Bear hunters, how'd you do?

[lichen fox]

Just wondering how everyone did on the opener? I was out for the first time yesterday...put out 13 baits, will check and put out about 4 more on Sunday...hopefully you'll all have your tags filled so I can have the forest to myself!

[deadminnowcatcher]

2 bait stations- both of them shut down 2 days before start of season

[ricqik]

Other then some ignorant group putting paper sign at our stations telling us to go back to country and tieing some sign for us to not cross certain areas, we had some success. One of my cousin bagged ok size one, my other cousin let huge mother walk because she had cubs with her and my brother missed. We're all using bow.

[Neiko]

Ricqik, Sorry to hear about your negative experience. Where were you hunting? Were you hunting near private property?

[ricqik]

We are hunting in nemadji state forest, we're pretty far from any private property, about 4-5 miles east of nickerson. Yeah, another hmong group did in fact encounter these ignorant folks and the warden was called and 2 "hunter harrassment" citation was written to these fools. They told us to be careful and watch our backs. I tend to let these things go and move on but if I did encounter them I would call the area CO too. I'll be out there again Thurs-Sat to try again. This is my first year bear hunting and am making the best out of it, I'm not gonna let these things stop me from my first year bear hunting. It was quite a sight when we found the bear my cousin shot, I didn't quite want to go close to it, claws, teeths, kind of imtimidating being so close to a bear,even though it was dead, but it was exciting.

[Neiko]

There is nothing like the sound of the death moan. When they make that sound you would swear they are alive but I am told it is the air escaping out of the bear's lungs once it is dead. My last one I got with a bow moaned 13 times. Makes the hair stand up.

As for the ignorant ones I think they are still riled up from the Vang incident in WI. I am guessing they will be that way for awhile.

[Longline]

What a great season!!! Went up the the Superior National Forest. First night seen a cub that was born this year but not the mama. Night 2 see the cub again, then mama comes in, WOW she was HUGE!!! She was way to smart too, comes in grabs a bite of donuts and off she goes, 3 seconds flat. 7:00 a 150-175 lbs black bear comes in and starts eating, just getting ready to pull up on it something starts hissing up on the hill, scares the crab out of me and that bear, but it comes back to eat. I catch a glimse of a bear up on the hillside and notice that it is a chocolate. It works its way down the hill, peaks its nose out from behind a tree so I pull up the muzzleloader and she steps out from behind the tree and I let it rip. When the smoke clears the bear has tumbled about 15 ft down the hill. What a hunt!!!

[Perch Jerker]

Third night out I got a #130lb dressed (155lb est wt) female. She came in at 8:07pm and started to turn and walk out when I made the shot, dropped in her tracks. I was using my .577 T-Rex (.585" diameter bullet) with a 650gr bullet the largest diameter rifle I own just for fun because my first bear was with my bow and wanted to try something different (besides the .72cal SxS Kodiak ML). I had 5 baits in Zone 26 and 2 in Zond 13. They seemed to stop getting hit 2 days before opener. One bait that had 15 pictures of 5 different bears in a 3 day time span less than a week ago still as of this morning had the bacon slices my father put out on opener. Four days and not even a visit??? This was true of all but the bait I shot mine from (and it got hit on the AM night of the 2nd/3rd. They were eating 160-200lbs in a 3-6 day span per bait. Some big time natural food source must have dropped in the woods to pull them that quickly because they all didn't get shot 2 days before the opener.

[subzero]

Congrats longline looks like a great season for you, we raninto the same as other have stated. 2 days before season opens we quit being hit, saw one big bear over the weekend but it wouldn't give a shot.

[JEV]

Well, one down, one to go. He wasn't the biggest bear in the woods, but not bad for my first. The big guy is still out there. I caught him on my trail camera the same night I shot this one....

[RussDaBuss]

Nice bear guys!! All of you CONGRATS!! I am still waiting. Darn, I can not get them to come in before DARK!!! I WILL keep trying...!!

[bass-o-matic]

I am so jealous that all of you have been out already. My group of 6 guys is actually going up to Ontario on Sat. morning. We hunt Sun-Fri. Can't wait!!! I'll let you know how we do.

Keep the pictures coming!!!!

[Guest]

LongLine-very very nice Brown,Ive shot 3 bears all black and would love to shoot a brown,great job.

[bass-o-matic]

Back from Ontario. 6 guys, 2 kills. Could have been 5, but there was some bear fever going around camp last week. Unfortunately, I never saw a shooter, so I didn't even have the chance to draw the bow back. Still a great time though.