By Lance Stapleton, Senior Western Correspondent
Editor Note: For the last two months, Senior Western Correspondent Lance Stapleton has focused on finding Hunting Report subscribers some last-minute availabilities and discounted hunts for this fall. Here's his last summer column devoted to these finds. If any of these hunts interest you, remember to do your usual due diligence to ensure that it's the right hunt for you. A deal is only a deal if you're getting something you truly want. And don't forget to send us a hunt report if you go! This is the third and final installment in my booking agents' picks series for 2012. The three booking agents reporting this month provided some outstanding hunts for a variety of big game. There should be something here for just about anyone still looking to fill this fall's hunting schedule, but you must act soon.
Steve West, owner of
Steve's Outdoor Adventures (800-303-1304) is a familiar personality on the Outdoor Channel, as he frequently features hunts throughout North America. This month he provided our subscribers an
exclusive opportunity for a black bear hunt (with around 30 percent possibility for a color-phased bear) in
Saskatchewan. This hunt is normally scheduled during the spring, but there are so many bears in this area that he decided to open the camp for two weeks this September
only for Hunting Report subscribers. Hunters can select to hunt September 17-22 or September 24-29, and the camp will accommodate six to eight people each week.
All hunting is done from stands over bait. They use trail cameras to monitor bear activity, hunting only those stands with the most activity and biggest bears. That is only one reason why this outfitter consistently produces very high hunter success on bears averaging up to 6-1/2 feet squared, with an occasional bear squaring an honest seven feet! This is a great opportunity for archers, because P&Y bears are common in this area, but muzzleloader and rifle hunters are welcome, too.
This six-day hunt costs $2,950, including all licenses and taxes! Of course, hunters using firearms must pay $25 (CDN) for the Nonresident Firearms Declaration paperwork upon arrival into Canada. As a bonus, West can also combine this bear hunt with an archery hunt for Canadian moose, however, plans have not been finalized at this writing, so you should call him directly for details. Clients fly into Saskatoon before renting a car for the four-hour drive to the main lodge. The lodge is a modern facility with all the comforts of home.....
