Bear hunting 2009

Hilltop366 · August 26, 2009, 10:16:36 PM

Around here some bear hunters use fish for bait. I have seen plastic barells cut in half about 5' off the ground in trees for bait stations not far from our back woods camp. I'm guessing you can smell the bait (fish) for a mile or two down wind. I wonder how far a bear can smell it from?

We don't hunt bear but the do come around and chew and paw on the corner boards, When we built the camp I insisted on out swing doors so the bears could not push them in. I'm glad I did!

SwampDonkey · August 27, 2009, 03:58:20 AM

Grandfather used to use lobster shells from a local restaurant. It was just an attractant as bears don't really go for dead rotten fish. They seem to like dead sheep or a cow though.

thecfarm · August 27, 2009, 04:45:03 AM

Good luck to you this year Jeff. Step son is doing the same thing.He has 3 coming to his bait.One big one and 2 small ones.He is using Anise extract oil to help attract the bar.

Jeff · August 28, 2009, 03:49:13 PM

I got a video clip last night of a Bear's behind. Hardly worth posting.

I'm going to shoot back down there, rebait, and reset the camera to high quality JPG's and point it a little bit better. I have some freakin huge coons down there too that can move a 50lb rock.

Jeff · August 30, 2009, 11:41:45 AM

I was able to get out today and check some things after being confined by a long steady hard rain since friday night. Its bright and Sunny here today, but chilly. Around 50. Got pictures on Lyndas cam here, but no way to get them off. I can try to take photos of the T.V. later. My property was visited too. I got a couple daylight photos before the bear decided to spin my camera to point in the other direction. I don't know if I have multiple bears or only one, or what size yet. The photos were all taken in heavy rain. I'll post two here. \The first one shows, that if this was season, and this bear was a shooter, and I would have been in that blind in the upper left corner, I mighta had a crack at him.

Ron Scott · August 30, 2009, 02:24:43 PM

A Lower Michigan Bear. Got this picture back in June. I told landowner that they had good bear habitat on their property. They weren't convenced, so had to show them. Circle V area, 6/08.

SwampDonkey · August 30, 2009, 02:34:16 PM

Did you find any dens Ron? That oughta help to. Or bear 'nests' in a few beech. ;D I'd find a 10-12" beech with old bear claw marks and set the camera to point into the crown. Be cool to capture a young bear harvesting nuts.

Jeff · August 30, 2009, 10:53:41 PM

We'll see how these turn out on here. Ive got no cord for this camera other then a tv cord, and the sd card wont work in it any more. I took a picture of a picture on the TV

beenthere · August 30, 2009, 11:11:02 PM

Those pics came out pretty good.
The lamp back in the woods looks a little weird tho. ;D

Nice bear. A keeper if ya get a chance at it? Or ya need one that can't get its head in the drum?

SwampDonkey · August 31, 2009, 04:37:46 AM

Better look out Jeff, he'll be climbing onto the camp sofa pretty soon. ;D :D

Nice bar.

thecfarm · August 31, 2009, 06:48:53 AM

Any guess on the weight of that critter? I've only seen one bear in the wild and that run across the road in front of me. I thought it was a big black dog at first. ;D Not many bear in this area of Maine.

WDH · August 31, 2009, 08:53:04 AM

Jeff put that lamp there at the bait station so that the bear would feel at home and not get suspicious :D.

Jeff · August 31, 2009, 09:33:48 AM

:D :D

I never noticed that!

Reddog · August 31, 2009, 09:47:01 AM

Quote from: thecfarm on August 31, 2009, 06:48:53 AM
Any guess on the weight of that critter?

The rule of thumb we always used was, if the ears look big it is under 200#'s.
The big brusers up in the 350-400# range, have ears that look tiny compared to the head size.

WDH · August 31, 2009, 11:06:17 AM

I am pleased to hear that you do not have to compare the size of the bear to the size of the bait lamp ;D.

dnalley · August 31, 2009, 12:30:43 PM

The lamp is really considerate of you Jeff. Wouldn't want him to have to eat in the dark ;D

Ron Scott · August 31, 2009, 03:37:09 PM

Nice bear. Maybe a shooter.

DWM II · September 01, 2009, 09:00:45 PM

Cajun rule of thumb-ok, just one of many but this one applies here.
Anything that can eat ME, is a shooter! ;)

SwampDonkey · September 06, 2009, 04:00:04 PM

It's funny about those black bear. I have a small red oak tree on the lot that is probably close to 30 feet tall now. The last 2 years a small black bear has been coming and scaling that bean pole. As far as I know there hasn't been any acorns produced on it yet. But, some how he has that tree marked, well he does literally with his claw marks :D , and he returns each year so far. ;D

Jeff · September 06, 2009, 08:57:22 PM

Bear pic from last night...

gary · September 06, 2009, 10:04:11 PM

When can you start hunting them?

Jeff · September 06, 2009, 10:41:44 PM

Pete's hunt starts thursday. Mine is the 3rd hunt and does not start until the 26th

beenthere · September 06, 2009, 11:07:26 PM

Like our deer around here, prolly you're hoping they quit prowling at night and start moving around during the day when there are shooting hours. ;D Wardens don't like to hear gun shots at night.

Jeff · September 07, 2009, 06:46:48 AM

we're working on training them now that they are here. Much smaller amounts of fooods put out in the middle of the day

SwampDonkey · September 07, 2009, 07:13:31 PM

Found a couple of excavations today in the woods, one looks like it was used last winter, the other was part way dug and abandoned just 100 feet away. Both were dug into raised mounds that were kind of out of place because the ground was pretty much dead flat all over.