Bear Hunting

[Sand Burr]

Just dropped it off at Nature Scenes Taxidermy (tyson mann). Thanks for the offer though. I grew up on the east side of Cambridge. Small world.

[Remington]

Does anybody in the noquota zone have a bear they want me to shoot?

[Sand Burr]

Don't let the fustration get to ya. I know easy for me to say I alreay got one. Something has happened around this mora area. My guess is its a combination of bow hunters and acorns dropping. Let you bait dry up and hit it again on the weekend of the 22 or 29. Wish I could help but my baits around here are not getting hit.

[Rick]

Any nice rugs out there from 2001?

[lichen fox]

There's lots of rugs in the taxidermy shops, and we look ahead to another season....The DNR has a big problem on thier hands....the Black Bear population in Minnesota continues to rise, despite the DNR's lengthening of the season and even doubleing the harvest limit. What to do next? Increasing permit numbers in quota area would probably just increase hunter competition and result in less bears hitting baits at shootable hours. There's plenty hunters, maybe to many in some areas, these hunters need to harvest more bears....increase the success ratio....from 25-30% to 50-70%....how? learn more about your quarry, and avoid other hunters bait areas. Get away from the crowd, spread your baits out....I've had bears, (a bear) hitting two different baits that were a mile or more apart, as the crow flies, 3 to 5 miles by road....The other option is a split season....add a spring hunt and decrease the pressure, it may also add a few new hunters...less pressure will mean more huntable bears and higher success rates...What do you think?

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Is there a limit on these things?
Lichen Fox

[lichen fox]

I've got about 200 gallons of grease, a freezer and a half full of pastry's, I've gone through all my timers and have been printing topo and photo maps of new bait sites....Isn't anyone out there thinking about bear hunting??? Come on guys....lets role!

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Is there a limit on these things?
Lichen Fox

[Guest]

Lichen Fox,

Yeah, I can't wait until next year! This last fall was my first year bear hunting and I got one in Sept. The meat is SO GOOD! It is better than venison, and we love venison. I couldn't talk my dad into going last fall so I hooked up with some of our old deer hunting buddies. It was a first time for all of us. We worked hard (at least I think we did). Lots of scouting, baiting, talking to locals, driving, bargaining with grocery stores, restaurants, etc. I have a whole new respect for bear hunters----at least the serious ones. It was very satisfying to get one after putting in all those hours. After eating some of it, my dad can't wait until next year. He's all fired up to go now. I am saving coffee cans for my honey burns and saving all of my bacon grease from my breakfasts. Bear hunting is my new favorite hobby!------

[bobbersgone]

has anyone heard of using sugar beets for bear bait? or anyone try sugar beets? thanks for any replys

[bobbersgone]

has anyone ever tried sugar beets for bear bait before?or heard of anyone using them? thanks good hunting

[This message has been edited by bobbersgone (edited 04-04-2002).]

[Sand Burr]

ATV Bucket Rack

Are you sick of riding with a pile of greas between you legs? Check out these racks and free yourself. I am a bear hunter and we would not survive without our baiting buckets. Don't worry about the price because youll spend more than that baiting this year.

http://www.geocities.com/bucketrack/pg1bucketrack.html

[Guest]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO HAS THE MN RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST BLACK BEAR.

THANKS MIKE

[Guest]

I searched the internet high and low, and I couldn't find anything.
I do remember reading though, that the largest minnesota black bear was around 600 lbs, dunno the skull measurements, or length.

[lichen fox]

I think it could be me that has the biggest black bear in mn....just kidding. I arrowed one in 2000 that tipped the scales at 534 #'s. He was a 8 1/2 years old. The rug squared about 7 1/2 feet. The skull scored 18 15/16, kind of dissapointing considering the size of the animal. I don't know what the all time MN record is, but I do know that the largest taken by archery scored 22 0/16 . It was harvested from pine county in 1995....ranks 8th in the world by archery....can't wait till sept.

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Is there a limit on these things?
Lichen Fox

[Guest]

thanks guys for the info just have to keep looking.

[lichen fox]

Check out the Boone and Crockett Club site or the Pope & Young site. It should give you skull measurements at least.... Otherwise check out the MN DNR site....good luck!!!

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Is there a limit on these things?
Lichen Fox

[Remington]

I am pretty sure it is 558#. I saw it in a back issue of Bear Hunting Magazine.

[Guest]

Like I said, I searched the net high and low :-p

The minnesota DNR HSOforum didn't have it, and the boone and crockett site only had world records, not state records.

[Guest]

Oh, on another note, any of you guys hunt with a pistol? I just bought a new ruger super blackhawk .44 mag. and I'm itchin to try it out on big game. And since Bear hunting is the next available season, it seemed like a logical choice. I haven't hunted bear since 1996 though, and when I hunted then, I used a rifle.

[lichen fox]

I didn't find out what the "current" best Black Bear in Minnesota was, other that the archery record in Pope and Young....I did, however find out that a 22 5/16 Black Bear from MN is registared for the 25th annual entries that will be held in a few years....I did mention the archery record and asked if Boone & Crockett had a larger entry from MN, when I e-mailed them and the only reply was in reference to the bear slated for the 25the annual awards. The world record is 23 0/16 and was "picked-up" in Utah.

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Is there a limit on these things?
Lichen Fox

[cmpeterson1]

I think the bear shot south of Brainerd was around 600lb.For some reason I think the owner of bait shop in Motley (Brown maybe)shot one that went 650lb, might be wrong. I seen the mount, full body standing upright.Looked like Yogy-upsidedown light bulb.

[bobbersgone]

has anyone ever used sugar beets for bear bait?thanks

[Guest]

Never used sugar beets for bears, but I would bet that once you get them coming in, that would be good filler. I usually go to supermarkets and ask if I can have the old baked goods. A lot of places give them to you free, other places make you pay a couple bucks a garbage bag full, least, thats how much it cost last time I went hunting.

[kupcho]

Hey guys, I've never used sugar beets for bear either. Deer love them.
One bait that you might find entertaining is Atomic Fire balls.
I've never seen this personally, but I did hear this from a very reliable source. He put 8 Atomic Fire Balls in a line on a fallen tree about 1 foot from one another. The log was 10 feet from the bear bait, and the bear ate every single atomic fire ball before he went for the bait.
Anyone ever heard of this sort of thing before?

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Kupcho's Guide Service
Upper Red, Winnie, Blackduck Area
http://fishingminnesota.com/blackduck/
Phone:(651) 426-1545
E-mail: [email protected]

[cmpeterson1]

We use dog food/mollases,sweet corn,pie filling. Check this out.Last year a farmer seen us baiting,stopped and gave us permission to hunt his farm.He told us the bear were eating his corn.At first we thought he was talking sweet corn,till we got there.We all jumped in the back of his truck.Took us back to a 200acre section of field corn.He drove right into the field and showed us patches of downed corn big enough to turn a tractor trailer around in.We learned after a week of baiting with only one hit,that we were wasting time.We found out shortly after from an old time bear hunter,said when the corn goes into the milk stage just as well stay home.Said the bears are bulking up for winter,put on more lbs corn then nuts & berries.The farmer also confermed what we thought,they were eatting&sleeping in that field.We learned alot from that old timer.

[Satchmo]

The countdown has begun to my next date with a mere 10,000 mosquitoes and one big bruin. If I'm lucky the bear will show too!!!