What Week Would You Bear Hunt?

[Octang]

I am going to northern Minnesota bear hunting in the boundary waters for a week this September, but I am wrestling with which week to go.

Looking at the stats, most bears are harvested the first week, but I assume that is because most hunters go the first week. So I suspect that is not statistically meaningful.

Would later in the month be better because food sources would start to dwindle as berry patches dry up, making the bears more food aggressive & therefore more responsive to attractants?

Here's my other dilemma: I would like to go early in the month, mainly because I am impatient and want to go ASAP. Plus, it would allow me to hunt for something while I wait for deer season to open in Wisconsin. However, I really want to have the best shot of harvesting a bear, so I am willing to wait later in the month, even if that means missing the deer season opener (which would make me a little sad). I am also hunting deep in the wilderness via canoe, so I would appreciate cooler temperatures for meat packing purposes too.

So basically, like everything I do, I'm completely over analyzing this! Which week would you go? Does it matter?

[john1984]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26008&hilit=bear

[dan]

From my observations it seems bears get less and less active as it gets later in the year. 1st week seems best to me then it drops off more and more as time goes by. I like the 1st week.

[Octang]

http://thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26008&hilit=bear

Thanks, I stumbled on some of his related posts/youtube videos during my initial research a while back. I'll have to read through that one too!

[Octang]

From my observations it seems bears get less and less active as it gets later in the year. 1st week seems best to me then it drops off more and more as time goes by. I like the 1st week.

Interesting, that wasn't the answer I expected. I'll have to give that more serious thought then. I was kinda expecting to get a pep talk on why later is better as bear forge on increasingly scarcer food sources before hibernating. Thanks as always Dan.

[dan]

From my observations it seems bears get less and less active as it gets later in the year. 1st week seems best to me then it drops off more and more as time goes by. I like the 1st week.

Interesting, that wasn't the answer I expected. I'll have to give that more serious thought then. I was kinda expecting to get a pep talk on why later is better as bear forge on increasingly scarcer food sources before hibernating. Thanks as always Dan.

Yea... One would think with baiting it would get better second week cause the majority of hunters only hunt the 1st week and suddenly the is only a few baits out. But I generally see less and less hits as time goes on.

Thats not to say you can't kill one after opening week. Just saying odds seem best that 1st week based on what I have seen. You using just scents?

[Mike Foss]

From my observations it seems bears get less and less active as it gets later in the year. 1st week seems best to me then it drops off more and more as time goes by. I like the 1st week.

Interesting, that wasn't the answer I expected. I'll have to give that more serious thought then. I was kinda expecting to get a pep talk on why later is better as bear forge on increasingly scarcer food sources before hibernating. Thanks as always Dan.

Over the many years of dealing with bears, patterns start to develop, it is my experience as the foliage starts to shrink (less foliage & natural food sources) so does daytime activity. One of the bigger reasons why I would hunt early in the season is: later in the season, when cooler weather sets in, you would think there feeding would increase, but it doesn't, it slows down, its mother natures way of telling that bear "you will burn more fat reserves looking for food than what you will take in". We have had bait stations totally shut down as cooler weather sets in but if there a 2 day or even a 3 day stretch of unseasonably warm weather sets in, those bait station explode with activity, as cooler weather sets back in they shut down again.

So if I were you, your best chances are hunt early when there's still some sort of natural food source out there. I think that would be your best chances at seeing a bear at that time of year. Good luck

[Hunt247365]

I would go as soon as you can if not the first week. The longer you wait the lower your odds get if you ask me and for reasons that others have said...one being just like Mike said as their cover starts to go so does the daytime action...two as you get into Sept. and food sources start to dry up human logic is bait sites should really fire up but nope mother nature has the bears metabolism slow down. I have heard this from others and experienced it myself in mid to late Sept bears hit the bait but either just eat a little or give it a sniff and move on. Lastly I don't know about up there where your going but around by me here in WI by mid Sept the amount of people activity in the woods skyrockets and I think that can have a lot to do with it. With that said more then one or two guys kill late season bears every year but def feel the later it gets the more the odds are stacked against you.

[Octang]

From my observations it seems bears get less and less active as it gets later in the year. 1st week seems best to me then it drops off more and more as time goes by. I like the 1st week.

Interesting, that wasn't the answer I expected. I'll have to give that more serious thought then. I was kinda expecting to get a pep talk on why later is better as bear forge on increasingly scarcer food sources before hibernating. Thanks as always Dan.

Yea... One would think with baiting it would get better second week cause the majority of hunters only hunt the 1st week and suddenly the is only a few baits out. But I generally see less and less hits as time goes on.

Thats not to say you can't kill one after opening week. Just saying odds seem best that 1st week based on what I have seen. You using just scents?

Yep, I'm just using scents. I'll bring a predator call along too, but I'll only use that if the opportunity presents itself.

[Octang]

Mike Foss & Hunt247365, I really appreciate you guys chiming in too. It helps when there are a chorus of answers saying the same thing.

[Mike Foss]

Mike Foss & Hunt247365, I really appreciate you guys chiming in too. It helps when there are a chorus of answers saying the same thing.

I would use that predator call if you visually see a bear that you cant get a shot at or when desperate times call for it. Calls can work good, it all depends on the mood of the bear. Good luck

[Freelance Bowhunter]

Most bears are killed in the first week because that's your best odds of killing one because of how competitive it is. That may not be true for the boundary waters. I know a few guys who wait until the pressure is off and hunt the first week of October and they do okay because there aren't many other hunters still baiting, and many of the natural foods have been cleaned up. I don't think either of those factors would be as pronounced in the BWCA.

Just using scents is a tough gig. Odds of bagging a bear doing that is probably about .000001.

[Bearman13]

Not sure where your entry point is? But, if I were you I would go to the local forest circus station and ask where they are having bear issues with campers. Or even an canoe outfitter.

I would stick to a scent and leave the predator call at home. Unless you're interested in wolves and ravens coming into your set.

[Octang]

Most bears are killed in the first week because that's your best odds of killing one because of how competitive it is. That may not be true for the boundary waters. I know a few guys who wait until the pressure is off and hunt the first week of October and they do okay because there aren't many other hunters still baiting, and many of the natural foods have been cleaned up. I don't think either of those factors would be as pronounced in the BWCA.

Just using scents is a tough gig. Odds of bagging a bear doing that is probably about .000001.

Yeah, its harder. 14% of the tags get filled up there, but that is also what makes it fun for me.

[dan]

I think a guy has a decent chance just using scents... Cameras have shown me that a lot of bears hit my baits in daylight the 1st time I put it out. Its the scent spays they smell... I put out 5 baits last weekend here in Wisconsin and every one was started with a strong scent. Every bait was cleaned out, there were marked trees in two of the spots and one spot had a muddy area and there were at least 3 different bears hitting it based on the tracks. Thats in one week... I would get upwind of thick swampy areas likely to hold bear and spray scent to the crosswinds to a spot each direction you can shoot. . Nothing comes in, next day hit a new spot. I think Jim had an excellent idea about checking with canoe outfitters and the DNR about complaints...

When Carol and I went canoeing up there they warned us about certain places not to camp cause of problem bears repeatedly harassing canoe campers