bear hunt 08

[glenn57]

so what does eveyone think? did the price of gas determine if you applied for a license or not. if you got one will it decide if you go or not? kind of odd my family applied as 2 seperate groups, 1 got drawn the other didnt, fortunately i got drawn. we forgot to apply last year thats why im surprised we got one and thats why i think the price of things had an effect on applicants. im hoping theres not a lot of activity in the area i hunt, kind of selfish but its been crowded for quite some time. just looking for some feedback.

[CANOPY SAM]

Glenn,

I think that is the issue on a lot of sportsmen's minds this year. Fewer trips for a longer duration may be the answer. That's what I've done for years.

I definately won't be baiting if I can find time to hunt bear at all. If I go I'll most certainly be no quota, in an area where I'm remote, away from hoards of other bear hunters, in an area where there is corn and oats, and doing bacon and honey burns.

I don't have the time, cash, or even the desire to bait for bear anymore. I like the thrill of "hunting" them. Trying new areas with scent bombs, stalking them in corn fields, following well worn trails into deep timber, etc.

[roosterslayer]

well i will probably be going no quota and driving farther then i ever have for bear. I will staying dedicated even with gas prices going up.

[glenn57]

i will be hunting area 26. i also have been kind of reading on here about the scent bombs and need to look into it a bit more. does anyone know where to find them or its cost? baiting is a lot of work but its kind of a rush to walk up to the bait station to see it got hit. im just getting tired of people coming in and trying to tell me they have been hunting here for years when i know for a fact thats not the case. the first 2-3 times i bear hunted, and ive hunted the same spots since 1975 there was noone bear hunting. i really dont have the time to stalk and hunt them, bait seems easier, there there or not but that sounds like that could be interesting.

[bogwalker]

There was a thread on another bear site about scent bombs. Nobody there had any luck with them. I used one on an established bait that was hit daily. The night I used one nothing came in. Sometimes a new smell will make them wary so that may have been the problem.

[Boar]

The thing with establised bait sites is if you start with scent bombs, balls, sprays ect, is to keep them separate an constant, adding a new scent in the middle of baiting will tend to make a mature bear more wary than he already is. That was my mistake last year, i try this scent an that scent an burn this whilr I hunted an that while I hunted, adding a new sweet bait is a good thing to not burn him out but a new scent seems to make him think alot before approaching the site. I've tried the scent bomb once, ONCE. waste of money, I''d prefer to use the scent sticks that burn for about two hours in berry, two miles of dead fish an anise, if a guys was to hunt in a manner described above. The scent bomb sprays fore about ten seconds an thats that. Boar

[glenn57]

we use a combo of old grease and molasses. put it in a squirt bottle and freshen up the area each time we rebait. the one thing i noticed in the previos posts and will remember is not to all of a sudden add a new scent to the bait area. makes a lot of sense.

[CANOPY SAM]

I guess I should've worded that differently. I didn't realize there was an actual product called scent bomb. What I meant was a bacon burn, or sweet smelling anice water sprayed into the trees with a super soaker squirt gun. I've even put the contents of a can of Kipper Snacks, or tuna fish on a log and watched small bears come running. That stuff smells really strong.

Actually Glenn, spot and stalk hunting is far less time consuming, and costs nothing compared to baiting. You don't have to spend the time and money required to collect bait. You don't have to keep driving out to your spot every day, or every other day to refreshen your bait pile. You can simply do your research from home, get permission to hunt the land you're interested in, and go out and hunt.

Watch for bear crossing roads into standing corn, or oats. They love oats. On windy or wet days you can get pretty close to a bear in standing fields. You can also see where bear cross roads or under fences and ambush them on their way to and from a feeding area.

Baiting is expensive and time consuming, not to mention the price of the tag. Your odds of filling your tag are WAY better if you're baiting, but I'd be willing to bet you'll get way more satisfaction from actually stalking, "hunting" and harvesting the animal, vs. simply feeding it for two weeks then shooting it.

I'm still hoping to spot and stalk a B & C bear in the corn with a bow and arrow. What a thrill! That's hunting!

[bogwalker]

I guess I should've worded that differently. I didn't realize there was an actual product called scent bomb. What I meant was a bacon burn, or sweet smelling anice water sprayed into the trees with a super soaker squirt gun. I've even put the contents of a can of Kipper Snacks, or tuna fish on a log and watched small bears come running. That stuff smells really strong.

Actually Glenn, spot and stalk hunting is far less time consuming, and costs nothing compared to baiting. You don't have to spend the time and money required to collect bait. You don't have to keep driving out to your spot every day, or every other day to refreshen your bait pile. You can simply do your research from home, get permission to hunt the land you're interested in, and go out and hunt.

Watch for bear crossing roads into standing corn, or oats. They love oats. On windy or wet days you can get pretty close to a bear in standing fields. You can also see where bear cross roads or under fences and ambush them on their way to and from a feeding area.

Baiting is expensive and time consuming, not to mention the price of the tag. Your odds of filling your tag are WAY better if you're baiting, but I'd be willing to bet you'll get way more satisfaction from actually stalking, "hunting" and harvesting the animal, vs. simply feeding it for two weeks then shooting it.

I'm still hoping to spot and stalk a B & C bear in the corn with a bow and arrow. What a thrill! That's hunting!

Simply feeding it for 2 weeks and shooting it? Where do you hunt? Sounds a lot like P.E.T.A. rhetoric to me.

[glenn57]

i hunt near talmoon. are you refering to the group- people eating tasty animals?

[CANOPY SAM]

I was only pointing out an alternative to baiting. The topic was pointed toward more cost effective means of hunting, and I was sharing a possibility.

I guess I'm kind of a purist when it comes to the outdoors. I don't sit well in stand for long periods of time. I get bored. I love to walk stealthily around the woods.

I did not attempt to offend anyone here. I merely prefer to actively hunt game and fish.

Baiting for weeks on end is expensive and time consuming. P.E.T.A. rhetoric? I don't think so. Fair chase. Definately.

I may not fill a tag every year, but I certainly save hundreds of dollars by skipping the baiting detail.

Frankly, I guess I'm at that stage where my hunting success is not necessarily determined by what I kill, so much as how much I enjoy the actual hunting.

If you feel it's necessary to label me for that, then you'll likely find yourself lumping a large percentage of the hunting community into the same category.

[glenn57]

canopy sam, i hope you dont think im knocking your style of hunting? i actually admire it, seems to be thedaniel boone way, cool. baiting isnt always gauranteed, at first ithuoght it was but the last 3 hunts i never got one. you can give them a 9-course meal at the bait but if they have lotz of natural foods bait stations are a novelty to them. and as far as peta, they can go.........well yo know. i prefer to call it population control.

[bogwalker]

I took a nice bear (280 pounds field dressed) about 4 miles from Talmoon several years ago.

[bogwalker]

Canopy Sam, Your statement about "simply baiting it for 2 weeks and shooting it" is what I am referring to. That is what anti-hunters say about baiting bear. I have been doing Black Bear research for about 5 years. More specifically mature boar Black Bear research. Spot and stalk is not possible everywhere. Baiting is the only successful management tool for Black Bear population in many areas. I do not need to take game for a hunt to be successful either but a certain percentage of bear need to be harvested each year. I appreciate the hunters who put in the hard work and time to bait bear, even though approximately 70% of them go home empty handed every year.. There is nothing unethical or wrong about hunting bear over bait.

[CANOPY SAM]

Bogwalker,

Again, I apologize if I offended anyone by my remarks above. I am not saying it's unethical or wrong to bait bear, although many dispute the same practice with White-tailed deer, and frankly I don't see a big delineation there.

None-the-less, I simply enjoy the actual challenge of the hunt. Like I said, I've baited bear myself, and I know that there is a much higher percentage of bear taken by this method. They are remarkably skiddish animals and accutely aware of their surroundings at all times. Like hunting deer, that's what makes the fair chase all the more exciting, and rewarding when successfully taking an animal.

I truly admire, and envy your work with these animals. I wonder if you and I have spoken before. Do work with the DNR in Grand Rapids?

I would have to respectfully disagree with you about spot and stalk not working in every situation. I believe that our forefathers spot and stalked everything from squirrels to Grizzlies. I doubt anyone even thought of baiting big game prior to 1900, and I don't suppose the land was overrun with bears at the time. It's really only a matter of using all of our senses and putting in enough time to really get to know the animal.

I've spoken to many accomplished hunters who admit they never took a trophy animal until they really "learned" how to hunt them. I think I've got deer pretty much figured out now, and I'm still working on bear.

I'm just theorizing here, but I think bear often get conditioned to bait stations, and almost immediately go nocturnal, if they're not already. I know I had a big boar working my bait station last year south of Grand Rapids. Later I found out he was cleaning out bait stations for miles around every night.

I think the same holds true for white-tailed deer. You simply don't see giant bear and deer wandering around out in the open during the day - ever. I suppose that's why baiting is so much more effective.

Snow geese are another example. Research has shown that these birds can live up to 20 years. They've clearly adapted to hunting pressure by moving in mass numbers with the eldest, most experienced birds leading the flight.

Anyway, I am not for, or in support of PETA. Although I do believe that all creatures should be treated ethically, the Bible clearly tells us that God gave us dominion over all the living animals of this world. He told us to eat them and use them as nourishment. That's why it's so frustrating to see it become so expensive to do so!

[glenn57]

bogwalker, we are 7 miles west of talmoon by spring lake. wre abouts did ya get it? i know the area pretty well. if ya dont mind saying cause its not going to play a part in me changing where i bait.

[bogwalker]

glenn57, That year I hunted about 4 miles W.N.W. of Talmoon.

[glenn57]

sooo, my guess would be up cty road 134 i believe. the road goes north back to i think lacriox lake to name one and becomes a minimum maintanence road. theres a power line there also. am i close?

[bogwalker]

glenn57, Where exactly is your bait located?

[glenn57]

i bait near north elementary school, a safe-legal distance, by the sand lake cemetery area and up on cty road rd 29 towards wirt off 4. we are on peterson lake near spring lake store. how about you?

[bogwalker]

Talmoon is a bit far with gas at over $4.00 per gallon, that area is getting a lot of hunting pressure too. Big Falls has a good bear population and less hunting pressure.

[glenn57]

i once worked with a guy that still hunts big falls area. big falls would even be further for me. im hoping the gas prices reduce that pressure this year.