Mike Bickerton is an outstanding hunting guide, who we are very appreciative to have assisting our guests during their bear or moose hunt. Mike takes the success of each hunt personally, and this is evident in the amount of thought and hard work he puts into every hunt.
He has successfully hunted Moose, Black Bear, White Tailed Deer, Caribou, small game and waterfowl for over 26 years.
Mike lives near Barrie, Ontario with his daughters Nichole and Kaitlyn. He is a Police Officer with the Ontario Provincial Police, and, as much as he enjoys his profession, he’d rather be “in the great outdoors”.
His love for the outdoors began with fishing as a young boy, which evolved to include what has become a passion-nearing obsession with hunting since the late 1970’s.
Like most, Mike began hunting with a gun but was introduced to archery and for some time has preferred to primarily hunt with a bow.
His hunting accomplishments have resulted from a combination of:
- Obtaining as much information about the game being pursued as possible from both practical, hands-on situations as well as from personal study through reading and from contacting field experts and biologists.
- Pestering or otherwise hanging around experienced and respected sources for information, tricks and even some of their secrets.
- Persistence and innovation.
- Good old-fashioned luck!! (at times)
His purpose and goal is to assist you in having an enjoyable, memorable, successful and safe hunt to the degree that you’ll be planning your next trip to Popular Ridge Lodge before your current one is completed. (This has often been the case!). You will hear Mike say that “this is your hunt” and nothing is done arbitrarily or without your input and participation in strategizing.
Bear Hunting
Mike has hunted and guided bear hunts in different parts of Ontario and Quebec and has had the pleasure of seeing literally hundreds of bears in the wild. He has continued to learn bear biology and behavior that he is happy to share. He has also amassed skills and experience with respect to tracking bears. When partnered with Darrel you will have a dedicated team, who has spent dusk to dawn hours literally crawling through the bush on successful tracks.
Moose Hunting
Archery hunters in Ontario are permitted to hunt Moose during the prime-rutting period which general occurs in Northern Ontario from mid-September to early October. During this time hunting the call is Mike’s preferred method. He learned to call Moose from two of the best, his friends, Mike Hartling an accomplished and respected traditional bow hunter who can literally talk to the Moose, and Jerry Boudreault (Northern Ontario Professional Hunting Guides). With the techniques Mike has learned and developed you can expect “up close and personal” encounters with a bull Moose i.e. as close as 5 yards during the archery season.
The rifle season usually begins in mid October. Hunting the call can still be extremely effective during this period but you can also plan for some spot and stalk experiences by land and by water. The gun hunt at Poplar Ridge Lodge is a semi-guided hunt.
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