Saskatchewan Bear Hunt 2018

It has been 3 years since we were last in Saskatchewan chasing the giants of the woods. Well this year we made it back to hunt again with Warren and Kerwin in north-central Saskatchewan. The last 2 years just didn't work out with Kyles schedule for Rescue Competition season. This year it did, so we took advantage. We planned to be there on the 20th of May and stay for 7 days. Kyle had to be back to work the 28th for rescue training. So we packed up the kids and dropped the dogs off with his mom and dad and we were off. We made it to Kerwin's late on the 19th and stayed the night, unfortunately he wouldn't be able to come hunt with us until later in the week. We all had a good sleep and left in the afternoon. It was another 2 hours before we would get to Warrens family ranch.

When we arrived we noticed they were having a big family gathering, Warrens sister and husband were there with their 2 boys as well as an aunt. The kids were excited they had someone to play with. It was so nice seeing Warrens parents again, they really make you feel like you're at home on the ranch. After we visited for a few hours, Warren asked if we wanted to sit for the evening because if we did we needed to get a move on. We only had about 4 hours until dark! Warrens mom offered to watch Easton, he could play with Warrens nephews and Pheonix decided she wanted to sit with me in the tree. So we got our gear on and set off to what Warren calls the "pasture", from there we quaded in to our stands and went our separate ways.

Kyle was sitting alone and Pheonix and I were cuddled up on a double ladder stand. I helped her get in to the stand and made sure she was tied in good, this was only her second time sitting in a tree- the first time was 3 years ago with Kyle. She was nervous- the wind was blowing pretty good and it was moving our tree around- so I couldn't blame her. Now if you have ever met Pheonix, you know she has no off switch...like at all. She talked non-stop the whole night, with multiple reminders to keep her voice down from me. It was nearing 8pm now and the wind started to die off, and get really quiet. There weren't even birds chirping, although a squirrel had me all excited and scaring Pheonix for a while. Now when I'm in a treestand I don't stop searching and listening the entire time im in the stand. I heard the slight snap of a twig off to my left and it had me swinging my head over and full attention scanning the bush. It took a few minutes until my eyes locked on black through the trees, But the bush was thick so I couldn't be sure. I sat staring, straining my eyes to catch some type of movement from the black. Pheonix knew I could see something and went very still, and repeatedly asked me if it was a bear. I wasn't sure so I just told her I didn't know. Finally movement, after what felt like forever, I was able to catch part of his face pass through and opening while he was smelling the air. I quietly told Pheonix it was a bear and she finally went quiet haha! I had my rifle between my legs so it was easy to get it up into position. I waited to see what we he was moving before shouldering my gun. He was coming straight in, but very slowly. So I shouldered my rifle and watched him come in through the scope. From past experiences, I knew that if the bear was a boar he would be very wary of coming into the bait and might not give me lots of time to get a shot, or he would skirt the outside of the area- never coming into sight. I held my rifle up in my shoulder waiting...and waiting...he would take a couple steps, stop and smell, and look around before coming a few more steps. He repeated this the whole way into view. Just when he got into my view he stopped and stood up on his back legs- he was looking into the bait without having to come in. Checking for sows. After about a 30 second sniff check on his back legs he dropped down again and changed his course of direction. Instead of coming into the bait he was going to skirt around it- he wasn't interested in food, just ladies. So I followed him with my scope until I had a good broadside shot. He wasn't walking fast, but he wasn't stopping either- so once I had an opening I took it. Pheonix had her ears plugged from the moment I put up my rifle. I took my shot and it was perfect. He ran about 10 feet and piled up- unfortunately he did quite the death moan, my first bear to do one and Pheonixs first time ever hearing it. It scared her and I had to reassure her he was dead and that some bears do it when they die.

We stayed in the stand for a few minutes to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. I messaged Kyle Bear down and he was floored. He asked me how big of a bear was it and I told him it was a decent bear but nothing like "double chin" (a giant of a bear that Warren has been hunting for for a long time). After talking to Kyle I told Pheonix to stay in the tree while I climbed down to check him. I clambered down the ladder, shaking uncontrollably, and walked over to my bear. He had a skinny back end, but once I got closer to him his back just kept going, then I got to his shoulders and head- I had underestimated this bear! His head was so big I couldn't lift it and he had massive muscular shoulders. I texted Kyle saying I was wrong and he was BIG, I wouldn't be able to load him onto the quad...at all. So Kyle said stay there I'm on my way. He had called Warren and told him and he left his house and was on his way in too. I helped Pheonix come down just before Kyle showed up. He was speechless when he seen my bear. Even him and I wouldn't be able to load the bear and there was no possible way he would fit on a quad. We got some pictures and then Kyle had to go meet Warren with the Quad and pick up the quad trailer too. It was starting to get dark now and I felt uneasy being on the ground next to the bait- hidden in the brush. Pheonix was freaking out too. So we hopped on our quad and headed out of the trees out into one of the big open fields to wait for Kyle and Warren. I left the quad running so we had some light but she was still crying and scared-I gave her my phone to play a game and that helped calm her-kept her mind busy. We probably waited out there for a good 30 minutes before they showed up, we followed them back into the bait to load the bear. It took Kyle, Warren, Nat and I to load it into the trailer that was laying on its side. We took it back to Warrens house and skinned it out there. Warren was starting to wonder if it WAS double chin, for the next 2 weeks the guys poured over every photo of big bears that they got to figure out if it was. Kyle is positive it isn't him.

And just like that, my week of hunting was over! Kyle continued to hunt, sometimes solo and sometimes with Pheonix but it had slowed down and there were just little ones coming in. I hung out with Easton and sometimes both kids- took them to the lake for some swimming. Kerwin eventually showed up, he got his bear the same night I got mine where he lives, so the night he came in he went and sat the stand with Kyle. Sure enough a big lanky bear came in, Kyle passed him up twice that sit before he decided he was going to take him right before dark. They came in with the bear loaded in the trailer like mine and pulled into the carport- holy hell did that thing stink! He was definitely a big bear, younger than mine and full of scars. His hair was really thin too. He was obviously a scrapper. As we were skinning him the smell turned to a rank smell- rotten almost, and it was all we could do to finish the job.

Warren was hunting the whole week as well. The mornings we spent helping him with checking his beaver traps, which the kids found fascinating! Our last day there, Kerwin had headed home and warren suggested we all go fish for some walleye and pike. It was slow but it was the perfect night to be on the water. The kids each caught a pike and that was it lol. And they got to see a beaver up close- one came off the bank by the boat and went swimming across the lake.

I love going to Saskatchewan to hunt. Not because of the chance to kill a monster bear (ok maybe a tiny bit lol) but because I have so much fun watching them around the bait. How they interact with each other, their personalities, and the cute little cubs. I was hoping to spend more time in the stand- mainly in hopes of being able to get some decent photos of the furry critters....but alas....maybe next time!

Extreme Huntress- The End

So back in July many of you know I went to Hondo Texas to compete head to head against 5 other ladies from all over the world in a hunting skills and skills competition. Then starting in October there were 13 episodes that aired online over 13 weeks on www.extremehuntress.com and on www.carbontv.com. I wasn't allowed to give the details on anyones hunts and skill scores until they had all aired. All the ladies were successful in taking animals on the 777 Ranch. Each of us taking 2 animals each except for Erika, who was able to take 1. Kasi was from Texas and was able to

takedown a management animal- Fallow deer and a trophy animal- Axis deer. Christie is from Australia and was able to take a management Impala and a trophy Black buck antelope. Amanda from Montana took a management Barasinga and Arabian Oryx. Erika from Sweden took a Jacobs sheep or 4-horned sheep. Margaret from South Africa took a management Red sheep and a trophy Black buck antelope. Myself, I was able to take a management Hawaiian Black sheep and a trophy Aoudad.

After the online shows were up and online voting was over we had to head back to Texas for the Dallas Safari Club convention in Dallas. It was an interesting experience- I had never been to a show that size before. This time Kyle was able to come with me so we made a vacation from it. We stayed in Texas for 9 days, spending 4 days at the convention and 3 days at the Geracis home hunting hogs and visiting. It was nice getting to see the girls again and Jim and Larry, unfortunately Christie wasnt able to come and we all missed her. Friday we had to do a public event, answering questions. Saturday was the dinner and when the winner would be

announced. The dinner was a different experience for me, it was a formal gathering which ment fancy dresses, make up and high heels. The dinner wasnt very long, they did all the awards while everyone ate which made the evening go quickly. Erika from Sweden ended up taking the Sculpture home as the winner of the Extreme Huntress contest. The auctions however were very long as there were many items up for auction. After dinner and the awards I couldnt handle being in my dress any longer and ended up changing back into my jeans. But I got to meet lots of people and it was an interesting experience.

There are a few things I took away from doing this contest, one is some amazing friends. These ladies, the judges and camermen, and Steve and Tommy from the ranch. They all hold a dear spot in my life and am so happy I got to meet them all. Getting to see what hunting on a ranch is truly like and learning all the amazing things they do for wildlife, and getting to see all the different species of animals-some that are extinct in their home lands! Animals I would have otherwise, never would see in my life. It gave me some insight into what the hunting industry is like. And it gave me confidence in myself, I went into this contest never expecting to make it the finals and when I got the email saying I was a finalist - I was scared to death. I thought I was in over my head and I was plagued with anxiety the entire month before heading to Hondo. Its intimidating, reading all these ladies essays and seeing their photos online and on social media. But once I got there and we got to work on the skills tests, I realized I was in my element and comfortable. It was a major boost for me and it changed me for the better. I know longer second guess myself or my instincts and learned a lot about myself as a hunter.

** Im trying to add pictures from DSC but having issues. I will keep trying to upload some**

Extreme Huntress Episode 2 Overview

What an amazing day this was for me! After that morning hunt I was on cloud 9. The morning started bright and early, 4 am and out on the jeeps by 5:30. Amanda was my partner as secondary shooter, Olivia was my judge and I had chosen to go after a broken horned Hawaiian Black Sheep as my management animal. When we got to the area that they were in Olivia gave me a quick overview of the shape/terrain of the area and where the food and water sources were, then it was up to me to figure out where the sheep were. I decided to check the watering hole first then make our way to the more forested part. When we got to the pond we were stopped by a very nice whitetail buck so we sat a little bit in the brush so he didn't give us away, after he moved on a big herd of sheep came up out of the pond and started to head for the forest. There were corsican sheep, four horned sheep and Hawaiian black sheep in the herd. Because the forest area was so thick I decided to head down and around to cut them off then come up slowly towards them. Luckly we didn't have to go far into the thick forest before we came upon them feeding. We quickly pointed out the "broken horned" black sheep so I got set up and just waited. Thankfully they had no clue we were even there so they never bunched up together like they do when they are nervous, and the old sheep wandered away from the herd right to a small pocket I had through the trees and brush. I just had to wait for him to take one more small step forward and I had the perfect shot. He only went about 20 yards before he dropped and I could see him from where I was sitting. I was so excited and he had so much character- He was heavily broomed off, his horns had chips out of them and he was so white on his face. He also had a big tumor on his neck! Truly an old ram! And even though he was labeled as a management animal, he is a trophy to me.
Next Sunday you will get to see the other 3 ladies hunt from that evening and Kasi, Margaret and my anti-hunter challenge.

Watch at www.carbontv.com and vote at www.extremehuntress.com

Trophy Hunting and Non

The words''Trophy hunting" get a very wide range of emotions associated with them. Envy, dislike, jealousy, indifference, even hate. It's not just non-hunters and anti's that get their hackles up at the words but also fellow hunters. Why?

When most people hear "Trophy Hunter" they automatically assume these people hunt these animals, kill them, lop off their heads and leave the meat. Or think they hunt high fenced animals (and yes there are Some that do). When people go to Africa to hunt the big game there it's called "trophy hunts" and because the hunters don't usually bring home the meat it's assumed that the animal is wasted. A lot of people don't realize how much these "trophy hunters" can help the tribes and towns in Africa, it brings in money, helps control populations of animals and the meat gets donated to those that need it. Another "Trophy hunt" that the anti's in particular like to target is the Grizzly hunting in BC. With this hunt You are not required to take the meat out with you. This hunt is for population control, is closely monitored and run on a limited entry (lottery) system.

Lets look at how trophy hunters work. Most work Very hard at finding and taking that specific animal. They put in a lot of time and effort in scouting these animals. Most of the animals are mature animals, So it's not like they are going into the bush and blasting the first animal they see. Many people say ''well you can't eat the horns"- true, but if you have the luxury of not having to worry about that or have the time to hunt that long/much and can wait for the trophy then you will end up getting more meat. A mature buck will have more meat then an immature One. By law you have to take the meat out, if someone doesn't then they are breaking the law And are a poacher- not a hunter.

Things go both ways though, its not just trophy hunters that get backlash from hunters and non-hunters. l have seen plenty of hunters put down and belittle those that shoot a Smaller animal than they think Is appropriate. Some people just need the meat or don't have the time and/or funds to get out a lot. A lot of these people are after the meat, and shooting the first legal animal they See ensures that they are putting food on their families table and not having the stress of an unfilled tag and buying meat.

In this world people are too busy ridiculing others instead of supporting them. If animals are taken LEGALLY and ETHICALLY then that is what should matter, not your own personal ethics because everyones personal ethics are different. AND remember there are different laws and regulations from state to state, province to province.

My rant is over, I hope those that read this will look at things a little differently -if you needed too.

Nikita