Bear Hunt Update

The fall bear hunt opened this past Tuesday (7th) in WMU 47. Usually i head out on the opener but the wind forecast did not look good direction wise or strength wise for my climber so other than checking the cameras and freshening baits i postponed my first sit until Wednesday. The baits have been out since the first week of August and had been getting daily until Sep 4th (Week ago today). At that point activity seems to have ceased. My guess is acorns.

Wedenesday i had the climber about 12 feet up a spruce overlooking the bait from about 25 yards. Base of the spruce is also 10 feet above the bait on a granite ridge for a total of 22 feet above the bait.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...824cc8f9_k.jpg

I sat the same place Thursday, Friday, and this morning for a total of 32 hours in the climber. Saw about a million chipmunks, red squirrels, blue jays, gray jays, chickadees, 2 pileated woodpeckers, assortment of geese, ducks, and herons, one hawk and multiple ravens. Also saw 3 racoons. No bears seen and bait has been totally dead since the 4th.

Was treated to this magnificent sunset every night on the walk back to my canoe:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...767d558f_k.jpg

This is the last beaver pond on a chain of 6 large ponds. The first pond comes to the edge of my driveway and is where i put the canoe in. Following the chain back puts me about 2 miles from the driveway onto crown land.

So back to the grind for a week or so until the bears finish up whatever natural food has shut the baits down. Once they are getting hit again i will head back out.

Thanks for sharing your hunt. Always nice to hear about your adventures. Wishing you the best of luck

Don't put all your acorns in one basket. Bears disappearing overnight and gone for a week or two is something that happens everywhere--acorns or not. In all the years I ran a commercial hunt I was never absolutely positive of the reason they do that. My best guess is a more desirable and temporary food source elsewhere but I'm just spitting into the wind with that theory.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

Don't put all your acorns in one basket. Bears disappearing overnight and gone for a week or two is something that happens everywhere--acorns or not. In all the years I ran a commercial hunt I was never absolutely positive of the reason they do that. My best guess is a more desirable and temporary food source elsewhere but I'm just spitting into the wind with that theory.

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Thanks for the feedback. Not particularly worried as they will return. As you said it is a common occurrence and have seen it before. As for building multiple baskets for my eggs that would be ideal and there are years when i have had time to do that just not this year. Don't know if it's COVID related or not but my business has never been busier. Just finished my fiscal year on July 31 and this last year has beaten my previous record year by 12%.

Thanks for sharing, best luck here on in.

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz_k7J8XuTU

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Holy @#$%. That second bear at the 25 second mark is huge!

Great post and pictures and good luck next time you're out!

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Great post. Just finished a three day bear hunt and no one in the group saw one.

It’s been very warm in the area we hunted lately so maybe they weren’t moving as much, or were more nocturnal?

Was up to my place in 42 last week and the amount of acorns on the ground was amazing. I suspect a bear will just sit on a pile and eat. I’m hoping to get back later in the month and hope I can get some activity at one of my bait stations

Love to hear your hunting stories Species8472 as usual please keep us update on your hunt.

Buddy hunt around Port Loring area and he told me his bait was untouched for over a week now and nothing on camera guess the bears are feeding on the acorns as well otherwise can't explain it because he had bears coming in on a regular basis since mid August and action just die down since beginning of September.

Good luck on your hunt!

Cheers