An amazing Season

An Amazing Season
By Keith Denoncourt

Well, the 2025 Bear Season has officially come to a close for Non-Typical Nation. Wow! I cannot tell you how amazing it was to once again play the role of a hunter. Every aspect of my return to bear hunting has been fulfilled in a way I thought I had lost.

First and foremost, both bears were very respectfully harvested—mine with a .270, 150-grain, straight to the chest at 15 feet, and Brody placed an arrow from his new APA bow perfectly into the lungs of a larger bear.

However, it was the teamwork that meant the most to me. The effort it took for me to allow myself to harvest another bear was no small feat. Brody spent countless hours scouting and developing these bear locations. Throughout the year, he also built up the bait supplies so that both the initial baiting and rebaiting process went smoothly. The Reconeco trail cameras we used were absolutely amazing—they saved us a tremendous amount of time, energy, and resources. This allowed us to focus solely on our targeted bears.

I cannot tell you how proud I was when Brody called to say an arrow had been sent toward “MR. KINGPIN” using his new APA bow. It was an incredibly well-planned harvest. When I got to him, Brody looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Keith, I got him right in the middle….” Although there was some hesitation at first—almost no blood sign—I knew, without a doubt, that his bear wouldn’t be far. The tracking was incredibly difficult, but the confidence in Brody’s voice told me everything I needed to know: it was a true shot.

Both Brody and I take great pride in diligence. In no time, we worked together to recover his bear. With both harvests, it was our sequence of preparation and training that allowed for such a rewarding outcome.

I’m forever grateful for the teamwork Brody displayed in helping me return to bear hunting in such a fulfilling way. Soon, the hide that he and his team from Dave Booth Taxidermy prepared will be turned into winter gear. That will take a bit of time—so stay tuned!

In the meantime, another friend of mine, Brad Fenson, is helping me out with some bear meat recipes. Brad has always insisted he could make bear meat taste good—and I must admit, I was hesitant. My past memories of bear meat were not the best. But Brad has never steered me wrong. Once I got set up with the right equipment, I visited his Harvest Your Own website and searched “Bear.” I found a couple of variations of his recipes—and let me tell you, they turned out absolutely amazing!

This whole experience has given me even more incentive to fill the freezer with bear meat next season!

Thank you for respecting wildlife. Always remember to support a nonprofit conservation organization.

If you have any questions about our adventures or want to get involved, don’t hesitate to reach out: kadenoncourt@gmail.com. We’d love to help you get started!

—Keith

My personal Trophy was just getting back, after a 30 year bear hunting absence, out in to the field after bears. I made it very clear that is a respectful harvest, winter gear and food that are my priorities. The 15 ft shot on a smaller inquisitive bear just made my decision easy for me. I was Blessed with an awesome early spring hide that was professionally prepared by Dave Booth Taxidermy. The fun part of creating winter products with my harvest has only just begun.

Harvesting a Bear, and working with Brody to bring these adventures to life with Non Typical Nation, this year in 2025 was too cool ! It met and exceeded any expectation that I had to make this beyond an ultra successful return to Bear hunting. We have already made plans for Bear Hunting 2026. Never hesitate to call (kadenoncourt@gmail.com) if you have any questions, or if we can help you get involved.

I am pretty proud of the hard work that Brody Teale put in to being able to successfully harvest “Mr.KingPin.” That was truly an amazing harvest that Brody made with his new APA bow. Beyond a doubt I can not wait to bring these moments to life for you ! It was such a rewarding experience that I do not know where to start, other to say that Dave Booth himself would be very proud of who his Grandson has become!

Special attention was given to avoid conflict on bear sites. In this case a young Grizzly popped in.

Special attention was given to avoid conflict on bear sites. In this case we had two sets of Sows with cubs coming in.

Dreams for 2026 are already going though my mind!

THE GOOD STUFF!

The freezing of Bear/ Pig meat for over 3 weeks, and with thorough cooking is one way to help kill any potential parasites.

These are some of the base ingredients found in a “Baked Bear Bean” recipe. The initial recipe is found on the Harvest Your Own website with Brad Fenson.

Baked Bear Bean slow cooked. This recipe has many applications I am using it as everything from a main course to a side entry.

Baked Bear Bean with buns

Baked Bear Bean as a dip

I mixed this years Bear meat with 30 % pig meat/fat. A pre packaged blend of spices was used for this 25 lb. recipe. Exact measurements were made.

This is my very first attempt at making sausages. I used a pre -packaged mixture for a 25 lb Maple breakfast recipe, combined with Maple smoke for 8 hours on low heat.

I used the BBQ to finish cooking these Bear sausages with a BBQ sauce glace . They turned out amazing !!!

I used the fry pan, and pig lard, to put the final touches to this smoked Bear breakfast sausage meat.

Smoked Bear breakfast sausages with eggs on toast. I love mine with a touch of hot sauce.