2023 GUIDED ONTARIO BLACK BEAR HUNT REPORT
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2023 Spring BEAR HUNT
It feels like yesterday that our fall bear hunt ended, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to camp and begin preparations for the 2023 Ontario spring black bear hunting season.
During the offseason, I spent a lot of time at camp catching up on projects that had been put on the back burner during the COVID years. As every experienced bear hunter knows, no two seasons are ever the same, and 2023 certainly proved that once again.
The spring weather was all over the place. We experienced warm spells followed by cold temperatures, wet conditions followed by dry weather, and one of the strangest starts to bug season that I can remember.
Normally, by the third week of May, the woods are alive with black flies and mosquitoes. This year, however, there were almost no bugs until the Thursday before our first group arrived on Saturday.
Over the years, I've noticed a pattern—the worse the bugs are, the better the bear hunting usually becomes. With very little bug activity and bait sites slower than normal, I was beginning to wonder how the season would unfold.
Thankfully, as our first hunters arrived, thousands of hungry bugs came out to welcome them. As strange as that sounds, it gave me confidence that the bears would soon become more active as well.
Week One: Patience Pays Off
We hosted nine hunters during the first week of our guided Ontario spring black bear hunt.
Mark arrived a few days early because of prior commitments and wasted no time filling his tag on his very first afternoon in the stand.
The remainder of the group arrived the following day, eager to begin hunting.
Opening day proved to be slow, with no bears harvested, but things quickly changed.
On the second day, the first bear of the week was harvested, and by the third evening, activity really picked up with four black bears harvested in a single night.
We finished the week with six of our nine hunters successfully filling their tags.
The remaining hunters all had bear sightings and opportunities, but spring bear hunting can be especially challenging for bowhunters.
Henry experienced one of the toughest moments of the season. After spending a long time watching a nice bear without getting a shot opportunity one day, a 300-plus-pound boar finally arrived the next evening.
Not wanting to miss another chance, he rushed the shot and accidentally triggered his release while drawing his bow. The arrow flew underneath the bear, and the surprised boar calmly stepped on the arrow as it walked away.
When Henry returned to camp and shared the footage with everyone, there was plenty of sympathy—and a few laughs. He kept the bent arrow as a reminder that hunting can humble even the most experienced bowhunter.
Todd also had a difficult week. His best opportunity came late in the hunt on an impressive mature boar, but unfortunately, he wasn't quite ready when the shot presented itself. By the time he was prepared, the bear sensed something wasn't right and quietly disappeared into the bush.
Alan may not have filled his tag, but he was probably one of the luckiest hunters of the week. He experienced multiple bear encounters almost every day and captured some incredible footage. Unfortunately, the specific mature boar we had been targeting never showed up while he was in camp.
Week Two: A Strong Finish
Our second week welcomed eight hunters to camp.
Like the first week, the action started slowly, with no bears harvested on opening day.
Manny was the first hunter to fill his tag on the second day, while Gino narrowly missed his opportunity.
By the third day, things once again came alive, with four black bears harvested.
One recovery required a little extra work, and after nearly three hours of tracking, we were happy to successfully recover the bear.
Mark harvested his bear the following day, and by the end of the hunt, six of the eight hunters had successfully filled their tags.
Chris had opportunities throughout the week but chose to pass on several bears while holding out for a larger boar. As he joked around camp, "If I shoot one now, I can't come back in the fall!"
More Than Just an Ontario Black Bear Hunt
The 2023 spring season was filled with incredible memories, exciting wildlife encounters, and plenty of laughs around camp.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such amazing guests. Many arrive as customers but leave feeling like family, and over the years those relationships have turned into lifelong friendships.
Weather-wise, we couldn't have asked for much better conditions. The first week was unusually hot, while the second week brought cooler temperatures. Best of all, we avoided any major rain during the hunts—even though it poured for four straight days immediately after everyone headed home.
It was nice to see things finally returning to normal after the challenges of the COVID years.
Our 2023 fall bear hunting season and our 2024 spring season both sold out quickly. If you're hoping to experience a guided Ontario black bear hunt with Wild North Outfitters, bookings are now being accepted for future seasons.
Finally, I would like to thank Tina, Stephanie, Jim, and Randy for everything you do behind the scenes. Your hard work, dedication, and hospitality help create an experience that takes our hunts to the next level. We couldn't do it without you.
Wild North Outfitters — Come as a customer. Leave as a friend.
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2023 FALL BEAR HUNT
A Challenging Season That Reminded Us Why It's Called Hunting
It seemed like the 2023 spring bear season had just wrapped up when it was already time to begin preparing for another Ontario fall black bear hunt. As always, the work began weeks before opening day with baiting sites, checking trail cameras, maintaining equipment, and making sure everything was ready for our arriving hunters.
One thing that really stood out this summer compared to previous years was the weather. It rained far more than usual, leaving the woods exceptionally wet throughout August. Even the grass around camp never seemed to stop growing and stayed lush and green all summer long.
Natural food sources were also abundant.
Raspberries gave way to blueberries, followed by an incredible crop of blackberries. I did my best to eat my share while checking bait sites, but there were simply too many to make much of a dent. With bears regularly visiting our baits and trail cameras showing encouraging activity, expectations were high heading into the season.
Just a few days before opening day, however, I began noticing acorns starting to fall.
At the time, it didn't seem like much—but it would end up playing a major role in how the season unfolded.
Week One
Our first group arrived to cool fall temperatures, cold enough that heaters were needed in the cabins that first evening.
Then Mother Nature flipped the switch.
Within a day, temperatures climbed into the 90s, and that was before adding the humidity. It was, without question, the hottest week of fall bear hunting I've experienced in my 16 years of operating Wild North Outfitters.
Sitting for hours inside a ground blind became a challenge in itself.
Despite the difficult conditions, we harvested a couple of bears on opening night and had several additional sightings. Considering the extreme heat, it felt like a promising start.
Unfortunately, things quickly slowed down.
Many of the bears shifted their movement to nighttime and early morning, making daytime encounters increasingly difficult. Throughout the week, it felt like we were playing an endless game of cat and mouse—moving hunters to where trail cameras showed daytime activity, only to have bears appear at the locations we'd hunted the day before.
One of the week's most memorable moments belonged to a father and son hunting together.
They watched a smaller bear feeding beneath their tree before a much larger boar suddenly appeared and chased it away. Unfortunately, with fading shooting light and open sights on the rifle, the opportunity disappeared as quickly as it arrived.
Sometimes the best memories aren't always measured by pulling the trigger.
On the final evening of the week, one hunter made an arrow shot on a bear just before dark. With heavy rain forecast overnight, we tracked hard that evening before deciding to back out for safety. Thankfully, the rain never materialized, allowing us to resume tracking at first light.
After what felt like miles of following the trail, it became clear the bear was still alive and moving well. Calling off the search was an incredibly difficult decision and a heartbreaking way to end the week.
Week Two
The second week brought much more comfortable temperatures, but it also brought another challenge.
The acorn crop continued to increase, and beech nuts began falling throughout the woods.
Many evenings, hunters could actually hear acorns raining down onto the roofs of their ground blinds as they patiently waited. Beech trees also became active feeding areas, with bears climbing high into the trees to reach the nuts, leaving fresh claw marks along the bark.
Natural food was everywhere.
Despite that, the second week got off to an unforgettable start.
As I was still dropping hunters off for their very first afternoon sit, my phone buzzed with a message.
"I got one."
I had literally just driven away from dropping off a father and son.
Only seven minutes later, they had harvested a beautiful bear.
It officially became the shortest hunt in Wild North Outfitters history, breaking the previous camp record of just over 20 minutes.
At that moment, I honestly thought the season had finally turned the corner.
Unfortunately, it didn't.
Just like the first week, we found ourselves constantly adjusting hunters, chasing fresh daytime trail camera activity, and trying to stay one step ahead of bears that always seemed to be somewhere else.
There were missed opportunities, long evenings without sightings, and plenty of frustrating moments.
The bears simply had us figured out this season.
Sometimes the Bears Win
Every hunting season teaches you something.
The 2023 Ontario fall bear season was one of the toughest we've experienced in a very long time.
When everything was finished, we ended the season with a 50% success rate.
While those numbers were disappointing after the countless hours spent preparing bait sites, maintaining trails, and scouting throughout the summer, that's the reality of hunting truly wild black bears.
Some years everything comes together perfectly.
Other years, the bears win.
We're not interested in pretending otherwise.
At Wild North Outfitters, we believe honesty is just as important as success, and we'll always share the good seasons along with the difficult ones.
Looking Ahead
Although the hunting tested us, the camp experience remained exactly what we've always worked hard to provide.
Great home-cooked meals, plenty of laughs around the dinner table, and the friendships that continue to grow year after year reminded us why we love doing this.
When the hunting gets tough, having an incredible team behind you makes all the difference.
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped make another season possible. Your hard work, positive attitudes, and dedication ensured our guests still left with wonderful memories, even during one of the most challenging seasons we've faced.
The equipment has been cleaned, the bait barrels put away, and now it's time to start preparing for another spring.
We're already looking forward to welcoming returning hunters, meeting new friends, and seeing what the next Ontario black bear hunting season has in store.
After all... that's why they call it hunting.