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Photos: Manitoba Black Bears with Bushnell

by Shawn Skipper - Monday, May 22, 2017

Gallery

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Chasing Black Bears

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We were covered up in bears, of that there was little doubt. Some hunters reported seeing as many as six or seven bruins in an evening—and we were finding plenty of tracks like the one shared here. That's a human handprint to the right, for the record. For scale.

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Ready to Engage

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Among the new gear evaluated on our hunt was the brand new Engage line of binoculars from Bushnell. Four configurations will be offered, from 8x42mm to 12x50mm. ED Prime Glass is meant to ensure sharp images, while PC-3 Phase Coating has been added to enhance resolution and contrast. We'll have more coverage of these in the coming months.

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Tools of the Trade

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As part of the greater Vista Outdoor family, Savage Arms provided the rifles for our hunt. My bolt-action was topped with one of the new Bushnell Engage riflescopes. Engage scopes feature a new look for Bushnell, as well as upgraded features and a new Deploy MOA reticle that offers 1-MOA windage and elevation hashmarks.

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Not Just for Whitetails

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For 2017, Federal Premium announced its “Non-Typical Whitetail” line of ammunition. Non-Typical features exclusively soft-point bullet offerings, and is largely a simple repackaging of existing Federal products. It’s also good for more than just deer. I put 150 grains of .270 Win. through my black bear, and he died 30 yards from my stand.

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Bucket O' Gold

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One of the finer-eating freshwater fish you'll find, walleye were the true prize during our morning fishing excursions. We filled our bucket—and our limit— within an hour or two on most days.

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Getting Fishy

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Walleye weren't all Lake Manitoba had to offer. Over the course of the week we also landed plenty of northern pike—like the one pictured above—as well as a few freshwater drum and one burbot.

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Bear Down!

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It took me a few nights, but I ultimately was able to fell this 200-pound bruin on the fourth evening of my stay at Narrows West. He surprised me by sneaking into the bait site around 5 p.m. local time. It didn't take long to ID him as a very respectable first bear.

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Lucky Night

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After a few relatively quiet nights, the bears started to surface. Four were killed on the Monday of our hunt, and three of us—myself, gun writer Chris Mudgett and Bushnell's Jake Edson—tagged out on Tuesday evening. When the bears started moving, it happened fast.

Digital Managing Editor Shawn Skipper has always wanted to kill a black bear. Coming from the bear-free state of Delaware, he didn't grow up with much exposure to bruins, making the idea even more enticing. And so he was excited to join industry partners from Bushnell, Savage Arms and Federal Premium for a weeklong black bear hunt in Manitoba earlier this spring at Narrows West. You can get an inside look at his trip with the gallery embedded above.

IN THIS ARTICLE

bushnell savage arms federal premium ammunition engage binoculars engage riflescope bears bear hunting black bears manitoba photos shawn skipper

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Photos: Manitoba Black Bears with Bushnell

Gallery

Chasing Black Bears

Ready to Engage

Tools of the Trade

Not Just for Whitetails

Bucket O' Gold

Getting Fishy

Bear Down!

Lucky Night

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