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RD Carson - Host of "Officially Rugged " seen weekly on The Sportsman Channel. www.thesportsmanchannel.com. McKenzie Brothers Outfitting
It was obvious that Bruce McKenzie was not new to the outfitting business, and believe me, there certainly are "outfitters" out there who really don't know their *** from a hole in the ground. Bruce has been guiding and outfitting for many years, and has a great track record to back himself up. The Ministry of Natural Resources (Conservation Officers) in Alberta also had positive comments regarding McKenzie Brothers Outfitting. The arrangements were made and I was pumped. The hunt was to take place the third week of May, 2003, and my cameraman, Andy Hatch and I were ready to rock with hopes of putting a hot show together. I had hunted bears before, but never taken a really big one, nor had I taken a colour phase black bear. With the research I did the previous year, it was evident that this part of Northeastern Alberta produces a high number of blonde, cinnamon and chocolate coloured bears. My ruggedtivity senses were tingling... As our plane touched down in Fort McMurray, we were greeted by two inches of unexpected snow. This would not be a problem, since Bruce and his guides had already been baiting for weeks. A little cool weather won't slow the appetite of a black bear, especially when the food is served up on a "silver platter." The plan for the first evening of the hunt, saw Andy, my cameraman getting a chance to hunt, with me running the camera. Cool, since Andy is an excellent archer, and I actually like being behind the camera from time to time. The next day, after getting settled into camp, and stuffing our faces with awesome roast beef, we took a 15 minute trip down the river in one of McKenzie Brother's jet boats. Andy's guide, Bob Weeks dropped us off at the sight, got us organized and then gave us the thumbs up as he took off in the jet boat, full of bear bait. Almost immediately, a very large black bear came in to about sixty yards of our stand, but would not commit and give Andy a shot. (Now, if we had been rifle hunting....) Only the bear will ever know why, but he hung up out of range of Andy's bow, and then after a short while, left the area. A short time later, I felt a nudge from Andy. Then, after he gained my full attention, he slowly pointed to a big, black object, moving slowly toward us. As I turned on our Canon XL1 - S, I could see with my naked eye, this was not a huge bear, but it was definitely a "shooter." As the 250 pounder walked slowly under our tree stand, we could see a beautiful black coat, one that would look great on Andy's wall. One thing about Andy, he is a very patient hunter. And, he's a good shot. A very good shot, in fact. So, he took his time, and he also made sure that I was ready and in focus with the camera. Once I gave Andy the "nod" he waited for another 30 seconds or so for that classic, quartering away shot. Thud... Andy as shooting a Renegade SBD, and believe me that bow was so quiet, I could barely hear him shooting. Oh, yes, and the shot? A perfect double-lunger at about 18 yards. As Andy and I both watched the startled bear run off in the direction he came from, we knew it was a lethal shot. Within seconds, we heard Andy's trophy go down, and then the "moan" was audible. Game over. So, we waited about 20 minutes, and then called Bob on the two-way radio. Bob was close by, and was with us in less than ten minutes. A perfect end to a perfect day. The next day back at camp, after pounding down what was arguably the best breakfast ever, we relaxed, and hung out with some of the other guys. Ya know, the "boys" were talkin' about the hunt... one of the funniest parts of the hunting camp, is seeing who can "BS" the best. I normally win that contest... We met a man from Michigan, who was a very good customer of Bruce's. Rodney Brush was also very happy that day. About the same time Andy took his black bear the evening before, Rod had anchored a gorgeous, cinnamon bear, about 200 pounds or so. His weapon was a bow and the shot was 15 yards. He was thrilled! We also met another hunter by the name of Joe Remington who is a pro-staff archer from Ohio, and this was his first hunt with McKenzie. I could tell this would not be his last, either. His 7'4" black bear was his biggest ever, and he had hunted a long time before scoring such a trophy. He was very proud to have his bear entered into the Pope and Young books. Okay, that evening was my turn to hunt, and I was more happy to pass the camera over to Andy. Again, Bob Weeks dropped us off, but this time we went the other direction on the river. By now, the weather had changed and the snow had melted completely. It was actually pretty warm out, probably about 65 degrees or so. I was eager to put my Renegade Tominator II to the test once again. I had taken deer, bears, and caribou with my Renegade and I had full confidence in this amazing bow. My Easton 2213 aluminums were also ready to rock, along with my Thunderhead, 100 grain broad heads. Within a half hour or so, a couple smaller bears came in, but did not fall into the "shooter" category. As entertaining as they were to watch, I wanted something a little bigger. As luck would have it, a decent 225 pounder came loafing in a short while later. I was debating whether or not to shoot this bear, but when you're trying to get a TV show taped, you can't be too fussy. Believe me. Been there, done that! After some encouragement from Andy, I decided to take this bear. A smooth draw from my Renegade, and the shot was made, hitting slightly high, but lethal. Again, Bob was within radio distance and arrived shortly to congratulate and then help us out of the bush. On the afternoon of the following day, we were hangin' out with the boys again. Me, being the smart-ass that I am, told Bruce that I'd kiss his feet if I was to take a big, blond bear on this trip. And, I foolishly made this brave statement on camera! Remember in Alberta, you can take two bears on your hunt. I though, "What are the odds?" Now comes the really coooooooooooooool part. Now it's the next evening, which we'll call "RD's luckiest evening of his life." I know bear hunters who hunt every year, hoping for a blond coloured, trophy book bear. Well, I didn't have to wait very long.... After only an hour of watching several other smaller bears, in walked this enormous, blond coloured, trophy book bear! I couldn't believe it. It was so big in fact, that for a few seconds or so, I had to convince myself that this wasn't a grizzly, since there is the odd grizzly in the area. I looked over at Andy and he was already rolling. My heart was pounding so hard, that I actually took the release off my string, and turned and looked the other way for about 30 seconds. I also nearly pooped in my pants! (I said nearly.) I knew I had to calm down, or I'd screw this one up, big time! My other concern, was the possibility of having to kiss Bruce's feet "on camera" the next day!! But, I also knew this was indeed the opportunity that most guys wait a lifetime for, and some never get an opportunity like this one, ever. Well, that big boy knew that he was the boss. He came in with the utmost confidence, fearing nothing. After a couple of minutes munching down the food, courtesy of McKenzie Catering Ltd., he took a few steps toward us, and then it happened. The big, rowdy bear looked right into my eyes at about 10 yards. He stared right at us and he was very confident. Unmoving. Andy and I both knew that if this lad wanted to come up our tree, he could have, easily. But, remember, I'm the "Rugged Dude" and I'm not afraid of anything... let's just leave it at that, shall we? So, after what seemed like a year or two, but was really about a minute, the trophy bear made a move to his right. This gave me not the perfect quartering away shot, but a solid broadside shot at 9 yards that I just could not resist. After a quick check to make sure all was well with Andy and his camera, I brought my Tominator II to full draw. Wait, wait, wait, wait .... hold your breath, NOW! I gently squeezed the trigger of my Scott release aid. "YES, it's a good shot!" I reassured myself, cognitively. And away he went, running like a bat out of hell, with the arrow stuck inside, just behind the shoulder. Now at this point, I started talking to myself. "Okay, take a deep breath, check your pulse, then your underwear." Andy looked at me and said, "RD, you lucky $&*#% ! Wait till Bruce sees this!" So, out came the two-way radio. "RD to base camp... Hey, Bruce, it's RD, can you hear me?" "Go ahead RD," returned an eager sounding Bruce. "Um, could you please scrub your feet really well tonight? I am a man of my word," I returned. In no time Bruce arrived in his jet boat, gleaming with anticipation of not only seeing this trophy bear, but also of getting his feet kissed by a TV show host - on camera! The bear green scored 21 and ½ inches and squared out at 7'10". The weight was 425 throbbing pounds. Now that is a trophy of a lifetime. McKenzie Brothers Outfitting puts on a great hunt and a great time too. All the guides are veterans, and they even have an excellent taxidermist on sight. The food and accommodations are first rate, the best I've seen at a bear camp. There is a full time staff to cook your meals and take care of your needs while in camp. Bruce also provides top notch, trophy hunting for moose, deer, and goats. And, he has some of the best waterfowl hunting you could ever imagine. Believe me, just because I tape a show with an outfitter does not automatically mean I will recommend that outfitter to other hunters. I have no obligation to do so. However, in this case, well ..... yes, I recommend McKenzie. Trust me. And the foot thing? Yes, if you watch this episode on The Sportsman Channel, you'll see the Rugged Dude kissing Bruce's smelly, fungus infested feet. Yuk. In retrospect, I think he purposely didn't wash his feet at all that day... jerk. RD Carson, Host of "Officially
Rugged with " seen weekly on The Sportsman Channel. www.thesportsmanchannel.com.
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For
some reason, I had a good feeling about this trip, right from the
initial contact with Bruce McKenzie, during the winter of 2003.
As I've said many times before, with my "job" as a TV
guy, I get to travel a lot and I have been lucky enough to hunt
in some great areas of Canada and the US. One of the key reasons
for my optimism this time, was not only the area of Alberta in which
the hunt would take place, but also, the way Bruce handled himself
on the phone.