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Black Bears on the Winnipeg River

by Shawn Skipper - Monday, June 1, 2015

Gallery

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On the Fly

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Eight hunters began their journey by calling in Winnipeg, Manitoba. From there, we were presented with only one way to reach our final destination, Eagle Nest Resort in the middle of the Winnipeg River: float plane. And so began our fly-in bear hunt. I was happy to check this particular item off the bucket list.

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The Lodge

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The lodging at Eagle Nest was everything a hunter (or fisherman) could ask for. Comfortable, rustic and modern (we even had a touch of Wi-Fi!), it made a great temporary home. Two of our sponsors on the trip, Bushnell and Ugly Stik, are well represented here.

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Our Rides

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As I noted, Eagle Nest sits in the middle of a lake, along the Winnipeg River. So, once our plane landed, there was only one other way to get around: by boat. When we weren't fishing, we were being carted to and from our bear hunting sites by our guides, who'd long since learned how to navigate the occasionally treacherous and rocky waters.

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Armed and Ready

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Decked out in ScentLok gear, I spent my evenings in a tree stand, minding a bait pile. I'd ultimately see just one, smaller bear, which I passed on. Perhaps I shouldn't have. Regardless, I left Manitoba without a black bear of my own.

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Bear Down

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Other folks had more success, however. Pictured here is JJ Reich of Vista Outdoor, who tagged his first-ever bear on the very first night of the hunt.

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Fusion Firepower

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My ammunition of choice for the trip was a .338 Federal load from Federal Premium's Fusion line. Unfortunately, we never did get to see what it'd do to a bear. Which disappointed more than a few folks in camp.

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Tools of the Trade

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My most frequent companions during my stay in the Great White North were my Savage Arms Model 11 Hog Hunter, and my Ugly Stik. When we weren't hunting bears we passed the time by fishing the river, which was alive with walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass.

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Killing Time

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That Ugly Stik was put to good use, too. Here's the author with a 17-inch smallmouth bass.

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Shore Lunch

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Some of the fish we caught (namely walleye, and the occasional northern pike) were turned into shore lunch each day as we waited for the evening bear hunts.

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Sunset on the River

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Though I hadn't tagged a bear as the sun was setting on our trip, it did little to hamper the adventure as a whole. The entirety of camp was more than ready to stay for an additional week—or three—given the opportunity.

We cover our fair share of adventure hunts here at American Hunter, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a North American adventure that rates quite like an fly-in bear hunt. And that's exactly what Web Managing Editor Shawn Skipper had the opportunity to do over Memorial Day weekend. Armed with a Savage Arms Model 11 Hog Hunter and .338 Federal cartridges from Federal Premium's Fusion line, he set out to tag his first-ever bruin. Get an inside look at his hunt—which featured a little fishing, too—with this gallery.

IN THIS ARTICLE

hunting bears manitoba bears blast and cast federal premium savage arms ugly stik fishing shawn skipper

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Black Bears on the Winnipeg River

Gallery

On the Fly

The Lodge

Our Rides

Armed and Ready

Bear Down

Fusion Firepower

Tools of the Trade

Killing Time

Shore Lunch

Sunset on the River

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