Setting the stage for a bear hunt in Saskatchewan: I have always had a deep appreciation for the province of Saskatchewan and its incredible hunting and fishing opportunities. Once again, I found myself longing to return to the fertile prairie and take on the challenge of engaging with a mature black bear. This time, I would be accompanying two hunters in pursuit of their first black bears, capturing the adventure from behind the camera.
Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, located three hours north of Saskatoon, presented an exciting opportunity to work with a new outfitter in the area, Into the Wild Outfitters. Owned and operated by Sheldon and Tara Dubnyk, this outfitting service covers an expansive 350,000 acres stretching from Hudson Bay to the Manitoba border. This immense territory, comprising agricultural land and dense boreal forest, is home to a healthy bear population and a booming whitetail herd.
Sheldon and Tara work diligently to ensure success for their hunters, with every hunter in 2024 getting a shot opportunity. Their fully guided Saskatchewan bear hunts and whitetail hunts include food and first class accommodations just outside of town on five acres of pristine provincial forest, overseen by a local cooking legend named Norma.
Joining me on this adventure were Bill Brod, Publisher/CEO of Outdoor Specialty Media Group, and Randall Berry, winner of the Saskatchewan Bear Hunt Sweepstakes. Equipped with top-notch gear, Bill chose a TenPoint Flatline 460 crossbow with Sevr Broadheads, while Randall opted for a rifle chambered in 30-06. The stage was set for an unforgettable bear hunt in the north of Saskatchewan.
As the hunt began, Bill and I were to be sitting a bait deep into the unforgiving bush of the Boreal Forest of Saskatchewan. The arduous journey would take us through very heavy forest and unforgiving swamps that are overflowing from the spring runoff and heavy rains. Thankfully Sheldon utilizes topnotch equipment with an Argo and a Polaris 6×6 that ensures his clients safe travel to and from the hunting locations. After being dropped off for our fist afternoon hunt, the sound of the Polaris faded in the distance and the realization that we were now on our own and the adventure had begun! An hour had passed when movement from the thick undergrowth caught our eye, it was a sow making her way to the offering left by our host Sheldon. From our stands only twenty yards away, we can clearly see that she possessed very distinct facial markings reminiscent of a clown. Clown Face, had now made herself comfortable unaware of our presence, licking a downed tree that had cake icing slathered down one side of its trunk. We didn’t know it at the time, but she would be an integral piece of things to come. Later a small boar made his way to the bait and seemed very interested in Clown Face. It appeared she was coming into her estrous period, but she did not want anything to do with this smaller bruin. Unbeknownst to us, this would play a role in our hunt on a later day.
Again, we caught movement further back into the forest, a quick “Bill I see a bear” was whispered across the short span between the stands and we were on high alert. This time a larger bear was making its way into our location and when it had arrived it was determined to be another sow. Sows without cubs are legal to take but not encouraged by most outfitters and my personal beliefs so we enjoyed her presence while she fed. Things got exciting with the next bear encounter; it was a sow with three cubs in tow. She wanted to replenish her reserves with the recently freshened bait but insisted that her cubs stay well away from her as she did so she scooted them up a large pine tree and made her way in. The cubs hated to be so far from mom and began to bawl loudly! Momma was torn between eating and her maternal instinct of protecting her offspring that she opted to eat at another time and whisked them away to the safety of the nearby swamp. The evenings excitement was far from over when another sow with three cubs arrived at the bait! Like the other mom, she too restrained their presence at the bait by driving them up a nearby tree so she could feed. She contently fed and when she had enough, she led the family group away down the darkening quad trail out of sight to conclude our evenings festivities.
A first for me, having an encounter with two sets of sows with triplets on the same evening hunt!
When we arrived back at the camp, we learned that Randall too had a very eventful evening! He had numerous bears visit his location enjoying the woodland feast left by our host. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the bear of his dreams walk in yet. Randall’s participation in this hunt is very unique, he was the winner of the first of 5 “Bucket List Hunting Sweepstakes” in our 2024 hunting sweepstakes contest that included not only an all expense paid hunt, but also a clothing bundle from SKRE Gear.
With bear hunting usually taking place in the afternoon and going on till dark, late nights are the norm. Hunting hours were typically from 1PM to almost 10PM. Norma had a delicious dinner waiting for us at the camp when we arrived. It felt wrong eating dinner at ten o’clock but we were very hungry and we couldn’t say no to such a fantastic meal! Norma’s meal schedule was 4 home-cooked squares a day: breakfast, lunch, a box lunch for the hunt, and then a wonderful dinner fit for a king after the hunt. There was no dieting done here!
The next few days of hunting were much the same, many different bears visiting our baits but just not the trophy bear that both hunters were after. Things changed for Bill on his fourth evening hunt!
Our friend Clown Face, that was a regular visitor throughout the week appeared again just like clockwork after the sound of the Polaris faded. This time she had company! (The rut or breading season for Black Bears occurs usually in early June and lasts until the sows exit their estrous period.) She must be getting close to her peak, because she had three boars shadowing her as she made her way into the bait. All three animals were much larger than her, shooter bears in anyone’s books and one in particular was a color phase! Bill had set his sights on taking a very large mature boar with his TenPoint Flatline 460, but when a chocolate bear arrived the plan changed! The stress level of the situation was very evident, not only with the bears jockeying for time feeding but also not loosing time with Clown Face to a rival boar. As the suitors fed and confronted each other circling the bait, Bill readied himself with his crossbow if an ethical opportunity presented itself to secure the Chocolate Bruin!
Bill anchors a beautiful color-phase bear
With our feet firmly planted on the dark Saskatchewan soil we sent a text with the help of the Zoleo satellite communication app to Sheldon letting him know that all of his hard work had paid off and there was a bear waiting for a ride back to camp. While the light was declining, we took a few photos with the fallen bruin and prepared ourselves for the trek out. As we stood in the evening twilight, bears were unafraid of our presence on the ground visiting the bait as if we weren’t even there. I happened to see a bear over Bill’s shoulder standing on the trail that was definitely one that could make Randall’s trip very exciting! If he didn’t get an opportunity this evening, maybe we could take a double from this setup!
Sheldon arrived with the Polaris and a trailer for the extraction, an easy feat with two men still riding high from adrenaline of the past events manhandling the bear into the trailer. In short order the bear and all of our gear were loaded and we were on the way to the waiting truck and the ride back to camp. Congratulatory drinks and another fantastic meal prepared by Norma were the agenda for the evening!
Early morning skinning and butchering of Bill’s bear was on the schedule to start the day off. With everything dealt with and the freezer full of bear meat, we made plans for Randall’s hunt. After viewing the footage of the two remaining boars that were trying to catch the eye of Clown Face, Randall decided that it might be a good idea to sit and see if they would visit one more time.
Bill had the job of the camera in hand, and Randall with his rifle were off to see if Clown Face could make another appearance with a boyfriend tagging along. Randall enjoyed the change of scenery; he had visits from many different bears on his original bait but not the one he wanted to take back to Arkansas. Hopefully the move will payoff!
Just like all of the afternoons before, Sheldon re-baited the site as the hunters got settled into their stands. Giving the guys a thumbs up and wishing them good luck, he exited the area in hopes that Randall’s final hunt would be a success. It didn’t take long for the action to start, and bear after bear were frequenting the area in search of receptive females and the newly freshened bait. The sun began it’s decent in the west shading the area in a hazy half-light when a very welcome sight appeared. Clown Face! Can it happen again? Will she be alone? She made her way into the clearing and onto the bait. Randall and Bill were transfixed on the trail from where she came, praying for a glimpse of black! Their prayers were answered when one of the large boars from the day before was still following her, and he made his way out of the bush closing the distance to his waiting lady. While she fed undisturbed his final approach took what seemed like days! His slow majestic swagger gingerly brought him into comfortable rifle range. With a quick nod both Randall and Bill were now on point to secure their prize. Randall, like so many times before on many successful Arkansas whitetail hunts, settled the crosshairs behind the shoulder and squeezed off the shot! The bear bolted from the impact to make it only a short distance before succumbing to the fatal blow!
Randall secures his majestic black bear
How exciting was that! Two incredible animals harvested from the same stand over a twenty-four-hour period all coming from the possibility of mating with the prettiest Clown-faced bear in Saskatchewan!
Special thanks to Sheldon and Tara Dubnyk of Into The Wild Outfitters, Norma from North Country Bed and Breakfast, SKRE Gear, and Tourism Saskatchewan for their support of this hunt.
SKRE Gear
Each hunter and camera operator was outfitted with a set of SKRE Gear Hardscrabble jacket, pants and vest of mid-weight camo gear and a NEBO rain suit. Both were put to the test with temperatures ranging from high 30’s to mid 50’s F, along with a healthy dose of rain. See more information below and purchase here.
Tourism Saskatchewan
Tourism Saskatchewan has excellent online resources for planning a trip, finding an outfitter or lodge, knowing the rules and regulations, and providing maps for travel. Visit their website for more information.
