This bear season, Ava Sand, 14, of Mishicot, spent six days bait sitting and waiting for a bear to come and enjoy some sweet treats in Zone B, north of High Falls Flowage.

Ava spent those days with her dad, Josh Sand, and her grandpa, Mark Cretton.

Unfortunately, those six days were uneventful. So, with no movement, they reached out to Michael (Oscar) Stueck and his crew, along with their five hounds.

On Sept. 15, the first day with hounds, they drove, and the rig dog hit pretty quickly. They released the hounds, and the hunt was on.

This bear was not going to give in easily, though, and the chase went on for a couple of hours before the bear finally treed.

They made the trek into the woods through some thick brush to the barking dogs.

Around 9 a.m., Ava’s hunt was finally over.

Dragging the bear more than an hour was no easy task, either. They knew it was a big bear but wouldn’t realize just how big until they got back to camp. That’s when they weighed it.

Big smiles crossed all their faces when they called out that the gross weight was — 410 pounds!

Ava said this was a once-in-a-lifetime hunt with many memories she will never forget.

She will also have a nice shoulder mount to remember her hunt.

Read last week’s column:Sportsman’s Banquet winners and more in the latest Manitowoc outdoors report

Gun Club, Pink Heals team up for fundraising trap shoot

Manitowoc Gun Club along with Pink Heals of Manitowoc County will hold a fundraising trap shoot Nov. 9.

Registration is from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Cost is $30 to shoot with $5 going to Pink Heals and $5 going into the Lewis purse.

This is a 50-target event shot from the 16-yard line. They will have food, refreshments and fun for all.

Manitowoc Gun Club is at 3112 Clover Road, just south of Manitowoc. Direct questions to Fred Hansen at 920-905-4466 or email lhansen391@gmail.com.

Viking Bow & Gun Club plans sight-in days, rummage sale

Viking Bow & Gun Club, 13431 Rusch Road, Valders, is holding gun sight-in days from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nov. 9-10.

Also, Viking will hold its Sportsmen’s Rummage Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 9. Tables are on a first come, first served basis with one table per person.

Valders processer accepting deer

Scott Bratz of BRW Processing, 512 W. Washington St., in Valders is again accepting deer and will cut them to your specifications.

New this year, they are offering tenderizing for an additional fee.

Give Scott a call at 920-901-8486 to make arrangements to drop off your deer.

Woodland Dunes plans Wild Wanderers Nov. 23

Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve, 3000 Hawthorne Ave., Two Rivers, will present “Wild Wanderers: Canines, Foxes, Coyotes, Wolves, oh my!” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 23.

Cost is $3 per child for members or $4 per child for non-members.

Learn about the cool canines that live in this area and what awesome adaptations they have to make them such great hunters.

A complimentary program to Woodland Dunes’ Raising a Wild Child series, Wild Wanderers is for children ages 5-8 and an adult. Take a deeper dive into various nature topics through guided activities, games and nature hikes.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Some portions of the program will be led by staff, while others will be for families to explore on their own.

Those attending should dress for the weather. A majority of the program takes place outdoors.

Registration is required by the Monday before the event, and space is limited. To register, email Jess at jessicaj@woodlanddunes.org or call 920-793-4007.

Rifle & Pistol Club’s Deer Hunters’ Sight-In is Nov. 9-10 and 16-17

Manitowoc Rifle & Pistol Club, north of Two Rivers between State 42 and County O on Viceroy Road at 7227 Sandy Hill Lane, will host its annual Deer Hunters’ Sight-In from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nov. 9, 10, 16 and 17.

The event is open to the public. People can register at the clubhouse and cost is $5 per gun. They will have 25-yard, 50-yard and 100-yard ranges in operation. The facility features indoor range stations sheltered from the weather. Each range station is staffed with a spotter/coach when in use. Lunch will be available inside the clubhouse.

For more information, go to manitowocrifleandpistol.com.

Maribel club’s last sight-in days are Nov. 9-10

Nov. 9 and 10 are the last days of the gun sight-in days at Maribel Sportsmen’s Club. The range will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. both days.

Cost is $5 per gun and includes target, spotting scope and help with the sight-in process.

Maribel Sportsmen’s Club is next to Interstate 43, exit 164, State 147, Maribel.

Deer poaching:Deer poaching probe across 3 Wisconsin counties results in arrest of 3 teen boys and 1 woman, all from Campbellsport

Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game meets Nov. 13

The Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game’s November meeting is set for Nov. 13. The meeting starts at 7 p.m., and both members and the community are always welcome.

The speaker for the November meeting will be Alek Henseler, environmental specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He will update the club on some of the initiatives and projects going on in the area and in Wisconsin. A time for questions and discussion will also be included.

Both the November and December meetings will be at the Manitowoc Gun Club, which partners with the Manitowoc Unit.

The club also announced it had a successful “Fish Fry for a Cause” program at Seven Lakes Golf and Dining. They are also now selling 2025 memberships for the club. 2024 has seen a slight increase in memberships, and the club thanks all for their overall support.

That’s it for this week, so have fun in the great outdoors.