Drew my first unit A wisconsin bear tag.
I will be hunting over bait on our own land (240 acres) here in northern wisconsin. Season opens 9/04 and I will take off that week to hunt.
My real enjoyment though is that I now have "something" to throw myself into... The preparation, education, etc. for the next seven months.
So I will start by asking the best resource I know to "take me to school on black bears"! Any and all advice and tips. Any good books to lay the groundwork?
I waited eight years for this tag and come mid September with or without a bear I want to know I did all I could.
Thanks.
Congratulations on the tag!
Bear baiting is a tremendous amount of work but a lot of fun! Some friends and I, ran our own baits in Canada for 15+ years, with great success. In that time, we ran over twenty five different sights. Some were tremendous, some not! Wind direction seemed to play the biggest role in whether a sight worked or not. we looked for topography that would allow the wind to blow into as much cover as possible. Ridge tops were better than bowls.
Many of our best sites were in close proximity to water. Either streams or ponds.
We baited mostly with pastries and would try to get as much scent as possible in the area. The items that seemed to help the most were, cooking grease from a local restaurant and Ultimate Bear Lure. UBL is an intense cherry smell. It has a waxy consistency that doesn't wash away. We would pour it on rags and hang it as high as we could reach.
The grease is the real key. When we started using this, we went from several bears per sight to as many as a dozen. Pour puddles of it below the bait. As a bear comes in, it will track it back along it's trails. Others will find it and follow.
Also, throw some up into fir trees around the sight. It will have a wicking effect.
There is no such thing as too much scent!
Good luck!
Seth
It helps to get a lot of scent it the air to get them coming to your bait station. Here is a link to info and some videos.
http://baitem907.com/bear-baiting-videos-info.html
I am not an expert and have only hunted bear once and helped bait once. Here is my two cents if it helps. First off I finding working a bait more of a marathon than hunting, it takes a lot of work/time and bait. Start finding bait sources right away. I used old bread form a bakery I could buy a truck load for $11 and some doughnuts from a friends doughnut shop. It can take a lot of bait. Bear will only eat grass the first while after they leave the den. I started baiting in areas that were on south slopping areas where the grass grows first near water. I started with a stink bait of dead fish strung in the top of the highest tree I could find close to my bait site. I poured fryer grease form a restaurant all over my bait and for 2 ft. around it. The bears pads will soak up the grease and leave a sent trail to you bait site. I did a honey burn every time I baited. All the bears I seen always approached the bait site from the same direction the wind blew the smoke from the burn. They love that smell a lot IMO. Everything I learn about baiting came for nice folks here on Tradgang so I'm sure some of the experts will chime in soon. Good luck and take some photo's for us.
Seth has some good advice!
When can you start baiting? Start as early as you can and use a variety of bait. Fall hunts can be tough as you compete with natural food sources which are far more plentiful than spring time. Use lots of bait. People that say to limit bait to increase competition are cheap and usually have heard the info elsewhere. I love when local hunters here have that attitude and wonder why they are seeing limited # of bears.
Again...go back to Seths post!
We have a couple of bait sites here in Wyoming and the best advice I can give is to get in touch with someone who traps beaver. Ask them if you can have the carcasses and use them for bait. I freeze the beaver and then chop it up into fist size pieces and mix it into grain or dog food. Beaver is like crack for bears! It won't hurt any if it begins to rot either. Good Luck and congrats on the tag!
Oh yeah...hunt bears like you would deer. Try to be elusive and use the wind.
First make sure to read all the rest s to what you can bait with and how. I Use lots of old fryer grease and sweets out west.
I hunted that uni about ten years ago on public land. I baited 5 sites for a moonh before season and they were all hit every day. That year baiting was first. As soon as the dog season opened I never had a bad hit again. If on public get it one early! I did have a great chance on a Biggin by screwed up. Enjoy it! Its a bit o work if you don't live there.
Put trail cameras on your baits so you will know what size of bears are coming in and what you want to kill. I hear they like grape pop poured on corn awfully well.
First thing to do is read the regulations. Animal byproducts, animal fat grease, beaver carcasses, etc. are not permitted in Wisconsin.
Then get a good book. "Do-It-yourself Black Bear Baiting & Hunting," by Dr. Ken Nordberg is one of the best.
Good luck.
Good advise above, start with checking the regs. I have used day old donuts & pastries from the local bakery and went to the bread store and got barrels of out dated bread. I used molasses to spread all over the bread and logs used to cover the baits with, will do the same thing as the cooking oil or bacon grease when they get it on their pads. Go to your local feed mill or elevator and get animal grade molasses its way cheaper there. I have also used anise oil extract mixed with water in a spray bottle to spray the brush and trees around the bait. (it smells just like black licorace and is very strong) most trapping supply places will have it. This has worked both times my partner and I have drawn tags in Newberry area in the U.P. Congrats on yor tag and good luck this fall.
Michael,
I just started applying for my bear permit here in WI. I will be watching this tread closely. If I can be some assistance to you in the preparation, it would be my pleasure. Whether it be just help trim shooting lanes, help with a stand, whatever, just let me know Besides, its always nice to get together with other Tradgangers. I will PM you with my number.
All good suggestions so far. I baited here in Michigan last 2 years with granola. There is a place here that sells it by the ton, it must come from factory waste. I bought a box with 1160 pounds, peanut butter with chocolate chips. Here you can't use a container, on public ground, so we built log cribs. Placed 5 gallons of granola, with bread and doughnuts. Then poured mollassas on top. Once the local apples started to ripen, I mashed up apples, and mixed them with mollassas and poured some on the top of each bait. We are allowed to bait 30 days before season here, and these baits were completely cleaned out, every time we checked them. Had pictures of 5 or 6 different bears on the baits.
Lucky 7 Bear Bait out of Mn has awesome bait and ships!
Sounds. Kind of gross but used tampons works on bucks ? Lol. But I know bears like jelly donuts . Just like me ! And the there lighter. Got the tip from one of the wensels don't want to say which one !
I consider Richard P. Smith's book Bear Hunting to be the most informative book about black bear hunting. Also, Bernie Barringer, the Managing Editor of Bear Hunting Magazine has his book out, "The Bear Baiter's Manual which should be on every bear hunters bookshelf. Als, but not least,get on the internet and check out Code Blue scents and Power Start Drip Bag. Lastly, get a subscription to Bear Hunting Magazine...you'll be glad that you did.
Dog food, gummy bears (no pun intended), and grease are good baits; they have to eat it there; can't carry it off.
sorry in advance if I repeat some ones coments as I didn't read them all. I have been baiting in ak for the last eight years. the first thing I learned was the more bears you get on your bait the more other bears will find out about it. if you have time let the firs one or two hit it for a while before you hunt hard.
I do two thins to make this happen, I take a grease jug and poke some holes in it and go for a hike in a clover pattern from the bait. several hundred yards out then a couple left or right and then back to the bait.
the second step for me is to saturate the soil with grease so that when the dig or step in it they track it all over the woods leading back to the bait.
the third is hang a jug so a average bear can just reach it. I poke a small hole each time I check the site the last just a little lower than the previous. this way hopefully the first bear will grab and bite the jug dowsing him with stink so he can spread it anywhere he goes.
I have noticed it takes 3 to 8 visits for a bear to get used to humans being present. they are not stupid, the probably know you are there, so every time I check the site I will leave my shirt in the stand, same goes for when I hunt, if you are a chewer leave a dribble of fresh dip when you check or hunt, the will get used to it.
as far as bulk bait use what ever is cheapest or the least difficult to transport. I like fruity cereal, the Costco kind, light and cheap. they will actualy taste fruity if you let them eat long enough. I try to leave a lot at first then when they are frequently hitting I lessen it to about 2 gal a day and I make some noise when I bait up before sitting.
I like to hang some tin cans around the barrel and other bait areas so that they make some noise while feeding, that way other bears hear activity and I can sit and listen when sneaking to the stand.
they will get to where they hear that then the younger ones will be less patient for dark and the older ones will give in when they hear the others eating.
after all of that rant I am not saying forget the wind as you may tag out quick in the right conditions but a close stand set to me could be worth the wait, I mean 10 yards or less, I have shot them at around 5 to 3 yards, talk about a chip shot.
my best piece of advise is use a trail cam know what bears are hitting and when and use all the time you can as you will get to have some unreal time watching the ones you shouldn't shoot when you know what you should.
God I love this site. Great input, keep em coming!
NKB, we've got family hunting ground in northwest wi and close friends in central wi. the story is the same....lots of good hunters are seeing more bears than deer nowadays in your state. i think the biggest factor in your hunt will be the hound hunters...i know they rotate it yearly who goes first the dog packs or the bait sitters. i think if the bait sitters get first crack this year you wont have much of a problem. either way, you got private land. i think a great big ole bear is as smart or maybe moreso than a mature whitetail...and thats coming from a whitetail addict. good hunting and keep us posted!
Sitters are first this year.
I had 8 years of points in the bag and deferred last year because hounds went first. Probably could have drawn two years ago but dang it, an elk hunt got in the way! ;)
I'm all fired up also. Will be hunting up by Grand Maris this fall. Don't think our bears are quite as big as yours those! I'm going to reread Dr. Ken Norbergs book on bear hunting, it's been several years since my last bear hunt.
I agree with ak213 about beavers. Been opening 1 bait on my land since 2000 and once I started hanging beaver carcasses the action really improved. Here is a fall hunt only. In the barrel I use kibbled dog food, whole corn, and mini-marshmellows soaked with cattle grade molasses and with raspberry jello sprinkled in. The small food bits keeps the bruins at the can and not carrying larger bait away into cover. Good luck!
Were you mailed a notification or is there a place to look online for the drawing results?
Make sure to check your state regulations also. It is illegal to use animal products in WI so that will limit what is added to your bait.
Excellent advise for all. I will just add make sure you put you baits in the thick security cover that offers distance travelling in thick secure cover. The thicker the better. Don't try to pull the bears into a spot that is best for you. Set baits in a spot they want to be during daylight. Use trail cams at all baits to make sure bears are hitting them at day time. If you have a spot that is only getting hit at 3am its probably in a spot bears don't want to be.
Another powerful attractant is Cameron hanes bear crack. Its like a honey burn but with jello, sugar, and syrup. It makes a sticky candy that after the burn you can pore on logs and the bears will spend hours trying to chew it off. I have used the bear crack burn on 5 occasions when sites went cold and all five times it brought bears in.
QuoteOriginally posted by DaDVM:
Were you mailed a notification or is there a place to look online for the drawing results?
Nothing mailed yet. I went to the Wisconsin DNR Licences page, same page as your application. Click on "bear" and your preference point number and tag status will appear.
Thanks Nigel01...I forgot about Norbetgs book.
Dr.Ken Norbergs book is an excellent source for bowhunting over baits for black bear.
I make it a point to review it prior to every spring black bear season. It is loaded with practical bear hunting adviceand will put any bear hunter on the right track.
Sounds like great advice.
I have never baited but from what I hear.
Start baiting as soon as you can to get them used to your spot.
Honey Burns I'm told are highly productive, grease, jelley rolls, etc...
Trail Cam to pattern time of visits.
And finally, one well placed arrow.
Sounds like a nice time.
No bait allowed in my area but we are allowed two bears a year here and I expect to try for my first archery BB this Spring.
Honey burns do work well to scent up a large area drawing bears in from a long ways away down wind of the burn. The key is to let the honey burn so it smokes heavily using the air currents to take it what ever direction its blowing.
Scent drags also can bring in bears from great distances. We use nylon onion and potato bags to drag old rags soaked in fryer grease or hamburg grease down log roads leading to our bait sites. We drag them a mile or more down these log roads in going to and going away from the baits. You'll be surprised how well this works.
One thing you need to know about the Wisconsin calculus is that "more bait" is not an option. You get 10 gals tops. This includes anything at the site. Old bait, junk bait etc If it goes over 10 you are done.
It also needs to be hidden, which means, in a hole, in a covered crib, in a anything natural. It cannot be accessible by anything but bears or at least that is the idea i. e. No barrels.
Like most places in the fall, the berry crop can make or break the hunt. Good berries, good luck...
No honey burns, no bacon grease etc. either.
And as mentioned, no animal by-products of any sort.
You also get a short run at it before the dogs run, which is is a pain. I like dogs, but WI is too small for dogs. Dogs tend to move all bears starting the day they start. Sitters (what we call bait sitters) have a tough time.
One of the better tips that I have seen in WI is, don't screw with the bait. Find a bait that draws in bears then stick with it. Don't think at the last minute - you will use the good stuff - and switch bait food right before the hunt. I have been told and believe this screws up the bears and makes them nervous with the sudden change.
Having laid out the problem, I would love to hear the experts play this hand. Ryan, for example is a rock star of bear hunting, and I would love to hear how you would work your magic with this situation.
Well I hope I'm not the Ryan to whom you refer...certainly no "rock star", just a guy who lives in a place polluted with bears.
The things you revealed about Wisconsin certainly make it tough to bait bears like we do here.The 10 gal rule sucks, and can't see the reason for it? The no barrel thing is easy...done it here and it's fine. The no grease thing can be substituted with anything smelly that sticks to the bears once at the bait.
I totally agree with the fact that natural berry crops will ruin the hunt. Bears everywhere seem to capitalize on natural food sources when they are present over hitting baits.
In this circumstance I'd try my best to achieve what is easy to do here....provide the bears with a place that they can ALWAYS eat something. If that means rebaiting the measly 10 gallons every day then do so. If it means adding something to get the bears to spread scent trails around by sticking to their fur then do it. Definitely bait starting the 1st day you are allowed, and don't do so at prime hunt times. Don't add new flavors of bait last minute (as mentioned), and don't add new people to the group of baiters last minute.
It's all about classical conditioning. If a bear can go to a spot, always have something to eat, and never encounter danger (man), then you're doing things right. Hunt the wind when it's time to hunt and the rest is up to the bears.
As far as dogs running bears...I'd need to figure out a good dog recipe. (JJ to dog people but kinda serious at the same time)..Ryan
Fryer Grease Is Ok As Long As It Is Vegetable Oil. Kool Aid Flavored Corn Or Similar Suger Is Cheap And Good. Try A Burn Using Blueberry Pancake Syrup. Heck, It Probably Doesnt Fit Exactly With The Rules, But Finding A Good Bait Site And Cooking Up Some Breakfast (With Lots Of BACON) On The First Morning Of Baiting Works For Me, As Does Keeping My Hoodie Right Next To The Stove While I Do It.
Chuck c
Oh, And Pick A Bait Site First Based On Possible Bear Access, Then Being Back Away From Everybody, Then With A Mind On WHERE Your Stand WIll Be Placed.
chuckc
Again guys, great stuff.
Ryan, my Dad is more excited than I am I think because he's retired and looking forward to "having a job" baiting! I also asked him to be my camera guy, so we'll limit the scent to the two of us towards the end.
Gimme a day or so here and I'm going to post up an aerial photo of our land, then let's have some fun picking potential stand sites. I've got a couple in mind where I've gotten day time bear pics with no bait at all, but I'd like to hear from the rest of you.
Here's an aerial photo of our land. My first potential stand site is marked with the red cross. It's located in a dark spruce swamp, (Think shade and deep, moist moss floor) overlooking a sizeable cedar tree with a natural spring at it's base. I've gotten trail cam pics of bear rubbing the cedar without bait. It can be pretty warm here in the first part of September when the season opens so I'm partial to this location due to relief from heat, and water.
My concern about this site is that it's the lowest elevation with the mainland to the east and rising up to an island to the northwest. I like the funnel aspect of the location, but winds are pretty swirly there.
Anyways, what do you all think? Good spot, or does some other spot jump out at you?
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I sent the below to Mike in a private email since I attached a copy of an article on my bear hunt, however I thought my comments would help others too.
Michael,
I thought this might be of interest to you. It was the first article I had published (I'm now up to 9 in TBM and TAW combined and it's been a lot of fun).
Lots of good comments on the Tradgang thread.
Here's my thoughts:
Be on the edge of an area with a large thick plot of cover if possible(my bait in this story was on the edge of a huge public land swamp/lake area-miles square). I had 3 different bears coming to the bait. If you have berries in the area and there's a good crop, consider being close to it. Natural food can be tough competition if it's plentiful, even if you have good stuff on your bait.
If your season is early, have a thermocell handy for keeping the mosquitos at bay. You'll want to be low in the stand, I like 10 feet with lots of cover. Keep still (thus the thermocell to keep you from swatting bugs). Too high makes for steeper shot angle and poorer outcomes. I shoot sitting down. Make sure everthing is quiet. At 12-15 yards from the bait, everything sounds like a gun going off.
Use a bait that is small in size so the bear can't carry it off. Dog food covered with grease, syrup, ect. is good. We even popped popcorn and covered with cheap syrup and dry raspberry jello mix (it smelled good).
If you're using some meat or fish to start the bait (stink factor) put that away from your actual spot for the good sweets. Bears don't like stinky stuff in my opinion, but the smell will attract them.
Trail cameras are great for seeing what's on the bait and when it's hitting. If this is a once in eight year hunt, don't skimp on getting a good camera/no flash ($200), you'll appreciate it in the long run.
Use bacon grease around the bait site ground to get scent on the bears feet. They'll do a lot of advertising for you.
If you're hunting a small private chunk like you posted, keep to one bait site. Bears will travel for miles and you'll compete with yourself if you're trying to cover two baits on the same 240 acres. Pick the best spot that allows you the most undetected entrance and exit. Also pick a spot that you can put up two stands so that you can cover the best wind situation. Don't hunt if the wind is blowing to where you think the bear is coming from. It's not worth educating an older bear.
Consider baiting later in the day. Then when you're actually going to sit in the tree, have someone walk in with you and bait while you get in the tree. Often times bears will bed close buy if there's thick cover.
Get the stands set up when you first start baiting for prevailing winds. I hunted in Canada one time where I told the outfitter I was only interested in a big bear. He knew the bait to put me on, but had no stand there. We put up my Lone Wolf stand and the outfitter and one other guy came along while I set the stand and checked the bait. I hunted it that night and low and behold a gorgeous bear was coming in. He hit the base of the tree where everyone was standing earlier and stopped, sniffed around and then turned and walked straight away. No shot opportunities.
Slip in and out as quietly as possible. Consider raking a path in the leaves if they exist for the first 50 or one hundred yards so you can slip in and out.
Know your bear anatomy. Every bear I've shot (three now) or my best friend shot (two), went less than 60 yards. Two or three blade head does not matter. Don't hit them high. Get both lungs and you'll have a short happy trail. Use a V of logs at the bait site to try and direct the positioning.
Good luck. I'll be watching the posts to see how you make out.
Best regards,
Ray Lyon
To me the small pocket of water with softwoods (NE) around it stands out, I would go for the little tail sticking out to the south.
not knowing what the ground cover etc. is like, this is my first impression. Are you baiting? or just sitting, if just sitting, likely I would pick a trail from dark timber to berry bushes or other natural or farmed food sources.
good luck.
Hummer,
Unfortunately that's off-property. Here's another view with the property lines roughly drawn in red.
The green swatches are food plots planted with winter rye and brassicas.
The purple lines mark grass roads that are usually laden with black berries and raspberries in late summer.
The green cross in the SE corner is an old bear bait station from previous hunters. It's in an open bowl with poplar slashings to the west and a pine stand to the east.
The yellow line is what I consider a "bear trail" leading from the high ground in the east to the spring. There's often scat, it's well beaten down into the mossy ground and there's nary a deer print in it.
The pink line is what I'll initially use as my access route. There's a predominant SW wind that time of year.
I'll be sitting over bait, (no animal materials), and plan on starting to bait within a week.
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This is the kind of threads that used to be all over TradGang...Love it..... Bow hunters helping bow hunters!
I know NOTHING about hunting bears but the guys that do mention berries can hurt hunting over bait.
All of that purple tells me you have a plan "B" of stalking the roads if the berries are still around in September.
:campfire:
Never bear hunted, but I know the few we have on our lease don't like much pressure and soon vacate our lease around the last part of October when the 4 wheelers and deer feeding starts. Looks like you have picked one of the most remote places on the land and I would think that it counts for something. Probably good for bear hunting.
More questions.
1. This land is a 30 minute drive from my house. I work from 8-5. My plan was to bait the site before work thinking a) it's one of the only times I can and b) bait on the ground early in the day may bring them in earlier. Think this is reasonable?
2. With the amount of times I'm gonna be placing bait I'm obviously going to be dropping a lot of my scent on the ground. I assume they get at least somewhat accustomed to my scent. To what level of scent control do I need while baiting and then when I actually get to hunt do I go "scent free" or stay the status quo?
Thanks.
I might still go just south of that pond on the property you can hunt. you might want to pick a location with a separate path into the stand that you use for baiting.
A for 1. I think baiting early is a great idea, you may find the bears will come right after the bait is set out, maybe then switch to evening right before your hunt, bait walk out and enter from other trail to stand.
A for 2. some bears get accustom to the baiters scent this can be good and bad, either come in or avoid depending on the situation, usually big smart previously hunted bears will avoid in this situation. I have found those HS scent wafers work really good (deer, bear and elk).
You might want to go normal for baiting and scent free for hunting.
I have not shot a trad bear yet but have trapped and shot many through a previous job. Also have had some opportunities but just am waiting for the right bear.
One thing I like to do is drag a skinned beaver into the bait from several directions to leave a great trail. since your not hunting with meat, may want to use a scenting method ( mixture of really stinky and sticky stuff - anise, bacon grease, syrup, etc. or a combo) around the bait area. tried that this spring worked ok.
If you could get the scent glands from a beaver that would be good.
I know this would not help you but for other guys, when we reseeded my alfalfa field we used a cover crop of oats. The bear flattened huge areas of the field. I think it was during the "milk" stage of the oat growth.
This thread is getting me thinking about bear hunting again, and I don't have time for it !!
Took a buddy of mine last night to check out some potential stand sites. Pretty much a downpour for the several hours we hiked around, but had a blast doing it.
What I'm calling the "Spring Stand", the one previously mentioned and marked with the red "X", got his attention the most. "Cool, damp, dark, thick and above all, really quiet and remote" were his comments. Heres a couple of pics of this potential site to give you an idea of the area. (Sorry for the quality, but it was raining hard!)
My buddy standing where the crib would go about 8 yards west of the spring.
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Me checking out the spring hole.
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Just like deer hunting, I don't think there is a "perfect" stand, but I'm gonna start baiting this one and sees what may come in. I'll post more when I get trail cam pics.
Cedar tree
Looking forward to see how this progresses
:campfire: :campfire:
Hummer3T,
Looking at the aerial, that spot just south of the pond does look good. The funnel area you see is a stand of dark pines flowing down to the south where it pinches a tag swamp before rising up to a higher plateau where deer bed quite frequently. The open areas to the west and northwest are a 4 year old clearcut.
That spot would probably be good for bear, but it is certainly itching for a whitetail stand! Mornings of my week bear hunting may just be spent getting some trees ready for November. ;)
What part of wisonsin are you from and where do you plan on hunting. If you live close to me I may be ableto pass on some advise as I have done lots of bear baiting.
What are your thoughts on setting 2 or 3 baits, seeing which ones get hit best then discontinuing the 1or 2 that don't get hit like you would hope?
Charlie,
I think multiple baits to start is a sound idea, however time constraints (4 young kids and a busy job) mean that I have to bait these before work and I just don't think I could have more than one site far enough apart to make a huge difference. Also, there's a county highway that borders the east and southern boundaries, relatively busy neighbors to the southwest forties, but our neighbor to the north/northwest wont show up until mid September with a super thick tag swamp and creek separating us. My gut is telling me the NW area and for those reasons I'm all chips in on one site unless I'm just getting no action. (I do have a plan B and a plan C, which is two other properties that I have permission to hunt).
Larry,
I'm from tomahawk, and our land is east of the Willow flowage about three miles; close enough to your neck of the woods, so have at her and chime in!
Mike, I'm not sure where the Boundaries are but if you do not get a bear over Bait, My dad has some connections to guys with Dogs near Ashland.
He took a nice one there 2 years ago. They are usually eager to find guys with tags just to exercise their dogs.
Last year My brother baited around Mosinee and had a few hits but never while he hunted.
I am starting to earn my points for when I move back to Wausau starting this year.
I will be glued to your thread to learn how to do it.
I like that spring in the picks, I always like a cool drink of H2O with my food. good luck, keep us posted with pics of baits set ups, hunting and etc,
That spring looks dynamite.Bears have to drink daily but as important,when it is warm,they need to dunk themselves to cool off.That spring is big enough that they can roll around in it to get soaked.I've seen them dunk in a water trough in the early mornings with temps only in the 70's.
That looks like a good spot to even sit without bait though Fall food changes might pull them away.
Regarding beaver,if you can locate any animal damage control trappers,you might get them to save them for you.There is a trapping site with an ADC forum that you could try locating one close to you.If you need that PM me.
If it were me,I would want some trail cameras on some of your best spots,even before baiting.I think you've picked a great spot.I look forward to hearing more.
Time for an update.
All the "info" I'm blatantly plagiarizing from my friend John who helped me with the set up.
Last Thursday we went out after work and built a bait crib at the Spring Stand location. I've never built one before but my buddy has and I was surprised at the thought that goes into it and the reasoning behind it.
I'll describe how I set up the bait because A) It might help someone else who's never done it and B) I want you seasoned guys to chime in if I'm doing something wrong!!! :)
Step one. Using a chainsaw we cut three trees about 8-10" diameter at the base. We then cut them into two 4', two 5', and the rest 6'. It was warm that night and by the time we were done it was like we jumped in a lake we were so wet from sweat.
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Taking the largest logs, (the two 4 footer and two 5 footers), you make a square frame on the ground where you want the crib. The 5 footers will be the "front" and "back" of the square, with the 4 foot ones being the "sides". You also want the 5 foot logs to be the largest diameter logs. Five foot logs also give you a good reference for sizing up a bear. Here's us laying the base.
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Using 7" pole barn nails we tied the frame together. We then dug down into the mossy ground a bit forming a shallow depression and used the clumps like mortar to seal around the base of the log to keep out red squirrels and other critters. Due to the dampness of the swampy ground we put pine boughs in the hole to keep the bait off the ground as much as possible. I guess bear don't like things soggy!
Once the bait is placed we laid the remaining six foot logs down, perpendicular to the stand. You want them TIGHT together to keep out as much rain and small creatures as possible.
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/IMG954906.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/IMG954906.jpg.html)
The reason to have the logs perpendicular to you is that the bear will come in from the sides and push aside the logs vs. from the front, rolling them towards themselves. Directing them to the sides of the crib obviously infers a broadside shot. Lastly, I mentioned the front and back five foot logs should be of larger diameter than the four foot sides. This gives us a positive stop so the six footers don't roll off the ends. Clear as mud? Here's the final result, (and if you're questioning the beers, Hey, this is Wisconsin!)
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/IMG_3639.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/IMG_3639.jpg.html)
Also notice that we took the tops from the trees we cut and walled off the backside of the crib trying to force them around to the sides.
So, bait was placed Thursday, 7-17 at approx. 8 p.m. I checked the bait on Saturday morning. Logs strewn around, bait gone, and trail cam photos revealed six different bear. Nothing huge, but here's a couple that aren't too bad.
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/EK000119.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/EK000119.jpg.html)
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/EK000137.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/EK000137.jpg.html)
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/EK000122.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/EK000122.jpg.html)
So what do you think? Good spot? Anything you notice that you'd change? Thanks.
Day twelve of baiting and twelve different bear coming in, (including cubs).
One real good size bear.
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This guy has been the most consistent.
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I've been giving them the same bait now for almost two weeks. Would you add a bit of variety at this point, or stick with the same?
This is really cool stuff.....
Great Update. Not sure who is more excited. Me or you.
I'm curious about the thought of adding a new bait after you started.
lay some sticky - smelly scent down on the logs, they will make a trail to attract even more bears, like you need more than 12.....
bacon fat, syrup, a, hazel nut syrup, etc.
Thanks Hummer, syrup it will be. I baited this morning at 5:30 before work. I will get some syrup tomorrow and will bait again Thursday morning. I'm logging bait type vs. bear pics so it will be Sunday to check for any increased number or activity. I could easily bait every day with how fast they're cleaning out the 10 gallon limit, but with a 30 minute drive one way, the gas would be a bit much. I will start hitting it every day about two weeks before the opener which is September 3rd.
This bear hunting is a bit of work but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every single second of it!
That big one looks like a beast. Looks like a great set-up, you're having fun and should be pretty exciting come Sept. 3. Shoot straight. BTW, should also make a great story for TradArchers' World mag.
Yep Tom, maybe I will follow through on this one! Are you shooting tomorrow? I might actually get away enough to go.
I plan on it, Mike. Dale too.
Mike we have to come up with a solution to slowing down the bears in taking/eating the bait but staying interested
Maybe bigger logs in your setup, once getting hit start burying it deep and deeper, smaller holes in barrels, cover bait with weights. Seems like a issue for trad-gangers to solve.
Once you start getting bears, keeping bait around and the bears interested seems to be the challenge. Even though my new bear hunting stand is almost in city limits 1/2 to 3/4 hour drive, going out every day is not an option.
Bigger logs might work but that will mean more chainsaw work. The way these logs are strewn around I'm pretty sure my back will give out before the bears do!
Kinda sucks that we can't use barrels.
Certainly cant school ya on em! not killed one yet with a bow. Been trying hard to get a big eastern NC (or a small one) with my curve for four yrs now. We cannot bait them though I can only use scent.
Wish you the best - post pictures!
Why not chain some of the logs together?
Rumor has it...... if you put an arrow through their lungs, they slow down real quick...
I think your largest threat is other food sources and other baits starting up in the area.
The biggest logs won't slow as bear. Just use lots of grease, oats nand molasses. They will never be able to get it all.
Awesome! I wish we could bait or use dogs in pa.. Our rules are so strict And old school.
Baited on Thursday morning and didn't get back until this afternoon. (Who schedules weddings when I have a bear tag?! ;)
Only one shooter came in one time. We had some warmer weather and some storms over the weekend but I'm so used to seeing a bunch of pics and all I had were the little guys and cubs. Raspberries are kicking full swing right now too and the amount of blackberries I'm seeing on the vine ready to ripen gives me some concern.
I did pour a gallon of molasses over everything today so we will see. Some bear also found my bait barrel alongside the cabin as it was knocked over. It was sealed tight, so no harm done.
Is it normal for bear to "take a couple of days off"?
Time for an update:
Bear activity seems to be in flurries now.
Some days the bait is getting hammered with bear coming in an hour or less after I've baited it. Then this morning I re-baited and it had only been "nibbled" on since Thursday, bait left in the crib, and only one "shooter" made an appearance once.
I again ask, "Is it normal for bear to take some time off?"
Raspberries have peaked, blackberries are just now starting to ripen, it was low 80's temps, its a "super moon", and we always contend with the possibility of friggin bear hound hunters.
The experienced hunter in me says to relax, they're wild animals that do as they please, don't get worked up over a few off days. Tough to do when I waited nine years for this tag! :)
As mentioned before, the only time I can bait is before work, so I'm hitting the bait station around 6 a.m. Trail cam pics have shown that three times I've "kicked" bear off the bait. Is this a problem? I don't have much choice if it is but I'd still like to know.
So what's up? Anything I'm doing wrong or is this the normal/natural course of bear baiting where they'll hit it hard at first, then get more sporadic?
TTT
I do not have an answer for you but would like to keep this up top. Hopefully someone does.
I have been bear hunting over 15 years and now hunt 5 minutes from the house in southern ontario for the last two years . I found bears on my my trail camera set for deer . I found that sent is so important to bring the bears in . I use liquid smoke , which is a artificial smoking liquid used to smoke meat. I perchance it in a gallon. I learned this from a USA bowhunters that came to my friend bear camp in Ontario. I would put the liquid smoke in a spray bottle and spray it high into the trees . It has a strong smell and brings them fast.even after a few rains you will still smell it. I also found the bear circle ponds and swamps . I always set my bait on the trail , which circles the swamp. Last year I started bating 10 days before the season . I found the longer I baited , the later would come in knowing the bait was there even after dark. Last year as soon as I had a hit and say, it was before I started hunting right away next day. First hunt I had passed on a small bear in two hours before dark . The next day sept 9 2014 I had shot shoot a 300 pound bear live weight 4 days into the season . We put the bear on scale.
The bear in your area know your bait is there. No need for additional attractants, though you do want to give them stuff they like. (No animal carcasses or by products, or honey, of course. Illegal in Wisconsin.) The reduced number of bear can be due to any number of causes.
Dog or other hunters might have set up other baits relatively close to you.
A big sow and cubs may have taken over the bait. For some reason, some sows with cubs tend to be quite possessive of some baits, particularly if you're giving them something they really like.
Wolves moving into the area will also often move the bear out for a while.
A good berry and/or nut crop will reduce their interest in your bait as well.
These are among the reasons it's a good idea to have more than one bait site. Wind direction is another. By the time season rolls around, bear know you're the one providing the vittles. They pattern your coming and going, and are even somewhat used to your scent. But, if the wind is blowing from you to the bait site, they're much less likely to come in.
BTW, because they pattern your comings and goings, a trick that often works is to have someone come in with you when you bait. That person then leaves and you stay on stand. Can usually expect action soon thereafter. Good luck.
Thanks for the replies guys.
Journeymen: I hear you on the length of time baiting. I had the most activity at about 2 1/2 weeks of baiting. If I had to do it over again I'd be sorely tempted to not start baiting until three weeks before the season.
Orion: Got my first wolf pic of the season this morning. Just a little one in about 50 minutes before I showed up.
So I tried switching up the bait/scents some to give them something different. I used raspberry jello mix over the crib and bait, along with some syrup and anise scent sprayed over surrounding vegetation. Since Tuesday it's picked up again including one bruiser I haven't seen before. Not totally gonzo like earlier, but definitely UP. Most certainly the rain slows them down more than anything. If there's even a chance for showers the activity decreases. I'll try to post some pics of the bigger guy later today.
I don't bait but have hunted in Saskatchewan over bait and I know they don't do as well with it in the Fall due to the availability of natural food sources.I think what you are experiencing is just natural as food sources are pulling them away.Bears will travel many miles to get to the best,seasonal food source and they know where each and every food source is and when they need to be there.
It sounds like you have a great setup with some good bears.Hopefully things will taper off with the natural food sources and things will pick back up.They won't forget any place where they have gotten a meal.
Thats odd about the rain. I have always seen great bear movement during light rain showers.
keep the updates and pics coming!!!
L.R.
Etter: I LOVE a bit of light rain for hunting whitetails, but I'm keeping a journal of bear pics recording time of day, temps, precipitation, etc. and so far rain means less movement. I think some of if has to do with the bait I've been using in that it's primarily cookies up to this point and when they get wet and soggy the bear don't touch them.
****Another observation: The peak of activity as far as number of bear and frequency of visits was about 2 1/2 weeks after starting the bait. At that time, the area reeked of bear! I could smell it from 40 yards off. There was also a ton of scat piles on the trails leading into the site and around the site. Now that the bait is more established, there are virtually never any new scat piles despite the bear still being there. Is that a territorial marking thing?
NBK, "your observation" likely means they were sleeping and staying there to protect bait and now they are moving more.
Keep this going, hope it ends good....
A lot of rain the last few days and it looks like more coming for awhile.
I'm baiting every other day and carrying a shovel with me to get rid of the old soggy bait, (they don't eat it). Started throwing in some gummi bears with the bait because at least they don't get soggy!
Here's a pic of a decent bear recently. No "big" ones have been in lately.
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/Mobile%20Uploads/59d7ae80-31cc-4407-b300-c7fc69336e9b.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/Mobile%20Uploads/59d7ae80-31cc-4407-b300-c7fc69336e9b.jpg.html)
Had a helper with me last Saturday morning. 10 year old daughter Kate. Not going to make a habit of it for scent reasons, but I wouldn't be much of a dad if I didn't let her experience this.
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/Mobile%20Uploads/image-3.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-3.jpg.html)
And just making sure this is "trad" related, she can shoot.
(http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/drmreilly/Mobile%20Uploads/image-4.jpg) (http://s877.photobucket.com/user/drmreilly/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-4.jpg.html)
Two more weeks 'til you've got a big bruin down. Enjoy the adventure.
:thumbsup:
Well fellas, I'm starting to get a bit concerned.
The bait has gotten progressively colder.
I initially chose this site because here in late August/early September its typically hot and very dry. (Think burnt yards and dusty roads). It has now rained off and on for a couple of weeks and will continue for the foreseeable forecast.
A dark wet swamp with a watering hole isn't as attractive when its raining with puddles everywhere.
Not to mention that my crib is a smelly, mucky mess. I shovel it out every time paying close attention to the mold along the logs. Yesterday I took two square sheets of plywood to cover the muck and place the bait on hoping to keep it somewhat drier... Then it started pouring rain again.
I've tried introducing some new bait stuffs along with the staple of cookies and molasses.
Havent had a shooter on camera for almost a week, some days there's no activity at all and there is more nocturnal activity than before.
I wear the same clothes, same ritual for rebaiting, and the same time of day. I can't believe that I'm spooking them.
The biggest "X" factors I see are...
1. Natural food; blackberries and acorns are ripening and won't be over by season start.
2. We have 240 acres, but who knows what other bait sites are out there within a bears range.
3. Weather; prior to the last few weeks I noticed that rain slowed down activity at the bait... And all its done is rain.
I do have a plan B and a plan C of other areas I can hunt, but I'd really like to take a nice bear here...
Just venting I guess to guys who've "been there, done that".
Going back tomorrow to freshen the bait.
hold in there Mike, Hope the rain stops for you, that site looked so good for a dry fall. introduce some anise and salt into the mud around bait site.
good luck man, we are all rooting for you. I try to find your post first to see what's happening.
Talked with the bear man himself Stickflinger and did a BUNCH of research on black bear feeding habits this time of year.
The consensus is that #1 you cannot beat a bears natural desire to capitalize on natural food sources when they come into season. At this moment I'm competing against mushrooms (wet weather has made for a bumper crop), choke cherries, blackberries and acorns. Bear scat has been full of choke cherry seeds. Took the kids for a walk to a neighbors house that has a huge oak and is dropping acorns... "Hey kids, you wanna play a game!" Loaded a bucket full real quick.
#2. Baiting with sweets gets them coming, but it does seem to have some draw backs if that is the only thing we use. Just like a kid after Halloween bear eating only sugar will take a few days off between bellies full of candy. I've added more/better carbs in dry granola mixed with molasses and a bit of syrup. Started two days ago and bear that hit the bait now seem to stay longer and eat more.
Just today I've also added ears of sweet corn, (hey, thousands of angry farmers can't be wrong!), and apples.
Lastly, I climbed up into my tree stand and hung a rag soaked in liquid smoke. I'm gonna use it not only as an attractant, but while hunting I'm gonna use a diluted spray bottle of it as a cover scent periodically while sitting. It's a powerful smell and you can't beat their nose but it might help just enough.
Hunting is a game of odds and I approach it as doing everything possible to inch those percentages toward my favor.
Oh yeah, bait destroyed yesterday and a shooter in with an hour of light left.
Games back on.
See if you can find a beaver carcass. I have one frozen and ready to be chunked up and will use it sparingly. The comments about natural food are all spot on. You might also find apples to be appealing or any other fruit that is in season....like grapes. When Maine used to have a Spring season one trick was to get a cow or horse skull and chain it to a tree. They couldn't walk away with it and had to sit there and chew on it. There are lots of options. Our deer season and bait season overlap a bit. It I get a deer during the bait season I will haul the gut pile right out to my bait site. We have had bears feed on our gut piles. If I find a road kill and can get it signed over to me you can only guess where it is going.
Good advise bill unfortunately we can't use animal parts/products here in Wisconsin.
Bait was hit last night, medium sized sow, granola was gone and all apples, corn wasn't touched.
I will be sitting starting at 2:00 in the afternoon so today was the last early morning baiting time. Now on will only be midday baiting. Kinda sad the early mornings are over, they were relaxing and fun.
Forecast is storms this evening so I'm anticipating activity during shooting hours today. If that proves to be true that'll help plan next weeks hunt.
Good luck! It may take them a bit to get used to corn. We baited for one of our Shrewhaven Camp property owners last fall and used corn covered with cheap maple flavored syrup to start some baits before he could get to the property to takeover (he's about 7 hours away). All were hit well during acorn drop.
Hope to see hero pictures here soon.
Keep the faith you have put in a ton of hard work ... it will happen
Best of luck to ya :archer2: :archer2:
Mike, It sounds like you have made some good decisions during a difficult time.
Good Luck.
If I were a cat I'd be a gonner because I'm sure curious how it is going
At a local feed store I found that molasses can come in a granular form. I set a bait on our property with corn and granular molasses mixed in near my wife's deer stand. It's more of an experiment but last year the pics I got of bear were all on "crunch blocks" which are sold locally and are mostly molasses, corn and sunflower seeds molded into a block. They also seem to like marshmallows and vanilla frosting. For the bear I am after I am thinking of getting a half bag of sunflower seeds and adding it to the "mix". Good luck with your hunt.
Activity has picked up quite a bit.
The switch to granola mixed with molasses and the sweet corn has them coming in again.
Last Friday night we did a fish fry at our cabin and there was a storm on the horizon near dusk. I told the guys, "If they were ever gonna hit the bait before dark, tonight would be the night!" Sure enough, checked the cameras on Saturday and they'd blown the crib up. Not a scrap of any bait left, logs everywhere, knocked down my "wall" of brush and big piles of scat.
Pics showed a 300-350 lb. boar in at 7:04. That's 40 min before dark...
He got chased off the bait by the sow with three cubs (man they grow over the summer!) but came back around 10:00 and again at 2 a.m.
Bait wasn't touched Sunday night but I'm not sweating it. My Dad is baiting for me today. Calls himself "the Master-Baiter"... yeah, funny guy.
Well, tomorrow is showtime. I hunt by the rule of don't pass up what you'd be happy to kill on the last day but after all this I'd sure like to sit on the stand at least awhile and enjoy the moment. Thanks to all of you for your help and send some mojo my way.
Haven't read this thread in a while, I am guessing that to slow down the bears eating, you need to make it tougher to eat fast. Spread the food out under all that thick stuff if you are allowed, don't make one big pile.
ChuckC
I get the feeling you are going to get your opportunity. Hope you make the best of it. Best of luck. I think the molasses is the draw. I am getting some more granulated molasses and am going in tomorrow with a dry bag of sunflower seeds, corn, granulated molasses, marshmallows a Crunch Block topped off with vanilla icing I got from the Dollar store...lots of sweet stuff their, cheap.
Dad baited today at 1:30.
Bait hit hard.
I'm sitting at work.
Tick tock, tick tock...
Thanks Chuck. Seems like some days they nibble. Others, a vault couldn't slow them down.
Bill, FWIW the days I pour an entire gallon of molasses on the crib letting it soak the logs and drip onto the bait underneath, those are the days they seem to hit the hardest. Now if the weather will cooperate just a bit we might just have a chance.
Interesting side note:
Talked with the local game warden on Sunday and asked him "how many other bait sites do you think are within a mile of mine?"
"Bakers dozen" was his reply!
I'm not against hunting bear with dogs, but all dog hunters I've spoken with bait on average 15-20+ sites.
I think Wisconsin should go back to having to register your bait sites and making people pay for more than an allotted amount. I appreciate the effort these people put into their hunting but THAT much bait out there really screws the non-dog bear hunters, not to mention they have no problem running off of others baits.
Sorry, I got sidetracked.
QuoteOriginally posted by NBK:
I'm not against hunting bear with dogs, but all dog hunters I've spoken with bait on average 15-20+ sites.
I think Wisconsin should go back to having to register your bait sites and making people pay for more than an allotted amount. I appreciate the effort these people put into their hunting but THAT much bait out there really screws the non-dog bear hunters, not to mention they have no problem running off of others baits.
.
I agree with your comments...
Along with everything you mentioned the dog/bear guys also get to "hunt" every year and have a longer season. The cannot "kill" every year, but they can run their dogs most of summer for practice and all throughout the season on real bears.
Like you I think dog/bear hunting is fine, but I do think the dog-crew ruins many sitters hard earned efforts. That just isn't fair and we need some more balance to allow the sitters a better shot too (not instead of).
Nonetheless many sitters find a bear and I wish you the best of luck.
In NH you can only have 2 baits and they must be in two different Wildlife Units. You are allowed to let 2 other hunters use the site but you must post it with a sign with you name and address on it and the names of the other 2 hunters. If you are not hunting on your own land you must have a landowners permit and submit the site to the local CO along with a map. You must also register your bear with a CO within 12 hours and you must leave sex organs intact. Bear hunting begins Sept. 1 and you cannot bait until then.
Best of Luck Mike.
I am not in any way telling you what to do but..... If it were me and I waited 7-10 years to draw a tag and it will be another 7-10 before I go again, I would be less picky.
I know its not all about the kill but personally, I would have little self control when the first bear walked in.
My brother hunted near wausau 2 years ago, had less activity than you and never saw a bear . He hunted several baits and hunted every day. All that time and money only to wait another decade to hunt bears.
I wish you the best of Luck. Your work and thoughtfulness in this bait seems to be paying off.
shoot straight!
Good luck to you Mike. I will be up that way tomorrow hunting with my Godson. Don't listen to Tom. Your story will be a better fit for the Stump Shooter. Or at least a pic. 8^) I look forward to hearing the outcome.
Good luck tomorrow, Mike. May the giant show up at 7 p.m. and your shot true. BTW, a story on set-up, baiting, trials and tribs, culminating with a great shot, post shot excitement and hero pic would be a fantastic story. Again, good luck and have FUN!
Pray it's so Tom!
Spoke with Sara today. Good luck on the elk hunt.
Mike,
I suspect you might be in the stand now. I hope its going well.
Not yet!
Pics have shown all activity to be in the evening. Getting in the stand at 2:00 and sitting 6 hours till dark.
Following the exact same routine as normal baiting with the only difference being my level of scent control is changing from no control to fanatic level.
SW wind tonight which is good.
I'll be MIA now for a bit as there's poor cell service out there. I'll report when I can.
God I love this!
Good luck Mike!
Hit the big bear. High and forward. No blood and 8-10" of penetration. Bad storms any minute. Sucked it up and called a friend with a hound. Waiting for him to show. Gonna vomit now.
:campfire:
Pulling for you, Mike. Hope the dog works out. Could be quite an adventure tonite. Good luck!
Good luck! Keep us posted. Saying prayers
Dog found the trail and good blood. Skies opened up at 10:00. Beyond a downpour and lost the trail. Got another guy and hound lined up for tomorrow morning. Meat will be spoiled, hair will slip off hide but that bear will die and I have to try and find him. Guys, this is the not so glamorous side of hunting and it's on me but there won't be any hunting tomorrow, it'll be spent searching.
Meat and hide might be OK if you find the bear within a few hours of its demise. Get on the trail again right away this morning... a hound should be able to find it. Good luck, Mike.
No bear. Did grid searches early this morning because of the heavy rains. Had a game warden with a rifle join my dad and I because the hound hunters said after the inches of rain we got the dogs would be useless.
Blood gone, no scent for dogs to follow and then the worst storm of the summer hits today at 9:30. Torrential rain, hail, downed trees and power outages across the area including us. Continued looking until 2:00 and we called it.
I'm gonna check out for awhile, regroup, and think about what direction I want to go. This was a beautiful animal and I have to get my sh*#t straight before I head back out.
Sorry to hear this Mike. Best wishes.
Sorry for the loss... but it sounds like you made a lion's effort to do the right thing!
They used to say in MT when I lived there, "If'n ya ain't been bucked off a horse, ya aint rid much".
I think that same adage goes for losing an animal somewhere in your career!
We do all we can. practice, practice and practice more, but the mind and body cannot create the stress of a hunt shot and conditions!
And animals move!
I about quit bow hunting once over an animal that I liver shot and lay in thick stuff where I couldn't shoot nor get down to sneak in on... watched in for 2.5 hrs. About threw up and gave up hunting with bows!
You do all you can do and then some more. Then forgive yourself but never forget. Get back on the horse!
So sorry for you. Ive lost a dream critter to spoilage and I relive it almost every morning while drinking my coffee in the dark of morning. It sucks but is beyond our control.
You certainly had Mother Nature working against you on the retrieval efforts. Huge storm this morning again dumped a couple of inches of rain on the landscape. Tough for a dog to pick up long-gone scent or blood. I know you are feeling bummed out but you did all you could do under the circumstances.
I had the exact same thing happen when I had my Wisconsin bear tag except the hit was low in the chest. 100 yards into trail a torrential rain hit. No bear. So sorry.
More planning and preperation could not have been done, and a greater effort to recover could not have been given. Fate always gets a vote. I couldn't imagine how tore up you must be, but you should not have any regrets. Who knows, the bear could have lived, and if not, little goes to "waste" in the woods. I have enjoyed tagging along vicariously through your preperation, the enthusiasm and energy were almost tangible. I hope you bounce back after licking your wounds. So long as you can pull the string there's always going to be a "next time", and I can't wait to read about that one as well!
We do our own baiting in Canada and get good results in dense, boggy type terrain where bears feel comfortable and secure. We have in the past used pastries and still do to some extent however have switched to using granola mixed with honey and molasses. We also do a honey burn whenever we open our baits with a little vanilla extract mixed in addition to spritzing nearby vegetation with various extracts such as watermelon,licorice. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.
I also recommend fletching your arrows with three, bright feathers on your bear hunting arrows such as white or yellow because in the dim light conditions associated with bear hunting, they are easier to follow with the naked eye and will help you in determining how to follow-up on the blood trailing.
So sorry to hear that Mike. I know all too well exactly what you are feeling right now. As Cavscout said, you did all that you could to do it well, and it unfortunately does happen on occasion.
In my experience, if hit well, bears die quickly, and when the hit isn't so good they have a remarkable ability to recover. From the description of your hit I am guessing there is a pretty good chance that he will be fine. Get your head straight, and get back in the stand!
Mike
I hit the first Bear I ever shot at high like you described . I tracked blood for a total of 13 hrs, found his bed under a bunch of blowdown . I finally gave up and felt like crap for days, I killed that bear 7 days later coming to the cornfield I was hunting over, the wound was healing nicely and he was totally unaffected by it. Keep at it you just might see him again.