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I would recommend this hunt and Pine Acres to anybody interested in black bear hunting. The guide and owner did not flood the camp with people, and there were eight hunters in camp including myself. Every hunter in camp was successful in harvesting a black bear, and a few hunters were able to choose the bear they wanted to harvest.

There were more than enough baits. I believe Chris said there were 69 baits they had that year, baits that had been used and baits that did not see a hunter. The baits were started in June if I remember correctly. If you were not seeing any bear you were moved. I did not see an animal intil the third night I sat in stand, and I saw a monster bear 300-400 pounds. I ended up harvesting a medium sized bear and was more than happy with that animal.

One bear another guy in camp harvested was a color phase that was a bar-room brawler. He had a broken nose, scars all over his face and had an injury that possibly caused him to lose weight, yet he was still an absolute brute, and if he did not make the Pope and Young record book I would be very surprised. I am not sure if the skull was measured there, but I'd say the skull was around 19" just by looking at it.

If the weather cooperates and you DO NOT MOVE, DO NOT EAT FOOD AND DRINK SODA in the stand, PLAY VIDEO GAMES on your cell phone or do any other monkeying around and go into a hunt prepared and realistic, you will be prepared for any hunt, and prepared for a hunt for black bear. A headnet is an absolute must because of the mosquitos. I still don't trust a Thermacell being absolutely scent free, but they do work. I have hunted bear, and or hunted bear with my Dad in WI since I was a small kid. When I was not hunting I was helping him bait. I own countless bear DVD's and other hunting videos, and I highly recommend you watch as many bear videos as you can before you book a hunt. These animals are extremely hard to field judge, and are even tougher to harvest, and you will learn helpful information. They are not your mumbly bumbly yogi type creatures you see in cartoons, and they come in silent. If you are napping they will come in and eat your bait and be gone before you wake up. Harvesting a bear off bait with either rifle or bow is not as easy as it sounds. My group was in camp the third week. The first two weeks had quite a bit of rain, but that did not stop the bears. They are just like any other animal...sometimes they do not move.

My buddy and I met Chris at the All Canada Show in Madison, WI. I booked shortly afterwards. There were NO hidden costs, and Chris went over everything. I had a very positive experience, and the two guys I went with had a ball too. Very important thing: the baits are approximately 20-50mph from BASE camp and it says this right in the Pine Acres pamphlet. Be sure to have enough gas money saved up. This is prime bear habitat. There are water sources in the forms of rivers, steams, ponds, and lakes close to all the baits, and this country holds A LOT of bear. I have hunted in a few decent areas in WI, but I was VERY impressed with the amount of bear sign around the baits.

We had six suppers provided for us, and these suppers were absolutely fantastic. I have not had cooking like that in years. Chris, his wife Lottie and the rest of the staff were pleasant at all times. They work very hard. In one night there were 7 or 8 bear that were hit and needed to be recovered or tracked. It was a long night for Chris and his staff, and it really showed how hard they work. If you hit a bear you get help tracking, skinning etc. There is a huge walk in cooler where your animal is kept so it won't spoil.

This hunt met my expectations and I will be going back in the future if I can get a good group to go. Again, I would recommend this hunt to anyone. Thanks for listening.