Bear and DEET?

[bigbore442001]

I have hunted bear over bait in Maine and have always used a scent free approach to hunting them. I'd go to great lengths to avoid being bitten by no-see-ums by covering my face with vaseline and making sure I was covered to repel the nasty biters.

I was wondering what is the effect of DEET or other repellents would be on the extremely sensitive nose of the black bear? Any comments would be welcomed.

[Border]

Bigbore, here is what I have found in Maine.I use bug dope all during the prebait season.I just make sure my hunters use the same stuff as I have been using.Hasnt semed to bother the bears any.Now,that being said.I would still prefer the stand hunters to be as scent free as possible if they dont need the bug dope.If they insist on using it, I highly recommend the same type  that the bears have become used to from smelling it every day after I bait.

[talon]

Ditto to everything Border said. But, it really pays to get a good head net and possibly nets for your hands.  

[SLAVAGE]

theirs some thing called ""no stinken bugs ""
a lot of people told me that guids in canada an such only let people use this when they are garentyed a animal because it is sent free
so i would look in to it its about 10$ a bottle

dave

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

I agree with Border.  When I bait I carry a container of scent and I make sure that the hunter on that site is using the same scent.  Unfortunately, no matter how much people read about bear and hunting they just do not realize how keen the sent of an animal is.  We have lost that ability but the animals have not.  When the bear comes in, he knows the bait is not natural, he knows there is that big lump off to the left which was not there yesterday and if there is a different scent he is gone or he never comes in.  That is why many hunters bag the smaller bear, the bear has not had enough maturity to learn the difference.  If your guide suggests something, for heavens sake follow his advice.  You are spending a lot of money, and as outfitters we appreciate that, please just follow our advice.  We are not in the business to give you an opportunity to miss, we want you to get your animal.  That is why we go out there every day in the boiling August heat to bait every day.  This is not done for fun, it is to make our hunters happy.  Good luck to all.

[Border]

Great words of wisdom Kathy.Listen to your guide.The last couple years I have had great results from putting hunters in ground blinds over bait.It allows for a lot more movement and mistakes by hunters that wont spook bears as easy as being in the open in a  treestand.Still, some hunters have just got to be up in a treestand.
    I had two older guys here a couple years ago.Real nice guys.They were hunting the first week of bait hunting.I had several  baits getting hit hard every night.These guys wouldnt use my bug spray.They had their own that worked fine the year before in Manitoba.They also brought their cell phones, books and magazines,into their stands with them.I told them no way but they insisted.They did it in Manitoba and they shot bears.I told them,"this is Maine not Manitoba". They hunted all week and never saw a bear.Unreal.I have never had 2 hunters not see bears the first week.The next week I had some young guys from Indiana here.They did everything I told them to do. 2 bears the first night out of the same bait sites as the week before!!!

[crazyjjk]

Great words of wisdom Kathy.Listen to your guide.The last couple years I have had great results from putting hunters in ground blinds over bait.It allows for a lot more movement and mistakes by hunters that wont spook bears as easy as being in the open in a  treestand.Still, some hunters have just got to be up in a treestand.
    I had two older guys here a couple years ago.Real nice guys.They were hunting the first week of bait hunting.I had several  baits getting hit hard every night.These guys wouldnt use my bug spray.They had their own that worked fine the year before in Manitoba.They also brought their cell phones, books and magazines,into their stands with them.I told them no way but they insisted.They did it in Manitoba and they shot bears.I told them,"this is Maine not Manitoba". They hunted all week and never saw a bear.Unreal.I have never had 2 hunters not see bears the first week.The next week I had some young guys from Indiana here.They did everything I told them to do. 2 bears the first night out of the same bait sites as the week before!!!

Border and Kathy, how right both of you are. I have hunted Black Bears over bait a few times and have seen it happen enough to know its soooo true. I have hunted with different groups of people each time and every time there are a number of hunters who are complaining they just are not seeing bears even though there bait is getting hit every day. Each and every one of these hunters were taking books, food, cd players, phones and ten different bug sprays to their bait with them. Many times I have switched baits with these hunters because I believed their baits were getting hit by a large bear. The results are amazing. I go to their bait listening to what the outfitter tells me to bring and do and I harvest a nice bear usually withing the next two nights. These guys go to my bait in which I had been seeing bears that I wasn't interested in shooting with all their junk and they are whining in a few days because they aren't seeing a thing. The outfitters have been doing this a lot longer then I or other hunters who use them have. They know whats going on and how the hunted species is going to react. It does them no good if their client doesn't see anything (it actually hurts their future business) so they are not going to steer you wrong. It would only hurt them if they did so listen to them. I not a smart person but I am smart enough to know when to listen.
One last note. I know their are a few outfitters out their who are not on the up and up about the amount of game available. I just think it is a lot less than all the complaints from hunters would have you believe. I think a lot of times it is the hunters (clients) fault for failure to see game because they know it all and won't listen.

[Border]

Crazyjjk, you can hunt with me anytime !! LOL   I sure dont claim to be an expert on bear hunting but I dare say I know alot more about hunting them around here than any of the clients I take out.I have lived in this area all my life and have bear hunted for most of it.Most guys will listen to you about bear hunting becuase they dont know much about it.The hardest  thing is with deer hunting.
    Alot of the guys I take out have shot a lot of deer.Probably way more than I have sometimes.They want to use the same tatics they have used back home,wherever that may be. I try to explain to them how the deer are around here and many dont want to listen.Where I hunt and guide  in NH and Maine there are very few fields.You can sit and watch these fields all deer season and probably will never see a deer during shooting hours.I have had many guys that are just determined to sit on these field edges the whole time they are here because" thats how we shoot our deer back in Ohio, PA,NJ, or wherever. " Just dont work much around here though.

[crazyjjk]

Crazyjjk, you can hunt with me anytime !! LOL   I sure dont claim to be an expert on bear hunting but I dare say I know alot more about hunting them around here than any of the clients I take out.I have lived in this area all my life and have bear hunted for most of it.Most guys will listen to you about bear hunting becuase they dont know much about it.The hardest  thing is with deer hunting.
    Alot of the guys I take out have shot a lot of deer.Probably way more than I have sometimes.They want to use the same tatics they have used back home,wherever that may be. I try to explain to them how the deer are around here and many dont want to listen.Where I hunt and guide  in NH and Maine there are very few fields.You can sit and watch these fields all deer season and probably will never see a deer during shooting hours.I have had many guys that are just determined to sit on these field edges the whole time they are here because" thats how we shoot our deer back in Ohio, PA,NJ, or wherever. " Just dont work much around here though.

Like I said I am not the smartest person and I am probably way to opinionated, but what I have learned is when to listen. Especially when I am out of my neck of the woods and in someone elses. Really cuts down on the learning curve.