2026 GUIDED ONTARIO BLACK BEAR HUNT REPORT
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2026 Spring Bear Hunt Report-more pictures to come.
Preparation for the 2026 bear season started a little earlier than usual. I was eager to get back into the woods just after Easter to see how everything had held up over the winter and determine how much cleanup the trail system would need.
In the weeks leading up to the season, snow stuck around much longer than normal in the shaded areas of the woods, but everything looked excellent, and expectations were high for another successful year.
During the spring of 2026, we hosted three weeks of Ontario black bear hunts—two weeks on our American Plan and one week providing accommodations and hunting opportunities for a smaller group.
Week One
Our first week welcomed 11 hunters to camp. About half were returning guests, while the other half were experiencing Wild North Outfitters for the first time.
We finished the week with 8 bears harvested, one wounded bear that we spent countless hours searching for but were unfortunately unable to recover, and two hunters who went home without filling their tags. One of those hunters had bears visiting throughout the week but chose to hold out for a mature boar that always seemed to appear when he wasn't in the stand.
One unexpected challenge that week had nothing to do with hunting. A powerful windstorm knocked trees onto power lines, causing a wildfire that left us without electricity for three days. Thankfully, the outage happened on Friday afternoon as one group was leaving on Saturday, and our next group wasn't arriving until Sunday afternoon. It certainly made preparing camp more challenging, but everything was ready in time for our new guests.
Week Two
Our second week brought another great group of 10 hunters to camp, with half returning guests and half first-time visitors.
By the end of the week, 6 hunters had successfully harvested bears. Of the remaining hunters, one had to leave early for work, one unfortunately never saw a bear during the entire hunt, and another filled his tag on the very last evening.
Heavy rain had been forecast for that afternoon, but we kept hoping it would clear before dark. Fortunately, it did, and patience paid off with a successful hunt during the final hours of the season.
Week Three
Our final group consisted of five first-time guests who were celebrating a buddy's stag.
Four hunters successfully harvested bears, while one hunter wounded a bear with his bow. We spent many hours tracking it that evening and continued the search the following morning, but despite our best efforts, we were unable to recover the animal.
Looking Back on the Season
Overall, 2026 was one of the most challenging and unusual bear seasons I've experienced in quite a while. I guess you get spoiled after so many great years.
One pattern we noticed throughout all three weeks was how quickly bears adjusted to hunting pressure. Once hunters began sitting a particular area, daytime and early evening activity often disappeared, with bears not arriving until just before dark. When we moved hunters into fresh areas, the exact same thing happened, while activity returned to normal in the areas they had previously hunted. I can't remember seeing that happen before.
A friend who helped throughout the season witnessed it firsthand and couldn't believe how consistently it happened.
The weather also presented its own challenges. Periods of cold temperatures and frequent rain slowed bear movement, and overall, the bears we harvested were lighter than I had expected.
At the end of the day, though, everyone was happy with their experience. Hunting is about so much more than the size of the bear. It's about the memories made, the friendships built, and the time spent in the woods—and I'm more than okay with that.
Every season presents new challenges, and while this isn't a bear season I'll remember for the harvest numbers, it reminded me once again that hunting is never predictable. We finished the season 20 for 26, including the two wounded bears in that total because we did our part by providing the opportunities. Sometimes hunting simply doesn't go as planned, and that's why it's called hunting.
What I'll remember most, however, are the people.
We were fortunate to host an outstanding group of hunters over the three weeks. There were plenty of laughs, great conversations, new friendships, and memories that made all the hard work worthwhile. Best of all, many of them will be back again, and that's something I always look forward to.
As we look ahead to the fall bear season, I'm feeling very optimistic. The number of large bears I've been seeing has been extremely encouraging, and I hope to get my hands on a few of them when the season opens in September.
Only a few more weeks, and it'll be time to head back into the woods once again.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
Wild North Outfitters — Come as a customer. Leave as a friend.
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2026 Fall Bear Hunt Report– The Year of the “Grind”
2026… what can I say?
I think this season will always be remembered as the year of the “grind.”
Not every season goes exactly the way you plan it, and this one certainly tested us. But looking back, it was one of those seasons that reminded me why preparation, adapting, and sticking with it are such a big part of bear hunting.
The Build-Up
The last week of July was here, and I wanted to get into the woods to try some different setups and bait blends using a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and sugar before getting into the full swing of baiting everywhere else.
The following week, I started the first round of baiting, getting everything out and greased up. Unlike most years, things started much slower than normal.
I knew there were plenty of bears around after seeing them throughout the spring, so I knew the bear population wasn't the issue.
This year, we had a tremendous amount of rain, which resulted in an overwhelming amount of natural food. There were blueberries, raspberries, chokecherries, and blackberries everywhere. I figured the bears were taking advantage of all that natural food, but the initial results from my test sites looked great. Because of that, I decided to take what I had learned and get those bait blends out to almost all of our sites.
It was a big undertaking, especially with trimming trails and everything else that had to be done to get ready for the season. But sometimes sacrifices have to be made if you want to take things to the next level.
There were some acorns on the ground, but at that point, there wasn't anything that had me too concerned.
I also put new baits into some of the newer sections of our hunting area. They were some of the furthest sites from camp, but I looked at them as an insurance policy in case we needed them.
As it turned out, we needed them.
Week One
The first week started with less-than-desirable weather. Rain and wind were in the forecast for the first couple of days.
The first day actually turned out much better than expected. We avoided the rain, and two bears were harvested.
Well… it happened.
The second day brought the wind and rain that had been forecasted, and everyone was pretty happy to be sitting inside a dry ground blind.
The following morning, we were greeted by something that would become a major factor for the rest of the season: a fresh layer of acorns and beech nuts covering the ground.
Anyone who has been doing this long enough knows that it doesn't matter what you put out there when the woods are full of natural food. Bears will always choose natural food first.
Right on cue, things slowed down.
Some areas completely shut down, including bait sites in areas that weren't even being hunted. We went three nights with beautiful hunting conditions, only to have hunters sit without seeing a bear.
Finally, things started to pick back up, and we finished the first week with 6 of 13 hunters harvesting bears.
Week Two
The second week started with a couple of hunters arriving a day early because they had to leave early. One of them was able to get a bear on his very first sit.
Just like the first week, rain was in the forecast for the first night, and it certainly didn't disappoint.
The rain came down so hard that there were rivers flowing down some of the trails, with water pooling in areas that normally wouldn't hold water at that time of year.
Most of the hunters managed to stay relatively dry, but two of our bow hunters got absolutely soaked, even while wearing rain gear.
The next morning, we were greeted by even more acorns.
It looked like someone had dumped a truckload of them across the forest floor and then raked them level. It's something I don't remember seeing in all my years up there.
Just like the first week, we had three nights of beautiful hunting conditions without seeing a bear.
At that point, it was time to adapt.
We started moving some hunters around to bait sites that were getting hit again, and the move paid off.
We ended up finishing the second week with 5 of 13 hunters harvesting bears.
There were also some pretty cool bull moose encounters at a couple of the bait sites.
One hunter even watched a bear for quite a while but was so excited about seeing it that she decided to simply watch it rather than risk taking a bad shot.
And honestly, those are the kinds of moments that make hunting memorable.
Week Three
The third week arrived, and with a new week came new hope that maybe the light switch would finally flip back on.
Our four guests were ready to get into the woods.
The following day, it was time to drop everyone off and get hunting. We headed out, dropped the hunters at their sites, and waited patiently for that first call.
Around 7:00 p.m., we headed back toward the location where we park the truck and unload the UTV.
As I was just about to pull into the spot, my phone buzzed.
“Nick, I got one.”
Finally!
We headed back to Matt.
As we were loading Matt's bear, we found out that this wasn't just another bear for him. It happened to be his 80th bear.
Matt is working toward harvesting 100 bears in his lifetime and has hunted all over the world chasing black bears, brown bears, and grizzlies.
While we were loading his bear, another message came through.
Brad had one too.
After the season we'd been having up to that point, it felt like a huge win. Half of the hunters had connected on their very first night.
As we pulled into Brad's location, another message came through.
Skylar had just shot one.
The light switch had flipped.
The bears were on.
Brad had already dragged his bear most of the way out, so we quickly loaded it up and headed toward Skylar's site.
As we followed Skylar's blood trail through the darkness, we could hear breathing and movement in the woods. We managed to get a light on the bear as it moved through the trees and determined that it was wounded but still alive.
We made the decision to call it a night and return first thing in the morning.
The next morning, we found the bear not far from where we had stopped the night before. It had made its way under a tree and expired.
As Michelle waited to be picked up that evening, roughly 10 minutes after legal hunting time had ended, bears came into the bait.
We could hear them moving around and pushing the barrels around at the site.
We drove in and pushed them off, but hopes were high that Michelle would get another opportunity the following day.
And she did.
It didn't take long.
Michelle got it done.
We finished the third week 4 for 4.
The Grind
Looking back, finishing the season this way felt pretty fitting.
The first two weeks were a grind. There were bears around, but the abundance of natural food made things extremely difficult. We had to keep adapting, moving hunters, changing setups, and relying on some of the newer areas I'd prepared as an insurance policy.
Then, during the third week, it was like someone finally flipped the switch.
Three bears on the first night, followed by another the next day, and suddenly everything came together.
We finished the three-week fall season with 15 bears harvested by 30 hunters.
It was definitely a different season, and without a doubt, one of the hardest seasons I can remember in many years of doing this.
But that's bear hunting.
You can prepare as much as you want, but once the season starts, Mother Nature gets a vote.
Sometimes you have to put in the extra miles, try something different, move things around, and keep grinding until you find what works.
And that's exactly what 2026 was for me.
The year of the grind.
To everyone who came out and hunted with us this fall, thank you for sticking with us through the highs and lows and for being part of the 2026 season.
It wasn't always easy, but that's what made the success that much more rewarding.