Author Topic: Minnesota bear season (Read 3628 times)

jk3006 · « **on:** August 28, 2008, 12:40:59 PM »

Well, here we are. Another season at the doorstep. I hope this unlucky loser actually sees a bear this time 'round. I have two baits out. One is doing alright. It just got hit for the first time a few days ago. The other bait is doing really well. The camera shows that if everything stays to form I'll be having an opportunity to shoot one. But, I'm not getting my hopes too high. Word is that they've just started hitting the corn, not to mention that the acorns are dropping. Hoping to break my unlucky 4-year bearless streak.

How are you fellow Minnesota hunters doing?

jk3006 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2008, 05:30:15 PM »

Here's some recent pictures. They're not that clear, but you can get an idea of what might be in stake for me this week (hopefully. Okay, I'm not really counting on it too much!!).

One of these bruisers (or maybe it's just one bear, but I don't think so) is coming in at around 8 p.m. Sweeeeet!!!
I might actually have a shot at one.

jk3006 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2008, 05:31:43 PM »

This first picture is right at 8 p.m. on this past Thursday night. Second picture is the same bear.

jk3006 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2008, 05:32:30 PM »

This first picture is the same bear as the last two pictures above. The second picture may be the same bear, I don't know. It was taken 1.5 hours later.

jk3006 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2008, 05:34:19 PM »

I'm pretty sure this first picture is the same bear as the last picture above. The second picture is two hours later. Same bear, probably.

jk3006 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2008, 05:35:07 PM »

Bottom picture was taken at 7:13 p.m. on Saturday.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 01, 2008, 01:37:18 AM »

I wish you good luck.

jk3006 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 01, 2008, 05:13:13 PM »

Sat on the stand this evening. It was HOT & WINDY. It's gonna rain tonight and tomorrow. Then we'll see some upper 60's and low 70's.

Anyhow, I didn't see anything. However, the bait had been hit since I replenished it yesterday. The bear ate the meat scraps first (surprise, not really).

jk3006 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 06, 2008, 04:22:29 PM »

Well, it happens to me every year. This time the baiting was going really well, as the pictures above show. Then, two days before the opener, the bears go nocturnal. The bait was still hit each of the first two days of the season, but then it went dead for a few days. I just checked it, and it was hit again. I can't tell whether it's a sow with one cub, sow with two cubs (the two bears pictured together look way too big to me to be cubs), or two adult bears and one little one, or even three adult bears. Another big bear, for sure. It was late at night, of course.

So, I decided to quit baiting 'till October, when things should play a little more in my favor.

The bear in the bottom picture looks too big to be either of the bears in the first picture. What do ya think?

jk3006 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 06, 2008, 04:23:59 PM »

Same bear as the last picture above.

jk3006 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 06, 2008, 04:26:45 PM »

This one's definitely a small bear

wild country · « **Reply #11 on:** September 09, 2008, 11:15:06 PM »

jk3006,

I can tell you I have been down the same road. The key is you bait before 12 noon each day (if you can) or o'dark thirty. check the bait in the afternoon. If you can get in there to pull the bait at say 6:00pm, every night they will start to hit a bit earlier each night. The idea is to pattern them into coming when the food is there. I use a 5 gal bucket, just so I can pull all the food before the set time, that I would like to see them come into the stand. Time is the key, you have to make the bear hit when you need them there. Yes it's lot of work and yes it won't always work, but it has put many bear on the table for me. Also try a honey burn, when you get into hunt the site. We shot some nice bear and I will add I believe it's because we hunt from ground blinds, but to each his own. Now if I knew how to post pics I'd post a few........Good luck

jk3006 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 10, 2008, 06:37:53 AM »

I've recently talked to a couple of other people that have told me the same thing. I imagine this will only work when there's nobody else baiting for at least a mile or two from me. Interestingly, you mention pulling the baits around 6 p.m., or did you mean around dark? This type of schedule is not possible for me to do, except maybe 3 or four days per week. If there's a will, there's a way. I'll have to think of something.

Quote from: wild country on September 09, 2008, 11:15:06 PM

jk3006,

I can tell you I have been down the same road. The key is you bait before 12 noon each day (if you can) or o'dark thirty. check the bait in the afternoon. If you can get in there to pull the bait at say 6:00pm, every night they will start to hit a bit earlier each night. The idea is to pattern them into coming when the food is there. I use a 5 gal bucket, just so I can pull all the food before the set time, that I would like to see them come into the stand. Time is the key, you have to make the bear hit when you need them there. Yes it's lot of work and yes it won't always work, but it has put many bear on the table for me. Also try a honey burn, when you get into hunt the site. We shot some nice bear and I will add I believe it's because we hunt from ground blinds, but to each his own. Now if I knew how to post pics I'd post a few........Good luck

jk3006 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 10, 2008, 06:39:35 AM »

I think the big sow with the other two smaller bears must be her young from 2 or 3 years ago that are still travelling with her (also sows). That's my only take on it. Those two bears are too big to be cubs. Yet, they were all together at the bait.

kody · « **Reply #14 on:** September 10, 2008, 07:08:38 AM »

This being a great berry and hazelnut season,I predicted a poor baiting season. NOT SO The neighbor who guides has had great results, 75% [9 of 12]. It will be interesting to follow the rate of resuts as time ,kills, and this weekend's grouse opener all affect his hunts. Very dry lately and the grouse are in the willows. Moose will open in 2 more weeks but those hunter numbers and style won't affect bear hunters. We've had super bear -producing years lately and they're all over this county

wild country · « **Reply #15 on:** September 10, 2008, 11:27:11 PM »

Yup, I ment 6:00pm when I said to pull the bait. The idea is to set the pattern that will work for you. I'm baiting at 3:30 am each morning and I work 40hrs a week. Yes some of the bar are hitting in the morning, and for me that is ok, I just take a day like sat or saun and run the line twice, morning and mid afternoon to see it they ARE hitting in the morning. If you are the only one hunting the stand and not guiding clients, it can and will work to your advantage to have someone else baiting near you. If I get a bear hitting, I mean ripping the place up looking for more food, then I bring them two 5gal pales each day, or three if there is none left when I check in the morning. Yes that is alot, but for me it works and I feel if you don't give them a reason to go very far then they will stay in the area. Bait is sometimes an issue for folks, I went through 4500lbs of donuts and popcorn along with meat scraps/beaver and bread. Sometimes they just move on to another food source. They will come back to check out the bait when in the area. Do you grease your site? (cooking grease,oil) I put down 5 gal when I set the bait and another 5 gal when I get them hitting really well, I put it on the trails leading to and from the bait. These are just my thouhgts. My wish is for you to kill a bear!!!! So if it works great.

jk3006 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 11, 2008, 12:57:55 AM »

I still don't understand why it's to my advantage to have someone else baiting relatively close by. My thinking is that the other bait creates competition for me, and the bears will naturally gravitate to where they can eat at any time, preferably after dark. Btw, I do hunt alone.

In your experience, how long does it take to get the bears coming in during the day after you start this baiting routine?

I do grease the bait site as much as I can. I had 15 gallons or so for this baiting season, but that got used up already. I will probably get some more when I start things up again.

Another issue is that I live one-half an hour from where I bear hunt, so making two trips right now is probably not doable. However, I'll be moving closer come early October. Then, I'll only be 15 minutes away. I can leave the 4-wheeler parked out in the woods so that I can drive the car back and forth to save gas.

Thanks for the advice!

Quote from: wild country on September 10, 2008, 11:27:11 PM

Yup, I ment 6:00pm when I said to pull the bait. The idea is to set the pattern that will work for you. I'm baiting at 3:30 am each morning and I work 40hrs a week. Yes some of the bar are hitting in the morning, and for me that is ok, I just take a day like sat or saun and run the line twice, morning and mid afternoon to see it they ARE hitting in the morning. If you are the only one hunting the stand and not guiding clients, it can and will work to your advantage to have someone else baiting near you. If I get a bear hitting, I mean ripping the place up looking for more food, then I bring them two 5gal pales each day, or three if there is none left when I check in the morning. Yes that is alot, but for me it works and I feel if you don't give them a reason to go very far then they will stay in the area. Bait is sometimes an issue for folks, I went through 4500lbs of donuts and popcorn along with meat scraps/beaver and bread. Sometimes they just move on to another food source. They will come back to check out the bait when in the area. Do you grease your site? (cooking grease,oil) I put down 5 gal when I set the bait and another 5 gal when I get them hitting really well, I put it on the trails leading to and from the bait. These are just my thouhgts. My wish is for you to kill a bear!!!! So if it works great.

jk3006 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 11, 2008, 01:03:10 AM »

Posting pictures is easy. Simply hit the "reply" button, then go to "additional options", and upload your pictures. They have to be 1024 Kb or smaller, or something like that. I want to see some more bear pictures!! Let's see them.

Quote from: wild country on September 09, 2008, 11:15:06 PM

jk3006,

Now if I knew how to post pics I'd post a few........Good luck

wild country · « **Reply #18 on:** September 11, 2008, 11:06:46 PM »

jk3006,

The reason it's not a bad idea to have someone close to you is this. Most people who bait can't judge a bears size, they shoot the first thing that comes in. If you are only able to bait a limited amount of times in a week the the other guy will keep the bear in the area for both of you. As for the time issue and getting out to bait, I don't kow what to tell you. If and when you get close enough to try the idea of baiting and pulling your bait, it sould take about a week to get then used to the idea that "if I come at this time I get food if not then I don't. If I can't get to a bait every day, then leave a bunch of bait each time you go, pile the logs to it so the little ones have a tought time getting at it and the coons don't clean you out. PUT IN A GROUND BLIND.........I will tell you that the big bear in my area know to look up and if there is a tree stand there they will hold off till dark, so to will the sows with cubs, passing this on to the next generation. Yes it's a wild ride, but in all the years I have hunted them on the ground I have never had any issues. Yup they will come over and say hello, ripe down you blind cloth, each time they come in looking things over, they will get in the blind when your not there. These are all good signs, let them explore the whole aea and become comfortable with the site. Get up close, 12-15yardson the down wind side of the prevailing winds.......You will see bear!!!! As for the pic post thing......I followed the directions but couldn't get in done. Give me your e-mail I know how to send them that way.Heck just got thatone figured out this year.......

jk3006 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 12, 2008, 12:43:29 AM »

Wild Country,

I sent you a PM. Thanks for those guidelines. I'll see what happens in the next coming weeks. I don't know that I want to do a ground blind, though. Too chicken at this point.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 12, 2008, 03:32:28 AM »

The ground blind is a great way to hunt them, I am hooked on the ground blind hunting for bear.

ihookem · « **Reply #21 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:29:47 PM »

JK 3006, did you get a bear?

jk3006 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:56:32 PM »

No. I quite baiting after the third day of the season when I fully realized they went nocturnal. Also, I've been too busy to bait and hunt. I'm hoping for an opportunity within the next week or so to start the bait up again. I have until the 12'th (I think) of October to hunt.

jk3006 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 03, 2008, 03:55:27 PM »

Ok, so I got a chance to head back out to the woods today to re-establish my bait site. I also was eager to check my camera, as I had put it on a trail I was sure a bear(s) was using. The place where I put the camera was actually located approximately half-way between my bait and another guy's who is nearby. The pictures showing the bear going away from the camera are indicative of the bear heading to the other guy's bait. The big one looks like the one of the bears that I previously got pictures of at my bait.

I don't know what that "up close and personal" shot is of. Probably the bottom of the foot (pad). I can only guess that it must be the same bear that got flashed the previous evenings, and this time it was gonna do some investigating first. Those shots were taken one day apart.

jk3006 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 03, 2008, 03:56:42 PM »

Here's a coyote to throw into the mix.

jk3006 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 03, 2008, 03:58:33 PM »

Couple more.

Two Bears · « **Reply #26 on:** October 05, 2008, 05:02:06 PM »

Are you sure that that is a yote and not a timber wolf? Looks like a wolf to me.

That bear must have put his paw on your camera to check it out, your lucky that he did not chew it up as they love to chew on things like that.

jk3006 · « **Reply #27 on:** October 06, 2008, 01:09:24 AM »

Although my camera has been knocked down a few times, they've never really chewed on it. I had to replace the glass once. No real big deal. It's a homebrew from the plans on Jesse's Hunting Forums.

As to the canine, I'm pretty sure it's a coyote, but only because of it's size compared to the other bears that passed by that same spot.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 06, 2008, 11:31:56 AM »

Looks like a wolf to me also.

Two Bears · « **Reply #29 on:** October 06, 2008, 08:25:19 PM »

Yep, I'd even bet a bear steak on it that it is a wolf.

I've had several trail timers chewed up by bears as well as bunson burners ( they must like the taste of the fuel that is in it ).