How long do I wait for them to hit again???

[Handsonthepole]

Need some more help! Had two hitting the bait up until Monday before opener....now nothing. Lots of hunters in the area seeing same thing and all say to keep at it and they will return??? This seems to be the most educated place to go when needing some advice.....so how long do I stick it out? I am impatient mostly because I am a first timer and thought it was a sure thing....ya right! congrats to everyone who had success this past week...the stories are great!

[archeral566]

have the same thing happen year after year where we hunt as well, but just keep your spirts high as you never know when one might come to check again. happened this year for me as well but it seems like they start hitting good again after a couple weeks into mid october, the bears around us are just layed low these first couple weeks with all the acorns and hazelnuts around.

[bogwalker]

How about all of the hunters and anti-hunters who claim it is so easy. Dump some donuts in the woods and shoot Yogi when he shows up.

[fire29]

I wouldnt worry about it. Maybe they got shot, or moved on. The best bear hunting is yet to come, in my opinion. It allways seems like the last two weeks were the best for us. Dont get me wrong I would spend every minute you can there, but I wouldnt get discourged. Hang in there.

[cherokee]

Yep, hang in there. Patience will get you a bear.

[bogwalker]

If you picked a good bait site you have lots of time left. If not the grouse hunters and archery deer hunters will put a quick end to your season when those seasons open.

It sounds like they found a food source they prefer over yours.

[Matt Breuer]

Acorns and hazelnuts are a pain in the butt. Happens on our land too, they leave for 5-10 days because we're basically void of acorns on our 160. They'll come back, just keep your bait fresh and smelling of temptation...

[Boar]

My site also are dry, but I continue to check them an refresh them with grease an edibles, when the natural stuff is gone they'll come back unless their dead, but keeping your site open a fresh will draw in bears that are on the hunt for a food source, so dig in an ride it out the good times are yet to be had, but bog makes a great point, overlapping seasons can end yours really quick. Boar

[Random guy]

, overlapping seasons can end yours really quick. Boar

Birddogs love bait sites. All you get is a hunter yelling and whistling for his dog while Fido is digging like mad for a treat before urinating on your bait site.

[kelly-p]

Sometimes it's not only the dog doing that.

As far as baits going dead some years ago a chocolate sow was around for many years. Enough years that we got to watch her raise 2 sets of twin cubs. The first set of twins was cinnamon and black and 2 years later she had chocolate and black twins. She was very distinctive in the things she did. Her or her cubs never ate any licorice or chocolate. She always covered the baits back up with leaves, sticks, grass, moss or what ever was around the bait when they were done eating. Not just a little cover but a 2 to 3 feet high mound over the bait. What I found the most amazing about her tho was that if she smelled a different human scent around the bait whether it was a hunter or someone else along as I baited she would leave that bait immediatly and travel to a different bait of ours. Some nights she would travel up to 7 miles. 7 MILES OVERNIGHT with first year cubs.

This year Jon had a very distictive nice boar do a disappearing act right after opening day. He appeared again after 4 or 5 days. On 3 different baits in one night. From the first bait to the 3rd bait is 12 miles as the crow flys. In one night! So if your bait is dead there might be a nice boar 10 miles away that could be there in a few hours.

[mabr]

Now that there is intresting to say the least.

Thanks for posting that Kellyp

[Boar]

Thanks KP, that is a neat story, I kinda compare bear hunting to ice pike fishing, weired I know, cause ya just never know when that flag is going up an how big it's gonna be. Boar

[x1957x]

awsome story K.p. -----57----

[CANOPY SAM]

It's gotta be fun to watch them so closely. I bet those cubs were tuckered out after a 7 mile romp thru the forest!

I think bear are a lot like people. There are some that are picky eaters, and some that are gluttons. Some that are marathon runners, and some that are couch potatoes.

I would probably fit into the latter categories.

[cherokee]

KP that is interesting. I know they travel but didn't realize they will go that far in one night. Never know what may show up at your bait.

[archeral566]

didnt know they traveled that far either, but i do know that one neighbor about 5 miles away that we are good freinds with gets pics of the same sow with 3 cubs that i have hitting my bait.

[Random guy]

It has always amazed me how far and how fast they can move. If anybody has been on an easy track with a lighlty wounded bear you almost have to trot or jog to close in on them. As for the boar on his walk about he is very hard to mistake due to his markings and has now once again returned to his original area...where he enters the bait from the back no matter how much stuff I put in his way and never takes his eyes off the stand when he is feeding. Wonder how many times he has sat back in the brush and watched an unaware hunter texting or snoozing in the stand.