Natural food- who's seeing lots of Berries

[x1957x]

Seeing lots of berries, Wild grapes, choke cherries. Seen very few acorns hanging also. Not hitting baits at all, hows the outlook for everyone else in northern mn. doing?

[jerkbait]

Seen lots of rasberries and choke cherrys, but the blues seem to be winding down. What I have heard in my ares id not alot of acorns. Plan to check my sites after work tomorrow.

[hookset]

wow, you hit the nail on the head. there is so much food out there, not sure if my baits will ever get hit.

[Boar]

Yea boy jeff aint that the truth, out test baits got nailed prior, got us all jacked up an now its "where did he go, where is george, I want to pet him an KILL HIM, an stroke his fur" I guesse its working in our favor with this longer than usual baiting season, hopefuly they'll get polished of soon. Call ya tonight after karate. boar

[bowhunternw]

I was on an oakridge, walking around a little for deer season and noticed that there was no acorns. Do they not produce every year or is there something special about this year.

[Muskie456]

White Oaks will produce every other year and reds produce every year. That being said not all whites are on the same cycle. The whites have started dropping acorns already. It has been a bumper crop for the white oak stands that I deer hunt in. Usually water=acorns.....

[jay83196]

tons of berries still, had one site hit so far baited 3 times now, hope it gets better....

[Matt Breuer]

Raspberries are pretty much completely done here. What people are probably seeing are blackberries, which are just coming in to prime. There are loads of them... Blueberries are pretty much done, but there are enough around to keep a bears attention I would guess. One of my stations has blackberries growing out of the old site, I had to pull the vines out from the logs from the prior year. It's been an epic year for berries, but hopefully with the heat they keep dying off quickly...

Loving the fact that there are no acorns around. They usually blow...

[x1957x]

My son was up by the twin cities this past weekend and he said that the acorns there have been falling fo 2 weeks already. He brought me a handful of them and they were the size of a pencil eraser. Maybe a hair bigger! They have never seen them dropping this early and that tiny. It is surely an unusual year for sure. The guy that lives there said that usually a frost occures about one month after they fall! Any body else seeing this type of stuff?

[lichen fox]

A number of years back, I wished for no natural foods for the bears to eat. My wish came true...there were no berries, hazzel, dogwood or acorns...My pile of bakery goods was the only food in the forest...but to my shigrin...there were no bears there to eat it! They had all gone elsewhere in search of food...to the fields of sunflowers and corn at the forests edge, or to a place where there were berries, and other natural foods...We did get some hits early, but they were very sporadic...I really believe it was just some bears wandering looking for food and perhaps a few that were giving up the search, then found and ate a belly full of doughnuts at my bait, and then went someplace to hibernate in mid September because they were burning more fat than they were putting on...That particular year it was very, very dry and even the grasses, clovers and leaves were drying up the second week in September...water was only available in the rivers, the ditches were dry as were most of the swamps... but even our baits along good sources of water laid idle...Abundant natural food keeps bears in the area...just be thankful they are there eating something and occassionaly hitting your baits...soon the natural foods will dry up and they'll be more consistant on your baits...and "be carefull what you wish for"...

[x1957x]

Have a buddy up by Grand Rapids and his baits went from good to bad. He is seeing lots of wild grapes, blackberries, and lots of chokes. Whats everyone else seeing. I got baits up by thief river falls and had bears at all the sites and all have stopped for about a week and a half. Any suggestions on what to do to get them back to baits? I had 2 bear on one bait and at least 3 to 4 on another bait. Still seeing pad prints although its dry and havent seen them in the clay dike area now for a week. Need some help. I no they are around. They are established sites. Use lots of grease and pastries. How about using liquid smoke? Anyone have any luck with this. Need some pointers! Only one week away.. 57

[hookset]

At first food was everywhere, everyday I see less and less. No rain has helped dry the berries up.

[jerkbait]

I use liquid smoke all the time, works good. Know many others that do as well. You can buy gallon jugs of it from Cumberlands for around $10.

[Matt Breuer]

Liquid smoke is a good attractant. The bulk stuff is just the hickory and doesn't smell as strongly as the mesquite, which can be had in perfect little site sized bottles for less than a buck.

I agree with lichen that no food is a bad thing, but acorns.... they are the worst. I am seeing literally none around here.

Up by Thief you're probably competing with grains. The bears know what they need to eat to maintain a balanced diet. They don't just eat your donuts for 3 weeks. They know that they need fruits, clover, grains, etc...

If you had them there once, chances are that they will be back. Unless you let them eat all of the food, and they came back to an empty site a time or two. I've seen a lot of bears move on if you don't keep them fed....

[Boar]

hey 57, it'll happen, the only time i could compete with corn is wen i was set up within a hundred yards on river bank from a corn field. it has"nt rained for a while the berries should be drying up an eatin up, dont think theres much for acorns around here either. Every year is different for sure.

[x1957x]

Didnt see much when I was up either( for acorns that is). Cant compete with mohter nature though. Boar, your doing just fine I know and keep up the good work. Everything happens for a reason! We got to put them on and Atkins Diet.... High in carbohydrates!! LOL

[Boar]

Ha that low carbs 57.LOL

[DRH1175]

When I baited in Chisholm on Weds I did see a lot of Raspberries but they looked like there were on their way out seemed to be drying up.

[x1957x]

Are the acorns in now? No bears at bait sights for a week now. Dont understand it... Bear pad prints in the mud 20 yards away and no pics of bear even licking the oil from the bait box.. Anyone having better luck or the same problem?

[Crow Hunter]

On my land in Wadena county, there are so many acorns dropping right now it sounds like rain. Bur oaks.

[Kim1212]

Don't bear hunt, but I spend a lot of time in the woods. Up in Ely, there is nothing. There are apples in the areas that have them, and some acorns that have been falling for a week or so, they are smaller than average. ARaspberries and blueberries only produced at about 50% in the areas I've been in (mostly up the Fernberg, Kek trail, Snowbank etc)They were done weeks ago. Choke cherries were plentiful but were done several weeks ago except for a few here and there. Most of what was on any of the berry trees/bushes dried up about 10-14 days ago. We are in a severe drought and are many inches below normal in rainfall. The Pagami Creek/Lake One fire is burning like mad right now about 10 miles from my house. Very gusty today so it'll spread pretty quickly again today. up to 7500 acres yesterday. Anyhow, very, very dry conditions here. The trees are mostly drab and droopy, and color change is early. Been seeing color on the oaks and maples for 2 weeks now. Temps look to drop into the 20s overnight this week with highs in the 40s and 50s. Maybe that'll be better for the hunters, I doubt the very sunny, 85+ temps did much for them over the weekend!