Strategies for hunting an individual bear

[Schultzy]

Three years ago on September 1 I baited a site for a friend that was going to hunt with us. He got called away for an emergency and could not make the opener. I chose to go to another bait site of mine. The next day we checked the trail cams and to our surprise, the biggest bear we ever had, booner for sure, hit 1/2 hour after I baited the vacant stand. He came in around 3:00 and than again at dark. This bear was a tank. He never showed up again. This was also the first time he appeared on any of our baits. I assume that night he headed off to wherever he was going and perhaps found another bait. Not sure if a person can hold a roaming giant too long given their nature.

One never knows when that big one will appear. Even if the cameras aren't showing big bears you never know. Also I think it's important to get in stand plenty early.

Way to many times we've had this happen to us too. A big old bruin shows up during daylight hours for the 1st time ever and spends forever there and never shows again. I don't have near enough fingers and toe's to keep track how many times this has happened to us.

Here's a picture of one heck of a bear. He's huge. This bait was the bait my brother had picked to sit on. Hardly ever do we get morning hits so not very often do we hunt in the morning since we started using trail cams unless they say otherwise. Anyhow my brother dang near cried. Like you said djl, one never knows. You can't kill these big guys if your not there. This bear never hit this bait again but yet spent almost 4 hours there. He liked what he was eating but still never came back.

[Schultzy]

Those big mature seasoned bears are one smart animals. I always keep notes, times, what days those big bears come into my baits and keep track of it all. The area they venture in is like your bedroom, anything out of place they will investigate and evaluate. The reason why we never killed "Snaggle Tooth" is almost every time a hunter was on stand another big bruin would came to the bait that the hunter could not pass up. Once those other bears were killed Snaggle Tooth never came back to that bait again. Over the years we shot some nice bears off that bait station, here are the weights (160lbs, 466lbs, 472lbs 528lbs, 638lbs).

When focusing on a bear that you want to hunt and it doesn't matter how many baits are in the area what you feed that bear can make a great difference. Also moving your bait station even 70 yards (like I did) can make a huge difference to a bear (feels more secure when approaching the bait, thus showing up during legal shooting times).

The only thing that was different compared to other bait stations is we used a climber tree stand, so those bears never new where the stand was located and if you think it shouldn't matter your dead wrong, those bears know what a tree stand is, that it is unnatural, they will check out that stand almost every time they come to the bait and use that stand to there advantage. Old Snaggle Tooth never new where the stand set up was but he did know where the trail camera was, he would come in each time behind the trail camera, sit next to it and look up in the tree, once he was satisfied there was no danger around he would go to the bait. This is one of the reasons I set my trail cameras on the opposite side of the bait station where the tree stand is located. Anyone that says this bear hunting is easy doesn't know bear hunting, when you hunt a specific bear you will have your hands full, the trouble here in Wisconsin you have only one season to get that bear.

Good Luck Bear Hunting this year.
Mike

Good stuff!. What I also find interesting Is how you and my (our) small bear hunting group do allot of the same things you stated above. Specially the stand thing on which you were talking about is 100% exactly what we do with the stands and trail camera's.

Oh come on Mike, everyone thinks bear hunting is easy. Throw some donuts out and your done. Boy do I hear you there. I really get sick of the back lash from people thinking bear hunting is a piece of cake. Everyone that tells me this I always challenge them to come up to Minnesota and show me how to do it then. Like expected no one takes me up on it.

[djl]

Good information. I hear what you are saying Schultzy. Even a lot of hunters (non-bear) think it's so easy. Throw out some bait and there you go. Not so though.

Keep the tips on big bears coming.

[dan]

I wonder if the "wandering" sometimes dissapears because the 1st time he came in no one was there, the next time when he circled the bait he smelled the hunter there. Or, he camps out near the bait, down wind protecting it for himself and smells and spooks from the baiter.

[Schultzy]

I wonder if the "wandering" sometimes dissapears because the 1st time he came in no one was there, the next time when he circled the bait he smelled the hunter there. Or, he camps out near the bait, down wind protecting it for himself and smells and spooks from the baiter.

That definitely happens too. I do believe though that they just wander as that's what I think these big guys do.

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I wonder if the "wandering" sometimes dissapears because the 1st time he came in no one was there, the next time when he circled the bait he smelled the hunter there. Or, he camps out near the bait, down wind protecting it for himself and smells and spooks from the baiter.

That definitely happens too. I do believe though that they just wander as that's what I think these big guys do.

[ Post made via Android ]

I see big guys camp on baits and wander... But, I have also seen studys showing radio tracked bears covering huge distances over a day or two... I think you can coax them to stay with the right scenario.

[Schultzy]

I wonder if the "wandering" sometimes dissapears because the 1st time he came in no one was there, the next time when he circled the bait he smelled the hunter there. Or, he camps out near the bait, down wind protecting it for himself and smells and spooks from the baiter.

That definitely happens too. I do believe though that they just wander as that's what I think these big guys do.

[ Post made via Android ]

I see big guys camp on baits and wander... But, I have also seen studys showing radio tracked bears covering huge distances over a day or two... I think you can coax them to stay with the right scenario.

I've never saw any bear studies before, just going by experience which sounds spot on with the bear studies your talking about. As far as scenarios, lots of things can come in to play there but I agree IF the scenario is right/perfect that you will indeed be able to keep them there sometimes.

I'd love to hunt out west In Idaho in the mountains for bear. Some year I'm going out there. The hunting pressure out there Is pretty low.

[dan]

I had the coolest sow coming in to one of my Minnesota baits... She was a chocolate but had a stripe down her back that was blond... I wanted to shoot her but she had cubs. She disappeared around a day or two into the season as bigger boars started hanging at the bait.
The next year I did not get a tag, and I expected to never see her again... The next time I got a tag was two years since I had her at the bait on the cameras for about a two week window... Just like clock work she showed same dates and dissapeared same time. Again she had cubs. Last year would of been four years since the original sighting. No show.

There is a lot of times I think its the same bear but its hard to tell with an all black animal.

I have also had a bear come in with a distinct white marking only once and disappear only to have him show at another bait several miles away, then disappear again.