Pine Acres Hunting Camp

Submitted by: John Fisher

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Review Submitted: Mar 16, 2012

Hunt Date: Mar 16, 2012

Species Hunted:

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Farmland

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

6 day rutt hunt

I am a return hunter with Chris.i have shot a chocolate Racked 9 point,a big 6 point,10 point with 15 inch bladed G2's,300# 6 1/2 year old 8 point.chris puts many hour in the bush preparing for his hunters.top notch lodging and suppers.very modern cabins.I am a single father it's a great hunt for the price. I will be a life customer god willing!!

Outfitter Response: John Fisher is a regular here. John enjoys the semi guided service as it allows him to use his own knowledge along with our set ups. Hunters at camp skin and quarter their own trophies in our facilities, along with cleaning up the room after themselves. He has taken a large wide rack 8 point along with a monster 10 point. Hunters take care of the skinning and quartering of the animal. Congrats John on your success!!

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Submitted by: DENNY SHEPOSH

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Review Submitted: Feb 22, 2012

Hunt Date: Aug 15, 2010

Species Hunted:

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Bow

Price Range: 1000-1999

black bears

I have hunted with Pine Acres for several years. Chris and Lottie run a quality operation in Vermillion Bay Ontario and Chris really knows bears. His baiting techniques are unique and very productive.You will enjoy your hunt with Chris and hopefully bag the trophy of a lifetime.

Outfitter Response: Denny is a regular here at Pine Acres. It all started at the All Canada Show in Indianapolis in 2008. Both Denny and his son have both harvested bear's with us using archery equiptment. Last year's bear (2012) was taken less than 5 minutes from main base camp in Vermilion Bay ( bait sites are from 2 to 50 miles from main base). He chooses us as he enjoyes the semi guided aspect. After arrival the first day he takes over the baiting of his very active site, along with traveling from camp to his bait with his own vehicle. His hunt cost less than $1200.00 plan#2!! The guides do the tracking and retrieving along with his groups help. It's a GREAT EXPERIENCE for everyone!! Thanks Denny, Pine Acres Bear Camp.

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Submitted by: Rodney Long

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Review Submitted: Sep 28, 2011

Hunt Date: Aug 28, 2011

Species Hunted:

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain:

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

Pine Acres Hunting Camp

Chris at Pine Acres can put you on the bears. This was the most relaxing hunt I have ever been on. Chris works very hard to know what the bears are doing as he is out scouting daily. I cannot wait to return.

Outfitter Response: Rod booked at the All Canada show in St.Louis, Mo. He wanted a semi- guided hunt where his wife could be in the same blind as him so she could film the hunt. He wanted a hunt that was resonably priced and successfull. He harvested a nice bear from a natural ground blind while his wife filmed his taking of his bear. The two enjoyed tracking and retrieving his trophy on their OWN, even though tracking and retrieving is part of a semi- guided hunt. He came back in 2012 with his son. He sat at a site where he was able to set up his own stand for the camera guy (Rod). We supply stands for the hunter. His son took a real nice bear about mid week. He saw multiple bear's. They again tracked and retrieved their own bear. Fully guided hunts in the Western provinces cost between $2600.00 to $4200.00 (guide does EVERYTHING!!!) He Paid $1000.00 semi-guided, for the same or better QUALITY BEAR as the western provinces (fully guided). ONTARIO MAKES MORE SENSE!!! Thanks Rod, Pine Acres Bear Camp.

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Submitted by: Alex Wick

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Review Submitted: Sep 25, 2011

Hunt Date: Sep 18, 2011

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain:

Method: Bow

Price Range: 1000-1999

Amazing Hunt

Outfitter Response: Alex and his cousin met me at the All Canada Show in Milwaukee. Alex was interested in wolf and bear by bow, his cousin John, just bear. Their hunt started week of Sept 15. Alex bagged his bear which weighed about 375, the wolf he tagged was about 80 lbs. His cousin John missed a nice bear. John saw multiple bear's throughout the week. Great job guys!!! Pine Acres Bear Camp.

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Submitted by: John Segraves

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Review Submitted: Sep 20, 2011

Hunt Date: not provided

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain:

Method: Bow

Price Range: 1000-1999

very disappointing

Very little that was promised was delivered on. Talking to Chris at the All Canada show, I told him I was enterested in a spot and stock type hunt as opposed to a bait hunt, he said no problem thats his prefered method, said that we could try that a few days and if I had no luck then I could head to the trees. Was told there would be baits ready if needed, with trail cam photos of whats coming in. There was two of use hunted from the outpost cabin, which happens to be very nice. I hunt with a bow, the other uses a gun. When I arived at camp, I was told the spot and stock option would be a total waste of time due to a lack of berries and it wasn't even concidered, I feel it should have been my decision. So I guess a bait hunt it is. Chris told me, on more than one ocassion that a combound bows affective range is only 18 yards or less and I blew it off figuring he probably has had to track wounded animals which left him with a bad and inaccurate opinion of archery equipment in the right hands. It became an issue though when I saw how close the stands where to the bait. Having never bear hunted before I didn't really say much, however it was obvious the first time I climbed in the stand that there was no way with the wind and the fact I was spitting distance from the bait, that I would see anything other than inmature bears if any at all, and thats all I saw, and there was no trail cam pic's to show that there were any mature bears coming during daylight hours. I'm sure if there were any, the first time I got in the tree 15 yards from the bait, the mature guys nailed me and went nocturnal. The bait robbers that did come in acted like they could get their butts kicked at any minute which told me the big guys are around but nothing showed. Over all I didn't feel like I had much control over what was going on, and didn't have enough time to improve the set ups. Likely will never bear hunt again if thats standard procedure. The guy with me got a pretty nice bear at about 75 yards with a rifle, scent was not as big an issue at that distance. I also kind of felt that probably the more you go back the better the stand location you would be assigned, who knows?

Outfitter Response: Mr. Seagraves PICKED our remote outpost because: #1 His cousin was here the year before with a hunting partner and both were successfull (2010),with both of them thoughly enjoying themselves. #2 because of the remoteness and the do-it yourself concept. We supply treestands but I asked Mr. Seagraves ahead of time to bring a spare lockon. They knew the cabin was atv access only, outhouse and the electricity involved going outside to start the generator. We supply the jerry can of gas for the generator. Water was delivered. No guide is available to help with retreiving, tracking etc. This is why they picked this camp. They can however phone if they needed help in tracking & retreiving, we received no such phone call! We tried to contact them by phone to organize a checkup but no answer. When I checked on them they were not around. #3 because the walleye fishing is normally tremedous. I did mention he could hunt in the berry patches if the blue berries are still around at the time of the hunt. We had a frost in June which killed alot of the flowers but still had a crop of berries up to when the drought started in early Aug. The berries all dried up. I reported to him a month before he arrived that the berry patches were not avaiable to hunt over. The BONUS of no berries is that the baits were EXTREMELY active!! Both Mr. Seagraves and his cousin HARVESTED bears. His cousin bagged a nice boar, Mr. Seagraves took a chocolate bear. If someone harvests a small bear that is their decision. A big boar was still actively using the bait after he took the chocolate bear. He mentioned he could harvest his bear with a 40 yard shot after walking in a noisy clear cut. I told him MANY TIMES I would not recommend such an iffy shot. He had a hard time listenning to me. My concerns were brought forward months before he arrived. I will ALWAYS recommend only ETHICAL shots at bears or any other animal. Some hunters will get mad at me for my stance on this issue. I have two other helpers at camp, one was still learning the ropes of baiting bears and public relations. Many of this years hunters enjoyed my helpers. This person (baiter) never leaves my side while in the field. The new guide (baiter) has to start somewhere. After Mr. Seagraves hunt, he asked if I would DONATE a hunt to his hunting club. I said I would prefer not to. He seemed taken aback at my answer. If he did not enjoy his hunt, WHY would he want me to donate a hunt to his club!!! I enjoyed having thse two hunters as clients and am sorry they were not happy. I would encourage them to bring up their concerns before they leave their outfitters place. Thank you NEXT HUNT for bringing this to my attention. Chris Lavoie, Pine Acres Bear Camp.

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Submitted by: Bob Kohler

Review Submitted: Sep 9, 2011

Hunt Date: Aug 28, 2011

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

Bear Hunt with Pine Acres Bear Camp

My adventure at Pine Acres actually began at the All Canada show last winter. I had absolutely no intention of booking a hunt when I went, but stopped by the Pine Acres booth out of curiosity. It was there that I met Chris Lavoie and one of his guides. Almost immediately, it became apparent that this was a very different operation. They are first and foremost a hunting outfitter, specializing in Bear, Deer and Wolves. Most folks you talk to are really fishing outfits that try to pass themselves off as hunting outfitters - not these guys. It was obvious that they were extremely knowledgeable, experienced and provided an affordable hunt - with a unique twist. Not only do they hunt over bait like everyone else does, but they also offered the opportunity to do a spot and stalk hunt. After a quick call call home to get the boss's approval, I booked my hunt. As the time for the hunt drew near, I received an information package from Chris that contained a list of the critical items needed to ensure a safe and legal hunt. Upon arrival at Pine Acres I was pleasantly surprised to find I was in a brand new cabin with indoor plumbing, electricity and Cable TV. I even had decent cellphone service. This was much more than I have become accustomed to on my yearly fly-in fishing trips and was clean and very comfortable. The camp is centrally located in Vermilion Bay so you have quick access to fuel, groceries and restaurants. The one disappointment of the trip was that the spot and stalk I was very interested in was not available due to vegetation growth in the blueberry patches reaching a point that prevented the spotting part of the spot and stalk. As such, my hunt was over bait. This is a semi-guided hunt and being a relative newbie to bear hunting I had a number of questions. Chris handled each and every one in a very thorough and satisfactory manner. Obviously he cannot predict and prepare a hunter for every situation he may encounter so for those with questions do not be afraid to ask. I found him to be very approachable and personable, and to have very sound advice. Just hit him up first thing in the morning as he works his way through multiple pots of coffee or at night after the evening meal. You generally will not find him during the day as he is out in the bush baiting or scouting. Either Chris or one of his guides will personally take you to your stand on the first evening of the hunt and make sure that your bait is ready to go. Hint: If you are into extreme adrenalin rushes make sure your guide leaves you an extra bag of bait at the bottom of your tree stand - it will lead to a very exciting up and close and personal encounter with your quarry! The first two nights of my hunt each resulted in VERY close encounters with a big sow and two cubs. This bear had not been seen previously on trailcam photo's at this site and was very aggressive. She had apparently chased off the nice Boars that Chris did have pictures of and claimed the site as her own. Chris offered the opportunity to move to either another bow tree stand or a rifle ground blind. I let him pick the spot that he thought would have the best chance to fill my tag. It was the first night on that new stand that I took my very first bear, which was a completely thrilling experience. I must say that Chris and his guides work exceptionally hard at making sure that each and every guy in camp is given the best opportunity to take an animal, and that animal is recovered quickly and stored in the cooler as soon as possible. I was very impressed by the fact that a hunting TV show crew was in camp, and that they were treated just like everyone else in camp - No preferential treatment whatsoever. The other thing that I would like to cover is camp life - what happens when it is not hunting time. Chris's wife Lonnie prepares excellent nightly meals which are served in the main lodge. That lodge becomes the social heart of camp where friends are made, stories are swapped and the next day's activities are planned. If you like, fishing is available and Lonnie can help you get started with great information on shore fishing sites as well as providing access to boats, motors etc for fishing the nearby Eagle or Wabigoon rivers. There is also an area in camp that can be used to warm up with your bow, but you will probably need to bring your own target. All things considered Pine Acres provided an outstanding experience at an affordable price; one that I am certain to do again.

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Submitted by: David Lance

Review Submitted: Sep 8, 2011

Hunt Date: Aug 28, 2011

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

Pine Acres Bear Camp

I recently completed a bear hunt with Chris Lavoie of Pine Acres Bear Camp that was a wonderful experience. I have to digress for a moment and tell you that I hunted at Pine Acres Bear Camp last year and it wasn't exactly a wonderful experience. The hunt was successful in that 3 of the 4 hunters in my party took bears but, I was injured by a negligent guide operating an ATV unsafely. I knew this injury would leave me unable to walk for the rest of the week so on that day I took a smaller bear than I would have liked. Because Chris Lavoie runs a top-notch operation with a lot of integrity, he re-imbursed the money I paid for last years trip and invited me and a friend to come up and hunt this year at his expense...with a better package deal than I paid for last year. There were 10 hunters in camp this year and at the time I left, which was a day early, 7 of 10 hunters had taken bears. Those of us who hunted last year agreed the bears were on average, bigger this year than last. The facilities at the camp are excellent and the chow provided by Lottie Lavoie and her help is some of the best I have had in any camp. It's tough these days to find an outfitter or any business who will consistently go the extra mile for their customers. We've all seen plenty of horror stories where hunters have had a miserable experience with their outfitter and the outfitter could care less. Despite the injury the year before I would recommend Chris Lavoie's Pine Acres Bear Camp operation to anyone because he's customer oriented, cares about what people think of his operation, will do the right thing, and has great hunter success.

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Submitted by: Skip Brickell

Review Submitted: Sep 7, 2011

Hunt Date: Aug 28, 2011

Species Hunted:

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Hunt Type

Primary Terrain:

Method: Rifle

Price Range:

Black Bear Hunt, Ontario

Just returned from my 4th hunt with Pine Acres Camp, Vermillion Bay, Ontario. Bagged a very nice bear my first evening in the stand. Chris is a superb bear man and makes sure there are numerious baits that are active. The evening meals were great and plentiful, Lottie does a top notch job. Nothing is ever guranteed but Chris puts the time and hard work into ensuring the opportunity is there. I actually had a bear put his head into the window of our truck while waiting for my partner in a stand nearby. Needless to say the bear continued on to my partners stand and will now become a rug. Excellent value, fishing is great, took a nice 24 inch Walleye.

Outfitter Response: Skip hunted with us the first time in the early 90's. He's been here 3 times since. He's tagged 3 bear's here at Pine Acres Bear Camp. It's been a pleasure being your guide!! Thanks, Chris.

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Submitted by: Joe Hitchings

Review Submitted: Sep 1, 2011

Hunt Date: Aug 21, 2011

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain:

Method: Muzzleloader

Price Range: 1000-1999

Great Bear Hunt10

Chris and Lottie have a great camp with excellent clean accomendations. He has multiple bear management units and does not overhunt any of them and that is why the bear hunting is great. You will probably see multiple bears or the first one you see may be the one you want. I would definately recommend this outfit if you want to take a bear.

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Submitted by: Eric Trukovich

Review Submitted: Sep 1, 2011

Hunt Date: not provided

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Semi-Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Bow

Price Range: 1000-1999

great color phase hunt!!!!!

well we just returned from our hunt at pine acres camp! and man did we have a great time! when i booked this hunt with chris i told him i wanted a color phase or a P&Y class black bear. or i would probably go home without one. because after all the main goal was for my wife to get her first bear. so with that said now i can tell you chris gave me all of the above and more! my wife got her bear on the same night i shot mine. hers was a black bear that she could not have been more happy with! and mine was a huge choclate that weighed well over 300lbs and should go P&Y! not to mention the huge black bear that i blew my shot at two nights befor all of this. he was b&c forsure! and that was just the hunting! i left pine acres feeling like i had made some new friends and had a wonderful time! 13 in camp and everyone had fun and seen bears! i seen 7 different bears in my 4 nights on stand! what more could you ask for?

Outfitter Response: Eric mentioned he had taken a few bear's on previous trips to Quebec. He also mentioned he had alot of fun during these bear hunting trips, (no regrets). He asked me before he booked with me if I could get him a coloured bear, something he hasn't had the oportunity to do. I said I couldn't guarantee anything but I could put camera's out pre hunt to see what I could do. Well he went home with a LARGE chocolate bear with a blond streak down it's back. His wife took a nice black bear after seeing many up till she released her arrow. They hunted my far North area out of my permanently built tree stands. Eric's bait site name was BEAR FACTORY!! He now knows why. Erics comming back in 2013. Thanks Eric, Pine Acres Bear Camp.

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note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.

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