Hello

Howdy.

My fellow Scoundrel Sideswipe was kind enough to extend an invitation to join you gentlemen in this new endeavor.  I'm a Michigan native who has been infatuated by the American Black Bear for more than 35 years, and when I can't pursue them myself or introduce others to the hunt, like nothing better then to sit around a campfire with a good cigar and a half-way decent beer and talk about bruins with like-minded folks. 

I suppose like many of you, I began pursuit of black bears for the thrill of hunting something "dangerous", but it wasn't long before I became captivated with these unique and fascinating creatures and the desire to learn as much as I could about them truly became an obsession.  I've harvested enough bears where I have to remove a boot to count 'em, and although I still love to sit on a bait...any time spent in the presence of bears are good times indeed...I've become rather selective and get as much enjoyment from simply watching them as I do from harvesting another.  Just as much time now is spent helping others realize their dreams.

All of my efforts pursuing and studying bears have occurred in the central and western end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, an area that holds my spirit as much as the bears themselves.  Nothing makes me happier than spending a mid-September afternoon on a bear bait in that glorious country, the woods ablaze with fall color, a slight whiff of honey, pork fat, and beaver castor carried by the breezes, all the while listening to the sounds surrounding you...

The hollow whoosh of a raven's wings followed by his adenoidal cronk as he circles the bait.
The not-so-distant, mechanized chatter of a red squirrel, alarmed by the presence of a large predator.
The absolute silence of the approaching shadows, just before his arrival.
The trip hammer thump of your own heart, loud enough you fear he may hear...even though you've done this so many times before.
The unmistakable death moan, clearly audible despite the mild ringing in your ears.

Ok. ok!...maybe that's laying it on a little too thick.  Anyhow, permission to enter the camp?

Roe