 animals. Most of the animals were 250 to 400 lb. mature boars.

Lisa and Ken McClain, Georgetown IL, Tom Bonebrake and Lonnie Scott, Portland TN, hunted hard and went 3 for 4 with all having an opportunity. Lisa bagged the largest - a 400 lb. P & Y trophy.

Michael and Sue Lesiow, Doug Hoogakker, Brandon Upston, all Battlecreek MI hunters, and Don Barron, Kevin Duley, Doug Cook and Jay Travis, Indianapolis IN, hunted hard and were all rewarded with nice trophies. One well placed arrow will have Sue in the P & Y club.

Don Looman, Zeeland MI, and Keith Vanderwall, Sparta MI, always request the Baretent campsite and Road 54 baits. Keith wasted no time in getting a fall bruiser. Don, Keith, Roger and his son spent considerable time retrieving the 475 lb. trophy. Al were relieved to return to camp with the "hog". Don then made a decision, "That's it, if we take another animal that size, it's heart attack time, I'm going fishing."

The fall hunt was awesome, one of the most productive ever with the average weight 200 lbs. plus. Considering the average Ontario success rate for Ontario Outfitters is 34% and the average weight of black bear is 140 lbs., it was a tremendous bear hunt.

After the hunt, I was busy on my prapline and hunting the elusive whitetail. Greetings and all the best in the New Year from Don, Roger, Donald, Pete, Danny and J.R. Until we meet again.

The first 2-1/2 weeks of the 2004 bear hunt was awesome. The individual hunter success rate for this time period was 73%. However, as the season progressed the weather changed and the blueberries flourished. We stumbled the last two weeks of the season and finished with a hunter success rate of 54%. Considering that the provincial hunter success rate is 34% (MNR statistics) we are well above the provincial average, however below what we normally achieve (2003 - 77%, 2002 - 61%, 2001 - 73%, 2000 - 77%, 1999 - 73%, 1998 - 85%)

We worked all summer cutting trails and roads, repairing washouts and tree stands, locating new bait sites and preparing the baits for the opening of the 2004 bear season. The first clients for the 2004 bear hunt arrived on Friday, August 13th.

Frank Bennet and his party from Columbiaville, MI once again hunted the same baits with all 8 hunters harvesting mature adult boar from their baits. Hunting is not like baseball - where statistics is everything - but Frank, son Scott and their partners hunted with me for 9 years, always the same baits, and harvested an amazing 71 bear. Most of these animals are adult bears, with many weighing in excess of 350 lbs.

Dan Abbott, Bangor, MI, also hunt the same baits each year. This year his three partners, Jason Rockenstein, Bloomingdale, MI, Pat Carlotto, South Haven, MI, Erik Darling, Lawrence, MI all harvested adult male trophies within the first 2 days of their hunt.

Larry Stornant, Warren, MI and James Bacoccini, Toledo, OH spend considerable time tending and studying their baits. Their party was rewarded with five bear and everyone seeing animals.

The Jeff Laufersky, Manica, MI and David and Deanna Dyke, Allendale, MI party also hunt the same area each year and returned home with 6 trophies and most with an opportunity for a bear. This group shared wonderful hunting stories from being surrounded by a pack of timber wolves, observing the dominant wolf pin an insubordinate member of the pack to the ground, to a "large bear" trying to share a ground blind with the hunter.

This year Gary and Judy Slater, Marion, MI were joined by David Slater and Rhonda Slater. All 4 hunters were successful with a couple of trophies in excess of 400 lb. This was Rhonda's first bear hunting trip and she made no mistake when a bear lumbered into her sights. Congratulations!

David Slater, dorr, MI - another 1st timer with 350# Trophy

Rhonda Slater, Dorr, MI - 1st Bear Hunt & 360# Trophy

Joe Arbic, Battlecreek, MI and his group ended their hunt with all hunters bagging a trophy. Joe and Todd Letner, Cedar Springs, MI both arrowed bear on the same bait the same evening.

Rick & Joe Arbic, Battlecreek, MI "20th Year" with trophy squaring 7' 10"

Todd Letner, Cedar Springs MI - P&Y Trophy

Dan Kissinger, Battlecreek, MI hunted hard, knowing that a large bear was on his bait. After passing on several smaller animals Dan was rewarded with another P&Y Trophy.

Tad Ralston, Battlecreek, MI arrived in Wawa early September and was rewarded with one of the largest trophies of the year, a 563 lb bear that we expect supports a skull measurement of 22".

Jarod Cheney and Buel Pooh were a long way from home, being from McComb, KS> Both lads were successful deer hunters, but this was their first bear hunt. Jarod was rewarded with one well placed arrow that will place him in the P&Y record book. this bear was 450 lb supporting a 20 + skull.

Jarod Cheney, McComb, KS with 450# Camp One trophy

David and Laurie Jimkoski, Atlanta, MI also enjoyed another successful hunt from their Rogers Lake campsite. Dennis Alexander, Gaylord, MI was the only member of the group who returned home without a bear. Denny saw numerous bear, just not the right animal. David's bear will also be in the P&Y record book.

Larry Mann and Tim Garvey, Peck, MI have many stories to share about their hunting trip. Larry hunted only a few days before settling a score with a 390 lb trophy. Tim saw several animals but chose to keep his powder dry.

Rex Wolfsen, Saint Helen, MI was also on his first bear hunting trip. By doing the "little" things right Rex was rewarded with this first bear - a 375 lb trophy.

Rex Wolfsen, Saint Helen, MI with 375 lb bruiser

Tina and Tim George, Cornell, MI live in Northern, MI, the heart of bear country. However this year Tina with coaching from her husband George tagged her first bear - on the first night of hunting.

Ed Purdue, Mecosta, MI traveled to Wawa with Fred Straubel, Belding; Steve Walker, Palo; and Charles Noll Sheridan all veteran MI deer hunters. After resting the first day they proceeded to harvest a bear on each of the next four days. Once again all large mature bears.

The first two weeks of the fall hunt was awesome, lots of bear predominately mature bears with many weighing in excess of 300 lbs. The success rate for this period of the season was 73%. However, as the season progressed into September, the blueberries flourished and the hunter success rate dropped. The bear were present, but the activity on the baits was sporadic making it difficult to select the right bait to hunt. There conditions were opposite of the 2003 bear hunt where the bear consistently hit the baits hard for the entire hunting period resulting in a success rate of 77%. The hunter success rate for the 2004 Bear Hunt was 54%. We wish to thank all our clients and friends who used our service. All the best to you and your families in the new year. Until we meet again,

Information & 2008 Bear Hunt	References	2007 Bear Hunt	2006 Bear Hunt
2005 Bear Hunt	2004 Bear Hunt	2003 Photos

Chris Kidwell, Konkakee, IL & P&Y trophy	Don Barron, Indianapolis, Ind, with 400 lb bruiser	Mark Burgette	George Burton, Flat Rock, MI & 18" plus trophy
David Hobor	Gary Redmond, Greenfield, Ind. & fine trophy	Scott Kaimon, Munith, MI & P&Y Trophy	Rocky Marsh, Fulton, MI with mature adult bear

Gary and Judy Slater, Marion MI, with another 400 lb + trophy.	Frank Bennet, Columbiaville MI, and partner with nice Peckerwood trophies.	Joshua Watruba, Green Bay WI, with 340 lb Canamex trophy.
Brent Craft & Scott Kaimon, Jackson MI, with twin 400 lb + Pukaskwa bags.	Mr Edward Watruba, Mountain WI. A very special 410 lb Canamex trophy. "Creative Bear Carrier."	John Lakatos, Grand Haven MI with Hornpayne Hwy bruiser.
Scott Linsmeier, Munominee, MI and his 440 lb # 1 Loon bruiser.	Katie Terry, Battlecreek MI and 400 lb # 1 Catfish special. "Right to be happy."	Mike Morales, Jenison MI and P&Y trophy.
Rick with Ontario Whitetail.	The Pukaskwa Outpost	Typical Bait Setup