Ep.116 Jet Boat Bear Camp

A two-hour jet boat ride, an island camp lit up in the middle of nowhere, and black bears showing up like they own the place. That’s the kind of hunting story that sounds exaggerated until you hear how it’s built. 

We sit down with Jason from Extreme Outdoor Guides and Outfitters, a 37-year veteran Canadian hunting guide who starts as a teenage camp helper and works his way through just about every big game hunt Canada can throw at a person. We talk honestly about the sacrifices of guiding, how he keeps anxious clients steady, and what he learns by “reading” hunters before they ever arrive. If you’ve ever wondered what separates a good outfitter from a great one, Jason explains it in plain language: access, pressure, preparation, and decisions under stress. 

Then we get into the nuts and bolts of a remote northern Alberta black bear hunt near Fort McMurray, where jet boats replace quads and even planes can’t compete. Jason breaks down spring bear baiting strategy along river systems, how wind follows the curves of the river, and why setting hunters tight to the bank can keep scent flowing away from the bait. We also talk rifles and bows, why shot placement beats bringing the biggest cannon in your safe, and what broadhead choices help on animals that can “plug up” blood trails fast. And yes, there’s a bear camp story that starts with a text that only says “help.” 

If you’re planning a guided black bear hunt, a moose hunt, or you just love real backcountry hunting talk, you’ll get practical tactics and hard-earned perspective here. Subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations, share this with a hunting buddy, and leave a review with the one gear choice you refuse to hunt without.

Check us out on Facebook  Hunts On Outfitting, or myself Ken Marr. Reach out and  Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!

Transcript

Welcome And The Hunt Setup

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Hunt so on. This is Hunt on Outfitting Podcast. I'm your host and rookie guide, Ken Mara. I love everything hunting, the outdoors, and all things associated with it. For stories to outfit, you'll find it here. Welcome to the podcast. Hey guys, gals, welcome. If it's your first time listening, welcome back. If it's not, I'm happy to have your ears for this week's podcast. So adventure. Most of us like it. So imagine this. You draw you fly into this airport in Alberta. You're picked up by Jason of Extreme Outdoor Guides and Outfitters. You're heading up to northern Alberta, Canada, where he specializes in wolf, black bear, and moose hunts. When he gets you, you guys are going to go out to a boat, one of his boats, and you're going to go upriver for about 80 to 90 miles. We're going to come out to this beautiful camp in the middle of absolutely nowhere where it is a pristine wilderness, and you're not going to have to worry about seeing another soul. And that's where you're going to be hunting. Now, that sounds amazing, right? And Jason's going to tell us so much more about it. Jason has a ton of guiding experience. We talked a little bit about uh some of its earthly guiding, some of its mountain hunts and stuff, but because of the time of year, with it being spring, we're focusing on black bear hunting. So it's uh it's interesting, it's really cool, and I highly recommend looking him up on Facebook to get some more pictures of what exactly he has going on. He comes from a non-family hunting background and that tells us about his humble roots as a camp worker and that it's worked its way up into a very well-known, respected, and experienced guide. Uh so this podcast, I put a new one out every single Tuesday morning. This one, though, will be out a bit earlier. It's going to be released uh on Sunday because I'm heading up to Maine uh for a few days for the opening of turkey season. Quite excited about that. I am uh proud to say that I am the newest uh ambassador for the Canadian Wild Turkey Federation. Uh that's got a lot of great stuff going on. You should check them out, become a member. Even if you are in Canada, we're trying to uh have a healthy population of turkeys all over to be able to hunt. And it's not just about the turkeys, it's about uh conservation with all animals, but with uh specializing and prioritizing turkeys, of course, but you know, also caring about uh other animals and waterways and things like that. So uh definitely something worth checking out. Also, uh hooligan archery products. If you're looking to get some broadheads for this brings bear season, or you're getting if you want some broadheads for turkey season, hooligan archery products, use code HUNTON2026, all one word, all caps. They're gonna save yourself some money at the checkout. And I'm baiting bear right now and I'm using ProExpedition. We had a guy on the podcast, Steven, he is pro staff for Pro Expedition, uh, was kind enough to give me a box full of stuff, and it works really well. What do they have for Scents? It'd be a shorter list, I'll tell you what, they don't have. They've got all kinds of things to help long-range attractions, to help bring the bears in. I put some out in less than 24 hours at a new bait site. I had bears coming in. So it works really well pro expedition. Definitely recommend checking them out. Oh, and if you were looking to get a hold of us to maybe come on the podcast or suggest somebody for it, or just reach out to me, you can email me at hunts on outfitting at gmail.com or you can find us on Facebook, Hunts on Outfitting, or find myself on there, Canmar. Feel free to reach out. Some of you guys have been. It's been great talking with you from all over. Yeah, Jason, uh so you you you live in Manitoba, right? But you guide in northern Alberta?

SPEAKER_00 4:37

That's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Uh so how did you uh how did you get into, I guess, well, your background into hunting and then transitioning into the guiding?

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Well, that's uh I've been doing this a long time. It's been 37 years, you know, in the outfitting industry as a as a big game hunting guide. Um, I mean, it started off when I was 17 years old. Um, my parents owned a restaurant. There was a gentleman who owned a construction company, and you know, he was uh going up into northern Manitoba building cabins for flying fishing and hunting lodges, and he was looking for a kind of a camp helper, somebody just to run around and do the grunt work. Um, so I overheard this and um kind of jumped in on the conversation and and I got hired to go up and do it. So while I was up there doing that, uh the lodge owner was looking also for help after we were done working there. Um and he's looking for a camp helper. So I uh I jumped at that chance. Uh so I started off as a camp helper, um and then it it kind of snowballed into guiding uh the lodge where I was at. Uh one of the guides I guess did something he shouldn't have done and got fired, and they were looking for a guide and last minute, and um the other guides, you know, kind of volunteered me, and uh so you know I quickly quickly became a guide. And um and then uh it just kind of snowballed from there. Um, you know, I started off guiding caribou uh in northern Manitoba, black bear in southern Manitoba, whitetails. Um it kind of progressed into you know heading more west into Alberta for uh for whitetails and for mule deer, black bear, elk, moose. Uh from there I ended up um being a backpack guide for uh several different uh uh sheep outfitters. So I was guiding for uh stone sheep and doll sheep and grizzly and wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Yeah, you've uh done it all.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

I have, I guess in it kind of in the guiding industry, yeah. I mean I pretty much guided um pretty much anything and and everything in Canada. And uh yeah, and then it just kind of snowballed into uh me getting my own place. And uh, you know, it was that it was kind of got to that time when I thought, you know, um I should be doing this for myself. And you know, all the clients that I guided over the years, you know, they always said, you know, if you ever get your own place, you let us know. And uh so I did, and it's been it's been awesome.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

And you let them know.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

I let them know, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Um that's really cool. That's a cool story. I'm always fascinated when I talk to people who are are outfitters and have their own business, how they got started with it. And a lot of them, it's kind of like you, it's just very humble beginnings, and the rest of it's uh kind of by happenstance and just obviously though, you had a lot of sheer grit and determination to uh keep going and pursuing it and forward going after the different animals that you've done. I mean, I was fortunate enough to go with a buddy of mine on a uh bighorn sheep hunt in Alberta this past fall, and uh that it was tough and to be able to try to guide uh people on that that kind of hunt and the other hunts that you've done. I mean, it's uh it I imagine it's been very challenging sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

It is. I mean, there's a lot of sacrifices that go into being a guide, you know. Um, you know, I've I I like anybody else as a teenager and and you know, go getting up into my 20s, you know, you gotta look at starting getting a full-time job and and whatnot. And my thing was if I'm you know, if I can't get paid to hunt, um, I don't want to do it. And it was just that simple. And you know, my parents thought I was crazy, my friends thought I was crazy. They all said, you know, it's something that you do as a pastime, you're not gonna make money doing it, you know, full-time for a career. Um, so you know, I in the off season of guiding, I'd have you know construction jobs and whatnot. But when hunting season rolls around, I asked for time off. And you know, they wouldn't give you the time off, it'd be like, well, then I have to quit. So, you know, you you kind of make those sacrifices, and it and and I was just you know very driven and very uh focused on what I wanted. Um but I mean it's tough, right? I mean, you know, I'm I'm married now, I have two kids, and uh you know, being away from them when you're guiding is is difficult, and you know, you're away for you miss out on certain things, but um, you know, with family, but I mean, in the end, I you know, I feel like the rest of the world's missing out on you know some of the really super cool things that I get to experience. So um yeah, it's a it's a tough road. You know, getting to this stage is not easy.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Oh yeah, yeah. I mean you've said you're just grinding it out and just passion, I guess. For passion, I think more than anything is what keeps you uh keeps you going with something.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah, you know, spending spending 140 days on top of a mountain, you know, above the tree line, not having a fire and not being able to, you know, find heat, or you know, you just gotta kind of grit through all the bad elements. And but I mean that's mountain guiding, that's sheep guiding, you know. Those those are tough. But then you get into the lowland stuff and you start doing grizzly bear hunts. I mean, it's wet and it's damp and it's cold too. Um you know, it's it's it's a mix. So you endure all kinds of different weather and and scenarios and different kinds of clients, and um, but it's cool, man. I mean, it's it's the greatest job in the world.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, and I find a quality that makes a really terrific guide is just that that positive, optimistic mindset. Have you ever had it though on some of these tough hunts where the clients like just like oh, you know, kind of an e or I guess you could say it's just you're trying to still stay positive and get them get Morel up.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Absolutely. Happens all the time. Um, you know, I I get it. I mean, they're different hunts, right? I mean, some hunts are 21-day, you know, on the sheep hunts, and and then you have seven-day or ten or or ten-day moose hunts, you know, it's they're they're different lengths, but um, you know, some people save a lot of money, you know. These hunts aren't cheap, you know, and they save a lot of money and they work hard for it. And uh they get to these hunts and they're they're just so nervous, you know. They they're they're just anxious to get their animal, you know, they they they don't want to let themselves down, maybe they don't want to go back home and tell everybody they weren't successful. I'm not really sure. But uh yeah, there's um they they just they kind of get into a bit of a panic mode. You really got to be able to uh calm them down and um you know distract them in different ways. But you know, I always tell my clients, even to this day, uh your last day is your best day, you know, you've already eliminated all the spots that are not. So um for every minute, for every hour, for every day that goes by that that we haven't gotten our animal, is we're just getting that much closer. So patience is a virtue when it comes to hunting. Um and um I usually tell guys, you know, if you just kind of calm down and just really relax and go with the flow, and um usually guys like that are a little more uh successful than the guys who are really anxious.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Yeah, yeah, I can see that. And then too, have you gotten people where you know you told them coming into it, it's gonna be a bit of a physically demanding hunt, and they're like, Yeah, yeah, I got it. And then they you get going with them, and then you and them both quickly realize maybe they didn't exactly do enough training for it.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Yeah, yeah, I get a lot of that. Yeah. Um you know, a lot of people um, you know, they they go to the gym and uh and they run or they lift your weights and so forth. And I always tell them, um, you might be able to walk 10-15 miles, you know, down gravel road or or in the gym on a treadmill. Um that would be a lot easier to do in a mile in the mountains um or a mile in the backcountry where moose live. Um it's it's different trains. They it it's hard to train for some of that kind of stuff. Um guys don't realize how well most people overpack, right? So they're they're their backpacks end up super heavy, and um they just don't realize that you know what it takes to to do some of these hunts. So, you know, you get out uh a long ways away, and and next thing you know, you're carrying your clients' backpacks for them, and um but doing whatever you gotta do to get it done, right? So yeah, most guys underestimate what it takes to do some of these hunts.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

Yeah, yeah. Uh yeah, I I figured that you just kind of you you probably get a good idea on the very first day, or possibly when you meet them, um what to what to expect a bit. So you must be really happy when you have repeat clients. They know you, you know them, and uh it probably just helps things go a little smoother.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Yeah, you can you can right away almost immediately. When you know you've been doing it as long as I have, you can pick out a guy right away who's gonna be in good shape or who's not or who's gonna be able to, you know, a guy will surprise you. Um, you know, with my guidance now, um, you know, my my outfitting territory, what we do, um, you know, I I try to match my c my guides with my clients. I I I can you can just read them pretty quick, you know, from phone calls and from emails, and you know, the guy who sends you a million emails and a million text messages asking a million questions, and the types of questions they're asking, you can kind of read what they're gonna be like ahead of time. And um so I got a guy who's probably not so physical, you know. He's I I don't think he's gonna do well. I I might use a guide that is really good at at um you know, let's say calling in moose uh real close or down low type of stuff. But if I get somebody who's really ambitious, they really want to give her that I got guides who you know, we'll do that, right? Um but the repeats are really good because you you know they get they get back to camp. We already know what kind of food they like, we know what kind of drinks they like, we know what what you know if they're like to tell jokes or their humor or how hard they hunt, and um, you know, if it's their birthday, we remember it every year, we'll have a birthday you know, gift and and cake and whatnot for them, right? So yeah, it's cool. Yeah, yeah.

What Makes Clients Succeed Or Quit

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Yeah. Uh yeah, it's really cool. So, too, I mean, you're talking about how you you just you jumped into it at a young age and um going all over hunting for different kinds of animals and guiding for them. What was the learning curve like for you for the different big game species and hunting them and tracking them and then you know, even skinning them? Like what was that like?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Oh yeah, I mean, you know, I come from a family where nobody hunts. Um my father never hunted. Um, I didn't have a relative that hunted. I I I'm completely self-taught. So for me to learn this stuff was really paying attention to other guides, listening to what they're saying. Um, and then you know, the things that I I kind of self-taught myself hunting whitetails and black bear and whatnot back, you know, here in southern Manitoba. Um, you know, concepts are still the same. You know, you play the wind right, you learn how to track animals. Once you figure out what the track looks like, well, now you you know, and you learn off of these little things. But um it's just tough. I don't know. Um you just kind of figure it out. You you learn, you listen, you uh you everything, you know, you study, you you figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yep. Yeah, no, that's uh yeah, I was just kind of wondering that of all the species that you've hunted, what what would be your favorite to guide for? To guide.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

To guide for, okay, it's not just animals I've hunted.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Yeah, for to guide.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

Okay, so for guiding, well, I've I I mean I love sheep guiding. Um dull sheep was one of my favorites. Um it's it's definitely um as a guide, it's it's a young man's younger man's um career choice, let's call it. Um there's just something about dull sheep. I mean, it's a toss-up between dull sheep and grizzly bear, but um dull sheep, there's just something about it. They're just a majestic animal. There it's just you're in awe. You know, every time I still see a band of rams on the side of a mountain, it's just it's it's just blows me away still. And um it's they're a tough animal to hunt, they're they're smart, you know, they're they live in some nasty terrain. There's a lot of challenge that comes with it, a lot of strategy to hunt them. Um they're just super cool animals to hunt, and uh, and they're beautiful, they're absolutely gorgeous. So they're one of my favorites, um, as far as the mountain hunts, I guess. But um yeah, moose and and grizzly bear. Grizzly bear is always a bit of an adrenaline junkie to want to hunt them, and and that's kind of what where I'm at, I guess. You know, where I was with my guys in career. And uh yeah, that's just an exhilarating hunt. Yeah. Getting in close and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

Yeah, I I couldn't imagine. I've never been uh I've never been real close to one. Um yeah, they just I mean, seen lots of black bears, but I mean there's just no comparison, is there?

SPEAKER_00 18:13

No, no, and they're they're so unpredictable, you know. Um they're they're kind of on your mind at all times. You know, you don't sleep the greatest when you're in a tent and you're backpacking for a grizzly bear, right? It's uh you you know at any time you could be the one being hunted. So it's just super cool. Um you know, they're just they're a huge animal, they're super powerful, uh, they're smart, um they're hard to outwit. Um but but uh definitely an adrenaline hunt.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

And they don't really scare either, do they? Like they know they're the biggest, baddest thing out there, so they they're not intimidated or scared by anything, are they?

SPEAKER_00 18:53

No, that's right. You know, a lot of guys will say, Man, I you know, you're out hunting, and they're like, I haven't seen a black bear for a while. It's like, well, we probably stumble into a whole pile when you just haven't seen them because they're so skittish. If you know, if every grizzly bear that we walked up on, you'd know it. I mean, sometimes they'll walk away. They're not looking, they're not necessarily looking to pick a fight with you. It's just when you startle them, you know, especially get a salad cubs, you know, things are gonna go sideways pretty quickly. So um you kind of have to be on the ball at all times with them. And uh grizzly bear, you know, he smells food. And so will a black bear, you know, they'll come investigate it, but you know, a grizzly bear will just kind of trot right in like he owns the place, right? Yeah. Uh a black bear, he's gonna be timid and he'll you know he's gonna look for an opportunity rather than make one like a grizzly would.

Favorite Species And Grizzly Reality

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Right. Yeah, yeah. It'd be uh definitely get the hair on the back of your neck up and he'd be on highlighted the whole hunt. That's right. Um, so I'm excited because I mean what I came across your page. I saw the picture that you have on there of there's a jet boat out front, and you know, you got the steps and it's lit up, and then you see a camp and all that. So I want to talk a bit about uh I want to get into about your guiding and how you got into getting your own outfitting business and uh and why that area, how you came across that area that you're in.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Okay. Um well, there's a lot to it, I guess. Um, you know, again, being that I've guided all over Canada, um, you kind of get to know what areas are you know better for moose or better for bear or elk or sheep and and so forth. And you you just you know, when you're in the industry, you get to meet a lot of other outfitters and uh you just know who's the best and who's just you know not so good. And but it's a lot of it is based on the type of game that they have in their area that makes them successful. It's uh you know, they got good quantities. So um my area that is up in north uh northeastern uh Alberta. Um the the major city there would be Fort McMurray. And uh that area's always been known for really big moose and really big black bear. Um it also holds one of the largest moose ever taken with a bow at 68 inches wide, um, which is almost unheard of for a Canadian moose. You know, that's that's Utah and Alaska type stuff. So anyway, uh it the area was um uh uh some some uh tags had come available in that area, and I was guiding and um so I you know I thought, man, if this is you know, this might be the opportunity, you know, this this is the time that maybe I should I should do it. And so I leased some of those tags and uh and kind of started my business. And uh we were very successful, you know, right off the hop. And uh it just kind of kept on growing and um, you know, now we're one of the largest outfitters, you know, in that area um for Black Bear and for Moose. Um So that's kind of how it got sort of started, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Um that's cool. So that's how you expand the area. So I mean tell me what it's like when uh when the hunters are coming into camp, because you have uh you have canvas tents, which uh I think's uh really cool just to add to the experience. And then so the only way to get there though is it it's by jet boat.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Yeah, so uh you know when I first started out in that area, we were doing uh I was doing all my hunts by flying. So we were flying in on a float plane, landing out in the middle of nowhere, and doing our hunts. And that was great. Uh but then COVID hit, and when COVID hit, uh we weren't allowed to fly anymore. And uh as everyone knows, you know, I kind of shut things down for flying, and I didn't want to shut down my business like a lot of outfitters did because they couldn't fly. And so I turned to the rivers. It was the next mode of transportation. I didn't want to do it on quads. Um, I felt like if I can get there by quad, that means anybody can get there by quad. Um, and everybody has a quad these days. So that's I didn't want that. So um I turned to the jet boat or you know, to the rivers, and um the Athabasca River is very shallow. Um and it's um what they call a live river. It's uh it's all sand, and uh so one day a sandbar could be in one place, and uh a day or two later it can be on the totally opposite side of the river. So you really gotta learn how to maneuver and how to run a river. I mean, it's very important. Um, so yeah, we use several different kinds of jet boats. I have um one that's called the landing craft, it's a twin motor uh outboard jet motors. Um, and then the front of it full uh flips down. You can drive a cod or an ATV into it, an Argo. Um, or in our case, we load it up full of clients gear. And with clients, it's got a full enclosed cab in it, and we run the river. And we had about um 80, 90 miles upriver, and uh I have a camp set up on an island. And uh yeah, we just kind of it's it's kind of in the Mecca area of what we like the you know with moose and bear, and um it's been awesome. The clients absolutely love the jet boating. Um, but we found out very quickly that doing it with jet boat is that we didn't have locals, we didn't have anything, you know, any we didn't have any competition, and airplanes can't even land there. So we're kind of in an area that's super remote. Um, you know, these jet boats aren't cheap, you know, some of them are 100,000 plus, you know, uh 250,000 jet boats, and uh not everybody can afford that. So not everybody's got one. Um, and then being that we're so far off and so far away, um we just have no competition. It just leaves us right there in a in a perfectly remote setting, and um the clients absolutely love the jet boating, they think it's super cool.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Oh, yeah. So you said 80 to 90 miles upriver?

SPEAKER_00 25:02

Yeah. Wow, yeah, we that's really yeah, we make yeah, yeah, we yeah, we make we make a hike out of it. Um again, it's part of the experience, but I mean, you know, it's a two-hour jet boat ride, um, give or take. Um, but it's it's just super cool. The clients, you know, we get them in the boats, uh, we've got them on you know in their hunting gear already, and we always tell them we're not at a camp yet, but we're hunting all the way there. And we've had guys tag out on the way to camp. So um, yeah. Um and it's just it just you know, the scenery is just absolutely beautiful. The weather typically up in our area, there's you know, it's pretty fair weather, so uh we're not dealing with like tons of rain and and so forth. And so it's just a real relaxing ride, and guys are glassing, and it it it's it's a great way for them to kind of break them in before they get to camp. And um rather than them get to camp and want to just run out the door and and get in boats and start hunting, they've you know got a feel for it as they were coming in. So it's super, super cool. Um clients said uh, you know, that's one of the first things they always say is uh, you know, especially when they get to my camp, it's probably one of the nicest camps they've ever seen. You know, we we built it, like you said, it's up, you know, it's on an island, uh, it's all lit up. We've got you know, we built walkways to walk up you know out of out of uh out of lumber and uh you know made stairs and so forth. Uh super nice tent camps, you know, we've got all the amenities there, high speed internet since we have a lot of I mean we've pretty much got everything that you could possibly want, right? At home, uh it's there at tent camp. But we still have that rustic feel there. Uh you know, you still have the sit around the bonfires and you've got the river, you got the northern lights, you know, the bright stars and the moon, the you know, uh all the sounds of nature. It's it's it's um it's kind of nice.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Yeah, that's uh that's really cool. I mean, uh to me seeing that when I first saw that picture and I got looking more at the Facebook page and everything, I think that sets you guys really far apart from the competition. It's a two-hour boat ride to campaign. I mean, that's in and of itself is so cool and just to have that experience like that's I mean, it's a take it on the way, but just to be glassing and looking the whole time. I mean, it's one thing to drive your pickup into camp, uh, you know, and there'd be some great views and stuff with that, but the boat ride, I mean, I think that's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yeah, you know, it's kind of it's kind of like using the horses in the mountains, you know. It's it's a means and it's a mode of transportation, it's a necessity, but it's just super cool. It's just not something that people do uh you know daily or they don't see that kind of stuff. Um but you know, the other part about it is you know, running the jet boat, get into a tent camp rather than having a building, like an actual cabin in one location kind of restricts you then from going to where the game is. And that's really why I wanted to stick with that kind of concept was because we basically move to where the game is. Um you know, we can pack up those camps, put them on the jet boats, and move camp anytime we need to, any year that we need to, you know, rotate our areas, uh, so we're not putting you know high pressure on one specific spot, right? So um, you know, I've guided camps where they had hard buildings, you know, they had actual camp in a lodge, and it was wonderful, it was great, very relaxing, you know. Um, but after a couple years, you find that you're traveling super far every day just to get to where the animals are because you've hunted so hard over the last number of years and you know, so close to that camp. So yeah, being able to be mobile like that is a game changer, and uh, I think that sets us apart from a lot of places as well. So we go where the game is.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Right. Absolutely. Well, just being versatile, you know, that's yeah, like it's gonna save you a lot more in the long run instead of traveling that, like you said, that much further, possibly year after year to get to the animals.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Yeah, and uh for us now, we're we're calling in moose and killing bears and and everything. I mean, right off our island. I mean, we're right in the midst of it all. Like it's we call we'll call moose in the mornings, call moose in the evenings, and we'll have we'll see moose that day or within a day or two, you know, usually right from our island. Uh same with bears. So um we don't gotta go far. You can be you're hunting the second you get in that boat.

Building A Jet Boat Island Camp

SPEAKER_01 29:39

Yeah. Um, so you know, it's springtime, it's bear season coming up. I mean, w when you get to a new area, I'm curious like that. You guys get some really nice bears too, some big ones. What's your first thought in placing baits? Like what what are you looking for and how how do you pick where to set it out?

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Well, uh in our situation, it's a little different than a lot of places. Um, you know, obviously when you're setting up bear baits, you're always looking for main things, right? Shelter, food, and water. In our case, we're hunting along rivers, and there's a lot of little uh tributaries that we can run off of um off the main river. And again, that's uh only by jet boat. And so we'll get kind of back country, and we we're kind of surrounded by um by hills, I guess if you will. It's um kind of the high country. The river is the low country, and um uh in the springtime, bears are typically looking for the you know, the green grass. I mean, that's the first thing they're looking for. And the first place is gonna get green grass is always closest to the river because of the water. So uh we already know that the bears are gonna be down low. They're gonna be near the rivers, which is perfect for us. Uh the food is already down there. There's tons and tons of beavers, there's fish, there's all the roots, there's there's berries, there's all kinds of stuff. There's everything that they they would want. You know, there's tons of small, small birds, rabbits, so forth. Um so it's kind of our area, just it's a natural thing for them to just go down low. So for us, um, you know, when we're looking for locations, it's more about finding adjacent um thick timber, a place where a bear is gonna feel safe. And also, we also know that as our season goes on, the temperatures are gonna get warmer, the bears are gonna be looking for cooler places. So we're looking for the the thicker timber that's kind of close to you know accessible areas, if you will. Um, you know, for where we can set up stands and uh set up baits. Um it's uh it's a bit strategic in that sense. I mean, we you know, you're on a windy river, it feels like you're going um, you know, like you've traveled four or five miles when realistically, because of the curves, you've traveled less than a mile. So you yeah, so you you know, and and that's too close to be putting bear baits that close together. You just get bears going from bait to bait. So um, yeah, we it's just taken a bit of uh trial and error. There's there's times when we've had bears, you know, our baits were too close together, and and we figure that out pretty quick. Um but those are the real basic things that we look for, and uh we try to keep our stands and our baits as close to uh the water as possible. You know, when you get a bit of a breeze, it tends to follow the curve of the river, and that's something that's always kind of blowing my clients away when we're hunting moose or bear. Be traveling down the river, your face into the sun, and let's say you got the wind in your face, and you turn, you know, you make a couple bends in the river, and all of a sudden the sun's at your back, but the wind is still in your face, and they can't quite figure that one out. And it's very simple, it's the the air moving just follows the curve of the river. So you know, one of the tricks that we do when we're setting up our baits is um we'll set the baits, let's say, forty to fifty yards from the river edge, and we'll set our hunters up on a tree that's as close to the river as possible. Some of ours are the tree is literally a foot or two from the bank uh of the river. And uh the benefits of that is we don't have to walk our clients through the bait sites or anywhere near the bait sites to get them into the stand. We literally pull the boat up, tie it up right to the tree stand if we have to, the the base of the stand or a tree, get the client up in the stand. He's he can see right away if there's bears there, which typically there are. But being that they're inland and we're by the river, it they don't spook off. Um and their scent is always being carried down the river, it's never blowing inland. Um I mean, unless you've got super hard wind that's gonna blow it in there. But otherwise, the scent is always being carried down the river, so it always works. Plus, bears like to circle you, you know, if they have a sense that you're there, and they can't do that with us. Um, I mean, if that they could, I mean, if they want to, they jump in the river and swim. Uh, but they're typically that's not the case. So they can't circle my clients, they can't wind them, they don't smell them, and it's just giving us uh a hundred percent success rate on two bears per client uh for all the years that we've been doing it. So um, and like you said, you've seen some of the pictures there. You know, we've got some giant bears, and um and they're not easy to fool, but uh placing these baits along the river definitely is a game changer. It's it's uh it's a great thing for us. Plus, it makes it really easy for baiting for us.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Yeah, yeah, really. No, that's uh that that's that's smart thinking. That's a very good idea. You you know, you just use them to train to your advantage, and obviously it's working.

SPEAKER_00 35:03

Yeah, work smarter, not harder, right? Um some clients feel that yeah, shouldn't we be going like uh walk like uh way into the timber, like way back in the bush there? And I'm like, but we're not a highway. Um we're not worried about people driving by, you know, there's not gonna be other hunters here. We're let the bears come to us, let the animals come to us. Um they smell food, they're coming. So it's um yeah, it works great for us.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Plus a little bit of a breeze keeps the bugs away. I mean, it's it's just a it's a win-win.

River Baiting Strategy For Big Bears

SPEAKER_01 35:34

Yeah, it sounds like it. Yeah, that's uh that's smart. I never I never thought of all that, but yeah, obviously it works and it all makes perfect sense too. Yeah. Uh so when when your clients come in, I mean what what do you got, what are you recommending for gear, like especially weapons?

SPEAKER_00 35:54

Oh, that's uh that's a loaded question. Literally. Uh well I get a lot of I got a mix. You know, I get I get a lot of archery hunters, I get a lot of um rifle hunters. Um, you know, when it comes to rifle hunting, uh whether it's bear or boost or any any big game, guys are always asking me what gun to bring, and most of the times they want to bring in the biggest cannon that they have in their gun safe. Um they just feel that you know one one hard hit and they're done. And I always tell guys, you know, I'd rather have you bring in a lighter caliper rifle, but one that you are the most accurate with because shot placement is definitely you know way better uh more effective than you know just throwing lead at something and hoping it drops. So um probably one of the most common or two most common rifles that guys are bringing into camp would be a 4570 with a lever action. Um that's a great bear gun. It's the same thing that our guides are all carrying. Um and the other one would probably be a 300 Magnum, you know, typically running about 180 grain bullets. That seems like another one. That's very, very, very common. It's very versatile. You know, it's it it can it can put a pretty good pretty good uh size hole in an animal at closer range as well as long range if need be. You know, it's got the power for long range, but it still has all that punch at short. So um those are probably our two most common. Um and then our archery guys, yeah, I mean compound bows, you know, that's the thing now. And uh we still get some recurve guys, which is awesome. I love that. Um but um you know they're they're coming in with um with all kinds of different equipment. I mean, we've seen it all. Um mechanical, fixed blades, you name it, right? So um we always tell guys try to bring a blade that's gonna open up as wide as it can to make the biggest hole it can, uh, because bears plug up very quickly. You know, this as soon as the blood hits the fur, it mats up and it and it it'll clot up pretty quick. So you need to really get that that uh entrance and exit wounds as opened up as you can. So, you know, a lot of guys will shoot um you know tips that are typically about two inch, you know, they open up to at least a two inch on the broad head. Um and that that's the most effective. And I can tell you that I lose less bears to archery guys and more to the rifle guys.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Yeah, I I can believe it. I've talked to uh to other people and they've they've actually said the same thing. Uh actually the lady that did uh blood tracking with her dog, game big game recovery, and uh I was surprised. Yeah, she said the same thing. Yeah, yeah. Uh it's sometimes they they take more time for a better shot. Yeah. Is that what you think? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the archery guys are going, okay. I don't, you know, I can't just you know, throw another arrow in here in a in a split second, so they kind of take their time, they wait for that perfect shot. You hear archery guys are always waiting for that perfect, you know. I I need them quartering away or I need them broadside. Whereas a guy with a 4570 is going, well, there's a bear, it doesn't matter where he's facing. You know, I'm shooting 350 grain, I'm just gonna let him have it. And you know, they their shot placement's off. And uh, but again, it it's it's uh it's the mentality of it's a gun. If I hit it, it's gonna die. Um, and that just isn't the truth. I mean, these animals are pretty hardy. Uh they're a lot hardier than people think they are, you know. Uh so you know, you give a guy a single shot rifle, you'd be surprised how how how many less animals he's gonna lose. Uh again, he's gonna take his time, he's gonna he's gonna make sure he's got the perfect shot. Um so yeah, that's uh definitely lose a lot less animals to uh bow and arrow.

Rifles Bows Broadheads And Shot Placement

SPEAKER_01 39:58

Yeah. Yeah, and it's that's I find you know the the slicing instead of just the the impact is a lot more lethal too, but that's a whole other discussion. But um yeah, yeah. Uh so have you ever had any guys come in all the way up to your camp and it's their first big game animal they've ever hunted? Or possibly their first hunt they've ever had.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Yeah, I get that quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01 40:20

Really? It must be a a mate mind-blowing for them, really. If it's yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

Yeah, they get pretty overwhelmed. Um, but it's awesome because of the excitement that they got. And you know, uh it's kind of like hiring a new employee. You know, they're not coming with any bad habits. And uh it's super it's super cool because you just you know, you usually sit them down, have a talk with them, say, look, this is your first hunt, just follow my lead, do as I do. Uh if I jump and run, you should probably jump and run. Uh, you know, if if um just you know walk the way I walk and move the way I move, and if I'm being quiet, you be quiet. It's it's you know, it's it's really awesome. And you know that you're kind of setting, you're kind of setting the setting them up for success in the in the future, you know, for any other hunts that they'll go on because they're gonna learn you, you know, you're gonna be teaching them all this little stuff. So um, yeah, a lot of father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, mother-daughter, you know. Um bringing kids with is awesome. That's a that's a great time too. You know, the excitement that they have. These whether it's an adult or a kid, their first hunt, um, you know, you're trying you really try to go above and beyond to make it that memorable hunt, you know, to make it you know the the one they'll never forget, right?

SPEAKER_01 41:42

So Yeah, yeah, that no, that'd be so cool, especially talking to somebody meeting them and knowing that's their first hunt, and then you you know you put them on that boat and you're bringing them out, they just just must be awestruck. First of all, I mean some of them probably have a lot of people, even if they are hunters, have probably never been that far back in the bush before.

SPEAKER_00 42:03

Yeah, you know, that it it actually gets a little concerning for some people. Uh, you know, we we're traveling and traveling and traveling, and they're like, I mean, if something happens to us, how are we getting out of here? Um and it's like, don't worry, we've we've got all kinds of backup plans, we've got, you know, we've got everything sorted. But yeah, yeah, they they get nervous, right? Yeah. Um and they're and they start they start to wonder, like, this far back, I mean, what's this camp gonna look like? You know? Um you know, you can't be all that good. I mean, how the how are they getting it all out here? Uh, but when they get there and they see it all, yeah, they're right, relaxed. You're all good to go.

SPEAKER_01 42:37

Yeah, yeah, I know that's really cool. Uh, is there a particular story of somebody that's come into camp or anything that's happened at your bear moose camp that uh that really sticks out?

SPEAKER_00 42:47

Oh man, there is so many stories. I mean, like off the top of my head, in bear camp like you're talking about a bear camp one.

SPEAKER_01 42:56

Yeah, yeah, sure.

unknown 42:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Well, I mean, I had a this last year I had a I had a group of guys in camp, and um I dropped them all off between my guy my guides and myself. We dropped them off in the stands, and uh um a few of them had bear hunted. The one particular guy I'll tell you the story about had never bear hunted before, so this kind of leads into what we were just talking about. Uh so I put them up in a tree stand and uh you know get him up there and I do all the baiting, and before I leave, I kind of kind of tell him, like, look, this is where the bears are probably gonna come from, that direction or this direction. You know, obviously keep your eyes open everywhere. Uh, you know, and then based on the weapon that he's shooting, you know, I tell him, wait for this kind of shot or wait for that kind of shot. In this case, the gentleman shooting a 4570. Um so I get everybody in in their stands and I head back to camp, and it's kind of like it's you know, it's the exciting part for the guide to who's gonna get the call first. Right, because every day we're we we're dropping bears. So uh but the one thing you never want to hear, um we heard this last year, you know, it's uh what a thing a guy never wants to hear, but we heard some gunshots, um and then you know, or sorry, we heard two gunshots, and then uh all of a sudden it sounded like World War III opened up. It just uh it was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and I'm like, holy macro, what is going on? And I'm I'm trying to listen, like, where exactly is like who who do I have set up in that direction? And uh I'm waiting for my phone to light up, and then I get a text, and all it says is help. Oh and it's I mean, you're you're as a guide, you're you heard all these gunshots. You know you got beginner or new guys that have never hunted before, you got them in stands, and you get a text that says help. And I'll tell you what, you're you swallow. I mean, it's your your stomach is in your throat. Um, so I scramble down to the boat, I jump in the jet, I fire it up, and and I'm texting, you know, uh, is everything okay? And I'm ripping. Um, I get I get to the to the spot where I've dropped this client off, and I I you know I loaded, you know, my 4570 is locked and loaded. I I come rushing in there. Um, and it's uh that particular bait is probably the furthest bait we have from the river. I've got to walk about 20 yards. Um and I get there and it's just you know, we've got it nestled in this super, super thick timber, and it's dark, and it's it's like perfect bear situation, but it's also a situation where you wouldn't see a bear if he was 10 feet in front of you if you're walking down that path. So when I get there, I see my client standing in the tree stand, and he's just he's just standing there holding his gun, and I'm like, Are you okay? And he's like, Yeah, but man, that bear won't die. What? And I'm like, where is he? And he's like, he's right in front of you. And I and I look over and I'm like, holy cow, I mean, this bear is lying like 15 yards in front of me. And um I said, Well, is he dead? He goes, No, it won't die. I I I got no more rounds left. I've shot him. Uh everything I got. I'm like, holy cow. I'm like, well, come come down. I said it's you're safe. Like, come, I'm here, come out of the tree stand. So he climbed out of the tree stand. I gave him a couple of my 45 rounds, and I shoot 400 and uh 430 grain bullets. Um they're called they're called they're called bear loads, and they're they're made to stop a bear. Yeah. Yeah. So we start approaching this bear, and I said, Man, are you sure he's he's alive? I mean, his head's down. He goes, No, I'm telling you, he's gonna lift his head up here any second. And sure enough, the bear lifted his head up and stood up in front of us about 10 yards. So I grabbed the I go, yeah, I grabbed the client by the shoulder and I kind of swing him in front of me, and I said, Shoot him. And you know, and he's like, Like me? And I'm like, Yeah, shoot him. You know, it's your hunt, buddy. You gotta kill him. Yeah, and uh so he pulls the trigger and uh the bear goes down, and I went, Well, there you go. And he goes, No, man, that's exactly what's been happening. I shoot him, he goes down, and then he gets back up again. I'm like, Well, where are you shooting him? He's like, behind the shoulder. So I'm watching, and sure enough, the bear stands up again. I'm like, hey, this is enough. No way. I didn't know now I've seen it firsthand. So I, you know, I I put one in him and and folded the bear in half, so to speak, and uh uh, you know, down he is, right? And uh the client was super scared to walk up to the bear. He's like, I think there's something wrong with that bear. Um, I just said, No, I don't know where, you know, we'll we'll take a look and see where you're hitting them and and what would what the deal was. But um so went up to the bear. It was a booning crocket bear. Uh it was uh 21 and 716 or something.

SPEAKER_02 48:10

That's big, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:10

Um yeah, real big bear. Um and he, you know, the shots all looked perfect, really, to tell you the truth. Not all of them hit.

unknown 48:20

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Yeah, not all of them hit, but there was a lot, you know, right in that chest cavity. I don't know, I don't know myself how that bear didn't, you know, die. Um wow. But um yeah, that's that client. Yeah, he I mean, he he never slept that night. I don't think he slept the rest of the week. He's like, these bears out here, man, there's something about them. I don't, you know, I don't know how you sleep out here. These things don't die. Um so that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

That's a good story. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

Yeah, you know, and we get a lot of stories that I mean there's so it it's not it's not, you know, if it's when, right? And with everything, you know, when you're you know gonna get charged by a bear, when you're gonna have to, you know, crazy things are gonna happen. You spend enough time in the wilderness and in the bush, you know, cool things happen and and not so cool things happen. Yeah. But yeah, there's a million there's a million stories I could tell you. There's a million.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Yeah. Um have you ever I mean obviously everyone knows bear black bears are probably the hardest thing to judge. Um what do you tell your clients when you're sending them in? Because I mean when you're up in a stand, especially if you're not used to them, they all look big, really.

SPEAKER_00 49:30

Yeah. Yeah. Um there's there's so many myths behind judging black bears. Um you know, there's the thing the guys always say if the ears look big, it's a small bear. Um, you know, if the the size of the bear compared to the barrel, there's I mean, there's so many different things that guys go by. Um I I kind of have, you know, I we we kind of go over things in camp ahead of time with clients and we kind of describe to them what to look for in a black bear, you know, what size he should be shooting. Um and you know, the barrels are always a good indicator. Uh we always tell them if the top of the if the bear's back is at the top of the barrel, he's a shooter. More than likely, he's a shooter. Um anything below that we would pass on him. Um, you know, if the bear is hugging the barrel and you can't see the barrel anymore, because you know, these are 45-gallon drums. Um if that barrel's kind of just been swallowed up by him when he's kind of grappling onto it, um, it's probably a you know a shooter. If you can take your fists and put them side by side and and you think that you could place them between the ears of the bear, it's uh probably a really good bear. You know, we look for the crease in the forehead, that's an indicator of a big bore. Um where you know uh if the eyes look really tiny, you know, if they look really beady, um you know, the ears to me, it should be that the ears should look like they're on the side of the head, not the top of the head. And I don't really care what size those ears are. Uh bears are just like people. You know, you get some some are long and tall and thin, and some are short and stubby, and some have big ears and big noses and short noses. Um, so you can't always go by all certain things. You have to, you kind of have to put together uh a different um you know, different uh uh judging, uh I guess, in a sense. But I always tell guys, you you'll see, you'll probably see, you know, the smaller bears typically come in first, so you're gonna see a bunch of smaller bears probably right in the beginning. And they're the ones who are gonna tell you when the big bear is coming in. You know, when they get skittish and they take off or they start climbing trees and they're running off and they're very scared, and all you know, they're they're they're always looking over their shoulder. You know the big boy is there, and when they just get up and run, that's typically when that big boar is coming in. Um, and I I I typically tell clients, I mean, you'll almost automatically know when that bear, you know, a big boar comes walking in, his toes are kind of pointed toward each other like he's pigeon-toed, and his elbows are kind of pointed outward, um, and he's kind of walking bull legged. And when his front of his body is turning to the left, but his ass end is still going to the right, he's probably a long bear. Um, so they're kind of snaky looking, like S-turing as they're walking in. Um, you know, if it's a thinner bear, if it's a really fat bear, he's gonna be waddling a bit more, but you can tell on those legs a lot. You know, look at the feet, look at the the elbows. Um, you know, if he got a hump on his back, kind of kind of like a grizzly bear in a sense, um, that's a good indicator. Look for that crease, you know, look for the ears to be on the side of the head. Um look for those tiny eyes, and then all all other bears are gonna scatter when the big boy comes in. So that's a good indicator itself.

SPEAKER_01 53:08

Yeah, yeah. Well those, yeah, those are great. I've heard some of those, some of those other ones I hadn't heard, so that's uh it's good because I mean, like we're you know, they are they're really hard to judge. Uh what's it like too with a new client? And then you know, you guys are going up to the bear, and it's the first time they've ever seen one. What's their I their initial reaction, I guess?

How To Judge A Black Bear

SPEAKER_00 53:27

You first. They usually tell me first, you first. Yeah, they can you know, and and as a guide, we're always tracking them, right? So we're up front. Yeah, uh, we get to the bear, and we usually as soon as we'll spot it, we'll tell them, hey, there's your bear. Yeah. And um, you know, you can see they want to get to it and they want to get their hands on it, but they're scared. They're they're very uh laid back. They're kind of like, well, now what? Right? And it's like, well, just yeah, you know, we'll walk in on it here, like we'll just circle it. We'll approach them from the back side, you know, uh the back of the bear, not the head. And uh, you know, sometimes they'll grab a branch or something or or a a stick or a rock or something, toss it at the animal, see if it moves. But I mean, us as guides, you can we we know already what situation you can tell if it's gone, but for them, it's it's they're excited, they're you know, they're pumped up, you know. Every now and then you might have to all of a sudden kind of give them a little kind of a spooky growl or something, just you know, kind of kind of uh add to the drama for them a little bit. But yeah, um yeah, they're usually pretty nervous. And then uh it's like, hey, grab them, you know, let's let's have a look at them, you know, pick up his paw, pick up his head, let's have a look. And they're they they usually poke at it first.

SPEAKER_02 54:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:39

You know, they kind of poke and pull their hand away real quick, and um yeah, and they're and they're just smiles, right? Huge smiles. Um some of them, you know, you see tears, you get smiles, you get some people who just start laughing, you can't stop. Um all kinds of emotions start to come out, so it's it's it's really neat.

SPEAKER_01 54:57

Yeah, yeah, that'd that'd be a lot of fun. Um here's something that I mean I knew about still I've killed, I don't know, several bears, but uh last year was my first year I killed with my bow. And so I've never experienced this before. I I knew about it, so when I heard it, I didn't think anything else. All the bears I killed before the right spot, that's the first one. No, no, it's a flavor. I knew that, but it's it's a horrible, eerie, freaky stand. So have you heard had clients that have heard that and they're just like, what the hell?

SPEAKER_00 56:01

Yeah, yeah, that's a big thing. Uh they hear the death moan and they don't know what to make of it. Um, especially if nobody's told them about it and they've shot their animal, and of course, they're sitting in the stand by themselves and they know that you're in a boat 20 minutes away. Yeah, you know, they're very, very remote, and they start hearing this noise after they killed it. They they don't know what it is. You know, I've had clients text me saying, uh, you know, I hear bears fighting after I shot mine. Um uh I think they're Sasquatch here, you know, this is all kinds of stuff. Uh yeah, the bear's not dead. He's really mad. He's growling at me. Um yeah, there's all kinds of stuff. Uh, but that sound, they never forget that. They they um, you know, some of them, some of the bears make a big drama thing out of it. We've had it where uh client texts us bear down and we're like five minutes away, ten minutes away, we get we get there and that bear is still doing the death bone. I mean I the one client's got it where that death bone must be eight to nine minutes long and it never stops. Wow. It's just yeah, it's the most eerie thing. It's pitch black in the yeah, you know, it's pitch black in the woods. You you're you're you're in the middle of nowhere and you're hearing the sound and it's pretty close and it's it's eerie. It's it's eerie for somebody even myself that have been doing it forever, you know?

SPEAKER_01 57:22

Yeah. Uh it if the what's your best explanation for it for those listening that might not know what it is and wondering what the hell we're talking about? It's an involuntary uh sound that comes from the organ shutting down, is it?

SPEAKER_00 57:37

Yeah, it's pretty much basically it's like your last breath, right? It's uh everything everything kind of shutting down and everything all it's kind of like blowing the last of the air out of a tire. It's just everything kind of coming out, and it just um that that's the the the end of it. I mean, the one that we heard, the death moan is I I don't know. It was the strangest thing. I've never in my life heard one that went that long before, but uh usually a death moan lasts all of you know yeah, it's like ten to ten to twenty seconds at the longest, right? Yeah. It's just uh um you couldn't make that noise if you wanted to. Yeah. You couldn't replicate it, it's tough, but it's uh yeah, it's it's eerie.

SPEAKER_01 58:23

It yeah, it is. Uh I wondered that, especially I mean, you've got people sometimes on their very first hunt and they're way back in the middle of the nowhere. And they them not knowing about that and hearing it. I mean, yeah, you must get quite the uh quite the messages.

SPEAKER_00 58:36

Yeah, yeah, it's pretty hard to get people to walk out in the middle of uh the bush after they they typically don't want to go searching for it. They're like, can we wait till it's daytime tomorrow? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:48

I know it's hard to convince somebody like that night I was with my buddy, you know, and it was so thick you could barely see your hand in front of your face once we get away from the bait. And I was like, no, no, it's it's dead. He's like, I don't I don't think I'm like, no, no, it's it's it's it is dead. Trust me, it's dead, but it's I don't think it is after hearing that.

SPEAKER_00 59:05

Yeah, there's this, yeah, you know, um the toughest guys out there, you know, turtle pretty quick when they get into the wilderness and they start hearing all kinds of eerie sounds and it's dark, and you just you know, it's the unknown a bit, right? And uh yeah, it's uh that's cool. That's part of the adventure. You know, it's it's awesome.

The Death Moan And Closing

SPEAKER_01 59:28

Yeah. Yeah, so I'm uh I'm a coon hound hunter, so uh the nighttime and all the noise that go with it, I live for it. But uh yeah, a lot of a lot of people, not not so much.

SPEAKER_00 59:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 59:40

Um yeah, well Jason, you know, it's been a pile of fun talking to you. I'd really like to have you on again on the podcast to talk about some of your more guiding experiences and all that, but I thought for springtime this is great. Uh it's been really interesting to learn about you and your operation. Uh, where can people find you at to follow along?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:00

Well, you know, I used to do the the website type of stuff, and and I just found that really wasn't that effective, and especially in our day and age now on social media. So uh I can be found on Facebook, on Instagram, you know, as uh the Extreme Outdoor Guides is my company, uh or my or you know, under my own name. Um those are the probably the two ways to find me. Or um you can do Google search, you'll find all kinds of videos and pictures and and whatnot as well. So I'm not a hard guy to find.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:36

Awesome. Uh well again, Jason, thanks. And with bear spring bear season right around the corner, wish you the best of luck and can't wait to see the pictures.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:45

Awesome. I really appreciate it. Thank you very much.