We operate bear hunts from our resort at Medicine Stone Lake where we take a maximum of 12 bear hunters each Fall.
At Medicine Stone Resort we start baiting each of our 16 Bait location on August 1. This gives us a full three weeks of pre-baiting before our first hunting groups arrive. We will only take a maximum of six bear hunters per week to ensure that each hunter has many choices of active areas for him to choose from. We do cater to Bow hunters and some of our areas lend themselves to this type hunting quite well. You should specify well in advance if you are a bow or rifle hunter.
One item which I make sure all of our hunters are well aware of, is our policy on wounded animals. If you do happen to wound a bear we will track it as long and as far as we are able, as well as using tracking dogs to find your bear. I expect all of our hunters to be MUCH better than the average shot with either rifle or Archery. You will find that your average shooting distance will be about 25 yards. In this range there is no excuse for a missed bear. My philosophy is that if you are unsure of hitting your target animal DO NOT shoot.
If you wound a bear and we do not find it through tracking you must consider that your hunt has been fulfilled and the hunting completed. You can fish as much as you wish or videotape animals coming in to the bait stations, but your hunting is completed. We will hopefully provide you with a good clean opportunity to take a trophy animal, but, if you wound an animal regardless of the reason, consider your hunt completed. No exceptions.
Hunters have the opportunity of seeing black bear in excess of 500 lbs. The 3rd largest black bear in North America was taken from the Red Lake area (over 750 lbs). You will find that the average Black bear in our area will weigh about 275 pounds and about five percent of the bears will be a color phase of brown. This will be from cinnamon to chocolate brown. Although we have had excellent success early in the season everything depends on the first heavy frosts that normally come in late August. To make an exceptional hunt you do need the frost to knock the berries down and then the bear will frequent the bait stations on a more regular basis.
Most of your successful hunting will be carried out between 4:00 P.M. and dusk as our past records show this is the time frame in which 90% of our bears have been taken. We provide ripened meat scraps and molasses for bait but if people prefer day old pastries they will have to provide those themselves.
