TOP OF THE LINE

[birddog]

Just wondering how everyone elses baits are doing.Started checking baits yesterday and sure enough they are active with bear.Not eating alot but there are alot of berries where i have the baits i ran these last two days.Seen some nice sized tracks on a few of them.Well hoppe everyone else is having good luck.

[birddog]

Originally posted by trout:
Do the bears hit the baits as good in the late hunt? Do the hounds run in your area very much prior to the 3rd hunt?
How do you get the bears out?
I could go on and on :)


Actually the bears will be feeding better in the 3rd season than they are now because they will be trying to store up as much fat as they can for there winter nap.Hounds have not been a problem in some of the areas we hunt here.I have all my bait stations in different areas for this purpose.And getting the bears out is not a problem we get right in to the bears with quads no matter where they are at.A little brush does not slow us down.

[Yooper]

I started my baits today, excellent sign all around, I am going to let them sit for a day just to give them time to find it. I'll let you know what I find on Monday. Hunt Safe

[birddog]

Busy baiting the last 2 days and 27 out of 29 baits i checked looked to me like they will be good for the taking.More than one bear hitting them.Suppose tomarrow better check the rest of them.

[Yooper]

I checked my baits, only running two, one was hit, it is in long grass so no tracks around. I am going to put sand around it to check for track size. The other had a fresh track in a creek behind it but nothing hit the bait, maybe today.

[birddog]

It seems i am having good luck with gettting bear on the baits within a few days with the vanilla scent that i have been useing.It seems to work better than liquid smoke.

[Jumpshootin']

Last Friday I put about 50 lbs. of pie dough in a pit a few hundred yards from where I want to put one of my tree stands up. I checked it on Sunday morning and the logs were pushed away and the bait was cleaned out. From the droppings that were at the bait site, it looks as if the bear was laying on his belly with his head in the hole, taking it in one end and getting rid of it out the other.

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Take a Kid Hunting!

[born2hunt65]

LMAO, bears don't much care where the poop. There is always dumpings next to the baits. Thats good tho than you can see what they are eating. Good luck on your hunt and be careful where you step, lol. Born

[Yooper]

Finally got a hit on my second bait, two day ago I walked in the grease(old boots) and then walked away from the bait in a spoke like fashion, next day bait was hit. Frome the droppings it is a nice sized bear.

[Jumpshootin']

I now have 4 bear coming into my two bait pits. I've had a sow and cub hitting them for more than a month. The third one with front paws 5.5" wide had been hitting them for two weeks. Yesterday I had 4 different tracks around the one bait. This new one has a front paw 7" across. They're eating a hundred pounds of pie dough every three days from each pit. I baited each of them yesterday with 100lbs of oats, 5 gallons of cherry molasses, and then 50lbs of pie dough on top.
I won't be able to get any more pie dough for another week. What do you guys think about filling the pits with 50lbs of dog food and pouring 5 gallons of cherry molasses on top of that?

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Take a Kid Hunting!

[This message has been edited by Jumpshootin' (edited 08-28-2000).]

[Yooper]

Jumpshootin',
I use dog food, grease and bread so the dog food/filling should work. As long as there is food for them when they get there I think they will still come in.

[birddog]

Well opening night was a good but long one with 4 hunters in the field 8 bear seen 2 killed and one wounded made for a long dragged out night till 4:30 in the morning.No sleep till7:30 after skinning and taking care of the bears.

[birddog]

Day 2 was a little easier on the body got thunder and lightning early in the evening so i got the guys out of the woods early and got some sleep.Seen 2 bear on bait at 2pm when walking in to setup for the hunt.No shots.

[birddog]

Day 3 the weather was a little nicer and bear moved good one hunter seen 2 bear by 6pm and shot one,the other had seen 3 and did not shoot.Day 4 1 hunter left in the field for the week he had wounded a nice bear opening night with a bow,he seen 7 bear tonight and still no shot.Day 5 rainy and windy off and on all day hunter has no luck.He says oh well i seen 13 bear this week and lost one opening night.

[birddog]

Second season went off with a bang and a nice 167lb sow.Third season opener the weather is cooling down,8 guys in the field 2 bear spotted 1 shot.

[birddog]

The 2nd night of season bear moved a little better 7 bear seen only one shot.Hope the weather stays,seems like the bears are starting to move again.

[birddog]

Baited for dog hunters they went home with 7 bears.Hunted 9 days treed 11 bears shot 7.Good job for the houndsman.

[birddog]

No bear activity tonight 6 hunters no action.Time for plan B tomarrow.Might have to get the ice chissels out tomarrow suppose to drop in the 20's tonight.

[BIG BEAR]

I tagged my first Michigan bear (3rd bear overall),,,,, On my opening day,,,,, Monday the 25th.

It was a small sow,,, probably only 140 pounds live weight, and only dressed about 110;;; But I am happy nontheless. A good eating bear, no doubt.

It came in alone just before dark and chased off a coyote that was hanging around my bait for about a half an hour. When it came in,,, I knew it was small;;;; But it was a loner,,,, So I decided to tag out early and get back home in plenty of time for opening day of deer season.

We returned the next day to re-bait my stand;;;; And spooked a bald eagle off my bear's gut pile;;;; What a site that was !!!

We spoke with the guy at Scott's Superior Inn in Ontonagon,,,, Where I registered my bear. He said that he had registered 45 bears so far,,, of which only 6 were over 200 pounds (and I think 4 of those 6 were clients who they guided there at Scott's);;;; He said that a lot of smallish bears like mine were being brought in.

Well,,, It may be small,,, especially compared to the B&C brute that I took in Alberta;;; But I take great satisfaction in the fact that myself and my buddy guided "ourselves",,, and have had a lot of bear action over the last 3 years right here in Michigan. Chris Thomas.

[Steve]

Congrats, post a picture of it on the forums when you get a chance.

[birddog]

Well Trout not much has changed except the past 2 nights 2 guys got busted right at dark by bears coming in to the baits as they walked out so maybe they are thinking about coming in earlier.Will keep you posted.

[birddog]

Was out this morning checking baits some had been opened up but just picked at and some not touched.Cold here today calling for rain mixed with snow for the evening.The way its looking should be that much more bears next year.Hopefully I put enough fat on them.

[birddog]

Well now we hunt in the snow have 3 inches on the ground this morning.

[Steve]

Is that good or bad for bear hunting?

[birddog]

Not so good,considering it has not stopped snowing and now we have a foot on the ground.They say it will snow all day tommarow to.Kind of puts the end on bears for the year unless it warms up considerable.

[birddog]

Well the snow is about gone went yesterday and checked 6 baits 2 had been hit in the snow so im going tomarrow to see how things look.Maybe the kid still ha a chance since the weather was 70 today and is suppose to stay nice for awhile hope it makes them move.

[birddog]

The bears are really slow right now for some reason.Can't figure it out they have not been very active hmmm to early to go to sleep or is it early winter coming.

[gman]

I scored my first Black Bear ever this year. It took 10 years for my partner and I to get a permit with the lottery system. I missed one with a bow on 10/11.Took the 12 gauge out on 10/14 before the dogs got going and scored a 325 lb'er dressed out. He had a huge head on him. He's at the taxidermist right now being made into a rug. I'll report some measurements when i get the skull back. We mostly used old fudge to bait them in.

[Steve]

Post some pictures too, we'd love to see them.

[birddog]

Getting close to the end of season not much time left still have a few baits hitting but not everyday it sure is spotty.How is everryone else doing as keeping bears active on there baits?

[birddog]

Well all done for this yaear and stuck on the number 13 again this year.I would like to thank the hunters that hunted with us and hope to hear from you in the future.This year was a slow hunt in the 3rd season compared to last.Weather has a say in this season more than you can imagine.Well enough for now THANKS again.