Any other bear hunters?

[ErikC]

 It looks like the majority of forum members also enjoy hunting, fishing, etc. I noticed a recent thread with a lot of deer hunters as well. Just wondered if anyone else was as nuts about bears as I am? I do all kinds of hunting but heres my favorite...

[sawguy21]

Mebbe you can help Jeff find them. ;)

[Furby]

Jeff got a bear.

[Jeff]

HEY! I didnt have dogs to help me.   >:( ;)

Meet my Bear.Yep, that picture furby posted in my bear from the 2006 season. He's named after his Daddy, Buurlkraft. His daddy Burlkraft likes Amsterdam so much we made his middle name Von.   

Fruitcake Von Burlkraft.

[SAW MILLER]

 I got one last fall with hounds in Maine.I also coonhunt at home here in Ohio.I raise and hunt walkers too.

[ErikC]

 Walkers are what I have hunted most, I like them real well. This season I caught 28, filled 7 tags with friends, etc. All the tags we filled were over 300 Lbs, one was about 430lbs. Thats a  pretty typical year, with some luck on size.

Erik

[Nailhead]

Nice looking bear. I have shot a few ouer the years. My wife also hunts and has shot a few. I had a tag this year but didn't score. I hunt over bait and all the bears were hitting at night. The local hound hunter usualy do real good.
We get some bears around here in the 400 plus range, but 200 to 300 are a lot more common.
Michigan has a lotto system and if your lucky you might draw a tag every 3 years, but some people hit better that that.
Happy hunting
NH

[Jeff]

Michigan has a lotto system and if your lucky you might draw a tag every 3 years, but some people hit better that that.

or not... :-\   It took me 6 points when at the same time on the dnr website it said 5 points was a hundred% draw.  I do have one point again. Only 5 or more to go. :'(  Nailhead's end of the U.P. has a lot more bear.

[dutchman]

I hunt bear in PA.
This year we had sow with 2 young, sow with 3 young, and 1 bruin.
Sows go @ 350, young 150, 225, and the brute @450.
I usually see 200# in season and a week later when buck opens the sows
are around. Never see the big ones after archery opens in Oct.
I hunt with Smith&Wesson 44 mag, so range is limited.

[Faron]

So how do you acquire points?

[ErikC]

 Sorry to hear it can be so hard for you guys to get a tag. Here in CA they are sold over the counter, no limit. The season opens concurrent with deer in the various zones and goes through end of the year, or until a certain take is reported( 1700 this year, closed on about 12-20). One tag for all of the state. Makes it a lot easier on us I guess. But then, some of you have more generous deer seasons.

Erik

[isawlogs]

So how do you acquire points?

It is directly pertinent to the " Honey do list " , this list is aquired trough internal services. Giving to us at least twice on any givin day . The more you acomplish on said list more points one gets , the faster you get them done and appoved more points are alocated to you . .. Well  this is how the point system works around here .  ;)
I am kinda low on points right now . Many where used up for fall hunting .  :

[Jeff]

So how do you acquire points?

By applying for a License. If you dont get drawn, you get a point. You can also apply for just a point if you dont plan on hunting that year to help increase your chances later. 

Of course to me, this is all conjecture. :-\

[SwampDonkey]

I don't hunt them, but sometimes........ermmm walk into them or too close for comfort at times. Sure gets the adrenalin flowing. You know flight or fight type of stuff. :D

My grandfather was a guide from way back and had many sportsmen from the US who came to enjoy his stories as much as the bear hunting. A lot of folks came from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware. My uncle guided also.

[Sunfield Hardwood]

Here's the last one I took in 03, over bait in the west end of the UP eh. estimated live wt about 280. I had a tag this past year [07] But I passed on a bear the first night that weighed about 200, passed on two other bears during the week that were in 150 range. I've killed 6 bears with bow so it was'ent to hard to pass, but it makes ya think when you know you won;t draw again for 4 to 5 years. One of these days I'd like to go to Alberta Or some place in Canada where they get BIG bears. Don't have any thing against dog hunters, just that I can do the bait type hunt myself.

[ErikC]

 Well I don't know if it's easier to get a tag in CA or Canada, But we have some pretty big bears here. I have been on several that were over 500lbs without question. A couple may have been bigger than 600, but were in big canyons and we could not weigh them accurately. I took one to a certified scale that was 540. Of course there is no bait allowed in CA so that would make it harder for a guy on his own. How big to you expect to see if you go North?

Erik

[ErikC]

  By the way, I see we have some dog hunters, bait hunters and some that do neither, but no one's calling names. That's great cause it's all good, right fellas.....

Erik

[SwampDonkey]

Can't run bear with dogs here, but they do bate them. About the only thing you can run dogs on are birds and hares. I have seen some large bears here over the years, but generally they run around 300 lbs or a little less. I remember the odd 450 lb'er during the season. The woods here are so accessible compared to a place like Manitoba or parts of BC. Where you have more access, the more pressure so your likely to weed the big ones out. But we have all kinds of bear where I live. I prefer to see them living, but at a comfortable distance, not 20 feet like this summer.  :D

[ErikC]

 Do you know if you can you run them anywhere in Canada? You are right about weeding them out. Most of the big ones come from the deepest holes you can find, but it's amazing how far bears will travel for good feed. Around here it's acorns mostly. I like seeing them alive as well, but they're harder to cook that way...

Erik

[SwampDonkey]

Easiest thing to do would be to Google the DNR (or Ministry of Forests) of each province to get their hunting summaries.

Here's one for Manitoba

No dogs allowed for hunting big game.

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/hunting/biggame/blbear/index.html

You can't have bear gall bladders in your possession either.

[Part_Timer]

I've got one with a bow but that is it for my sucess.  It was about 180 lbs and the only one I saw all week.  Spring hunt Peace river Alberta.