# Red oak Bear camp 2020



## SMITTY1233 (Dec 8, 2003)

What a week!!! A week I will cherish forever! A week spent with my two girls 8 and 6 and other family and friends that have become like family over the last 6 years! A week my girls are still chattering about and a week where the bear hunting was second to time spent in the northwoods together!

Saturday 9-12-20: girls, my hunting buddy and I left Mid Michigan to meet up with my other buddy and his two girls to spend the weekend at Bear Camp together and try to get his wife and their mother a bear! On the way up I got a call from another buddy that said I’d love to drag up my girls for bear camp and I said let’s do it! We spent most of Saturday and Sunday tending baits having bonfires and enjoying the company of each other while talking of big Bears !

























Monday: Since I took my girls out of school for 5 days I told them we had to do some learning of some type so each day there would be a lesson. This day we did a scientific study of “Find Big Bear Kill Big Bear!” Bear camp momma didn’t disappoint! After a good jump by Stubby, Red and Bailey we made a cut with Annie, Rufus, Maverick and Brody and we had trees a real nice Michigan Black Bear that dressed at 276lbs! “A dandy” as my youngest girl called it!








We tested out our hypothesis of a solid pack of hounds that we gathered from summer training was ready and they didn’t disappoint! We had a nice celebration dinner at camp and the girls were having a blast.

Tuesday: we were hunting for 82 year old neighbor that found out he had a bear tag while purchasing his base license and deer tags. He hadn’t drawn in 20 some years so when they were mailed to him he thought he didn’t draw! We didn’t find any quality bears on Tuesday so we spent the afternoon hanging around cabin and hit up local park

Wednesday: “Girls daily lesson: help thy neighbor”early morning we found the neighbor had his bait on his 80 acres hit. We dropped down the start dogs and the crossed out of section south with bear just ahead! They made it 300 yards south or so and I knew this hunter wasn’t going to be able to make that walk and all of a sudden then hooked back north crossed the road and treed dead center on his property! Someone was watching over this hunt for sure! We loaded him up in ranger and headed down his trail we got just under 200 from tree and he started the walk in! It was a tough walk where we were holding him up at times but we made it and he didn’t disappoint stoning the bear cold! Bear dressed 213lbs and he was ecstatic!


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## SMITTY1233 (Dec 8, 2003)

Thursday: “Train the future pack day” we woke up to a call we have a huge bear on the bait! We werent even going to all hunt this day but knew we couldn’t pass up this opportunity after a quick group txt and everyone in agreement we located a tag and put down on a worth old foe we had named “Big Black” after treeing him in July 2019! During my hunt in 2019 this magnificent animal walked right under my buddy and I in out ladder stands opening night of bait sitting and we captured it all on video! Amazingly the bear never came to the bait after walking past it within 10 yards during daylight. He did visit later that night at 1am and we dropped the hounds at first daylight Monday only to cold trail him 4 miles into all private property where we pulled off him! I had always wondered how or why he gave me the slip but now I know he wasn’t intended for me but for out lucky hunter who ended up harvesting a 372lb dressed Michigan beauty with my girls and I watching it all unfold!

















Bear camp for my girls was winding down as we had to be home Friday for big brothers first varsity football game of the season and momma was missing her girls! We packed it in shortly after the celebration and pointed southbound. What a week I was able to spend at bear camp with my girls, my family and true great outdoorsmen I’m lucky enough to call friends! Done a lot of things in the outdoors this week will be tough to top!!


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## SMITTY1233 (Dec 8, 2003)

Additional camp pictures










































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## SMITTY1233 (Dec 8, 2003)

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## SMITTY1233 (Dec 8, 2003)

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## Horseshoe (Oct 15, 2003)

Badass! Thanks for sharing.


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## SteelSearchin (Apr 8, 2004)

So awesome!!


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## AKhunter (Jan 15, 2017)

SteelSearchin said:


> So awesome!!


Great story and pics. Memories forever.


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## ARROWPORT (Feb 24, 2017)

Great Story! Kids will never forget!


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## bigal06 (Jul 11, 2010)

Fantastic write up as usual Kris! Congrats on a week to remember!


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Outstanding! Memories for a lifetime!


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## Carpenter Bill (Jan 27, 2018)

Awesome hunting, glad u and the daughters had a blast. Thanks for the story


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## pike man (Feb 21, 2006)

What a great way to get your kids involved. Congratulations !


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

That's not a bad week. Thanks for sharing the story and pics!


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## Stubee (May 26, 2010)

Great pics and story and nice bears!


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## deepwoods (Nov 18, 2002)

What a week! Congrats to all of you.

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## Michael Wagner (Jul 17, 2007)

Fantastic!!!


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## BWHUNTR (Oct 3, 2008)

You're doing it right bud. Kids will have these memories for a lifetime. Great season Kris and thanks for sharing.


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

Great write up smitty. Looks like you got some future hunters right there. You guys had a good week!!


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## Trunkslammer (May 22, 2013)

Lucky girls, what a great week with some huge bears. Keep up the good work smitty!


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