We departed SEATAC for a 0600 hrs flight direct to Detroit, then a short hop into Marquette, MI. where the guide from the Lodge picked us up for a 30 minute drive to Bear Mountain. It was cold and snowy - but not as bad as we had anticipated. Thought it would be in the teens, or below zero. Instead it was in the balmy mid-20's with only a 5 inch accumulation of snow during our stay, on top of the foot or so they had on the ground. We arrived in early evening, just in time for a round of drinks and a fine dinner, having been joined by my hunting partner Bill Myers and his wife Ellen, from Virginia Beach, VA.

 

     After a late breakfast and the zero check on the range next to the Lodge, we dispersed with our guides, Roja accompanying, to blinds sited on shooting lanes cut through the heavily forested and hilly terrain. The lanes had been baited with some corn, and during the day we saw several white tail deer, some rams of an unusual sort, a 6-point elk, and several sounders of pigs, some 30 and 40 in size, with many piglets, several sows and yearlings. The big,old herd boars now and again darted across the shooting lanes.

 

     As night approached the evening of the first day, a big boar crossed my lane and stopped broadside at 74 yards. As he was nearly all black, he was vividly silhouetted against the white snow, and the guide said "That's the one we been looking for, haven't seen his for some time. He's one of the dominant herd boars - you better consider taking him while you can". Since it was the first day of the hunt, I was reluctant to shoot and end it so soon. As the red triangle of the Trijicon scope rested on his shoulder, I weighed the often encountered hunter's dilemma, shoot now and end the hunt, or wait and hope to find as good or better animal later?  A sub-conscious voice said "Don't be a fool!" and the roar of the 450-400 N.E. stacked double rifle sent a 400 grain soft point clear through the Boar. Thor's Hammer had spoken - so dubbed by my Professional Hunter on the last African safari, for it's propensity to put down a critter with one shot. The boar took off like a shot and the guide said are you sure you hit him? I assured him not to worry, I certainly had!  A short search after dark found him piled up in a thick, swampy area about 50 yards from the shooting lane. 'Boris' the Russian Boar was well over 300 pounds, and was quite a struggle to get him out.

 

     Seeing that I was done, I asked Roja if she wanted to try her luck a the very nice 4-point White Tail deer we had seen the day before. She had never fired a big bore rifle before (only a 12 gauge shotgun) - she took two zero shots on the range with a borrowed 30-60, and we proceeded to the blind. After watching a lot of different animals most of the day, come and go while feeding, a large herd of deer appeared. There were several does, fawns and yearlings, with two nice bucks in the middle. As they fed the bucks were continuously screened by the other deer, making a shot impossible. 10; 15; 20 minutes passed with Roja sighting on the 4-point. With about 15 minutes to go before dark, he stepped up on a mound of snow away from the rest of the herd and stood broadside, and she dropped the deer with one perfectly place shot! He dashed uphill about 30 yards and tipped over. Roja had shot her first big game animal - a 4- point Whitetail Deer!  She was on top of the world!

 

     Bear Mountain Lodge was all it held itself out to be - well worth looking into if a wild Russian Boar would fill a nitch in your trophy room. . They offer year round hunting, with no licenses required. In Summer they also offer fishing out in lake Superior for massive lake trout - some as big as 30 pounds.

Check their web sites for more info and prices: