New Brunswick Archery Black Bear Hunts

[Slingshot_]

3 Spots left! Fall 5 Day Bear Hunt $1,400
Packages include:
Lodging
Meals
Tag for bear hunt
Transportation to and from the local airport to lodge
Transportation from lodge to hunting sites
Preparation of trophy (skinning)

Dates: Sept 8-12 or 15-19

Please contact Outdoor Connection (518)339-5199 Josh@outdoor-connection.com
www.slingshotoutdoors.com

[GrayDawg]

How many baits do you maintain?
What is the total acreage that these baits sit on?
How many hunters per week in camp?
What is the hunter to guide ratio?
What is your policy regarding smoking in camp, in the cabin/lodge, in the trucks on the way to stand...etc....?
Whatis your success rate for bowhunters over the last 2-3 years?
What is your shot opportunity % for bowhunters over the last 2-3 years? What is your policy on wounding (how long must a hunter search for a bear once they draw blood before said hunter is allowed to sit on stand again)?
How long have you been outfitting fall bearhunts for the bow?
___________________________________________

I could be very interested- given your answers to the above questions.

Rob

[Slingshot_]

This outfitter welcomes you to their domain located in
Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. In New Brunswick, we
have magnificent forests, with a mix of soft and hard woods,
lots of lakes, rivers and swamps. Our forests are a paradise
for wildlife such as small games, black bears and more.
Upon your arrival at the lodge, you will be greeted by Pierre
and Ron. With over 50 years experience as hunters and fisherman,
they will be your guides for your entire stay. The
setup of the stands and feeding of the hunting sites are also
provided by Pierre and Ron.
Bathurst, New Brunswick - Canada
Package Tour
-Superb scenery and Acadian
hospitality
-Over 25 baited sites and stands (for gun or bow)
-Five-day hunts
-Very high bear population (approx. 17,000 in New Brunswick)
-Traveling to and from local airport to camp site
-Traveling to hunting sites
-Incredible home-cooked meals
-Shooting range and decoy for bow hunters-Much, much more!
Your Stay
Our guests will enjoy their stay in a magnificent lodge, located in a
hard wood ridge. This is the ideal place for an unforgettable time!
Located in a secluded area far from the city, traffic and pollution, you
will appreciate the fresh air, the singing of the birds and enjoy being
lulled by the melodious silence of an area almost absent of noise.
The lodge has an upper floor where you"™ll find nice rooms that can
accommodate up to six hunters. You will enjoy the luxury of a full
bathroom, fireplace and much more.
While staying with us, you will be served three meals a day (homecooked
meals,) traveling to our hunting sites, shooting range for
hunters and more.
To help maintain our black bear population and to ensure a quality
hunt year after year, we are trying to spare females with cubs as much
as possible.

We can arrange for your meat to be butchered and have a quote by a
local taxidermist to have your trophy mounted (all expenses are the
hunter"™s responsibility.)
Package includes lodging, meals, tags for bear hunt and transportation
from lodge to hunting sites and the preparation of your trophy
(skinning.)

At outdoor Connection we specialize in customized fishing and hunting trips with lodges, guides, and outfitters located around the globe.
Customized For Your Needs[/align]We arrange hassle-free outdoor adventures. Whether you're planning a corporate strategy retreat, a sales meeting or a gathering of friends, we can help you tailor a memorable, exciting get away.

Please contact me for more information either through the link on the website or direct, all my contact info is in my signature.

[GrayDawg]

Josh,
Come on- you posted advertising a fall bear hunt, I asked some very straight-forward questions.You thenreplied with some "cut-n-paste" response (looks like it's from the outfitter's website) that didn't even address the most important questions on my list.

This is what I was able to surmise:
----------------------------------------
How many baits do you maintain? ~25
What is the total acreage that these baits sit on? No answer,as it certainly isn't all of NB.
How many hunters per week in camp? No answer
What is the hunter to guide ratio? Can't be determined as you didn't state how many hunters in camp per week (I would then divide this number by two- given the two gentlemen you mentioned)
What is your policy regarding smoking in camp, in the cabin/lodge, in the trucks on the way to stand...etc....? No answer
Whatis your success rate for bowhunters over the last 2-3 years? No answer
What is your shot opportunity % for bowhunters over the last 2-3 years? No answer
What is your policy on wounding (how long must a hunter search for a bear once they draw blood before said hunter is allowed to sit on stand again)? No answer
How long have you been outfitting fall bearhunts for the bow? I'm guessing 25 (two guys with "50 years experience", works out to 25 aggregate years?)
-------------------------------------------
I've been to NB 6 times on spring bear hunts (4 times with one Outfitter, 2 other times with two different outfitters) NB is BIG! lots of different types of terrain, lots of differently managed land- crown land, timber company land, interior land, coastal land, land where there aren't many bear outfitters, land where there are multiple bear outfitters stepping on each other's baits........

So when you make a statement that there "is an estimated 17,000 black bears in NB", I have to laugh.........because that means absolutely nothing to me.Please be specific. Please call one of the two guys (whose names you pasted into your response above) & TALK to them and get answers to my very specific questions. How can you expect anyone to take you seriously as a hunt broker (that's what you are, right?), if you won't take the time to get specific answers to specific questions?

A fall bear hunt is even tougher than a spring hunt in NB as the baits have competition- real, naturally occurring food sources like blackberries, blueberries, boisenberries, strawberries....etc..... It's tough even in the spring before green up when this food isn't even available to the bears. In the fall, when the bears can get "fat & happy" with other food sources, baits get hit less hard- that's a reality.

Please answer my questionson this thread & we'll go from there.

Rob

[Slingshot_]

First I want to say that I do take your questions seriously, the reason my contact info is on the page is so we can discuss all of your questions personally. Here are the answers to all your questions:

Baits maintained this season: 45
Hunting area is about 60 miles x 30 miles
Maximum hunters in camp: 4
Hunter to guide ratio 3 x 1 guides transport hunters to and from stand sites everyone is given 2 way radios
No smoking in the lodge, in the trucks or on stand
100% opportunity last 3 years
Actual kill rate 97%
Licensed outfitter for bow hunters 10 years 30 years total experience guiding hunters

[GrayDawg]

Josh,
This doesn't add up.........
If I'm reading this correctly, it means that somewhere in New Brunswick- there's a Bear Hunting camp with 1/3 of a person walking around! Seriously- with 4 hunters, the hunter;guide ratio is either 4;1 or 2;1 (or 1;1, if you have 4 guides). But 3;1 ?!?!? That would be a little tough!

I appreciate the rest of your answers. I'll be finishing up some more research on other outfitters and will contact you within the next couple of weeks if I want to pursue this opportunity further.

Thanks for your time,

Rob

___________________________

ORIGINAL: Slingshot_

First I want to say that I do take your questions seriously, the reason my contact info is on the page is so we can discuss all of your questions personally. Here are the answers to all your questions:

Baits maintained this season: 45
Hunting area is about 60 miles x 30 miles
Maximum hunters in camp: 4
Hunter to guide ratio 3 x 1 guides transport hunters to and from stand sites everyone is given 2 way radios
No smoking in the lodge, in the trucks or on stand
100% opportunity last 3 years
Actual kill rate 97%
Licensed outfitter for bow hunters 10 years 30 years total experience guiding hunters

[Slingshot_]

What doesn't add up is your translation of what I wrote:

The maximum amount of hunters for the week open is 3

Being that the guides don't sit on stand with you the maximum number of hunters transported in to the baits and back to camp is 3

The available dates listed there will be only 3 bow hunters in camp, therefore there will also be 1 guide.

All of these posts are not necessary, this forum is used for general information. If you had contacted me direct I would have answered all of your questions and concerns. There are to many details to discuss in this format.

[GrayDawg]

ORIGINAL: Slingshot_


All of these posts are not necessary, this forum is used for general information. If you had contacted me direct I would have answered all of your questions and concerns. There are to many details to discuss in this format.

Really? Says who? You? I'm the potential customer, I'll vet your services in any manner I deem most efficient/effective. Do you think you're the only outfitter/outfitter broker I'm corresponding with? Instead of talking to 10 different people over the phone, I find it very effective to get information from people via forums like this where I can then PRINT OUT your response and compare them to that of others that I ascertained via other forums. Nothing like being able to hold someone to the written word...............

As for the "details" you speak of........... understanding the "details" is what separates a good hunt from a disasterous one. I like to get as many "details" understood as early as possible, before I pick up the phone and start talking to folks live. It provides me a basis for the conversation.

At this point, I think we're finished............

Rob

[damascusblade5]

Sounds like a good outfitter to me, anyone who has bear hunted in Canada knows the outfitters don't deal with acreage, they lease by square kilometer blocks, success rate is not a great indicator either because it is reliant on the type of hunter as much as the quality of the outfitter. Any outfitter I have hunted with in Canada considers a wounded bear to be a dead one. If you attack every outfitter the way you attacked this one, you probably won't be welcome back anywhere you go.

[GrayDawg]

ORIGINAL: damascusblade5

If you attack every outfitter the way you attacked this one, you probably won't be welcome back anywhere you go.

Dave,
I didn't "attack" anyone- and he's not the outfitter, he's a hunt broker- there's a big difference. He's the one who posted initially. I simply asked a series of very straight-forward questions. If you noticed, you'll see that I specifically asked about % of shot opportunity for bow hunters over the last few years. An outfitter can only provide an opportunity for a good bowshot. He's not the one drawing down & dropping the string- so I look at shot opportunity % as a bigger factor than success rate.

That said- I'm not for a minute, going to believe that a good rifle stand equates to a good bow stand. Good rifle stands are 60-90 yards back off the bait in order to afford the hunter a better chance of not getting winded. A bow hunter simply doesn't have the luxury of being in a stand 60-90 yards off the bait.

I took umbrage to Josh's assertions that I was getting hung up in the "details". I have hunted bears six times in the spring in NB. I tagged out 4 of them, another year I let a small boar walk & another year I saw a monster bear the first night who never came into the bait to afford me a shot, then never saw him again the rest of the week...... oh well- that's bear hunting. My point is this- I've been around the block & I know the questions to ask. When I ask them directly, I expect direct answers...... not given the runaround with some "cut-n-paste" response then have my motives questioned. I am the potential customer, I have the right to vet any hunt broker however I deem fit.

Rob