I just returned from a Black bear hunting trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern MN. I hunted with my brother and a couple of friends for 5 days without ever seeing a bear.



The thing is even though I did not bag a bear I feel like this was one of the greatest hunting trips of my life. It reminded me of why I hunt in the first place.

Beautiful sunrises...





Spending time with family and friends...



The views from camp...




Living life on my terms...







If I could take hunting trips like this the rest of my life and never bag another animal I would die a happy man.

Well said

BIG TIME CONGRATS and love them pics!!!!

That is a very low percentage hunt looking at the stats they only kill 5 to 6 a year in the BWCA with only 100 permit avaliable. Then it seems they only sell about half of them a year.

Great country love the canoeing and fishing That said I killed a bear on a BWCA permit this year on the 2nd day of season. Some times it pays to be very lucky then good.

Wondering how you pick up lake to go on and why you went at this time of year . We have been finding bears in dens around here and I am bit farther south then the BWCA. Not that they well stay in them all the time untill the snow flys. But it really cuts down on the number of bears out and about.

Did you try just spot and stock hunt or did you use and scent or bait I know you have to take in every night or when you are not watching it that makes it a pain. I used anise oil bears seem to like that.

I gave up hauling those heavey canoes 4 years ago when I brought a bell carbon fiber one. could not have had to many portages with that big cooler .

What area and lakes did you go on I made my frist trip up there in 1968 I am dating myself with that report. I have been up there many times.

I have thought that this would be a great time to go up no entry permit required after Oct. 1st no bugs ect. As long and one could go with decent weather a rainy trip at this time of year coudl be real cold.

Great hunt and pictures

I feel the same, time spent in the woods with family and/or friends, no phone, tv, computer. Awesome! Punching a tag is just the gravy. Nice photos BTW.

I can relate.
Took an 8 day elk hunt in Jardine Montana. No elk, had one of the best times of all my hunting experiences.

GWB

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

Wondering how you pick up lake to go on and why you went at this time of year . We have been finding bears in dens around here and I am bit farther south then the BWCA. Not that they well stay in them all the time until the snow flys. But it really cuts down on the number of bears out and about.

We picked the lake and area we went to based on past summer trips with lots of bear sightings and talking with the Forest Service Ranger Station in Tofte. We knew that most of the sows and smaller bears would be denned up by Oct but since we were only interested in big boars we felt like that didn't matter. Also having fewer people and no bugs was a big plus. On the drive up we stopped into a big game registration station in Finland MN. They confirmed our suspicions saying only the big boys were out. They also said someone registered a field dressed 425 lb. boar the day before taken along the wilderness boundary.

Warning if you call the Ely area ranger station be prepared to deal with US Forest Service personnel who don't believe in bear hunting. They not only told me there was no such thing as a problem bear but they said that no one in that building would help me out. So much for a Federally mandated mixed use recreation area.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

Did you try just spot and stock hunt or did you use and scent or bait I know you have to take in every night or when you are not watching it that makes it a pain. I used anise oil bears seem to like that.

We hunted over bait. We used anise oil spray and extra breakfast bacon but the birds would eat all of our bacon in less than an hour after putting it out.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

could not have had to many portages with that big cooler .

As far as the cooler goes. The MN DNR very strongly recommended we bring in a cooler with dry ice to make sure that there was no meat spoilage on the trip out. One of the other reasons we went in Oct. was in the hope it would be cool enough that we would not need to bring it. As you can see from the photos we were not that lucky. I will say that I am not sure if I will ever do that again. We were base camped on Lake Polly. That is 5 lakes, 2 rivers, and 3 portages in. Only took us 3 hours to paddle out but it took us 6.5 hours to paddle in with the 100 lbs of dry ice.

not too shabby

A fantastic, beautiful looking spot. Great pics.

Excellent photos, looks like you had an awesome time. I agree with you 100% . When hunting myself, getting your game is always a cherry, but its trips like these that remind us why we hunt.

Many, many a fishing trip I've been asked "How'd you do?"

"I did just fine! And I don't think I ever really took the rods out of the truck."

It's a process, not an objective.

I have always tried to figure out why I'am so disappointed when I come home empty handed, since I firmly believe the fun is over and the work begins once you shoot your annimal. The beauty of the boundry waters in the late fall are just awe inspiring. You can't help being humbled by the experiance. Congratulations on A great trip.

That reminds me of the Junior Prom. Went, saw a lot of beautiful scenery, had a great time, but came home without bagging any game...

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by MN Hunter:
If I could take hunting trips like this the rest of my life and never bag another animal I would die a happy man.

Amen! From one Lutheran to another (you must be, after all, you're in the land of lutherans), this side of the grave, northern Minnesota is about as close to heaven as one could ask!

Even just looking at those pics helps me breathe easier!

friar

Beautiful photo essay! I, too, feel the same about hunting. Being out there, in communion with God's creation, means more to me than all the trophies on my wall. Congratulations on your post.

beautiful

Beautiful pics!
No beaver license to fill? Are you allowed to hunt them? Just started thinking when I saw that last picture..