Bears and wind direction question

[Scoot]

I have a question about bowhunting this coming bear season. First, a little info- my stand is about 10 yards from the bait (Idon't want it that close, but that's where it will be) and I've got pretty good cover in front of me (with good shooting openings if the bear is on the bait and great cover behind me. The stand is directly East of the bait. Obviously, I'm hoping for a West or Northwest wind. However, what if I get a wind that is dead wrong- an East wind blowing straight from me to the bait? Do I still hunt anyway?

If I was deer hunting, I wouldn't ever consider sitting in a spot where the wind was wrong. However, there's two reasons I would consider sitting there with the wrong wind: 1) unlike deer where I just put my stand up in another location, I don't have any other options- only one bait out, and 2) a couple people told me that the bear doesn't really care about your scent and/or he'll most likely circle around the bait once and will have smelled you regardless of the wind direction. So, I'm curious what you bear gurus think about this- do I sit the stand if the wind is wrong?

[BuckSutherland]

Sit there. And its a good thing to be close to the bait. That way the bait will help cover your scent up some.

[Tolens]

I would go with what BuckSutherland has said, Good luck

Rob

[leech~~]

To tell you the truth, when I drive that far to go hunting Bear or Deer. I will be in the stand no matter which way the wind blows! I think scent is over rated as compaired to movement, especially up in a stand. Have I been winded at some point, yep! But still have enough Bear and Deer on the wall and in the freezer. Get up there!

[Sorgy]

Scoot,

More of a concern than the scent is the shot angle. Bears noses are better than whitetails. There is almost no way of them not knowing you are there. Evening thermals almost always take your scent to the ground. Bears just tolerate scent better than whitetails- Big bears I cannot comment on that. I have bounced this same question off my neibor who has hunted bears for over 35 years.

Now the shot angle- the shoulder blade is a big concern from say a 15 ft stand at 10 yards. If you can take off a section of ladder and sit at say 11 ft that would be much better for the broadside shot. Wait for the close leg to move up and forward for the best penetration or the steep quartering away shot may be a better choice.

I wish you the best of luck and cannot wait for your storys.

Steve

[Scoot]

Thanks for the input, fellas. The shot angle is one thing that I can't do a thing about. I'm hunting at a spot where there is a permanent stand and I've been encouraged to use it by the landowner. I'd prefer to be in my hang on stand about five yards further back and a couple feet lower, but he wants me to use his stand, so I will. If he's nice enough to let me hunt there, I'll do things exactly as he wishes. The good news is the permenant stand is only about 12 feet high, so it's not a skyscraper stand by any means.

Leech, when you say you don't worry about the wind with deer, are you talking about bowhunting or rifle hunting? With bowhunting I'd never, ever take that approach. If I could reach out a couple hundred yards or more with a rifle, I'd have a different mindset for sure. But bears are different, according to many, so I wondered if my "deer approach" of being really super anal about the wind was necessary.

Thanks much for the input, fellas!

[leech~~]

Leech, when you say you don't worry about the wind with deer, are you talking about bowhunting or rifle hunting? With bowhunting I'd never, ever take that approach. If I could reach out a couple hundred yards or more with a rifle, I'd have a different mindset for sure. But bears are different, according to many, so I wondered if my "deer approach" of being really super anal about the wind was necessary.

Thanks much for the input, fellas!

Like I said, if I only put up one stand and drive more then a 100 miles to get there be it Bow, Rifle or Bear and the wind isn't right. I'm not going home, I will take the chance and be in that stand. I think sometimes people put way to much stock in scent. I have taken and had Deer eating Acorns right under my stand when Bow hunting which I just took a pizs off of a half hour before. They have to learn that what they are smelling is a bad thing, and some of them have not.

[Scoot]

Leech, thanks for your reply and thoughts on this. I'm absolutely not one of these "scent freaks" who use scent blocker, carbon products, and sealed bags with my clothes. I do, however, use common sense (e.g., don't wear my boots while filling up gas, don't cook bacon while wearing my camo, etc.) regarding scenting up my camo. I also never will deer hunt a spot with the wrong wind- how far I drive doesn't factor in for me with that. It sounds like you take a different approach, which is cool by me. It also sounds like it's worked for you- cool!

Thanks again for your input and thoughts!

[CANOPY SAM]

I'm sure others have had success with this either way, but if it were me, I'd stay out with a bad wind and wait for it to switch.

I think what could possibly happen is the bear will wind you, and thus be on high alert. Not the biggest problem with a rifle, as you can pretty much either be ready for the shot when an animal moves in, or it takes little movement to get ready for the shot.

But when a bear is alert to your presence he's going to be far more keenly aware of any movement from your stand location, especially if your only 10 yards away.

Sounds like you're pretty well concealed, so maybe it won't be an issue? I don't know. Maybe it will work. As others have said, you're just gonna have to wait for him to turn the right angle to allow you to draw your bow and take your shot. If you could get a little concealment in front of you, like a camo blanket or something that would at least hide your movement while you draw back the bow? That would definitely help.

Are you shooting out of a box blind Scoot? Perhaps if you explain to the land owner your concerns about what to do on a bad wind day he might allow you to hang your portable on the other side of the bait pile. Ya know, honestly, it seems like they (the bears) pretty much know you're there no matter what you do, so maybe it really wouldn't matter? Good question though!

[HNTNBUX]

In my experience bears will come into the bait from whatever direction they want. I don't look at it like hunting deer with "established" bedding and feeding areas that you can plan on. Now if you were to find a place where your scent would blow over water or a field most of the time I would save that stand for perfect winds. Stands in the woods I would hunt as many days in a row as you can so the bear learns that if he wants to eat your scent is part of the deal.

[B-man715]

Scoot,

My theory is that bears get used to your scent in the area when you are baiting. I intentionally leave all the scent I can after a bait has been hit. I'll go as far as to rub my sweaty belly and back on the trees around the bait Never had a bear wind me and run off yet.

When it's opening day and 85+ degrees out.......... you're gonna sweat and stink..... a lot.... Might as well get 'em used to it.

When a bear comes in cautious I believe they are doing so in fear of a bigger bear, not a potential human.

If one catches a good whiff of you, they will often climb up the tree to say Hello That's when the fun begins

The only scent I try to control is a Therma-cell. More than a handful of guides do not let clients hunt with them, so they must have a good reason. If the bait is down-wind the night of the hunt, I will wear a head net and put up with the bugs. If almost calm or from any other direction, I fire up the Therma-cell.

As mentioned before, shot placement is critical. I once waited 20 painful minutes for the perfect laying down, front leg reaching-forward shot. It paid off with a double lung complete pass through with a blood trail well under a 100 yards. The quartering away is of course deadly as well. Last year my bear died in seconds and didn't make it twenty yards. It was unbelievable! The Muzzy punched both lungs and sliced through the carotid artery and windpipe.

I'm no life-long expert, but I do have two bow kills and encountered dozens of bears on stand.

[HunterLee]

I am a wind freak when it comes to whitetails. I have only killed two bears but only have hunted no-quota bears 3 years. One bear came from upwind and one did a 3/4 circle in which he was downwind, but it was a fairly stiff breeze and I was fairly high and the bear when I see him was close. So not sure if last years could of or had smelled me, but he stood below me for 30 seconds before committing.

The year before I didn't get mine but he was seemed very smart and would not even hit the bait if I hunted it until the following night. I only hunted him with the wind good for me and he still seemed to know I was there even though I had a wide open bean field downwind.

In my few years of hunting them it seems some bears are killable and some aren't. If i was you I would first get a bear to hit and hope it hits fairly regular, pick a good night with many factors in you favor and kill him.

One of nice things of being close to my baits are I can and do check most everyday once things get rolling and usually get some type of pattern on my bears.

Keep them happy and they will stay around

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Always have an alternat stand for wind direction be it in a tree or on the ground. Bear do associate baiters scent with the bait an get comfertable with the baiters scent. A new human scent introduced an it like ly not going to work. I've shot a lot of my bear being up wind but I'm sole baiter guy. Yu do need to play the wind to some degree. Bear will cirle the bait 50 to 60 yards out to catch scent. Even if uve been baiting I'd get into stand hou rd s early for ur ground scent to disperse some.

[sticknstring]

Ask the landowner if he minds if you hang a stand for an East wind. After you shoot your bear, tell him you shot it out of his stand no matter what!

[motley man]

When baiting I have never worried about my scent at site as they get used to it and expect to smell it. I use camo coveralls when baiting and take them off at vehicle and keep them in a garbage bag in the back of my truck. I use them when sitting on stand also. I know they say don't have that smell on you when hunting, but I'm in a tree.

[harvey lee]

The few times I have bow hunted for bear, total of 2 and harvested 2, I was told by an olt timer who baited for years commercially, to wear a t shirt into your bait and when you are all done baiting, leave the old sweaty t shirt hanging in your tree.

Every time you go into bait or hunt, the bear should be fine with you in the tree as your scent has been there for weeks, nothing new.

I was never too concerned about the bear seeing me as I believe they are not the best with thier eyes, scent is a much better sense for them.

Since you cannot move your stand and you say you are very close, any chance you have room to move your bait pile back a bit from your stand?

Heck, just leave a donut trail from the old spot to the new one if needed but I am sure the bear would find it by scent.

I had a buddy who used donuts for bait. He would lay a trail of powered sugar doneuts down in a line to his stand, when the bear picked up one, he would hide and eat it, then come back for #2 ans so on. When the bear gave him a good shot, wham.

I am also very careful with scent near my stands as far as wind direction. Yes, those does and smaller bucks may walk in but I have seen aor heard larger bucks get antsy and they never gave me a shot due to scent and wind control.

I never use to be that careful but after watching my son shoot buck after buck and always nicer than mine, I realized that the wind is of great impotrance for the larger bucks.

He goes all out with scent free tubs, spray, wind direction and on and on. But he also always takes a nicer buck than I do with the bow.

I finally gave into doing a better job with my scent control and I have reaped the rewards. Firm believer now.

[motley man]

Bears are the quietist animal I've hunted and can get very close before you know their there. So being still is the biggest factor in seeing them before they see you. Keep still and limit your scent as best you can, but don't panic when you look and a bear has appeared out of nowhere! I've had them 10 feet behind me and never heard them coming in.