Perch jerker ...

[Fishfanatic]

Perch Jerker,

You have posted several times recently and I can see that your excited to bear hunt this year.

Where abouts do you go? Is there a lot of pressure in the area you hunt? What is your preferred method, Ground blind, tree stand, morning / evening?

What has worked well for you in the past?

We (my buddy and I) hunt zone 31. We have been baiting for the past 2 weekends and our baits have been getting clobbered. Absolutly nothing left. They have even eat'n all the apples we left. Last few years we have used them as smell only (fermenting) but this year they have already eat'n 5-10 gallons worth at each bait sight.

Good luck this year.

like you.. I can't wait for opening day.
(this is the 1st year I have taken off work to be up there on opening day.

Fishfanatic

[Perch Jerker]

My biggest bear (and only bear) was shot with my bow in the 'No Quota' zone south of area 51 about 8yrs ago. It was 424lbs dressed and weighed at the butchers cooler along with 3 others from our group. I'll try and get a pic 'online' soon. It ran 20yds and death moaned 4 times, the last with lots of gurgling. I also got it all on video with a camera mounted in a tree next to me. Unfortunately the butcher cut about 1.5" off the back of the skull with a bone saw in the butchering process. The skull is about 18.5" even with the back cut off so I was none too pleased with the butcher as you can imagine.

I have bear hunted two times after that (10 consecutive nights & 8 consecutive nights) and haven't seen anything while on the stand since. This is the first year I've baited on my own (used the same guide till this year) and am baiting in area 26 near our cabin.

Not much pressure that I KNOW about except there is a bait about 3/4 mile from the bait sites that I know about. My 2 baits are 1.5 miles apart and the 'other' bait is straight north of one bait and straight east of the other. The baits that bears are finding are getting licked clean from all the reports I've heard.

Also, I dont even have a license. I did not get drawn for area 26 this year due to such a great demand, but my good friend did so that is who will be hunting. He's never shot a big game animal (has shot at 2 deer in three years of firearm hunting) and I want him to get one so badly. I'm even taking off 3 days of work so he is not hunting (and hopefully tracking & finding his dead bear) alone.

Good luck,
PJ

ps. Read Nordbergs book, it's a wealth of info.

[Swamp Scooter]

PJ,

I cannot agree more with you and the Nordberg book. Sounds like you have a lot of fun along with all the work. Boy 400#+ must have taken quite a while to get out.

Wish I was hunting this year as well. My area got all logged off. Nxt year I will be back!