Successful Black Bear Hunt at Viking Lodge
I love trips in the fall when I can combine both hunting and fishing. Those types of trips are the best way to enjoy and capitalize on the short Fall season. Something that has been on my bucket list for quite a while now is a trophy black bear hunt. When Ty Sjodin proposed a double duty world class black bear hunt combined with the amazing fishing at Viking Lodge in Northern Manitoba, I knew it was something I had to do.
Once we arrived the first night, the co-owner of Viking Lodge, Matt Weins sat Ty Sjodin and I down to create a game plan for the following day’s hunt. Matt had a lot of bears coming into several different bait locations. We decided to start the hunt off by setting up in separate areas that were about 10 miles apart. The following morning, we set off on our day one hunt. After dropping Ty off at his stand, Matt walked me in to get me set for the first day. He put out some fresh bait which consisted of oats and his special berry jam. As Matt hiked back to the truck, I got settled in. Not ten minutes had gone by when I caught a glimpse of movement in the woods to my left. Sure enough the first black bear of the trip walked out. From that moment until dark, I had bears in front of me the entire time. In total, seven different bears came on the first day. If that wasn’t exciting enough, I even had a bear climb the tree I was sitting in. The bear was so close I could’ve reached out and touched him. Talk about an adrenaline rush! I couldn’t have experienced a better first day in the bear stand.
Watch The Video of This Hunt Here
Most of the bears Matt had on his trail cameras were active in the afternoon which gave us the perfect opportunity to experience some of the world class fishing Viking Lodge has to offer. Each morning, we jumped in the boat and caught a pile of walleyes on Rapala’s Jigging Raps. We primarily focused on walleye fishing but there is fantastic northern pike and lake trout fishing on the Cranberry Chain. I was lucky enough to tangle with a few of the giant lake trout that call the Cranberry Chain home. If you’re headed up to Viking Lodge for a black bear hunt you absolutely must pack a few fishing rods. You’ll be blown away by the scenery, along with the numbers and size of the fish.
Viking Lodge is located in the heart of the Manitoba wilderness on the shores of the Cranberry Chain of lakes. The chain is home to trophy class lake trout, northern pike and walleye. Guests have the option to boat to five different lakes on the Cranberry Chain. If you’re interested in fishing a smaller lake or something off the beaten path, there are dozens of lakes in the area you can drive to from the lodge and explore with excellent fishing opportunities. Viking Lodge is a short drive from Cranberry Portage, which provides guests with the remote feel, while simultaneously being close to town. Viking Lodge is roughly an eight-and-a-half-hour drive from the Pembina – Emerson border crossing. There are paved roads the entire way to the lodge which is nice for those looking to haul their own boats.
With so many bears sighted on the first day my anticipation for day two was through the roof. Based on the trail camera pictures, Ty and I both had a few target bears in mind as we headed out to our hunting locations. I got up into the stand and settled in. Like the day prior, I only had to wait a few minutes before I saw my first bear of the evening. The next three hours consisted of five different bears coming into the bear site. As I watched a big sow eat some oats, I noticed movement off in the distance through the thick bush. A big boar strolled in making the sow nervous forcing her to run off. He was a long and tall mature boar and one I had on my target list. I grabbed my bow and waited for him to give me a good shot. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned broadside giving me a perfect shot. It was one of the most exhilarating hunts of my life. I was so excited to harvest my first trophy black bear. The excitement didn’t end there. After knowing I put a good shot on my bear, I texted Matt. As Matt came walking in to help me track my bear, an absolute giant boar showed up. The face-off between Matt and that big bear, was definitely must-see TV.
Knowing the sheer number of quality bears in the area and seeing that giant bear show up after I closed the deal, the plan was to have Ty come in and hunt the same area. The following day had rain in the forecast for most of the day, so the plan was to bring in a hunting blind for Ty. His first sit at the same site was fairly identical to mine after the rain stopped. Ty had numerous bears coming and going throughout the afternoon. As the sun hit the trees, Ty had a borderline shooter in on his bait. In the still of the evening came a loud crash followed by what sounded like a tree being pushed over, which sent the bear on the bait running. Ty looked out the window of the blind and there stood a shooter bear staring right at the blind. The big bear came strolling in within 5 yards of the blind broadside, giving Ty an easy shot with his crossbow. The fact that Ty and I were both able to harvest trophy caliber black bears made this truly a special hunt.
As an outdoorsman I take pride in utilizing all parts of the animal I harvest. The black bear I was able to harvest at Viking Lodge was no exception. Along with the amazing tasting bear meat, I also brought home all the fat I could gather from my bear. It was roughly about seven gallons of raw fat. It’s truly incredible how much fat is on a fall black bear. The rendering process was simple and just required a crock pot, knife, cutting board, jars, cheesecloth and time. I cubed up the bear fat and then placed it in the slow cooker until it was full. I turned the crock pot on high and stirred the fat every thirty minutes for the first two hours. After about eight hours the process was done. The results were incredible. I was rewarded with lots of liquid gold, also known as bear grease. I strained it with cheesecloth and poured it into mason jars. The rendered bear fat can be used for an array of cooking and baking applications. After returning home, I dropped the bear meat off at a local butcher to be processed into bear dogs, sticks and brats. Both the rendered bear fat and meat is something I will be able to enjoy with friends and family for months to come.
The goal of this trip was to experience my first Manitoba black bear hunt, and I can safely say it exceeds all my expectations. In addition to the incredible bear hunting experience, we got to enjoy some world class walleye fishing on the Cranberry Chain. If you’re looking for a first-class black bear and multi-species fishing opportunity along with fantastic service and accommodations, Viking Lodge in Northern Manitoba needs to be on the top of your list!
For more information on Viking Lodge, please visit vikinglodge.ca
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