Why Spring Bear is Perfect for Mentoring Youth

Every year as we get into the late days of April and early days of May, we start to see signs of life coming back into the woods. After months of snow covered ground and cold air, we start to see patches of earth appear and the warm sun signals the change from winter to spring.

For outdoorsmen and women, the spring melt brings a wave of excitement. It means a person will be able to get out, enjoy being back in the woods, maybe even try their luck at finding shed antlers, or getting outside and shooting their bow. Spring means the start of so many fun and enjoyable outdoor activities, and in our house, it means the start of one of our favorite hunts of the year: spring bear!

Discovering a New Spring Tradition

I was seventeen years old when I first went out with a few of my friends to help them fill up their bear baits. As a kid who grew up exclusively deer hunting, spring bear was foreign to me. I did not quite understand it at the time, but after a day hanging out with close friends and filling up bear baits in the beautiful Canadian shield of eastern Manitoba, I was very eager to try it more. It took me another year before I hunted bears for the first time, and I quickly realized they are very smart and cautious. To earn an opportunity at a specific bear, a lot of things must go your way. I was nervous being in the woods where I knew there were bears; it took me a long time to get over that. After coming up empty my first year, I planned a week in western Manitoba with a friend to try my luck again.

This time, in the hills of the Porcupine Mountains following a seven-hour drive, I harvested my first bear. Being in another of Manitoba’s beautiful landscapes, spending time with great friends and admiring a great bear, I was one hundred percent hooked. The camaraderie and the memories made have turned into a favourite spring tradition that I hope continues for years to come.

Now fifteen years later, having hunted bears for close to half my life, I have a new love for it as I introduce my kids. Being an outdoorsman, it has always been a dream to share the woods with my kids, and in 2025, I was able to do just that. I truly believe that bear hunting is one of the best ways to introduce youth to hunting. Making it fun and enjoyable is how to keep kids involved.

Instagram: @tommeyers

Making the Outdoors the Ultimate Playground

My son has been coming bear baiting since he was around nine years old. For him, being out with his dad and uncles for a day is a pretty cool thing - or maybe he just likes all the gas station snacks we get! When it comes to kids, the harvest shouldn’t be the focus. The focus should be getting them into the outdoors to fall in love with being out there. That is where bear hunting is the perfect starting point, because any veteran will tell you that filling the baits is the best part.

They get to help build a bait site, write their names on the sign or just be kids and flip over dead trees to look for bugs. Keeping it fun is the priority; don’t be too serious with them. You have to let them be silly, make some noise and laugh. That is what makes them want to return. If you are telling them ‘’gotta’ be quiet’’ or ‘’don’t touch that” they won’t want to continue. Getting youth into hunting and the outdoors is a delicate thing, it cannot be forced. They have to learn to love it through having fun, even if it means changing your own tactics to accommodate them.

Invited, Not Forced

When my son was born, I wanted him to love the outdoors and hunting more than anything. I would take him scouting deer, checking trail cameras and looking for antlers. I also learned that I couldn’t force it on him. As he got older, I would give him the option to come or stay home; the last thing I wanted was for him to feel obligated. In the digital world we live in, it’s harder to get kids to love the outdoors and hunting than it used to be. If you force kids, they are going to resent it. The first time my son came to help fill bear baits; he couldn’t stop talking about it for days. He hasn’t missed a trip since. That was when I realized how perfect bear baiting was to get him more involved in the outdoors. He loved being in a place he’d never been before, seeing huge trees and laughing with his dad and uncles. I transferred this philosophy over to my two younger daughters, making fun the main goal anytime they were in the outdoors.

Official Training and Fresh Territory

In 2025, my son came of age to take his hunters education course and hold his first ever hunting licence. He decided to take his Official Manitoba Hunter Safety Course online. As spring came closer and closer his excitement was growing by the day. We decided to pick a new spot together and set a brand-new bait that would be his. That alone made him excited as we explored some new areas, he had never been.

Instagram: @tommeyers

Prioritizing Safety and Practice

When the snow melted, we headed into the woods to start the process. He was determined to do the work himself, from clearing trees, to hauling oats and setting trail cameras; he wanted a hand in every step. After the bait was loaded, we turned on the trail camera and eagerly waited for our first photo of a bear. It took close to two weeks before a bear showed up, but once they did, we started thinking about what days we could get out hunting.

Since he was young, we have enjoyed shooting our bows in the yard; it was just one more activity we shared. He made the choice to start his hunting journey with a bow. The discipline bowhunting takes is a lot for a 12-year-old but he was very determined. We set tree stands in our yard for him to get comfortable climbing in and out of and shooting from an elevated position. For me, the safety side of climbing for a kid (or anyone) is paramount and practicing helped him get comfortable with it.

Why the Memories Outlast the Tag

On our first sit, we walked in with three bears already on the bait; that was his first time being in close range and was a very cool experience. He got to watch a handful of bears come right up to the tree we were in. He loved every minute of it, and finally, a bear we were after came in and he was able to fill his first ever tag. It is a memory we will cherish forever. A unique part of his hunt is that we rendered the fat from the bear to make a lotion for his eczema; we try to not let anything go to waste.

My son filling his bear tag was a moment years in the making. Thinking back to the memories made in the spring is the true reason we do it. Every year as he grows, it is more important to me to cherish the time we spend together. The same goes for my daughters and the time I share with my wife. Spring bear is important in our house; it represents those first few weeks we all get out to enjoy the weather and make memories as a family. Filling tags is just a bonus to all the laughs we get to share and the experiences my kids have access to.

Lessons in Respect and Participation

The biggest piece of advice I would say to anyone with young kids they are hoping to introduce to the outdoors is keep it fun and never force it. Let them choose to participate. But most importantly, teach them to respect nature and every living thing they encounter in the woods. Respect for the outdoors and all the animals is foundational to us. All my kids love spending time outside, from fishing to hunting. Let them act like kids and be silly. That’s where bear baiting is the perfect introduction to the activity.

Living in Manitoba, we have more areas with bears than without. They are accessible for anyone to hunt. After long winters, it is a perfect time to get out. I recommend getting together with a few friends and trying your hand at it. Between local groups on social media groups and other hunters, it’s not hard to find someone to ask questions to.

Continuing the Tradition

The more time you spend bear hunting the more you fall in love with it. I believe hunting is a family affair and it’s our responsibility to introduce it to the next generation so traditions can live on. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a home where we spent more time outside than inside. I was introduced to hunting at a young age, but also to how cool nature is, and that is where my passion came from.

When I went deer hunting with my dad, getting a deer wasn't the priority; he always made sure we were having fun. I apply that same mindset today. Parents are the first role models kids look up to, and your kids are going to want to do what you are doing. Be a good role model, let them see you have fun and they will want to take part. We are lucky to live in a province where we have such a wide, accessible range of areas to hunt black bears. Get out there and enjoy it!

Instagram: @tommeyers

Author

Thomas Meyers | Hunt Fish Guest Contributor

Thomas is a husband, father, outdoorsman and professional taxidermist with a deep passion for the heritage of the hunt and passing outdoor traditions to the next generation.