The Ex-Communist Bear Baiter of Saskatchewan
Valentin Popov, owner of Tower Lodge Outfitters, is an unconventional guide. He declined a handshake due to reattaching a severed finger tip, which he had cut off with a machete while trimming birch branches above a bear bait.
During a week of clearing trails, wrangling a 4-wheeler, and hunting black bears, Popov would occasionally treat his injured finger with an unorthodox method.
“Keeps it clean,”
he said, when asked about urinating on the wound and rewrapping it with black electrical tape.
Author's summary: Unconventional guide Valentin Popov.