CANADIAN BLACK BEARS

Still Guiding for Bears

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ryan Hack of Stony Mountain, Manitoba, Canada, guides for white-tailed deer and black bear for both archers and gun hunters each season.

QUESTION: Is the pepper-spray bear the closest encounter you've ever had with a bear?
ANSWER: Yes, that's the closest encounter I've ever had while not being armed with a shotgun. This past season, I had a wounded bear charge me, but I was able to knock it off its feet with my 12 gauge. It was probably 5 to 6 yards away, but I stopped the attack and finished the bear.

QUESTION: You were carrying a shotgun. Were you guiding bowhunters as well this time?
ANSWER: Yes. A guy shot a bear too far back, so we had a wounded bear that we tracked for probably a quarter of mile. When we finally came up to the bear, he was bedded down. I saw him at the same time he spotted me, and he immediately began to charge. He was probably 20-yards away at the beginning of the charge and within probably 6 yards of me when I got the gun shouldered. One shot knocked the bear off its feet.

QUESTION: Did that one shot finish him off?
ANSWER: Yes.

QUESTION: What were you shooting in that 12-gauge?
ANSWER: Buckshot.

QUESTION: Does that shot usually stop bears?
ANSWER: It usually does; it's a 3-inch Magnum.

QUESTION: Why do you like to guide for bears?
ANSWER: Guiding for bears is fun and challenging. I also think it's rewarding to see people do well and to see them enjoying Manitoba. I love seeing new faces as well as old ones. We often have hunters coming back 3 or 4 consecutive years to hunt black bear here just because they love it. They love the province, the people, the accommodations and the hunt itself.

QUESTION: What's the biggest black bear you've taken up there?
ANSWER: Last year, I took a 560-pound bear with a 22-inch skull.

QUESTION: How old was the bear?
ANSWER: We didn't get an age, but I'm guessing he was probably 9 or 10 years old. That bear was in his prime.

For more information about hunting deer or bear in Manitoba, call Ryan Hack at (204)-467-2164.