George Pelkey and his group of 6 to 9 bow hunters have made the 10-hour drive from St. Albans to New Brunswick nearly every spring for the last 7 years. Their destination, Lindsay's Sporting Camps; their objective, spring black bear. When asked what keeps him going back, George gave 3 reasons;

"First would be the hunting. The territory has a large black bear population and we consistently see animals and have shot opportunities. Secondly, as an outfitter, there are none that work harder than Charles Lindsay. He personally does everything he can to put us on game." With a smile on his face, "and the third reason would be the food. Charlie's mom Sharon has to be one of the best cooks in the outfitting business.

Successful outfitters in the black bear business have one common denominator, hard work. From early May through the end of June, they run a regimen of setting stands, hauling bait, checking set-ups and re-baiting. Productive sites are baited every season as bruins coming out of hibernation have a keen memory as to where to find food. There are as many different recipes for bear bait as there are outfitters, but at the beginning of the season most use meat as an attractant while liberally applying grease, molasses or a similar sticky component around the bait barrel. The theory is that bear will wind the meat from a substantial distance and once they find the source they inevitably get their paws covered in the sticky stuff. Traveling to and from the set-up they lay down a web of scent trails, which in turn lead other roving bruins to the bait. Once discovered the same animals will frequent the site at regular intervals.

Sean Kilbride from Hinesburg chose Le Chasseur on Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula for his bear hunt last spring. Sean is somewhat of a purest and wanted to take a spring bear with his 50-caliber Encore bore-loader. The longer drive to this outfit was easily justified by a "no see, no pay" guarantee and a reputation for big bear and lots of them. Sean said, "I had bear in front of me almost every night including a 500 pound boar that I saw 3 different times but he never offered me a shot." He added, "I took a good bear toward the end of the week and on top of that the service, food, and accommodations could not have been better."

Le Chasseur's huge territory includes exclusive rights in the Rimouski Provincial Reserve and they are licensed to hunt just across the border in New Brunswick so they can offer hunters a two bear bag limit. The drive-to lodge is tucked deep in the bush and features cold meat storage, scales and home cooked meals.

Perhaps the main reason for hunting spring bear in Canada is hunter success and few outfits can compete or compare in this regard with Roberval Trophy Bear. Located on the shores of Lake Saint Jean just 5 hours north of Montreal, this is the preferred destination for hunter whose main objective is to bring back a bear. Outfitter Gerald Bonneau guarantees his clients a shot and in the last five years has sent all but one of his customers home with a bear. (An elderly gentleman wounded a bear that could not be recovered just this past spring marring a record of perfect success.) How can this be possible? Ask Richard Knight owner of Knight Auto in Plattsburgh. On his first evening on stand Richard watched 8 different bear come into the bait barrel before harvesting a 4 ½ year old sow. "I had never observed bear in there natural habitat and for me, just seeing so many animals was worth the cost of the trip." There are several key differences in the way the bear program is run at Roberval; Gerald hosts only rifle hunters usually taking no more than 4 or 5 a week. Hunting is done from enclosed ground blinds, which not only helps to keep the hunter's scent away from the bait area but also keeps the bugs away from the hunter. Of equal importance is the fact every client is accompanied by a member of the outfit's staff so as to insure that no cubs or yearlings are shot. By allowing bear to grow to maturity, Roberval Trophy Bear consistently shoots bigger animals.

If hunter success is the biggest reason for the increase in popularity of bear hunting in Canada then running a close second would be the opportunity to hunt the spring season. While many avid sportsmen wait nearly a year for fall and the traditional start to big game hunting, the spring bear hunter cuts that time in half.

Additionally, compared to most other hunting trips, bear hunting packages are affordably priced. A five or six day all-inclusive American plan hunt with a quality outfitter will cost somewhere between $1200 and $1600 US.

Bear over bait may not be for everyone but the challenge of sitting motionless for hours in the often humid and buggy conditions of Canada's bear woods anticipating the silent approach of a big black bruin, is a pursuit that is enticing more and more sports into becoming two-season hunters.