QUEBEC BRUINS

QUEBEC BRUINS

Al Raychard

A couple years ago I had an opportunity to hunt the Laurentide Reserve, 3,000-square miles of rolling hills and black spruce just north of Quebec City . The growing black bear population had become a problem over the years; up until then bear hunting was not allowed. To help get things in line, SEPAQ, the governmental agency that oversees all parks and reserves in the province, including Anticosti Island , decided to open the area to bear hunting for the first time. To make a long story short, the visit and hunt was a most successful experience and my brother, Dave and I saw several bear each day out and both claimed specimens measuring better than six feet. In fact, we had such a memorable time I hated to leave and looked forward to hunting the area again.

The opportunity came about this past winter, when I received a phone call from Dave Craig, owner and operator of a private fishing and hunting lodge called Manoir Brule, found just outside the reserve’s southeast border, about a 90-minute drive from Quebec City. For reasons still unclear, it seems SEPAQ decided it didn’t want to be in the bear outfitting business but did have a need to continue a managed harvest of bear within the reserve. To solve their dilemma, they divided the reserve into three sections and licensed established outfitters just outside the reserve boundaries to operate spring bear hunts within those exclusive territories starting in 2006.

One of the outfitters was Craig, who owns Gesti-Faune, Inc., a wildlife management group offering speckled trout fishing and moose hunting opportunities at their privately-owned lodge’s establishments, including the Manoir Brule Fishing Club. Spring black bear hunting was also offered but since the June hunting season coincides with the top brook trout fishing period, bear hunting was never aggressively pursued or advertised and the number of bear hunters and bears harvested was minimal at best. For nearly twenty years the prime focus at Manoir Brule has centered around catering to corporate or group packages; the fabulous native trout angling in its six private lakes and moose hunting in the fall. Individuals were welcome only when space was available. Clients were surrounded by first-class accommodations all the way and dined each evening on an award-winning cuisine that made the end of the day worth seeing. When Craig told me he had acquired the bear hunting rights to part of the Laurentide Reserve, told me about some changes he had in mind for the 2007 season and extended an invitation to visit and hunt the area, I jumped at the chance. Arrangements were made for my wife, Diane and I to make the trip the third week of June.

I must say, other than the opportunity to get back to this bear-rich area, I had an ulterior motive. About twenty years ago Diane and I had visited old Quebec City . For two days we stayed at the Chateau Frontenac and explored the historic old city. Being a history buff, I found the streets, squares, cobbled-stone streets of the Upper and Lower Towns and historic landmarks rather interesting. My wife enjoyed the European flare and shops of the old city, and we had always wanted to return. This past June was our wedding anniversary, so I figured we’d kill two birds with one stone.

Once again we booked a room at the Chateau Frontenac, the most recognizable landmark in Old Quebec. Built in 1893, it is the most photographed hotel in the world. Resembling an old European castle of sorts, the Chateau sits on Cape Diamond and commands a panoramic view of the St. Lawrence. Looking down on the Lower Town it is easy to speculate what the place was like in the 1700s. For the rest of the day and the next morning, we walked along Dufferin Terrace, a 200-foot long boardwalk that connects to The Governor’s Walk. This leads directly to the Citadel and the National Battlefields Park where in 1759 the British won a pivotal battle on the Plains of Abraham that won Quebec from the French. Battlefields Park covers 250-acres of forests and gardens along the river and is an interesting place to take a stroll viewing monuments, military hardware and interpretation centers. At the park’s center is a monument marking the spot where General Wolfe died in 1759. The Citadel, built by the Royal Engineers between 1820 and 1832 on the site of the original French defenses is the largest military fortification in North America , and is still garrisoned by regular troops of the Royal 22^nd Regiment.

We visited Rue du Tresor, a block from the Chateau where early colonist paid their taxes, hence the name Treasury Street . Today local artists display their work there, turning the narrow alley into a huge outdoor art gallery. The Augustine Museum is there, too, in the monastery of the Augustinian Sisters who founded the adjacent Hotel-Dieu Hospital in 1639. And there are churches. I can’t really say I am a religious man or regular church goer, but I found the place of worship interesting from a historical perspective. Visiting them, it is easy to understand how much religion played a part in the founding and settling of The New World.

The Notre-Dame Basilica dates back to a chapel built by Champlain in 1633. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity dates back to 1793 and is the oldest Anglican cathedral outside the British Isles . It is a replica of St. Martins-In-The-Field in London and contains numerous objects donated by King George III. Its pews are built of oak from the Royal Windsor Forest and in the balcony is a pew that may only be occupied by members of the Royal family or their representatives.

Beside the Chateau is a conveyor-like elevator that takes visitors down the Cape Diamond Cliffs to the Lower Town , site of the original settlement on the banks of the St. Lawrence. The elevator exits in the vintage house of Louis Jolliet, the discoverer of the Mississippi River . The house was built in 1683 and Jolliet lived there until his death in 1700. Just outside is the Petit Champlain District, the oldest commercial district in North America . A couple blocks to the east is Place Royale, where Champlain built his first house in 1603. The area also offers an array of galleries, museums, churches and shops to explore along narrow, cobbled-stone streets.

I mention all this primarily because Old Quebec is worth seeing. Diane and I love to hunt, and that was our primary goal on this trip, but Old Quebec City is a fascinating and interesting place, especially for the history buff. And anyone traveling through the city on a hunting trip would be remiss not to take a day or two to explore it.

More information can be obtained from Tourism Quebec at (800) 363-7777 or The Greater Quebec Area Tourism and Convention Bureau at (418) 522-3511.

By the following afternoon, Diane and I were ready to head for the woods, so we left the old city behind and headed east on Route 360 along the north shore of the St. Lawrence to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, and then north past Mont Sainte Anne and on to the lodge, Manoir Brule. The drive took about 90-minutes from the city, and after introductions we ate lunch as owner and operator David Craig told us about his plans.

While much will remain the same at Manoir Brule, Craig has some new and big things in the works for the 2007 spring season, not only at the Manoir Brule, but in the vast territory now under his control surrounding it. And there are several things that are really exciting about this place and the high possibilities of it becoming one of eastern Canada ’s premier spring bear destinations.

Much of this prediction is based on personal experience, the rest on the vast area now available to bear hunting and the fact that the bear population is largely untapped. As mentioned previously, I hunted the Laurentide Reserve in 2004 and personally saw at least fourteen bear if memory serves me correctly and my brother saw at least half that many. On my recent most trip this past spring with Diane, we saw a dozen bears in just three days of hunting. Two other hunters in camp also saw bear each day out, so there is no doubt the area surrounding the Manoir Brule has plenty of bears. In fact, during the 2006 spring season, Craig had permits to harvest thirty-five bears on his portion of the Laurentide Reserve, which covers some 500-square miles southeast of Grands Jardins National Park, but being the first year of offering bear hunts just seven hunters actually hunted and those hunters took only four bear, although all hunters saw bears and had an opportunity to fill their tags. Considering those numbers, the vast territory available and areas within it that haven’t been explored or set up for hunting, it is safe to say the bear population hasn’t even been scratched.

In fact, part of the reason why Craig was allotted so many permits rest in the fact the bear population simply hasn’t been hunted to any great extent and simply put, there are too many bears. Biologists believe the bear density in and around the Laurentide Reserve is one of the highest in Quebec . This is moose hunting country and the locals basically pay bears little or no mind, particularly during the spring and prime fishing season. A few bears might be harvested coincidentally during the fall moose hunt but the numbers taken traditionally are inconsequential.

Another reason for the spring bear hunt is there is evidence bears are killing an increasing number moose calves, and moose in this part of Quebec are what whitetails are to hunters in the United States . This is also the area of the Laurentide Reserve where a small herd of woodland caribou was introduced back in the 1960s. The herd has never expanded as much as expected and one of the reasons according to biologists is black bear predation. A certain number of tags issued to Craig each year will allow the hunter to harvest two bears, although the actual number of two-bear tags will not be known until March, once biologists assess the population after this years hunt and winter hibernation.

But the 500-square miles of territory within Laurentide Reserve is not the only area Craig has available for bear hunting. The Manior Brule sits on 8,000-acres of privately owned land and this past spring steps were taken to establish a number of bait sites on this parcel for the 2007 season. Bears coming into those sites probably have never seen or had any previous experience with a bait site and have not been hunted to any extent during the spring season.

But that is not all. Bordering the Laurentide Reserve and surrounding Craig’s private holdings is the Beaupre’ Seignory, a 600-square mile piece of private woodland owned by the Quebec Seminary. This huge chunk of land has been in the possession of the Seminary since 1668, and according to Craig is one of the oldest and largest tracts of privately owned woodlands in North America . The “Seminary” as it is called, is dotted with private fishing and hunting clubs that have exclusive hunting rights on their respective territories. Practically all the hunting, however, is in the fall for moose with few if any members of these clubs hunting bear in the spring. Since moose are so popular, and considering the rising predation situation, Craig is negotiating with these clubs to allow his hunters access to these lands during the 2007 June bear season. While nothing is set in stone as of this writing, they should be by spring, and while at present Craig only has the 500-square miles within the Laurentide Reserve and his 8,000-acres around Manoir Brule, once negotiations are complete several hundred square miles of prime hunting area should be added to his potential hunting territory.

During the spring of 2007, Craig will be offering several different hunts. During the week of June 17-22 there will be a full American Plan hunt out of the Manoir Brule. The package will include double occupancy bedrooms each with its own private bathroom, all meals, baited sites or ground blinds, guide service (1 guide per 4 hunters), daily transportation to and from the hunting area, trophy care and preparation for transport home and trout fishing with boat, motor and gasoline for the non-hunting hours. Hunters can either drive to lodge or arrangements can be made in advance for pickup at the airport in Quebec City . The basic cost will be $2,399/Canadian per hunter. The Manoir Brule can comfortably accommodate up to fourteen hunting and non-hunting guests and spouses are welcome. The cost for non-hunting guests will be $1,199/Canadian.

As mentioned previously, this was one of the most enjoyable hunts in my nearly thirty years of bear hunting. The only thing I did not particularly care for was the long drive to and from our hunting areas each day. Diane and I lodged at the Manoir Brule but because new baits were just being established on the manoir property we actually hunted on the Laurentide Reserve, and our stands were forty-five minutes to one hour away from the lodge. Starting with the 2007 spring season, however, hunters hunting out of the main lodge will hunt closer to the lodge. The actual hunting site may be on manoir property or just over the border in the reserve or Seminary, but driving time each day will be greatly reduced.

In addition to the Manoir Brule hunt, a new lodge will be ready for next spring. It was being built during our visit and should be completed by the time this report goes to press with finishing touches done by next spring. The new log lodge is on Lac Bouchard, which is on Seminary property, but just outside the reserve boundary and offers hot/cold running water, fully equipped kitchen and bath, three double occupancy bedrooms and other amenities. Lac Bouchard Lodge will not only provide much faster and more convenient access to the various hunting sites, with most requiring less than a thirty minute drive according to Craig, but will also open up some areas of the reserve and Seminary property that have not been hunted.

Both Housekeeping and American Plan hunts will be provided from the Lac Bouchard Lodge. Because the entire area is rather mountainous and some 2,700-feet above sea level spring comes late so the bear season is rather short. It will run just three weeks from June 15-30. The Housekeeping hunts will accommodate up to six hunters and will include accommodations, baited stands, trout fishing, a camp man and game storage. This is a basic, more of a do-it-yourself hunt, and since hunters must provide their own meals, sleeping bags or linen, ground transportation to and from the hunting areas each day and take care of their own game (field dressing and skinning), it is best for hunters who drive to the lodge. Cold storage will be provided for your game. The cost will be $1,499/Canadian.

The American Plan option will accommodate just four hunters per week, either one group of four or two groups of two. The package will include meals, bedding and linen, baited stands, trophy care and cold storage and trout fishing during the down time. Hunters driving to the lodge will still have to provide their own transportation to and from the hunting sites. However, arrangements can be made to pick up hunters flying into Quebec City about 90-minutes away, and to provide daily transport to the hunting areas for an additional cost. The basic cost will be $2,099/Canadain. Each hunt, the European or American Plans, will offer five days of hunting. Not included in the price are the cost of licenses, currently $125/Canadian for bear and $22 for fishing, and applicable taxes of 6% GST and 7.5 QPST. On any of these hunts, hunters can legally hunt with rifles in calibers suitable for black bear, muzzleloaders, archery gear or crossbows.

This is a great spot folks, as yet undiscovered and untapped as far as black bear hunting goes and I was most pleased to have the opportunity to hunt the area a second time, and no doubt will do so again. There is no doubt once word gets out it will be in hot destination. Based upon my past experienced there and what I have seen and what is available, you might want to get in on it before it gets too hot!

For more information contact Mr. David Craig, 205, 1re Avenue, Stoneham , Quebec , Canada , G0A 4P0;

Telephone 1-(418) 848-5424; e-mail: dcraig@gestifaune.com or visit their web site at www.gestifaune.com.

Al Raychard is a full time writer from Maine whose by-line has appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Al is the Editor-At Large for Bear Hunting Magazine and the author of “Hunting America ’s Bear,” a guide to hunting black bears. Al and his wife, Diane travel extensively to hunt bears and other big game.