Riverton hunter Bob Finn gets in many interesting hunts, from the best of Wyoming’s big game to fascinating species on distant soils. His guide on a 7-day Mountain Goat hunt enticed him with tales of a different kind of bear hunt, and he soon booked a spring bear hunt in the Vancouver Island area of British Columbia. He arranged a 5-day hunt with Eric Mikelson, of NWT Outfitters. Finn drove from Riverton, crossing the island on rugged old logging roads to the west side. From there, an hour boat ride took him to the camp, set up on a broad inlet. The team of two hunters and two guides split up, eager to get started on the hunt right away that afternoon, watching for bears to come out of the thick woods, searching for food on the open meadows and beaches. One guide went by boat up the shoreline with the other bear hunter, while Bob and his guide rode the four-wheelers along overgrown logging trails. Before long, Finn and his guide spotted a bear leisurely dining in a grassy opening. The guide estimated it was a good specimen, and that they may not see one like it again. That was all it took for Bob to call his 300 Ultra Mag into action. Though he didn’t score the skull, the dandy bruin squared seven feet on his hide.

It was a quick hunt, Finn says, much faster than the 3 separate trips it took him to get a BC Stone Sheep, but he thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the week, accompanying his fellow hunter while he got his bear, and watching whales, seals, and other ocean and shore wildlife too. They were also able to observe other bears and take in the magnificent coastal scenery every day.

This hunting season promises to be no less diversified for Finn. Following a June trip to New Zealand for the Himalayan Tahr (like a wild sheep), Bob drew a Moose tag back home in Wyoming, and will no doubt be making memories a bit closer to home about this time of year.

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