Too many bears

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brancher147
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Too many bears

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:03 am

The best buck sign I have found this year, the area is infested with bears. In a little over a day of deer hunting I have seen 15 bears and 3 deer, 1 good buck. All the deer appeared to be running for their lives. I have essentially given up on the spot until gun season because the deer are so spooky it is very difficult to get in bow range. I have hunted areas like this before, but never this many bears. I know other folks on here hunt around a lot of bears. Anybody ever seen anything like this? Very frustrating. Having hunted similar areas without bears, I know I could get on deer if it wasn't for the dang bears.


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PAHUNTER570
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby PAHUNTER570 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:11 am

last year I had a sit where I encountered 6 different bears in an evening. Never did see any deer and my trail camera showed minimal deer activity while the bears were around. Once the bears moved off the deer were back on the ridge. Tons of acorns last year had bears everywhere gorging. This year I haven't seen as many bears, one every 3 or 4 sits did not effect the deer movement as much.

Cant stand bears honestly, when they are in season I don't try and hunt for them. If one comes by and its in range and in season I'll shoot it, but I wont specifically pursue them.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby Paca » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:11 am

Heard of a guy in northern wi w a clover plot. Nothing but bear grazing and they kept it mowed to the ground
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby andy » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:16 am

Gee, I wish I had that problem. Bears fill the freezer as quickly as deer, right?

Is there a specific food source that is attracting them?
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby Ditz » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:52 am

I have not experienced anything like that...but on the bright side, sounds like you might have found a great spot for bear season this year! :D
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby Bowfisher » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:53 am

When I first read the title, I thought it said “Too many beers” :? I think that has ruined many more hunts than bears :lol:
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brancher147
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:55 am

The food source is acorns. What has happened is acorn failure everywhere other than west side of one mountain range. That mountain has pulled bears from miles around as the only main food source. Now acorns are getting low what is left is on top of ridges and all deer and bear are crammed together eating the same food source.

I am all for shooting a bear but have been hunting alone and bears are a pain to get out or pack out so I am not real interested in killing one until I am hunting with someone to help. Will definitely get some guys together for bear gun season in December.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby E72 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:13 am

Years ago we bowhunted Garrett County Maryland’s opening week in September . We stopped hunting certain spots where the acorns were thick because we saw more bear then deer. This was a couple years before MD started a limited lottery hunt for bear . Not sure how it is now.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:47 pm

once all the acorns are gone they will leave the bear will push bucks from bedding so you wont get a pattern id find a spot with less bears for now then try and take one during bear season. i lost four spots too bears this year it took weeks for the deer too come back once they left and now there is nothing too draw the deer. your just going too have too find another spot for a while.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby stratocasterNJ » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:46 pm

ghoasthunter wrote:once all the acorns are gone they will leave the bear will push bucks from bedding so you wont get a pattern id find a spot with less bears for now then try and take one during bear season. i lost four spots too bears this year it took weeks for the deer too come back once they left and now there is nothing too draw the deer. your just going too have too find another spot for a while.

Yes, and NJ has a BIG bear population and it was made worse by our idiotic governor who decided to ban bear hunting on all state owned public land as a payback to the anti-bear hunting liberals. We already has a college kid killed and partially eaten by a bear in 2014. Way too many bears in NJ.
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brancher147
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:57 pm

ghoasthunter wrote:once all the acorns are gone they will leave the bear will push bucks from bedding so you wont get a pattern id find a spot with less bears for now then try and take one during bear season. i lost four spots too bears this year it took weeks for the deer too come back once they left and now there is nothing too draw the deer. your just going too have too find another spot for a while.


This is exactly what I thought. Luckily in this area there is some timber harvest and browse for deer so hopefully they stick around. Glad I didn’t waste any more time in there. Will try it again in a couple weeks during gun season. Bad part is I left a few cameras and bears love to eat cameras, especially once their food source runs out.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby Paca » Sat Nov 10, 2018 12:49 am

andy wrote:Gee, I wish I had that problem. Bears fill the freezer as quickly as deer, right?

Is there a specific food source that is attracting them?

Unfortunately no, takes 8 years to get a tag in that area
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby john1984 » Sat Nov 10, 2018 4:13 am

There are bears where I hunt, but I practically never ever see one. And that's fine by me.

Sounds like you guys need new bear hunting laws. Like a long season that starts in late August. A tag for anybody anytime. Be allowed to bait before and during the season.
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Sat Nov 10, 2018 4:51 am

brancher147 wrote:
ghoasthunter wrote:once all the acorns are gone they will leave the bear will push bucks from bedding so you wont get a pattern id find a spot with less bears for now then try and take one during bear season. i lost four spots too bears this year it took weeks for the deer too come back once they left and now there is nothing too draw the deer. your just going too have too find another spot for a while.


This is exactly what I thought. Luckily in this area there is some timber harvest and browse for deer so hopefully they stick around. Glad I didn’t waste any more time in there. Will try it again in a couple weeks during gun season. Bad part is I left a few cameras and bears love to eat cameras, especially once their food source runs out.

as long as it rained since you hung them they wont smell it they smell all the human odors on them once they sit a week or two you should be fine. i use a climbing stick for my cameras and get them as high as i can never have any bear problems any more.
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ghoasthunter
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Re: Too many bears

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:02 am

john1984 wrote:There are bears where I hunt, but I practically never ever see one. And that's fine by me.

Sounds like you guys need new bear hunting laws. Like a long season that starts in late August. A tag for anybody anytime. Be allowed to bait before and during the season.

its only getting worse our new democratic Governor has banned bear hunting on all state owned lands. all we have left is some federal now. lost about 85 percent of our public lands now. this year since september 8 opener i have seen 32 bears :doh: if it was up too me i would shoot every single one of them they are as destuctive too the forest as pigs and they reek havoc on our deer fawns every year we probably loose 75% of them. my buddy that farms has a permit from state too shoot them when they get in his corn feilds this year he has shoot over 20 every year they cast him 20 too 30 thousand bucks in crop damage.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS


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