I have been fortunate enough to be in the hunting industry for 20 years now. I got my first guiding job at age 18, guiding caribou in northern Manitoba. Since then I have spent several months each year, travelling all over the country guiding biggame and waterfowl.

My fall season would start at Plummers Lodges, guiding caribou and Muskox by the Arctic Circle. From there I would travel to Northern Manitoba to hunt Central Barren Ground caribou, then southern Manitoba to guide waterfowl and then finish off with whitetail season.

In 2005 I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to purchase an outfitting territory of my own. Since then I have run Blackjack Outfitters, offering guided Manitoba Black Bear hunts at sold out capacity every season. In 2012 we made a deal which more than doubled the size of our Manitoba Black Bear hunting territory. This enabled us to offer the same quality hunt which we were selling out a year in advance to almost twice the number of hunters.

Each of my jobs in the hunting industry has taught me something about how to improve the guided black bear hunts we offer. When it comes down to it, honesty and hard work will lead to success in this industry. I won’t promise you a 500lb black bear, nor will I say you will get a chance at one of the color bears our area is known for. But I will promise myself and my staff will be honest and hard working and will do everything we can to make your Black Bear hunt in Manitoba an enjoyable experience.