Bear Talk

OK CHAD!! We’re under a month until departure to the infamous Pasha Lake, and we are really amped up to get after some of those monster black bears. Couple quick questions here when you have time……..

If we get lucky, and decide to bring our bears to a taxidermists is someone on site with knowledge to skin the bear for a 3/4 mount?? Freezer space for hide until we depart??

Also I have NO experience processing bear meat. Did you mention you have someone there that can take care of that for us?? We plan on bringing some big coolers to transport the meat back across the border. Is that kosher with border boys??

Should we bring climbing stands?

Do we need to wear orange bear hunting??

Can we place trail timers for personal photos of Pasha Tank Bears?? We are considering filming or experience also on primitive camera gear for personal enjoyment.

My dad would like to bring an atv. Can we bring that part way to our stands??

If we shoot a bear what is standard procedure?? I’m assuming yelling “CHAD!!!!!!!” might not be cool. Do we come get help or take care of that beast ourselves??

OK!! Sorry for all the questions Chad!! My Dad and I are so excited to get into one of your cabins in “Gods Country” Soak up a morning coffee, Fishing, and Bear hunting!!

I hope to get pics for all IDO boys to visualize all you have to offer even if your not BEAR BOYS!!

Lastly……..How is your Whitetail hunting?? Bow/Gun??

Wouldn’t this look better over here http://www.idohunting.com

I don’t mind it here, but an E mail straight to chad might help.

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I don’t mind it here, but an E mail straight to chad might help.

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I like it here also, mainly because I do not frequent the hunting side of the site. And by Chris asking the questions in this forum helps spark my curiocity. I can’t wait to see the responses Chad has for all of the questions.

Please keep it here Chris.

Figured SOMEONE else might benefit on the fishing side on some of our questions, and I don’t have the time to follow both sides at this point. As a fishing/hunting combo trip I hope documenting our trip/questions will hold some value for others too possibly considering a similiar trip of their own in the future. One nice thing about a public forum like IDO is one persons questions/Concerns/Experiences can help others also versus simply emailing thousands in private covering similiar inquiries.

headed out guiding right now… will respond tonight!

Talk to ya later fellas!

Chad

I am following this because of that same reason. Looking to do a bear hunt in the future.

I am following this because of that same reason. Looking to do a bear hunt in the future.

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Chris:

Here is what they look like!!! LOL!!! The first is by comparison maybe just about as big as my young lab at 95# and the second one, well I let you decide… Good luck and have a safe hunt!!!!!!!!!!!

IDO Bears The link will show you some more live ones eating da food from the hunting side.

Mark

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I am following this because of that same reason. Looking to do a bear hunt in the future.

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I’ve always wanted to take part in a combination bear/fishing trip deep into the untamed wilderness of Ontario, Canada. It has been so nice to have a connection with Chad at Pasha lake here on IDO to help turn yesterdays dreams into tomorrows reality. I’ll be very sure to let you know how it goes Mower!! I’ll be taking many pics of the hunt, camp, lakes, cabins………..For all to get a better feel for what they have to look forward to. We booked our Bear hunt many months ago, and my guess would be is important to get into his camp prime time!! Chad is baiting new areas this year that if I’m not mistaken have been rested for several years, or possibly not even been hunted by Pasha before!!

WOW that 2nd bear Mr. Benson is a TANK!! I’m shaking at my computer desk looking at that animal. One thing I’ve found pretty interesting is that Bear apparently KNOW that you are in your stand, but will often come in ANYWAY!! Adds a little excitement!! or FEAR!!

Although I’m an avid deer hunter this will be my first bear hunt followed by an Archery Moose Hunt in 2011!!

I hope to go on a Elk hunt possibly in 2012 if the stars align themselves, and my Taxidermy line of credit can withstand the financial pressure! My dad and I just took a look at my big buck from 2009 which is almost complete!! Looks awesome!!

My dad since he was a kid had planned to go elk hunting with my grandpa for many many MANY years, and just never pulled the trigger to make that trip happen. I’m proud to say it looks my dad and I will likely be fortunate enough to take part in these treasured experiences together. I’d love to face off with a big Black Bear, Bull Moose, and Elk in my lifetime. Regardless of the outcomes of our hunts the time afield is simply priceless, and has already consumed both of us simply by discussing the ins and outs of our dream trip!!

Thanks so much to Chad at Pasha lake for taking the extra time to answer our Rookie Questions,and as I mentioned before I also hope others may benefit from some of our inquiries.

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Wouldn’t this look better over here http://www.idohunting.com

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I wanted saying it’s bad to have it on the fishing side I would like to see a few more wander over to the dark side of iDo Ok I’ll go back with my tail tucked

If your looking to do a bear hunt you should check out the bear forum lots of good info there

Hey Gut,

I would love to be more involved on the hunting side, and since my hunt is booked with Chad at Pasha lake if he is a frequent visitor on the Hunting side it certainly would be prudent to post this inquiry there. Seems very logical Trust me “Hunting” or the Hunting side of IDO isn’t by any means considered the “Dark Side” here in the Daze House of Trophies!! I’ve needed to try stay disciplined, and have been known to exchange guide money for needed Taxidermy work!! I hunt hardcore from October 20th through November without missing a beat or daylight in the woods!! Not taking into consideration our Bear hunt this September, Moose Hunt in 2011, and hopeful Elk Hunt of 2012. Hopefully mixing in some South Dakota Rooster hunts, and Saskatchewan waterfowl adventures. Good thing there aren’t any wild boar nearby!!

But until the end of October with exception to this years Bear hunt that often times consumes me over Pasha Lakes Monsters I’ll be pulling pig walleyes and Slabs with hardcore customers!!!!

Hi Chris –

There is a lot of questions in that post so I will try to answer them in order.

If we get lucky, and decide to bring our bears to a taxidermist is someone on site with knowledge to skin the bear for a 3/4 mount??
Yes and no…. I do skinning, cutting and wrapping, but don’t have the skill yet to be a 100% with a mount… don’t want to screw it up. Best recommendation is talk to your taxidermist and bring his recommendations with you. That way we can cut it to the taxidermist specifications. Oh, and from what I understand, a quality taxidermist can repair the worst of hack jobs and make a mount that is award winning caliber. I guess the moral of the story is choose your taxidermist wisely.

Freezer space for hide until we depart??
Yes

Also I have NO experience processing bear meat. Did you mention you have someone there that can take care of that for us??
Couple of options here… 1) Clyde Hursh from Hursh Meat Processing out of Poplar, Wi (www.hurshmeat.com) will be in camp for a week and the end of Aug, early Sept. He has volunteered to do all the processing at no charge during his stay. 2) I can do the processing… skin, cut & wrap for $285 or 3) I can assist you in the processing of your bear.

We plan on bringing some big coolers to transport the meat back across the border. Is that kosher with border boys?? Yes, we provide you with a $35 export permit to present upon returning. Have had no issues.

Should we bring climbing stands? No, I don’t recommend them… tree stands? yes… we have not had good experiences with climbers. As a side note, we have had another stellar berry crop this year so we are setting a lot of new bait sites. Most do not have stands so maybe throw in a couple of ground blinds. We have some really neat sites that are in open areas and very conducive to a rifle hunt.

Do we need to wear orange bear hunting?? Yes when traveling to and from the blind, not necessary while in the blind.

Can we place trail timers for personal photos of Pasha Tank Bears?? Yes, no problems.

We are considering filming or experience also on primitive camera gear for personal enjoyment. Ok.. .no problem

My dad would like to bring an atv. Can we bring that part way to our stands?? Yes, great idea…. Will open up more baits for you.

If we shoot a bear what is standard procedure??
Most guys come back to camp and let the Calvary know. We walk through the shot, determine if it was a clean shot, what the hunter heard, what the hunter saw and other contributing factors and then either go get it or wait until the next more. Another side note… If you shoot a bear that can’t be tracked that night, plan on leaving a dirty set of drawers or a soiled shirt near the site where you think the bear bed down. We lost one bear and ½ of another to wolves last year. A soild article of clothing should keep them at bay long enough to allow us to recover it the next morning.

I’m assuming yelling “CHAD!!!!!!!” might not be cool. Do we come get help or take care of that beast ourselves??

OK!! Sorry for all the questions Chad!! My Dad and I are so excited to get into one of your cabins in “Gods Country” Soak up a morning coffee, Fishing, and Bear hunting!!

I hope to get pics for all IDO boys to visualize all you have to offer even if your not BEAR BOYS!!

Lastly……..How is your Whitetail hunting?? Bow/Gun??

Not a huntable population of whitetails here. Not yet anyway!!!

Thanks Chad!! Trust me If I have a wounded bear down there will be no problem with me leaving some soiled clothing near the area it was last seen!!

In regards to Climbing stands is there any reason in particular they have been ineffective for you Chad?? I do believe we could set up a couple ground blinds. I don’t have any, but maybe my dad will catch this thread and chime in. He’s always got 2 of everything.

Also is Clyde Hursh going to be around during our stay starting September 7th?? If not we’ll get dirty with you. We normally don’t trust my dad with sharp objects though.

Also I am going to get some specific directions on skinning/preparing a bear to be mounted. In earlier discussions with our local taxidermist he told me to be sure to lay the fur flat in the freezer for a bit prior to rolling it up or often times the center of the skin won’t freeze for a long time, and will often rot. after it has been in the freezer for a bit simply fold it over on itself instead of rolling it. I guess I’ve heard both ways.

I will attempt to get a checklist of what we should do to help with a potential mount. I’m a optimistic guy!!

We will plan on bringing one atv on our trip to at least drag our sorry carcass if not a big black bear!! We also have a cart for behind the atv, and could bring that too.

We are having a bumper crop of berries here too Chad. Are you having much success turning any of those bears onto your baits yet?? Knowing my dad he’ll have a bag of candy to sprinkle.

I didn’t even know there was an idohunting.com!!! Just what I need…more ways for me to waste time online. I hope to book a trip with Chad for a future bear trip…looking forward to your trip report Chris.

Real quick… yesterday’s baits were the hardest hit yet. I lost track of bait sites around 40, but we are running better than 95% on our baits. Some of them are getting just massacred. We actually had a bear drag a 55ga drum full of granola (NOT LIGHT!) about 50 yards into the bush. Oh, and the most notable part? The drum was chained to a tree! Ummmmmm, Chris… I let you bait that one from now on… either that or I am going in there with a bazooka and the 101st Airborne behind me!

Your gonna have to stop it Chad!! I literally can’t wait. With our recent blast of Autumn air we’re really getting the itch to get in the woods!!

Hey Trapsht!! I definately will do a FULL REPORT on our hunt with Chad through Pasha Lake. I think for anglers like ourselves the combination of Time in the woods, and time on the water is going to be INCREDIBLE!! Maybe next year we can book together with other IDO BOYZ!!

My dad and I are going to probably hunt together the first couple days. One guy filming, and the other guy on the trigger. What a heartstopping way to spend the day. We’re planning on hunting in a ground blind.

My dad and I are planning on bringing an atv with atv/Trailer in case we lock up on a nice bear. I’ve been advised through our taxidermist that less dragging is wise when preserving the fur. I’m so excited to talk with other hunters at camp that might be there at the same time!! It would

Chris, is there an option to skin and butcher the bear on site?

I’m not sure Ruger!! For a guy growing up with a rifle under his arm I am such a Bear hunting virgin!! LOL!! Field Dressed deer since I was 12, but a bear just seems so different without ever doing it before. My initial assumption would be that it would be MUCH easier if the bear was hanging?? I suppose I could have dad hold it up.

OOOOHHH!! An IDO bear hunt at Pasha…that sounds great!!

In regards to Climbing stands is there any reason in particular they have been ineffective for you Chad??
It is really hard to say with 100% certainty. I equate it to the days when dead sticking produces more fish then holding on to the rod. No one knows for sure, but it just is….
If I were forced to guess at it, I think all the commotion in getting set up spokes the bears… but again, I don’t know for sure. We just haven’t had much luck with them here.

Also is Clyde Hursh going to be around during our stay starting September 7th?? If not we’ll get dirty with you.
Plan on getting dirty with me!

We are having a bumper crop of berries here too Chad. Are you having much success turning any of those bears onto your baits yet??
I was out baiting again yesterday. Baits are getting whacked, but we would like to start seeing a little more consistency. I think the weather had a lot to do with bait activity over the last 48hrs. We are in a major low pressure system right now and it’s having an impact on things….
As a side note, I am going to do a separate post on the forum regarding a bear hunter that was turned away at the border last night. There is going to be good information in the post that everyone should look at and file away. If not for themselves, then most likely they’ll need it down the road for a buddy, co worker, acquaintance or what have you!

I had picked up a bear hunting video one time that showed how to skin a bear. They did it on the ground. Not sure what it was called, I gave video away. A IDO member hunt sounds like a good idea. There’s probably a few of us that would do it. I’m in. I never knew there was an IDO hunting site. I’m suprized that there’s not a link to it on the menu list and vise versa. Again good luck. Hey Chad put up a game camera on that barrel stealing bear and post some pictures.

My Dad and I are planning on bringing a few Trail timers up!!

Skinning a bear isn’t much different than skinning a deer, whether hanging or on the ground. Just know what you want to do with it first and try not to make any cuts through the hide. Probably easier to do while hanging (especially if you are tubing out the arms/legs for a full mount) – so you might want to take a gambrel/hoist with you.

If you know you want a rug/mount/half mount, etc, then get your taxidermist’s recommendations on how he wants it skinned. Where to cut? Tube out the arms and legs, or just cut a line to the wrist joints? how much hide to leave on for a 3/4 mount? (Or just be safe and keep it all)… Then fold/freeze it ASAP. Flash freeze if possible. I don’t think most taxidermists recommend salting the hide, but you might want to ask.

Good luck, bring back pics! Bear hunting over bait can be absolutely one of the coolest hunts to do!

mower:

Go to the menu above and click on channels, first one is hunting…

Mark

Hey! Thanks allot.

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My Dad and I are planning on bringing a few Trail timers up!!

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So what’s the update, Chris? Seeing any big bruisers deserving of an arrow?

So what’s the scoop Chris…did you and your pops get a bear???