Bear Hunting

[Slimsawyer]

Favorite bait to use in September. Hunting in Wi rn and my baits have went dead. Hard to compete with the acorns and sweet corn.


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[Backyard]

Favorite bait to use in September. Hunting in Wi rn and my baits have went dead. Hard to compete with the acorns and sweet corn.


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I read where you guys have more wolves on cam than bear this year also. Is that a factor?


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[go_deep]

Sweets in the spring, proteins in the fall.

 

[dtrkyman]

Water hole. Find the best white oak stand and establish a bait there.

 

[Cady Creek]

I'm in the U.P and been having good luck with Granola, Sugar Cones and pastries. I've tried pouring syrups or grease over the top, but have noticed Buck Jam works well. Maybe something with the minerals they are seeking. I'll also add in corn and oats to contrast the sweets. Now If I could just figure out something that kept them from being nocturnal.

 

[go_deep]

Bait a small amount everyday right before first light. If there's not a lot they need to be there before the other bears otherwise it's gone. I wouldn't use corn or oats. Almonds are a great additive in the fall.

I'm in the U.P and been having good luck with Granola, Sugar Cones and pastries. I've tried pouring syrups or grease over the top, but have noticed Buck Jam works well. Maybe something with the minerals they are seeking. I'll also add in corn and oats to contrast the sweets. Now If I could just figure out something that kept them from being nocturnal.

 

[Novashooter]

Favorite bait to use in September. Hunting in Wi rn and my baits have went dead. Hard to compete with the acorns and sweet corn.


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Your lucky to have seen anything. This has been by far the worst year of baiting I've had. 3 bait sites in no-quota MN in an area I've always had success. Not a single bear has found a bait yet. We are going for a hail mary of scents this weekend, but it's quickly getting to be really bad news. Our season runs until October 15th, so we have time left, but I've already exhausted every last trick in the book. The only thing I could do is one of my baits could be moved a few hundred yards farther onto public land, which may help, but would also make the trek in there borderline insane. It would be wading a river pushing my boat full of bait and stand for about 3/4 of a mile. Can't walk the banks, too thick of brush. Wouldn't want to hike through the woods for fear of scaring everything away. I've tried every stink bait I could find. Fish in a bucket, rotten ham, one week we got a big load of outdated freezer meat which really produced a stink for 2 weeks. I'm already spraying a ton of vanilla and anise. I'll try some liquid smoke this weekend. Tried a honey burn. Jello powder. Pounds of bacon grease smeared all over trees at every bait, along with pounds of peanut butter smeared too. Lots of honey, molasses, and other sticky stuff at the bait which has been tracked around by raccoons.

At this point I really don't know what to do but keep giving it 100%, and there's not much more we can do. There's endless articles and advice online about all you need to do is X or Y and the problem is fixed. I don't think we have the control we think we do. Just keep putting out quality bait, and the bears will be back. Fingers crossed its within your season.

 

[Cady Creek]

I feel your pain man. I’ve had to move stands a half dozen times already because of our wolf problem in the Yoop. And this is strictly baiting sweets, confectionery.
It’s outta hand!

 

[Novashooter]

In my case I doubt wolves are a big factor. They are around, but we are on the fringe of normal wolf range. I've never even heard one howl at night in the years I've been hunting this area. In my case it's no-quota, meaning there are unlimited tags and no drawing. This area isn't as bad as they get up near Mora where everyone from the cities goes, but it's still hit very hard compared to a quota bear area. Bear numbers are not that high. I picked this area years ago due to the public land having very difficult access, which turned out to be a good move. This has worked in my favor, however, it also means I can't just up and move any bait at any time. There's simply no other place to put them that isn't within a couple hundred yards of someone elses bait.

 

[dtrkyman]

SSS.

 

[TheGDog]

For sh!ts and giggles... pick up some PBFit powder for yourself, it's this Peanut Butter powder you can add into your protein shakes. Smells amazing.

Wouldn't be surprised if sprinkling a bunch of that on your bait would drive them nuts.

 

[Novashooter]

Any of you guys have bears coming back again? I still have not got a picture of even a single bear yet this year. I put a test bait out a few hundred yards from an existing bait. I put out the kitchen sink this weekend, every single stink I could find from the grocery store. Vanilla, liquid smoke, anise, molasses, PB powder, jello mix, you name it. Made a couple buckets of rotten meat for stink. Got a few gallons of used cooking oil. Did a honey burn again. If I don't get a picture of a bear in the next 4 days I'm kinda screwed. This weekend is the last chance I'll have to bait, and if no bears are there by this weekend, my next trip will be nothing but going to pull in the stands and signs.

 

[TheGDog]

Well, I wonder if some other factor has displaced them from that area? Has that area run out of a lot of the other naturally present food sources they're used to visiting their for? Has some other species that can pester em, like coyotes or people started being around more? Have the deer skunks and whatever other things they might kill and eat gone strangely not present anymore in that area you're setting up at?

Where does the predominant wind blow to form there? Are there known bear areas where that scent will blow into?

Guess I'm just kinda figuring there's some parts about it that I'm sure are similar to calling for coyotes. You can go thru the motions, but if they're just not there, then nothings going to come in, ya know? And it's my understanding they can have a pretty broad range they roam.

 

[Novashooter]

Well, I wonder if some other factor has displaced them from that area? Has that area run out of a lot of the other naturally present food sources they're used to visiting their for? Has some other species that can pester em, like coyotes or people started being around more? Have the deer skunks and whatever other things they might kill and eat gone strangely not present anymore in that area you're setting up at?

Where does the predominant wind blow to form there? Are there known bear areas where that scent will blow into?

Guess I'm just kinda figuring there's some parts about it that I'm sure are similar to calling for coyotes. You can go thru the motions, but if they're just not there, then nothings going to come in, ya know? And it's my understanding they can have a pretty broad range they roam.

Nothing has changed that I can tell. In the past years I've hunted this area, I've never failed to get a bear on bait at least once before September 1st. Most years it's 1-2 weeks before the first one comes in.

I honestly have no idea what is wrong. Obviously there are no bear around. It's been 6 weeks and not even a passer by bear. Hunting is never guaranteed, but it has been a long time since I've failed so miserably. All I know for sure is Ill be trying a new location next year. I've done all I can this year.

 

[TheGDog]

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All I know for sure is Ill be trying a new location next year. I've done all I can this year.

Dude, I so feel you on that. This place I'm concentrating on now? The ruggedness and steepness of the climb... It's pushing me right about to my limits in terms of aggravating the injuries. Right now I need to make good on last years mess up. So since I had a shot opportunity way the hell up there, I'm sticking with it. And seeing decent stuff on the cams too. Some Bears included. But I'll tell ya... every time I go there I'm realizing how I need to start finding less demanding areas that house them, that I'm seeing in other peoples pics from my zone they posted up last year. Like places that are actually flat and not on the side of the "death hill", while simultaneously not being a place choking with too many other hunters. They're always out there... it's just a matter of finding them. Which requires more investing during the off time all the rest of the year.

We'll see.. but my son's going to need to begin his Eagle Scout rank stuff this year. And I gotta teach him how to drive. And also gotta keep lighting a fire under his butt about deciding on a few possible types of careers to pursue, so he can have some idea of what to begin looking for in colleges he'll apply for later, something I've never had to deal with, as I pretty much went right into programming right on the job after demonstrating lotta problem solving debugging skills while working in support back in the day.

 

[Novashooter]

Dude, I so feel you on that. This place I'm concentrating on now? The ruggedness and steepness of the climb... It's pushing me right about to my limits in terms of aggravating the injuries. Right now I need to make good on last years mess up. So since I had a shot opportunity way the hell up there, I'm sticking with it. And seeing decent stuff on the cams too. Some Bears included. But I'll tell ya... every time I go there I'm realizing how I need to start finding less demanding areas that house them, that I'm seeing in other peoples pics from my zone they posted up last year. Like places that are actually flat and not on the side of the "death hill", while simultaneously not being a place choking with too many other hunters. They're always out there... it's just a matter of finding them. Which requires more investing during the off time all the rest of the year.

We'll see.. but my son's going to need to begin his Eagle Scout rank stuff this year. And I gotta teach him how to drive. And also gotta keep lighting a fire under his butt about deciding on a few possible types of careers to pursue, so he can have some idea of what to begin looking for in colleges he'll apply for later, something I've never had to deal with, as I pretty much went right into programming right on the job after demonstrating lotta problem solving debugging skills while working in support back in the day.

Thanks, and I'm still hoping. Our season does go until October 15th, so it wouldn't be the craziest thing for a bear to show up in the next 16 days. I'll be busy the next two weekends, but October 7th could either be the day I pull my baits and stands, or if I see a bear, that still gives me a week to hunt it. I don't have any kids, but this has really taken a lot of time from my life. I never hunted early goose because of it.

Good luck out there. And don't be too worried about your son. If you raised him right, he will find his way. One of my biggest mistakes was being force fed the "must go to university, or you will fail" dogma of public schools, then going to college without a clear understanding of what I wanted to do. Thankfully I started in a community college so I didn't go $80,000 in the hole like so many do today. I'm sure as heck glad I didn't go for the 4 year engineering degree. It took me some time to realize I never want to work a desk job. Some of us know exactly what we like to do. Others have to try and fail.

 

[TheGDog]

I feel you on that, you don't necessarily need to go to a Unversity. I didn't, and I'm clockin' 6-figs.

I did some community college back in the day. But then.. my employer saw that I was talented in picking up understanding coding/debugging/problem-solving.

So the President and his right hand man (which is still my supervisor to this day, even after we got bought up into a larger company) for coding took me under his wing.

Which makes total sense as a business man. Someone he can train up with good coding habits, and get away with (initially) paying them less that standard current market rates in that area that an HR person would use for creating the job listing.

At the time, the idea was my 1st wife would get her schooling out of the way, since making this job role switched bumped up my salary. (bouth young kids making sh!t wages to start with) The idea was later we'd switch places in terms of schooling. Well... later-on, I elected to leave that union. So that never happened. But that is just fine, as I'm doing OK for myself.

My wife did HR stuff forever, and in her 40's went and did the online university thing, (which is a PITA when they give them group projects to do) to get leveled-up in her field, and now she's an HR Director.


RE: raising him right, see below PROUD PAPA MOMENT! :

 

[Slimsawyer]

I read where you guys have more wolves on cam than bear this year also. Is that a factor?


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Little to no wolves where I’m at so no not much harm. I don’t think the bears are scared of coyotes we got either.


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[Slimsawyer]

I feel your pain man. I’ve had to move stands a half dozen times already because of our wolf problem in the Yoop. And this is strictly baiting sweets, confectionery.
It’s outta hand!

That is unfortunate to say the least. Not many packs in central Wisconsin where I hunt thankfully.


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