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Moose Hunting in NW Ontario

Successful moose hunters must have detailed and sophisticated knowledge of the animal. mastering skills of the hunt is essential for success, but equally important is knowing how to show respect for the animal, its spirit, and its home.

The language of Moose
In any human culture, people need specialized language to describe every part of their environment that is important to them. This is especially true for people who live directly from the land and waters, because they need very specific words to talk about every facet of their world.

Eye of the Hunter
Moose can be challenging animals to hunt, especially in areas where they are scarce or highly mobile. For traditional people it is essential to have a thorough understanding of moose movements—and this comes by studying the animal and its environment, by sharing information between hunters, and by telling stories passed on to family & friends.

For example, hunters know that during the protracted, harsh northern winter moose are often stressed and skinny, so their meat is not especially desirable. But spring and summer bring long days and lush growth, so, moose can pack in up to 50 pounds of food per day. By the time fall comes, the animals are in prime condition, especially the bulls and cows that have no calves to nurse and protect (known as a dry cow).

To find moose, first a person needs to know where the animals are most likely to be at any given time and when moose are in the best condition. For example, in the fall rutting (breeding) season, moose often congregate in the river valleys where willow thickets still provide fresh browse.

During the rut, bulls sometimes have spectacular battles—pushing and shoving, clashing their enormous antlers—to establish dominance. These contests take tremendous amounts of energy at a time when the bulls eat little or nothing because of their single-minded focus on mating. They become skinny and smelly their meat is hardly edible.

Before the fall rut begins, some hunters arrive in the area to scout, looking for signs of moose—fresh tracks, broken branches in the thick brush, scraped bark on shrubs and trees, or shadowy movements in the brush.

When a hunter finds a set of tracks, he checks them closely to determine the sex and condition of the moose—and most importantly, the age of the track. It’s important to know how long ago the moose walked here and whether the animal is staying put or traveling on.

Aging tracks in our terrain can be very challenging. A fresh track has clean sharp edges, and within a day or so these edges may begin to dry out, or they might be softened by rain or wind. Depending on weather conditions the track could look quite fresh for several days or more.

A sharp eye might find a track where the moose entered the water, and if it’s partially filled with water, this could help the hunter determine how long ago the moose made it. When the water is still muddy, the animal came by within perhaps half-a-day or less. But if the sediment has settled and the water is clear, it means the track is older.

Moose leave other signs too. Rutting bulls scrape off bark when they rub their antlers on trees or shrubs. They sometimes paw the ground, leaving an obvious patch of scattered vegetation and raw ground.

Besides looking for visible signs of moose, hunters keep very quiet, to avoid frightening the moose and to hear any sounds the animals make. Bull moose challenge other bulls by noisily thrashing their huge antlers against trees and brush. Cows and bulls make low grunting sounds during the mating season. People also listen for any movement in the thickets and for the surprisingly loud sounds of a moose chewing and snapping off leaves.

A bull moose acquires a strong, musky scent from rolling in leaves soaked in his own urine. This smell can linger in calm air for up to half an hour, indicating that the bull has passed through recently—or that he is still close by.

If a hunter believes moose are nearby, he might try to draw one closer by imitating the sound of antlers scraping against the brush. For this, he can use the dried shoulder blade of a moose or sometimes even a large stick. If a bull is in the area, he may decide another bull is challenging him and come to investigate, or he might reveal himself by grunting or thrashing his antlers.

A hunter trying to lure a bull closer will sometimes make low grunting sounds, imitating either a cow moose looking for a mate, or a bull looking for a challenge. The hunter watches and listens closely, waiting for the moose to appear.

The most likely time to find a moose is during the dusk and dawn hours, when moose are most active. They will feed in the early morning and then might sleep for an hour or so. They lie down for much of the day to rest and ruminate, and they are very hard to approach. In the evening they will feed again.

In areas with high concentrations of moose, hunters avoid the bone scraping method because it might call too many bulls to them. Also, they are very careful when snapping twigs for campfires—this too could bring an aggressive bull into camp.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on August 9, 2015 in moose, moose hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: Guides and Outfitters, Moose, moose hunting, ontario, ontario moose hunting, outfitter, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Ontario’s Ruffed Grouse

17 Jun

Although sometimes regarded as “wilderness” birds, Ruffed Grouse have no aversion to living in close proximity to humans if the cover gives them adequate security. In some areas of Ontario, Canada – Ruffed Grouse are more abundant in remote wilderness forests. They thrive best where forests are kept young and vigorous by occasional clear-cut logging, or fire, and gradually diminish in numbers as forests mature and their critical food and cover resources deteriorate in the shade of a climax forest.

Ruffed Grouse response to man varies greatly across their range, depending upon their experiences. In southern Ontario generally they are usually quite elusive and difficult to approach. Yet they can still be killed with a canoe paddle or thrown stones in NW Ontario wilderness forests.

When the ground is bare of snow, Ruffed Grouse feed on a wide variety of green leaves and fruits, and some insects. They have also been known to eat snakes, frogs as well. But when snow covers the ground as it does for most of the winter across the major portion of their natural range, Ruffed Grouse are almost exclusively “flower-eaters,” living on the dormant flower buds or catkins of trees such as birches and pin cherry bush’s.

Known as solitary in their social behavior they do not develop a pair-bond between males and females, although there is usually at least one hen in the woods for every male. Young birds, especially, collect in temporary, loose flocks in the fall and winter, but this is not equivalent to the covey organization of the quails and partridges.

Male Ruffed Grouse are aggressively territorial throughout their adult lives, defending for their almost exclusive use a piece of woodland that is 6-10 acres in extent. Usually this is shared with one or two hens. The male grouse proclaims his property rights by engaging in a “drumming” display. This sound is made by beating his wings against the air to create a vacuum, as lightning does when it makes thunder. The drummer usually stands on a log, stone or mound of dirt when drumming, and this object is called a “drumming log.” He does not strike the log to make the noise, he only uses the “drumming log” as a stage for his display.

The drumming stage selected by a male is most likely to be about 10-12 inches above the ground, in moderately dense brush, (usually 70 to 160 stems within a 10 ft. radius) where he can maintain unrestricted surveillance over the terrain for a radius of about 60 ft. Across much of the Ruffed Grouse range there are usually mature male within sight in the forest canopy overhead.

Drumming occurs throughout the year, so long as his “log” is not too deeply buried under snow. In the spring, drumming becomes more frequent and prolonged as the cock grouse advertises his location to hens seeking a mate. Listen to an example at the top of this page.

Courtship is brief, lasting but a few minutes, then the hen wanders away in search of a nest site, and there is no further association between the male grouse and his mate – or the brood of chicks she produces. A hen may make her nest more than 1/2 mile from the log of her mate.

Nests are hollowed-out depressions in the leaf litter, usually at the base of a tree, stump or in a clump of brush. The nest is usually in a position which allows the hen to maintain a watch for approaching predators. Sometimes hens will nest under logs or in brush piles, but this is less common, and a dangerous location.

A clutch usually contains 8 to 14 buff colored eggs when complete. Eggs are laid at a rate of about one each day and a half, so it may take 2 weeks for a clutch to be completed. Then incubation, which usually commences when the last egg is laid, takes another 24 to 26 days before the eggs hatch. A nest has to be placed so that it will not be discovered by a predator during a period of at least 5 weeks.

The chicks are prosocial, which means that as soon as they have dried following hatching they are ready to leave the nest and start feeding themselves. Grouse chicks are not much larger than a man’s thumb when they leave the nest. They are surprisingly mobile and may be moving farther than 1/4 mile a day by the time they are 3 or 4 days old. They begin flying when about 5 days old, and resemble giant bumble bees in flight. The hen may lead her brood as far as 4 miles from the nest to a summer brood range during its first 10 days of life.

Although grouse broods occasionally appear on roadsides, field edges or in forest openings, these are hazardous places for young grouse to be, and broods survive best if they can remain secure in fairly uniform, moderately dense brush or sapling cover.

The growing chicks need a great deal of animal protein for muscle and feather development early in life. They feed heavily on insects and other small animals for the first few weeks, gradually shifting to a diet of green plant materials and fruits as they become larger. Chicks grow rapidly, increasing from about 1/2 ounce midgets when hatched to 17-20 oz. fully grown young birds 16 weeks later. That is a 38 to 46 fold increase in weight. At 17 weeks of age, a Ruffed Grouse is almost as large and heavy as it will ever be.

Biologists and others who want to age Ruffed Grouse rely upon certain peculiarities of the molt of the primary flight feathers. The booklet A Grouse in the Hand explains this aging procedure. And following the first complete molt by a 14 to 15 month old adult grouse, there are no known physical characteristics which reliably identify the age.

When about 16 to 18 weeks old, the young grouse passes out of its period of adolescence and breaks away to find a home range of its own. This is the second and last time that Ruffed Grouse are highly mobile. The young males are the first to depart, when they range out seeking a vacant drumming territory, or activity center, where they can claim a drumming log. Most young males find a suitable site within 1.8 mi. of the brood range where they grew up, although some may go as far as 4.5 mi. seeking a vacant territory. Many young cocks claim a drumming log by the time they are 20 weeks old; and once they have done so, most will spend the remainder of their lives within a 200 to 300 yard radius of that log.

Young females begin leaving the brood one or two weeks later than their brothers, and they normally disperse about three times as far. Some young hens move at least 15 miles looking for the place where they’ll spend the rest of their lives.

Occasionally a hen and her brood will remain together as late as mid-January, but this is unusual, and most groups of grouse encountered in the fall and winter are composed of unrelated individuals who gather together temporarily to share a choice food resource or piece of secure cover.

In fall and winter some inexperienced young grouse frightened by a predator or something else, crash into buildings, trees or through windows in a so-called “crazy-flight.” Sometimes they are evidently simply trying to take a short-cut when they can see through two large windows on the corner of a house. After all, young grouse in their first fall have never been confronted by something that can be seen through but not flown through, such as glass!

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Posted by Wawang Lake on June 17, 2015 in grouse, northern ontario, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: grouse, Guides and Outfitters, ontario, outfitter, Ruffed Grouse, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

Bear Baits – Consistency is Important

06 Jun

Consistent Baiting and Timing is Important
We begin baiting two to three weeks prior to the hunters arrival as baiting is lucrative and can vary based on native food source availability, weather pattern and population. If baiting is done too far in advance, bear can lose interest and become complacent. The most impact for the hunter is when the food source is new and interesting yet dependable. The baits stations are checked regularly each day and documented as to its status: whether it’s been hit or not. This is also the ideal time to determine if the bait station has a sow with cubs or the size of the bear according to tracks.

Other animals frequent the baits as well.

All the information collected will determine if the bait station will be suitable for the hunter or not. Stations with sows will continue to be baited in order to confine that they remain in that specific area so they don’t wander and disturb the more suitable bait stations held for the hunters.

What Do We Use
Bears are omnivorous and will scarf down just about anything from produce to pastries, bread and meat scraps. The key is to make sure your offerings have a strong odor – sometimes the more putrid the smell, the better … at least when it comes to attracting them as we don’t place this directly on the bait. However, during the fall bear do not especially like this strong scent on the bait therefore we use these attractants to drag the area ensuring to lure the bear to the bait station where more delectable bread, pastries and leftover good scraps are waiting. Visiting bear that walk trails and roads we’ve dragged will beneficially establish their own scent trail to and from the bait as well luring in even more bear.

The Set Up
Our baits stations are naturally set up and made from logs and other forest fragments. These logs are large, very heavy and piled in a manner making them difficult for smaller animals to move. When hunters walk into the bait and notice that logs have been tossed around they are certain that a bear hi the bait.

Know the Rules
Study the Ontario hunting regulations. Know what you can and can’t do, season dates, licensing guidelines, bring firearms into Canada. We want our hunters to be comfortable while hunting in Ontario and it is also important to know that you will need to bring along a state/province license as proof of hunting experience to show the Ontario license issuer. Always ask if you don’t know that’s what we’re here for.

When to Sit Baits
Our hunters are required to bring their own tree stands. This is not only for liability reasons, but, also because you will be more familiar with your own tree stand and the more at ease you are with equipment the more it will increase your odds – less to think about. Upon request we will setup ground stands for those that are not able to climb. If this is the case be sure to bring along a comfortable chair. Evening hours are by far the proven time to encounter bear on the bait. This however is simply a higher percentage timeframe. Approaching the bait cautiously is always a must due to the fact that hunters have stumbled upon bear contently feeding at all hours, including early morning and mid-day. You can bring along trail timers and cameras to satisfy your knowledge of the activity of your bait station.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on June 6, 2015 in bear baiting, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: Bait, baiting, bear, Bear-baiting, black bear, Guides and Outfitters, ontario, outfitter, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

Bear Facts to Success

28 May

Simple Fact: The more effort you put into masking your scent, the bigger the Black Bears coming into your target zone will be.

All experienced Black Bear Outfitters have their little tricks to make their bear hunters hunt more enjoyable and also help with their success. If you are new to bear hunting you should know what you are up against. Every hunter wants a big trophy bear and this article should bring you a little closer to that goal, but remember, to thoroughly follow the advice of your outfitter, if you’ve chosen one, and, above all else: DO NOT DEVIATE from the routine they have already established.

Black Bear hunting to the outfitter is about luring bears to a target zone for their hunting guests by baiting with food the bears like such as high-carbohydrate foods. Bread, pasta and other high starch content foods are rare in nature but it’s what the bears want most so they can quickly store fat for the winter. It’s also about setting up stands at strategic spots where big bears have been scouted. Black Bear hunting for the hunter is all about stealth, with the two biggest factors being sound and most of all, smell.

Black Bear’s Sense of Smell: Olfactory Receptors

The Black Bear has the best sense on smell of any land walking mammal on Earth. It’s really hard for a human to comprehend how well a bear can smell as we basically have to stick our nose in the pot to smell the sauce. Comparing the amount of Olfactory Receptors between a human and a Black Bear is mind boggling.

Olfactory Receptors are microscopic bulbs on the end of nerves in a mammal’s nose. The more you have the better your sense of smell is.

Humans:
6,000,000 Olfactory Receptors (6 million)
Blood Hounds:
1,800,000,000 Olfactory Receptors (1.8 billion)
Black Bear:
12,600,000,000,000 Olfactory Receptors (12.6 Trillion)

A Black Bear can smell 2100 times better than a human. In addition the Jacobson’s organ in their mouth can taste the air, adding to their brains perception. A mature Black Bear can smell your breakfast from 20 miles away if the wind is right. Big mature bears can smell better than smaller younger bears as their noses are larger and more developed. Bears also know what unnatural smells are and associate them with a human presence. This can explain why Black Bear hunters that are not fanatical about the way they smell rarely see big trophy bears. There are procedures you can do to minimize unnatural smells to keep the bears concentrating on the bait that the outfitter has put out for them. It is wise to check with your outfitter before applying anything new to the bait station that they normally don’t use.

1) Before your bear hunting trip; pick a couple of sets of clothes that you will only wear at the tree stand while hunting. Wash your clothes with scent-free detergent and when done, run them though the wash twice again with no detergent so they are well rinsed. This will ensure your clothes are scent free. If you live in the city and have chlorinated city water then go to a pet store and buy a small bottle of Aquarium Water Conditioner and add ½ oz. to the last rinse cycle you do with your clothes. The water conditioner will neutralize the chlorine in the water and keep the chlorine smell out of your clothes. Remember, they can smell 2100 times better than you so don’t feel silly getting fanatical. Then pack the clothes in a plastic bag to keep them scent free. If you consistently use fabric softener in your clothes dryer it’s best to hang your clothes up to dry because residual clothes softener might go on your clothes. If you are a smoker, do not smoke while wearing your hunting clothes.

Before we go to the next points you should be aware that Black Bears love the smell of mint. If you go on a camping trip in any of Ontario’s provincial parks the wardens will tell you not to keep mint toothpaste or mint gum in your tent because the bears will smell it and go after it. The bears craving for mint can be used to your advantage.

2) Think Mint: Go to one of those hippy tree-hugger heath stores and buy mint soap. The morning before the hunt take a shower using the mint soap. Brush your teeth with mint toothpaste. Chew mint gum while in the tree stand and if you really want to go all the way, have a glass of mint tea before the hunt and even keep a few bags of mint tea in your pockets. This will help cover up any scent.

3) Smoking: If you are a smoker and you smoke in the tree stand you are basically wasting your time if you expect a big trophy bear to come within sight. Wind direction can give you a little luck but it’s not something you should count on. It’s best to wear a nicotine patch while in the tree stand and if you need to; chew mint gum to keep your mind off smoking. Remember to brush your teeth and wash your hands and stop smoking before you put your scent free hunting clothes on. This would also apply to cigars and chewing tobacco as well.

Black Bear Hearing:

The shape of Black Bear’s ears is mainly responsible for their great hearing. When detecting sound based on volume a bear’s hearing is about four times that of a human. However, a bear can hear a much broader frequency range; both higher and lower frequencies. Rubbing of cloth or twisting of your tree stand can produce sounds that the bear can hear and the hunter cannot. Big old male bears develop a crowned head and their ears move out to the sides giving them stereoscopic hearing, which allows them to pinpoint the origin of the sounds they hear. This is another reason why big old bears are harder to get.

With this in mind try to stay absolutely still. If you have to move; move very slowly. Take some nose drops before the hunt and if you have a cold or allergies. If your throat is dry and itchy bring some mint flavored lozenges with you. You can also oil the joints of your tree stand to make them a little quieter.

Black Bear Sight:

During the day a Black Bear basically has the same site as a human but older bears tend to be near sighted. As a result they cannot focus on things from a long distance. When one of an animal’s senses becomes diminished their brain rewires itself to compensate by making other senses more acute. This is known as neural placidity. As a bear gets older they become near sighted so the brain compensates by being more sensitive to color differentiation. If the bear sees colors it thinks are unnatural and he sees those colors move the game is up. Bears cannot see the same range of colors as a human. Hunter orange looks gray to them. But they can see dull reds and yellows as well into the blue/green cool color spectrum. This is why there are many different forms of camouflage clothing.

Picking the right Camouflage:

You need to talk to the outfitter when you book your hunt and ask what kind of plants will be at the tree stands. If the hunt is taking place in the southern range of Ontario’s bear hunting country during the fall you may have a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees, thus you will need a camouflage that represents pine needles, pine bark and colored fall foliage. If you are father north in an area with only pine trees you will need a camouflage that represents pine bark and pine needles, which means dark brown and green. You need to blend into the scenery so their bear cannot see any unnatural color pattern.

Black Bears are nocturnal. They have a reflective layer in the back of the eye called the tarpetum lucidum. Just because you can’t see them does not mean they cannot see you. Since dusk is the hottest bear hunting time it’s also when you should concentrate the most on being quiet and motionless.

Bear Size:

In most cases, big ears mean a smaller bear. A small ear is usually a bigger bear. Once a bear reaches three years old (approx. 100 lbs.), the bear starts to grow into its ears. The ears and eyes don’t grow as much as they do in the first three years. Sometimes if a bear has a hard year with food, the ears will look bigger because the bear is thinner. Read our article: How to Size a Black Bear

Cubs:

When a sow is with cubs, 90% of the time the cubs are in the lead. The cubs will make more noise than a single bear. Most of the time, adult bears make little or no noise.

Sow:

You can’t shoot a sow with cubs in the Ontario spring hunt, and in the fall we continue this policy on our BMA – DO NOT SHOOT SOWS with cubs.. So make 100% sure you know what you are shooting at. Take a really good look around to make sure there are no cubs. A sow’s ears are usually closer together, as a male bear’s cranium grows wider on top and the ears look farther apart. They also look smaller, which is really an illusion.

These tips and techniques are just a guide line for some things to consider and think about. Ultimately the outfitter is the person you need to discuss the different factors with. Bear hunting can be quite different in different regions.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on May 28, 2015 in Bear, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bear, black bear, black bear bow hunting, black bear hunting, Bow Hunting, Ontairo black bear guide, Ontairo black bear outfitter, outfitter, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

Camouflage Won’t Help IF…….

21 Mar

You’re invisible. Or at least you think you are. After all, you’ve done all the right things: bought that pricey camo that matches your surroundings, painted your face with lots of greasy face paint, and you are even wearing camo boots. Now all you have to do is sit there, soak in a little sunshine, and wait for a big boar to show himself.

But when a bear does come in, he spots your position and blows out for the next county. The problem? You set up in the sunlight

A common mistake that has ruined plenty of big-game hunters’ chances is setting up where direct sunlight can reach them. Sunshine turns a camouflaged hunter from an indistinct shadowy figure into a glowing beacon. Dappled sunlight shining through a canopy of leaves isn’t usually a problem. But direct sunlight can reveal your whereabouts and end your hunt.

Camouflage clothing’s basic function is to break up our outline – tricking our prey’s eyes into passing over us in their constant search for danger. The human silhouette is incredibly distinct in the wilderness – there is no other form like it. To fool game, it is essential to reduce our human outline. The best camo patterns utilize starkly contrasting colors in their design, thus changing us from a human form into something indistinct and non-threatening. Interestingly, for those of you traditional hunters like me – a good plaid pattern like Fred Bear often wore can work almost as effectively as modern camouflage.

Remember that sunlight moves as the earth rotates. Set up your ambush in a location that allows you to remain shadowed as the light moves around you. If you are still-hunting or stalking, move efficiently through areas of sunshine and then pause to watch and listen when in the shadows. Set up in dark shade that offers good shooting lanes. Remember to keep your hands and face camo’d up as well – if left uncovered, they are a dead giveaway even in the shadows.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 21, 2015 in archery, Bear, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, hunting, preparation, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, Bow Hunting, Guides and Outfitters, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, hunting equipment, hunting guide, outfitter, Trophy hunting, wawang, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

Tips for Choosing the Right Outfitter

19 Mar

What kind of a hunt do you want?
The first question you need to ask yourself is what type of a hunt you want. There are baited hunt, spot & stalk hunts, and even combinations of these. Think about your physical capabilities, your shooting ability, experience and desires. Scenery, number of bears you want to see, frantic action or lack of it, and climate. These things and more go into your choice of a hunt. If you start talking to an outfitter and you realize this isn’t exactly what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to back out.

Websites are one of the best places to learn more about a hunt. You can read about the outfitter, the guide and importantly, how long they’ve been in business. You can look at an album of photos and have a candid discussion that will give you a real gut feeling for the hunt and the people you will entrust with your money and in some cases your life. In the course of the search you will think of questions to ask so ask them on the spot in your email or phone conversation, you will think of even more questions to ask so write them down and ask at a later time.

If you do not meet the outfitter in person then plan to have a good phone conversation and ask the tough questions. Get references of successful and unsuccessful past clients and call them.

Define your Expectations
Realistically, an outfitter can’t offer you the hunt you really want unless they know exactly what you want. Many people have had a bad experience because they went on a hunt that wasn’t a good fit because they didn’t specifically tell the outfitter what they wanted. If an outfitter says they have fishing available, but you get there and find out its only fly fishing and you don’t know how to fly fish; that’s your fault, you should have clarified it before you left home.

Be honest about your physical limitations. Don’t go on a spot & stalk hunt if you can’t hike up a steep hill. Likewise, if you are 400 pounds and can’t get into a tree stand, it would be a good idea to tell the outfitter that ahead of time so he can get a ground blind in place. Don’t surprise your outfitter when you pull into camp. He will be asking questions and expecting honest answers and you should be too.

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Are you looking for a truly big black bear? Make sure you are going to a place that has them. There are a lot of places that specialize in getting everyone a bear, but the top end of them is about 300 pounds. If you want to bag a giant, you have to ask the questions that will help you understand the type of operation you are dealing with. Looking for a color phase bear? Ask the specific questions about percentages of color bears. Then ask exactly how many and what colors were bagged there in the past three years. Trust your gut, if it doesn’t feel right, back off. bear3

Make your needs and preferences known. If you have health issues as simple as a lactose intolerance or an allergy, tell them so they can pass it along to the cook. If you don’t like baloney sandwiches, tell them that. Or don’t complain if you find yourself in a tree stand for six hours with nothing but a baloney sandwich to eat.

Ask specific questions about the temperatures, clothing you should bring and footwear. Not much is worse than having nothing but leather hunting boots when you have to slog through a swamp to get to your stand. Wet, smelly feet can ruin a trip as fast as anything. Ask about outerwear, mosquito protection, long johns and headwear.

Many baited hunts mean long hours in the stand during the afternoon and evening, but having something to do during the mornings can make a hunt much more enjoyable. What if you shoot your bear early in the hunt? Learn what might be available to take up your time while you wait for a buddy to get his bear.

Check out our 24 pg. HUNT BOOKLET

Get to know the area well before leaving for the hunt. Look at the area on Google Earth, check the weather for the hunt on accuweather.com, spend some time on the outfitter’s website.

The theme in this article is communication. That’s because the vast majority of bad experiences can be traced back to bad communication; either yours or the outfitter’s. Make sure it isn’t yours.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 19, 2015 in archery, Bear, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, hunting, outfitter, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, Bow Hunting, hunting guide, outfitter, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

A Timeline of Archery – Through the Ages

16 Feb

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Posted by Wawang Lake on February 16, 2015 in archery, bow, bow hunting, hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bow, bow hunters, Bow Hunting, hunting, outfitter, wawang, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A

Moose – FYI

11 Feb

Moose are the largest of all the deer species. Males are immediately recognizable by their huge antlers, which can spread 6 feet (1.8 meters) from end to end. Moose have long faces and muzzles that dangle over their chins. A flap of skin known as a bell sways beneath each moose’s throat.

Moose are so tall that they prefer to browse higher grasses and shrubs because lowering their heads to ground level can be difficult. In winter they eat shrubs and pinecones, but they also scrape snow with their large hooves to clear areas for browsing on mosses and lichens. These hooves also act as snowshoes to support the heavy animals in soft snow and in muddy or marshy ground.

In summer, food is far more plentiful in the northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. When the ice melts, moose are often seen in lakes, rivers, or wetlands, feeding on aquatic plants both at and below the surface. Moose are at home in the water and, despite their staggering bulk, are good swimmers. They have been seen paddling several miles at a time, and will even submerge completely, staying under for 30 seconds or more.

Moose are similarly nimble on land. They can run up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour over short distances, and trot steadily at 20 miles (32 kilometers) an hour.

Males, called bulls, bellow loudly to attract mates each September and October. The usually solitary bulls may come together at this time to battle with their antlers for mating supremacy. After mating, the two sexes go their separate ways until the following year. Though they may occasionally feed in the same grounds, they tend to ignore each other.

Females give birth to one or two calves in the spring—each weighing some 30 pounds (14 kilograms). These calves grow quickly and can outrun a person by the time they are just five days old. Young moose stay with their mothers until the following mating season.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on February 11, 2015 in moose, moose hunting, Wawang Lake Resort, Wildlife

Tags: Guides and Outfitters, Moose, moose hunting, moose hunts, outfitter, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Moose Hunting in NW Ontario

17 Jan