Sunday, December 05, 2004
Tales from the Cockpit- Munroe Lake Lodge
Good morning folks, time for a wee tale from the memory banks of my mind.
Last year I was up flying for Munroe Lake Lodge. I had started the Caribou hunt for the lodge in the beginning of September, and had flown a number of groups, guides, supplies, etc., into a number of lakes around Munroe. I was due to be relieved by another pilot, and the last trips I did were to take a new group of guests and guides into Farnie Lake, just east of Baralzon Lake, just south of 60* latitude, in northern Manitoba. Anyways, I was asked by the lodge owner if I had ever heard of Polar Bears in the area. I said "no". Farnie Lake is more than 100 miles northwest of Churchill, MB, where most Polar Bears migrate to at that time of year. Boy, was I wrong. Anyhow, the last trips were done and I was relieved by another pilot.
During the next week the hunt for caribou continued on the tundra. This area is the northern edge of the tree-line. One of the laws in Manitoba states that a guide who is guiding non-resident hunters cannot carry a rifle. ( Oops, what a bonehead rule that is, as you will soon see. ) One day a guide named Steve was guiding a male and a female hunting caribou. They had dropped a caribou. Steve was cleaning the animal, and the guests were at the boat pulled up on shore, over 100' away. Suddenly, Steve looked up and over a small rise appeared TWO Polar Bears, and an Arctic Wolf. I know what I would have done in my pants. Being a top-notch guide, he kept his composure and headed for the boat. ( Remember, he has no rifle. ) The Polar Bears and Wolf kept coming toward the downed caribou, and then one bear started to accelerate towards Steve. He quickened his pace and told one of the guests to shoot over the bear's head. They were hunting with black powder rifles. ( single shot, ouch!!! ) The shot was made and Steve made the boat. He asked the woman if she was menstruating, she wasn't, as this will bring predators for miles, but I guess the caribou blood was enough odour. One of the bears was full grown, and one was a juvenile. From the safety of the boat they watched one of the bears devour the internal organs of the caribou in 2 minutes. They set out for camp, which was quite a distance from where they were hunting, and made it safe and sound. I'm sure good whiskey was consumed as the story was related back at camp. End of the story? Nope!
The next morning another guide named Harold and his group loaded up in a boat and headed south. As they came around a little point close to camp, lo and behold, there was the smaller bear. The bear saw them and followed them along the shoreline as they attempted to make it back to camp, as they were going to warn the other guides and hunters. As they got close to shore, the bear was challenging them. They had had enough. Seven shots from a high-powered rifle were needed to drop the bear, and it was the smaller of the two!!!!! Everybody was safe, they never saw the other bear or the wolf again, a call was made to Natural Resources for the authorization for the guides to carry rifles ( which they received ), and the caribou hunt was finished.
Talk about a great life-story. I can see Steve in my mind's eye at an old age telling his great-grandchildren...." did I ever tell you about the time......?". Come to Manitoba, folks, adventure like no other. By the way, now when someone asks about polar bears, I say " Let me tell you a story......."
Last year I was up flying for Munroe Lake Lodge. I had started the Caribou hunt for the lodge in the beginning of September, and had flown a number of groups, guides, supplies, etc., into a number of lakes around Munroe. I was due to be relieved by another pilot, and the last trips I did were to take a new group of guests and guides into Farnie Lake, just east of Baralzon Lake, just south of 60* latitude, in northern Manitoba. Anyways, I was asked by the lodge owner if I had ever heard of Polar Bears in the area. I said "no". Farnie Lake is more than 100 miles northwest of Churchill, MB, where most Polar Bears migrate to at that time of year. Boy, was I wrong. Anyhow, the last trips were done and I was relieved by another pilot.
During the next week the hunt for caribou continued on the tundra. This area is the northern edge of the tree-line. One of the laws in Manitoba states that a guide who is guiding non-resident hunters cannot carry a rifle. ( Oops, what a bonehead rule that is, as you will soon see. ) One day a guide named Steve was guiding a male and a female hunting caribou. They had dropped a caribou. Steve was cleaning the animal, and the guests were at the boat pulled up on shore, over 100' away. Suddenly, Steve looked up and over a small rise appeared TWO Polar Bears, and an Arctic Wolf. I know what I would have done in my pants. Being a top-notch guide, he kept his composure and headed for the boat. ( Remember, he has no rifle. ) The Polar Bears and Wolf kept coming toward the downed caribou, and then one bear started to accelerate towards Steve. He quickened his pace and told one of the guests to shoot over the bear's head. They were hunting with black powder rifles. ( single shot, ouch!!! ) The shot was made and Steve made the boat. He asked the woman if she was menstruating, she wasn't, as this will bring predators for miles, but I guess the caribou blood was enough odour. One of the bears was full grown, and one was a juvenile. From the safety of the boat they watched one of the bears devour the internal organs of the caribou in 2 minutes. They set out for camp, which was quite a distance from where they were hunting, and made it safe and sound. I'm sure good whiskey was consumed as the story was related back at camp. End of the story? Nope!
The next morning another guide named Harold and his group loaded up in a boat and headed south. As they came around a little point close to camp, lo and behold, there was the smaller bear. The bear saw them and followed them along the shoreline as they attempted to make it back to camp, as they were going to warn the other guides and hunters. As they got close to shore, the bear was challenging them. They had had enough. Seven shots from a high-powered rifle were needed to drop the bear, and it was the smaller of the two!!!!! Everybody was safe, they never saw the other bear or the wolf again, a call was made to Natural Resources for the authorization for the guides to carry rifles ( which they received ), and the caribou hunt was finished.
Talk about a great life-story. I can see Steve in my mind's eye at an old age telling his great-grandchildren...." did I ever tell you about the time......?". Come to Manitoba, folks, adventure like no other. By the way, now when someone asks about polar bears, I say " Let me tell you a story......."
