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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Planning Forum 2025 Bug, Bear and Blueberry Reports Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| BandanaDan |
09/19/2025 01:46PM Recently spent a night on Upper Pauness, on the peninsula site across from the 37 rod portage. Did not see a bear, but in the morning the Bearvault had been moved and the lid was chewed up. |
| loneranger |
08/24/2025 02:59PM Just came off a 5-night basecamp trip on Red Rock and we saw a bear one evening near the center of the lake on the West side. It came down to the water and then slowly walked back into the forest. As far as bugs go they were minimal at most, allowing us to stay up late by the fire or playing cards without being sent to our tents. |
| Mad_Angler |
08/19/2025 05:16PM Weekend of Aug 8-12. Stayed on Alpine and Seagull. Saw no bears. Saw no blueberries. Mosquitoes were really nonexistent except for the 30 minutes around dusk. At that time, they were crazy thick and almost unbearable... |
| 4keys |
08/18/2025 08:47PM Just back from ep23 Mudro 8/17/25. Over to Fourtown and stayed on Boot. No bugs on the portages, no bugs in camp until after 8 pm (actually on our last night skeeters didn’t come out until 10 so we actually saw a lot of stars). Some sort of bee was very active and humming nonstop in the trees from morning to dusk. No bears, no blueberries, but a lot of rose hips. |
| staum314 |
08/18/2025 05:25PM We got slaughtered on the S. Kawish 8/11-16. |
| OgimaaBines |
08/18/2025 01:03PMCanoeViking: "I just got back from SAG and other than the witching hour. The bugs were not too bad but when that hour came, you had better take shelter." Just back from the Disappointment area, and ditto. Not too bad when you can get into a crosswind otherwise dusk, dawn, and still areas were pretty bad. |
| CanoeViking |
08/11/2025 08:15PM I just got back from SAG and other than the witching hour. The bugs were not too bad but when that hour came, you had better take shelter. |
| gotwins |
08/04/2025 10:07PM We had hardly any last week. It was wonderful! |
| 4keys |
08/04/2025 07:51PM Gotwins… we are heading up next week and are planning on going through Fourtown. Not sure how far we’ll get, but it’s good to know about that bear so we’ll try to avoid those sites. Have the mosquito numbers gone down? We usually don’t worry about them too much in August, but I want to be prepared, |
| gotwins |
08/02/2025 10:08PM Just got back on 8/2/25 from Fourtown. We encountered a bear at site 1111 on the south end of Fourtown, middle one on the peninsula. The southernmost sites on the lake, two of which are very close together. There are a ton of ripe raspberries, but also a bold bear who stole our cooler pack from our camp while two in our group were napping and the other two of us were fishing off a rock 30 yards away (our stupid mistake, we should have had it back in the blue barrel after having lunch, feel horrible about this, as we contributed to a problem bear). We assumed it was a bear, but weren't sure. The next morning, while cooking pancakes, our concerns were confirmed when Yogi came marching down the trail from the latrine towards our site. Silent as can be, we spotted him and chased him off. He kept returning. We finished breakfast, packed up, and left a note warning others. Reported it to the outfitter today, they said the word was already out from the Forest Service in an email, and we weren't the first to have a visit from this bear. Be bear aware out there, be better than we were with the food storage after eating a meal. These bears are as slient as ghosts coming into the campsite. We still feel horrible about what happened. |
| portagerunner |
07/22/2025 01:15PMCharlie: "Heading up tomorrow with two other dads and six daughters. Entering Thursday on Granite River Route. Dads are around 40 and the girls between 12-15. I’m debating bringing a 20 lb Eureka No Bug Zone. I’d never bring it on a normal trip. I’ve been going up for 30 years with a total of about 70 trips, but just beginning my foray into introducing others and taking pre-teens. I know it’s heavy but with 75% of the crew being newbies I don’t want them to hate the trip because of bugs. We plan on doubling portages so maybe bring it?? I’m flummoxed and could use your advice." I wouldn't think twice about bringing it with that mix of a group and this time of year. With six kids 12-15 you'd only regret not bringing it in my opinion. |
| Charlie |
07/22/2025 11:17AM Heading up tomorrow with two other dads and six daughters. Entering Thursday on Granite River Route. Dads are around 40 and the girls between 12-15. I’m debating bringing a 20 lb Eureka No Bug Zone. I’d never bring it on a normal trip. I’ve been going up for 30 years with a total of about 70 trips, but just beginning my foray into introducing others and taking pre-teens. I know it’s heavy but with 75% of the crew being newbies I don’t want them to hate the trip because of bugs. We plan on doubling portages so maybe bring it?? I’m flummoxed and could use your advice. |
| loneranger |
07/21/2025 05:32AM Just got back from a 3 day, 2 night trip to Snipe and would say the mosquito situation was abusive in the morning hours, but only in the woods or inside our screen room until we got the Thermacell up and running. Honestly though they weren't bad and throughout the day they were nonexistent for the most part. In the evening hours we were in our tent prior to the evening swarm but we could hear them all night from inside the tent. No bears or berries. |
| LakeNomad |
07/19/2025 10:51PM Just did Round lake to Seagull via Mora and Little Sag from 7.13 to 7.17, no blueberries, some raspberries though. Mosquitos were the normal early morning and evening swarms. The only exception being a Thursday site on Ogish that we backed out of after initially hauling the packs up. We were swarmed by thirsty mosquitos mid-day and after exchanging thoughts on the matter retreated to an island site on the lake. It may have been the heavy cedar trees populating the site, had a similar experience years ago. For what it's worth, our shuttle driver from Tusacora who picked us up said they were expecting a later July hatch this year due to weather. Time will tell. |
| bmaines |
07/13/2025 03:07PM East or west side? |
| NatureCall |
07/13/2025 08:04AM July 3rd - 12th. We found ripe Blueberries the whole time and it should only get better. Black flies were bad on 4th and 5th but not after that. Mosquitoes were very light, until the last day. Not sure if the 6" of rain we had during the trip had something to do with the mosquitoes that last day. No Bear signs. |
| egknuti |
06/27/2025 08:24AM Did not use any bug spray this trip. A few pesky mosquitoes early morning and a moments when the gnats descended and swarmed my cooking area. Deer flies finally came out and gave me a few nasty bites. |
| cheezmaker89 |
06/26/2025 10:11PM Just got back yesterday from a trip out of Cross Bay - #50 (6/20 - 6/25) Bugs were not bad at all on Long Island, Snipe and Missing Link. A few swampy areas on the portages were a minor problem. Blueberries were just starting to turn color on Snipe. Wild strawberries were ripe if you know where to look. No big mammals to speak of. |
| grizzlyadams |
06/24/2025 04:05PM Back from Stuart - bugs weren’t too bad. Gnats and flies were bothersome at times but not bad. Mosquitoes came out in force the Saturday night after the big storms and drove us into the tents early. Black flies were terrible in the parking lot of Stuart. No bears. |
| MaxG |
06/22/2025 04:36PM Entered on Lizz and stayed on Caribou on 6/13. Wind kept the mosquitoes away, but had a few bite us back where we pitched the tents. Overall, they were not bad at all. Another group told us they had a bear come in their site on the north side of Gaskin. They said the bear came two nights in a row but never disturbed them. Went in Brule on 6/19. Bugs were not bad at all. |
| MCHammer1 |
06/16/2025 02:59PM Fall Lake to Pipestone 6/11 - 6/15: Bugs were super mild, and the wind was light so I assume the frosty nights have the mosquitos on hold. Flies and gnats not bad either. Very enjoyable trip compared to other June trips I've done where the mosquitos were absolutely THICK. No bears or moose sightings. Heard a distant wolf howl one early dawn in Pipestone bay area but no visual sighting. |
| Explor8ion |
06/15/2025 08:01AM Went in from the north (Stanton Bay) for two weeks starting on May 31. Mossies were very thick - our bug jackets saved us on portages. Once the winds picked up in the later half of the trip they calmed somewhat. A few ticks but nothing brutal. No bears, no moose, no wolves, no flies and gnats were only bad for a few days. |
| portagerunner |
06/12/2025 08:00AM Entered/exited through Sag 5/31-6/7 and made loop through knife area. No bear sign; came across wolf scat not far from monument portage. Bugs were virtually non-existent besides a few mosquitos at dusk. Didn't put on a head net or use bug spray the whole week. |
| WesternHills |
06/12/2025 12:49AM Temperance River (EP #39 Baker Lake). June 6 - 10th Camped on South Temperance. No sign of bears. Bugs (mostly mosquitoes) were THICK and swarming - come prepared. |
| Vinski |
06/05/2025 03:55PM Went in on EP44- Ram Lake on 20 May and existed at Lizz/Swamp on 23 May. Almost no bugs at all... couple mosquitoes, no flies, didn't even wear bug spray. No animal sightings except for a few beaver and lots of birds. An immense amount of moose poop at campsite #777 on Little Trout Lake next to the portage into Misquah. |
| waterwolf22 |
06/04/2025 12:22PM Adult black bear seen swimming across the South Kawishiwi River on 5/31 approx 47.89491 N, 91.58413 W |
| Cartallen |
06/03/2025 01:22PM Went in at EP 47 - Lizz Lake from May 23-26. No bugs at all until the warm-up on the 26th, and even then they were minimal. No bears or blueberries either, but there were fresh moose tracks after a Saturday rain shower between Allen and Pillsbery. We only saw the tracks, and didn't get to see the moose. |
| Ryeman |
06/02/2025 12:10PM Went in on EP 8 Moose River South on 5/25/25 and had a remarkably bug-free experience, with only a few gnats in the early evening. These were easily managed with a Thermacell, and I did not apply any insect repellent. I could only recall having one mosquito bite me the entire week. No ticks or bears (in the BW proper) to report. I did have a small bear cross in front of me on Hwy 2 as I was heading into Ely from Duluth. Blueberries appear they will be abundant, shortly. One smaller moose was eating in a bay across from me. |
| montanapaddler |
06/01/2025 08:21PM Went is LIS S last week, skeeters bad in swampy areas but not a concern in others. The worst was the LIS parking lot by far. Got several wood ticks as well. No bears. |
| gravelroad |
06/01/2025 08:15PMmnsportsmanjr: "We just got back from site 1488 on the North end of Lake Three from 05/26 to 05/29. 05/26 and 05/27 were mostly gnats but tolerable with face nets. 05/28 and especially on 05/29 the mosquitos really came out in force. I woke up on the morning of 05/29 and it sounded like I was in a Boeing 747 taking off. There were thousands between my hammock net and rain tarp." My father and uncle were once camped on Mountain Lake and heard someone navigating the lake in the dark with a motor, back when that was legal. They soon realized it was not some benighted traveler - it was a cloud of mosquitoes. |
| mnsportsmanjr |
05/30/2025 05:15PM We just got back from site 1488 on the North end of Lake Three from 05/26 to 05/29. 05/26 and 05/27 were mostly gnats but tolerable with face nets. 05/28 and especially on 05/29 the mosquitos really came out in force. I woke up on the morning of 05/29 and it sounded like I was in a Boeing 747 taking off. There were thousands between my hammock net and rain tarp. |
| OgimaaBines |
05/26/2025 01:20PMegknuti: "A few gnats but that’s it! A calm before the storm. " Same,plus a couple of ticks. I was around the Lac La Croix and interior lakes since Wednesday, May 21. |
| egknuti |
05/25/2025 08:41PM A few gnats but that’s it! A calm before the storm. |
| ILuvLakers |
05/25/2025 07:33PM 3 days on Ram Lake, out today. Saw one mosquito. White gnats were out a bit but not too bothersome. |
| tarheel21 |
05/19/2025 10:02AM Out of EP 64 yesterday. Saw one mosquito in four days. Lots of snowflakes though on the paddle out though! |
| egknuti |
05/19/2025 07:48AM I saw one mosquito on Friday. The gnats were busy as well, but it was so windy on Friday and Saturday the bugs were a non-issue. |
| CPozanc19 |
05/17/2025 09:44PM Got out on the 14th and the mosquitoes were just starting to pick up on Insula. Wind kept them out of our hair for most of the trip but I suspect they'll be out in full force soon. No word on troublesome bears and none spotted. |
| Karl |
05/17/2025 09:36PM Heading in next Friday morning - anyone have early season intel on current conditions? Been an interesting start with the heat, nearby fires, and the temp cool down |
| XYpaddler |
05/14/2025 02:57PM Considering the low temps for this Saturday and Sunday are forecast at or a little below freezing, what impact do you expect this will have on the black flies and skeeters the rest of next week? |
| Pinetree |
05/13/2025 10:43AM Hot weather now means a fast hatch all at once on black flies and mosquitoes-their coming soon to your neighborhood |
| BWCA |
01/20/2025 10:29AM As we get to soft water season, drop your bug, bear, and blueberry reports here. Read the 2024 bug and bear report |
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