2020 Foss & Bolssen Bear Season

[Mike Foss]

The Wisconsin 2020 bear baiting season is once again upon us. This year I will be assisting a great friend of mine from Green Bay (Brian), it took Brian 6 years to draw a kill tag for Zone D (next year all zones are going to change so bear hunters pay attention). I met Brian 12 years ago in my bear camp and since then we have become great friends, every year since then Brian ventures up north (Northern Bayfield County) with me for the Muzzleloader deer hunt and shows up at Northern Wisconsin Outfitters to assist and help out during the bear season. Back in 2011 in my bear camp, Brian shot a beautiful 472lb mature boar. I hope you all will follow this year's exciting hunt as Brian chases some true monster bears.
I was late this year, never got out until April 22. Lots of things happening thing year, Bear Scents LLC has sent me 3 new scent products to test in the field, the scents are so new their isn't even a product name for them just yet, I will be giving Bear Scents LLC an honest opinion. This week May 2nd Brian made his first of many trips planned to set a few bait stations, repair an awesome bear stand and set up a few new stands. The weather was hotter than expected (74 degrees) ticks were out in full force, but as you can see in the photos we got the job done. We placed the first bait last week on April 22 and had the first bear of the season on trail camera two days later.

[Mike Foss]

One of the new spots, I put Brian to work, we have high hopes for this area, it has everything, water, thick cover, deep cool ravines, it smells of bears, it is known to hold big bears. Tomorrow we will be pruning apple trees and prepping another old but new stand, haven't hunted this certain spot for 6 years.

[Mike Foss]

The first bear of the season showed up and tipped the log two days after the bait station was placed. It was good to see this nice young boar. And please don't forget to follow my bear adventures & hunting tips in On Wisconsin Outdoors. http://www.onwisconsinoutdoors.com Have no idea why its in fast motion. The video starts half way threw.

https://youtu.be/EtXrjsPhmLs https://youtu.be/cf3gZlCFUFk

[Mike Foss]

Another great day in the field, finished prepping another stand today. The Big Game Cot isn't just for bears, we had to walk a quarter-mile threw thick country and the cot made it easy.

[Mike Foss]

We even had time to prune an apple tree on my deer food plot. It's amazing how Northern Wisconsin is about two weeks behind in foilage compared to the central and southern parts of the state.

[Tripod472]

Couldn't wait to get up to Washburn to get the season started. I am deemed an essential worker and have been super busy with work and staying "social distancing" until this all blows over. Mike has always said it is important to get out early and start the baiting and stand process early. Since I have had success with this in the past, I was able to get away for two days to start the process as you can see. Last time I had a tag it all worked out with a nice 472 pound boar we named Tripod. He had three legs hence the name. Hope to harvest a nice boar this year too. Only time will tell.

[Mike Foss]

This is another Myth.....do bears like to go shopping at Malls? This one does he was standing in an entrance at Miller Hill Mall "Duluth Minnesota". Wonder what size he wears, he's a big one.

[stash59]

This is another Myth.....do bears like to go shopping at Malls? This one does he was standing in an entrance at Miller Hill Mall "Duluth Minnesota". Wonder what size he wears, he's a big one.

Looks like an XXXXXL tall!!!!

Good looking bruin!

[Tripod472]

Can we lead him an hour East?

[Mike Foss]

I made a 1-day overnight trip to my happy place, got a lot of work done, wanted to beat the rain that was coming, and accomplished what I set out to do, even placed an antler rub tree with a licking branch in my deer food plot (picture below). Put the finishing touches on a couple of new bear baits and baited them. Decided to go with all soaked scented hollow logs this year, each log can hold about 7 gallons. In the hollow log picture below Brian and I place that log (un-baited) on May 2nd, bears found it right away and tore it up good, bear scat all over the place, looks like they spent some time in there. The foliage is just starting to pop out compared to the mid and southern parts of the state, bugs are going to be real bad, already those black gnats and ticks are out in great numbers. As you can see in the scat picture (all grasses) there this only a few natural food sources at this time of the year for the bears to eat so soon they will be eating well with the treats placed for them, should get some good pictures & videos. There is a huge maturer bear in this section, I have always wanted to place a bait in this area and finally got permission to do so, let's see what happens!

https://youtu.be/cZ9juUeHbKc

[Mike Foss]

Bear Scat & Antler rub licking branch next to an apple tree.

[stash59]

I made a 1-day overnight trip to my happy place, got a lot of work done, wanted to beat the rain that was coming, and accomplished what I set out to do, even placed an antler rub tree with a licking branch in my deer food plot (picture below). Put the finishing touches on a couple of new bear baits and baited them. Decided to go with all soaked scented hollow logs this year, each log can hold about 7 gallons. In the hollow log picture below Brian and I place that log (un-baited) on May 2nd, bears found it right away and tore it up good, bear scat all over the place, looks like they spent some time in there. The foliage is just starting to pop out compared to the mid and southern parts of the state, bugs are going to be real bad, already those black gnats and ticks are out in great numbers. As you can see in the scat picture (all grasses) there this only a few natural food sources at this time of the year for the bears to eat so soon they will be eating well with the treats placed for them, should get some good pictures & videos. There is a huge maturer bear in this section, I have always wanted to place a bait in this area and finally got permission to do so, let's see what happens!

https://youtu.be/cZ9juUeHbKc

Curious as to how and what you soak the logs in!!!!

[Mike Foss]

Pure vegetable oil (30 gallon jugs bought from Sams club) and Bear Scents LLC anise or bacon scent additive. We use a plastic drum cut in half, with a hoist we lift the hollow stump in and soak it for a few days, lift it out but let it drip.

[stash59]

Pure vegetable oil (30 gallon jugs bought from Sams club) and Bear Scents LLC anise or bacon scent additive. We use a plastic drum cut in half, with a hoist we lift the hollow stump in and soak it for a few days, lift it out but let it drip.

Cool! Figured it was something pretty simple! Thanx!!!!!

[Tripod472]

Super excited to get up north this weekend and check cameras and the new bait stations we put out a couple of. Weeks ago. Mike was up last weekend trimming brush and baiting. Great video of a real nice bear already. Love doing all the prep work but can’t wait to sit in the stand this fall.