Hunting bear – bare
The Bronson Forest offers you not only trails for the Sunday rider, but also mud and muskeg or narrow ridges of the sandy eskers through the forest for the more daring rider. Whatever the level of rider you are the picturesque beauty of the lakes, lookouts and landscapes are yours to discover and enjoy as you motor throughout the forest. The past several years we have seen what appears to be the end of many years of drought the forest has been experiencing. The amount of water in the forest is not back to what it was 25 or 30 years ago when we got around the forest with amphibious ATV’s like the six or eight wheel Argos. Today even with the increased water levels, some of us still manage to challenge the water, mud and muskeg in order to access extremely remote area’s of the forest. Experience along with new technology, better winches and more aggressive tires take us places not everyone will see. All of our hunting opportunities take on a moniker allowing for easy recognition while in conversation, one of those spots is called “The End of The Line” and it is by far the most difficult area to access. None of our guides will go there in fear of ending up stranded in the middle of a muskeg with water up to or covering the seat. I always go there and can usually convince a client to come along as he will have an experience to remember for years to come. One evening Bob and I set out for the “End of The Line”. It had just rained and the water level was a little higher than normal. In an attempt to make it easier for the rider I had to make a new trail with a little less water and that was fine except for the very uneven terrain you had maneuver through. Most of us understand the passenger has to watch everything the driver does, he must be in sync with the driver and he has to duck the branches along with the driver or lean into a side hill to prevent the quad from tipping over. Most of this is common sense for the sporting enthusiast. For the novice there is a learning curve; Bob was a novice and when we went up on a little side hill he was leaning in the opposite direction. With his weight and the angle, it was impossible for me to over compensate and carry us through. Needless to say over we went, landing in the water and mud, subsequently scrambling and squirming to extract ourselves from under the bike. Managing to get out first, I flipped the bike off Bob making it easier for him to get back on his feet. While I was concerned for his well being, it was still pretty funny. When we finally assessed the situation, both Bob and I were like a Tide detergent commercial where they depict someone sparkling white on one side and filthy on the other. Well that was us, soaked and muddy on one side and dry on the other side, not to mention the state of Bob’s firearm. I told Bob it was going to take us at least two hours to go back, get dry clothes and start again which would seriously cut down his hunting time for that day. As it turned out Bob was a real trooper preferring to carry on and just deal with it. We managed the rest of the trip without incident, although Bob did get a little excited when the water was coming over the rack. When the hunt was over for the day I retuned for Bob, finding him to be in good spirits saying this was the first time he had hunted for bears – bare. I guess when he got in the stand he removed all his clothes and hung them out the windows to dry, I am not sure that amount scent helped his hunting situation but he was proud of the fact he had endured the trip to the “End Of The Line”. Returning to camp that evening, Bob retold his story many times, perhaps he couldn’t believe what he had just gone through. Nevertheless, this is where good memories and stories come from hunting bear – bare in the Bronson Forest. |
