Harvest Lodge: A Premier Destination for Hunting, Fishing, and Unmatched Hospitality
In Manitoba, or pretty well anywhere in North America for that matter, the list of places that could be described as “accessible” but also remote is not a huge list. Lots of places have one, but lack the other.
The combination of these two factors are the perfect recipe for an incredible hunting and that’s exactly what Harvest Lodge has.
Harvest Lodge - The Gateway to Manitoba's Northern Region
Located at the very southern end of Manitoba’s Northern Region, Jon and Karissa Warkentin own and operate Harvest Lodge, which has a vast landscape right on their doorstep. Although in the Northern Region, it’s only a 4-hour drive from Winnipeg and, more importantly, pavement all the way there. Offering black bear hunting, waterfowl hunting, whitetail hunting, and fishing on paper, this sure is a recipe for success.
Endless Water, and Wilderness
The location that Harvest Lodge is located in is incredibly unique. They’re right on the Waterhen River, which connects Lake Manitoba, Waterhen Lake, and Lake Winnipegosis, which are monstrous bodies of water. And then, looking at a map of their exact location, if you zoom out, you’ll see what looks like almost endless wilderness stretching across the landscape, allowing them to hunt extremely remote game. To top it all off, for black bears, waterfowl, and whitetail, this area is historically known for incredible hunting - more on that later.
Something for Everyone
So, ‘on paper’, this place sounds great, but what about in reality? Yes.
As of 2024, I’ve had the pleasure of going to Harvest Lodge for all 4 of the seasons I previously mentioned; black bear, waterfowl, whitetail deer, and fishing. That’s a lot, especially for one operation. Let’s talk about it.
World Class Black Bear Hunting
Harvest Lodge has two black bear seasons that they take advantage of, one in the spring, and one in the fall. The spring season is 4 weeks starting the second week of May and the fall season is the first 3 weeks of September. There are two pivotal factors that heavily contribute to Harvest’s success across all of their hunts: 1. They focus on one product at a time and 2. They don’t take too many hunters at any one point.
For those weeks of bear hunting, Harvest’s typical group size is 4 people. Whether that’s a group of 4 or two groups of 2, there are only 4 hunters in camp. That is monumental to the level of service that both Jon and Karissa are able to provide. Could they run 8 hunters in a week? Sure, but that means: Less baits per hunter, less family environment, less one on one time with each guest, and the list goes on. Jon explained the philosophy behind this to me as, “If I was going for a place to hunt and stay, I wouldn’t be as interested in a place that ran a ton of hunters” and it makes sense. If you’re looking for a place to hunt, naturally, the less hunters in any given week is going to mean more service for you.
When it came to the actual bear hunting, I was very impressed with the entire operation. Hunters are taken to their treestands by argo and everyone saw bears every night. I had the opportunity to see a gorgeous colour phase bear up close one night and Jon explained to me that around 30% of their bears are colour phase. Overall, it was a very impressive operation and every hunter went home extremely happy.
From the Marsh to the Field - Diverse Waterfowl Opportunities
The waterfowl hunting that Harvest Lodge offers is extremely unique. They are located in such a way that if they travel in some directions, they get vast big timber with incredible bear and whitetail hunting and if they travel a different direction, they get agriculture. This agriculture is a major stop in the waterfowl migration route after long flights from the north as the birds head south for the winter. The non-resident waterfowl season begins September 24th and runs just over 4 weeks long.
Our first morning we were setting up in a grain field and were treated to some Northern Lights above our spread. It was absolutely gorgeous and one of the many reasons that I love waterfowl hunting. I took it as a good omen.
After getting everything setup, we got comfortable in our blinds and waited for the birds to start flying and boy did they ever. For the next hour, volley after volley, clouds of ducks from far above plummeting into our spread, wings cupped and feet down. It was simply gorgeous.
With some Canada geese and snow geese mixed in, we had an amazing hunt. The majority of the ducks were mallards and pintails with some stunning drakes in the mix.
After the morning hunt and a very hearty lunch, we headed out to hunt the shore of a waterfowl for diver ducks. It was a gorgeous fall day and the ducks over the water almost looked like a painting it was so beautiful. It was the perfect way to cap off an already amazing day with some friends.
Big Timber Whitetail Hunting
Harvest Lodge focuses on the last week of muzzleloader season which is the first week of November which is followed by a 3 week rifle season. This allows hunters to hunt these wild whitetails before and right through the entire rut.
In Manitoba, it is illegal to bait whitetail deer. Although this does mean that you’ll often see less deer than if you were baiting, it doesn’t necessarily decrease the chance of harvest a big mature buck, which is what we’re all after. The reality is that come the rut, food isn’t exactly top of mind for the bucks. Does are going to get chased around and baiting during that time of the year isn’t even necessarily productive. What is productive, is scrape lines, and that’s what Harvest Lodge takes advantage of.
The area we’re hunting is what is commonly called big timber. It’s thick, dense, vast bush with no roads and no people for many miles. It’s remote and the reality is that a lot of these deer have probably never seen people in their lives.
I was fortunate enough to spend some time at Harvest Lodge while Jason Mitchell and his crew were there from Passion for the Hunt. Jason, his friend Chris, and I all sat different blinds and all saw deer and within a 2 day stretch, both Jason and Chris harvested big mature bucks. For a 2 man party to come up with a 100% success rate on mature whitetails, if that doesn’t speak to the quality of the product, I don’t know what does.
After Chris’ harvest, everyone in camp, including Karissa and their daughter Kara gathered around the harvest in the dark. This is some, including myself, the favourite part of the hunt: the camaraderie. Don’t get me wrong, hunting is great, but that’ll come and go. The memories however, the laughs, the jokes, and the smiles are one of a kind and what you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
At this point you might be thinking that this is a lot for one operation, but due to Jon and Karissa’s infinite dedication to the quality of the product they deliver, they don’t just make it work, they thrive with it. The key in this is how they focus on one product at a time. They focus on one thing at a time so that they can do it to the best of their ability and it shows.
A Fishing Excursion Like No Other
The Waterhen River is stunning. It’s a picturesque marsh where they do a lot of their fishing and it’s extremely accessible from Harvest Lodge. With it being only a few mile boat ride, it allows people to go fishing for just a couple hours if that’s what your desire is. Whether you’re a bear hunting looking to catch some walleyes in the morning before your hunt or if you’re already tagged out, it’s a ton of fun.
There’s a freshwater drum, perch, northern pike, sauger, and, of course, walleye all mixed in the river. We caught a ton of nice eater-size walleye and eventually, while trolling crankbaits, caught an awesome bigger-size walleye, which was the highlight of the day.
Accomodations That Feel Like Home
Harvest Lodge not only shines on the hunting and fishing side of things, but also the accommodations side of things. They have a range of cabin sizes and styles and their newly renovated ones are absolutely stunning. Big comfy beds, full living rooms, full kitchens, hot showers, TV, Wifi, you name it, they got it. It’s beyond the comfort you’d ever expect to have at a hunting lodge.
Incredible Home-Cooked Meals
The food at Harvest Lodge is amazing. Karissa is an amazing cook that is always trying new things which I really appreciate. Everytime I went, she served a dish that she had recently learned or tweaked. Whether it was a wild game cookbook or something she saw on TV, there’s always a unique and delicious meal waiting for you.
I also really appreciated how the meals align with the hunts so well. Whether you’re bear hunting, waterfowl hunting, or whitetail hunting, the meals make sense. There’s big meals when you want them and they’ll send warm thermos soup with you on a cold whitetail day. It’s exactly what you’d want and they deliver on it perfectly.
Come as Friends, Leave as Family - Harvest Lodge
You’ll often hear people talk about how incredible or nice the people are at a given destination. “Come as friends, leave as family” is how hunter and guest Jason Mitchell described the cliche, but he and I both agree that although a cliche, that’s exactly the case at Harvest Lodge.
The family atmosphere that Jon and Karissa have created and are able to provide is warm, welcoming, and so appreciated by everyone who walks through that door. They want you to have a good time just as much if not more than you do and it shows. It shows every single day and there’s nothing more that I appreciate than their generosity and dedication to the quality of their guests stay.
To Book your hunting or fishing adventure at this exciting and diverse lodge, visit their website at www.HuntHarvestLodge.com
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26-392 PTH 276 Waterhen, MB R0L 2C0 (204) 628-3491 Website