Newbie bear questions

[reelguy]

A couple buddies and I are going to try our hand at bear hunting this year with bow's. We have about 200 acres of private land to hunt in which 2 bear were taken on opening day last year. Couple questions:

#1: With two bear being taken on the land and one other 300 lb'r taken nearby by the same group all last year, will this area still have enough bear to make it worth while? It is in a no-qouta area so according to the DNR there is not much for bear in that zone (obviously there were a few last year!). Although I think we are going to give the old college try either way.

#2: Is the 200 acres enough to have two bait stations or should there be more or what are opinions/suggestions? There will be 3 or 4 guys hunting it but not always at the same time.

#3: We have access to a lot of sweets, old sandwiches and grease so baiting won't be a problem. I have been researching time to bait and stuff like that but what would work best? Put all three types of bait in each station or have 2 or 3 stations with different things at each one?

I will and do have more questions and wouldn't mind picking someones brain if they would want to meet and have a cold one sometime...I'm in western Carver County but would be willing to drive a short way to meet. Thanks in advance.

[motley man]

2 baits is more than enough for 200 acres. Find some land within 1/2 to 5 miles around your hunting area to put more. Also talk to landowners in area to see if you can get info and access to bears they see. Most farmers and cattle ranchers don't want bears in area, due to crop destruction and calf's getting taken. Local game warden is a good place to start getting info, so make a point to contact him or her and see if you can get in on nuisance bears and areas they see bears. In the past I have hunted a few nuisance bear calls.

[Random guy]

200 acres is enough to run a couple baits. As for last years’ harvest that makes no difference at all. True some big old boars have a home territory and never leave but from what I have seen most bears are nomadic and go on regular walk abouts. Some of these are 30 mile walks before returning again. Your 200 acres may be on a bear highway with some feature that makes it part of the bear travel network. This may be very prevalent in the more open country of the no-quota zones.

As for the baits I would mix it up a bit on the 200 acres. I say put your super smell bait on the downwind side. Use the smell to reach out away from your lands as you can. Just like in the cartoons where the smoke like band of smell off of a pie in the window. I Wiffs and wanders reaching way out to pull in Yogi. Use the big stink to pull bear from a long ways away. Then put your separate types of chow in opposing corners and see who likes what. You may find sow n cubs like one thing and boars like another. Then you can change all the baits to boar food before season. Now if you can get a boar fight going over baits you will swear your 200 acres is deep in remote Canadian bear country.

[Boar]

Its aparent that that 200 acres has something attractive to bear, water, food, cover. Two bear taken out, bear will move in. In no qouta, in which I hubt also. Dont give up, giver till the end or you get a bear. First time. your gona learn alot. This forum is awsome, lots of experience guys here, so keep checking in. Good luck, boar

[reelguy]

Seems that it should be good with that many bear taken in the same year, actually same day! We are gonna give'r heck and hope we can get one or two if we are lucky! Thanks for the info guys.

[lakeshoremunster]

It should be no problem for you to hunt there again this coming season.

One private spot we hunt (no qouta zone) two was taken from there two seasons ago and three was taken out of there last season, with plenty of bears left to hunt, the area was also smaller than your 200. I was unable to tag a bear on public land last season were I spend most of my time bear hunting, the big boar always out smarted me it was a game of cat and mouse.

As for the amount of sites you should have it all really depends on what you feel like setting up and if you plann on deer hunting there also. If your going to deer hunt I would keep the sites down to one or two so you wont spooke the deer off.

[BlackArrow1]

I wouldn't worry about spooking deer too much. I had an active bait pile. Littered with apples at one point. Bear on the cam daily. I sat it. One day I had 2 big 8 point bucks in velvet walk right under me by the bait. Coulda jumped on em. IMO bear activity in your area don't effect deer traffic. Bear take fawns but mature healthy deer they are not a factor.

[BlackArrow1]

And yes, go with the bow. Good choice. I've harvested several with a bow. Ground blind. They are not a tough animal to kill. People ask what caliber rifle is enough? It's all about Shot Placement. Never had an arrowed bear go further than 70 yds. I like bow, less shock, they expire fast. If you cannot place an arrow right then rifle, you won't retrieve a bad shot bear with arrow. IMO.