Bear and Moose Hunting in Manitoba
Every Manitoba bear and moose hunting trip provided by Harrop Lake Wilderness Lodge includes very comfortable accommodations in modern cabins (with hot and cold running water and showers), return air transportation from the Lac du Bonnet airbase of Adventure Air, professional guides with many years of experience, and home-cooked meals provided during your stay.
Black Bear
Description
- Length: 4.5-8 feet (1.4-2.4 metres)
- Height at the shoulder: 2.5-3 feet (0.8-1 metre)
- Weight: 300-500 (135-227 kg.)
This medium-sized bear is usually black with a brown muzzle, lacks a shoulder hump, and often has a white patch on the chest. Although black is the predominant color, chocolate and cinnamon brown color phases are also common, which often results in people confusing them with brown bears.
General Info
Black Bears live primarily in forested areas and are very adapt at climbing trees. A Black Bear uses its front paws to wrap around the tree and then use?s the hind paw’s claws to dig into the tree. Black Bears are solitary animals except for a mother with cubs. The average lifespan of a black bear in the wild is 20 years.
A Black Bears eyesight and hearing is about the same as human?s but their olfactory system is about a hundred times more sensitive that a human’s. Their sense of smell is so acute that they can locate their prey from miles (kilometres) away. They use their sense of smell to locate food and mates during the breeding season. Black Bears are classified as carnivores and do hunt other animals but for the most part their diet is comprised of plants like fruits, berries and nuts.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity at three to four years of age and males a year or so later. Mating takes place in June, July, and August, and pairs may remain together for only a few hours or for several days. Pregnancy last s about 220 days, and the cubs are born in a maternity den in January and February. Litter size ranges from one to five, but two is the average. Cubs may be weaned at six to eight months, but they remain with their mothers for a year and a half. Consequently, the most often that female black bears can mate, unless they lose their cubs prematurely, is every two years.
The Hunt
Our bear hunting / fishing combo is very similar to our moose hunt. We are the only outfitter in the area. We also offer very limited bear hunting opportunities in order to protect the population, which in turn offers the hunter a greater opportunity to harvest a trophy bear. We offer spring and fall hunts with the biggest bears being harvested in the fall. Manitoba hosts some of the highest off-color bear concentrations in Canada and several color phases have been harvested at Harrop Lake over the years, but the biggest Bruins to date have been black.
You will hunt over an established bait site in the evenings which leaves time to catch numerous Walleye and Pike in the non-hunting hours, as you will be visiting the camp during prime fishing times of the year. Pick your weapon: rifle, muzzle loader, bow or crossbow; are all acceptable forms of firearms.
While we do not guarantee an animal, our experienced guides and camp hosts will work hard to make it happen and to provide you with an awesome experience for the memory bank.
Moose
Description
- Length: 8.5-10.5 feet (2.5-3.2 metres)
- Height at the shoulder: 5.5-7.5 feet (2-2.25 metres)
- Weight: 900-1,300 pounds (360-591 kg) with some even larger
Moose are the largest member of the deer family and the tallest wild mammal in North America. They are noted for long legs, a short neck, broadly palmate antlers, a prehensile muzzle and a dewlap or bell on the throat.
General Info
Moose are non-migratory ruminants that can consume up to 60 pounds of browse per day. They also make use of seasonally available pond plants and are capable of feeding well below the surface of the water. Moose are excellent swimmers. They are generally solitary.
Reproduction
Each year, beginning in April, a bull moose grows a set of antlers. These continue to grow all summer, and in the early fall they shed the velvet. The breeding season extends from September through October. Bull moose in rut do not gather a harem but mark out a territory to which cows will be attracted.The bull stays with one cow for a week or so before breaking off to find another.
During the rut, cows protect their calves from the very aggressive rutting bulls. The gestation period is about 8 months. The first pregnancy most often results in a single calf. In subsequent pregnancies, the female generally gives birth to twins. At birth a calf will weigh 20-25 lbs (9-11 kg). After the mating season, the bulls start losing their antlers, and this is generally completed by late January.
The Hunt
Harrop Lake is located on the Poplar River, deep in the heart of the Canadian shield, and is only accessible by float plane. We are the only outfitter in the area with non-resident tags and offer limited hunting opportunities. Talk with any moose hunter and they will quickly tell you there is nothing more exciting than talking and vocalizing with a bull which could be up to a mile and half away. Our guides have many years of experience hunting these Manitoba Monsters. While not every moose is a trophy, every hunt is an unforgettable adrenaline pumping experience.
Hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon and head out for an evening hunt again — does life get any better? From our comfortable full-service camp on Harrop Lake, you will enjoy the experience of a lifetime.